BRISBANE rock band Intercooler found itself in quite a predicament when it was about to embark on its second tour of the US.
Just a week before the band's departure, guitarist Michael Caso announced he was leaving the band for personal reasons after 10 years.
The pressure was instantly felt as the remaining members searched in vain to find a replacement.
``We were getting really desperate and were just asking anyone,'' frontman Phil Ballantyne said.
``I remember going to parties and just looking for people asking, `Do you play guitar? Do you play guitar?' ``All our friends were already playing in bands and about to tour so we were pretty stressed.'' In the end, a friend who lived over in Atlanta stepped up and the band spent one night jamming with him before playing their first gig in the US.
Thankfully the band has found a more permanent replacement in guitarist Darek Mudge, who previously spent two years touring with Screamfeeder. Since releasing the five-track EP Dance of a Thousand Promises in September last year, Intercooler has been on the road almost constantly.
The latest tour began last week and they will appear at the Northern Star Hotel on Saturday. One down-side to the band's relentless tour schedule is the uncertainty of when a new album will be released.
Although the band has a stack of new tunes under its belt which are ready to be recorded, time restraints have plagued them.
``We're always writing, but we're really strapped for time these days,'' Ballantyne said.
``We're booked up until after June, which is good but frustrating at the same time, because we need to get an album out and give the songs we have demoed the treatment they deserve and record them the way they are meant to be recorded.'' When Intercooler wrap up the tour next month, they will head to the United States in May when they will be one of four Australian acts invited to perform a showcase gig before industry insiders at Hollywood's MusExpo. Intercooler will be joined by Old Sound Central at the Northern Star on Saturday night.
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