Style And Or Substance, the first album from The Ferguson Rogers Process, via Impressed Recordings. Rogers and Ferguson both felt it was well overdue to make music again. After first meeting and hitting it off backstage at a Melbourne concert they sparked off each other with numerous favourite records in common. A short time later Rogers guested on The Bamboos track “I Got Burned” in 2012, which then went on to become one of the biggest Australian tracks of that year. Drawing on different touchstones than The Bamboos, The Ferguson Rogers Process is where disco discovers that it can get dirty, and rock finds its groove.
“It’s kind of funny how we ended up calling this thing we do a “Process””, says Ferguson, “as mostly I’m not so concerned with any sort of particular creative process, it’s just always: “get this record finished by any means necessary. I like to think that “The Process” in this case is hopefully what happens when someone experiences the music.” They are both confident the album will have longevity. “I hope it ends up soundtracking some wild times. I’ve spent the last 30 years+ involved in making music with the primary purpose of inducing humans to move with reckless, rhythmic abandon. Why stop now?” Rogers was just waiting for the call. “Apart from noodling for catfish and practicing my four-seam fastball, dancing is my favourite clothes-wearing activity, so when Lance called me on the Boo-phone and told me he had ten songs written with the express intention of being dance songs I jumped like Catfish Hunter to the lil’ red desk and got writing. Immediately.” Memories of highly enjoyable (and yes, at times wild) times was the other ingredient that pulled Rogers and Ferguson back into making music again, after having a ball together on the road. Some of the same Bamboos players that travelled on their tours twice around the country didn’t need to be asked twice to join the live FRP band.
All ten songs on Style And Or Substance were produced by Ferguson, and aside from long-time Bamboos member Graeme Pogson (also a central member of Melbourne Boogie outfit, Mondo Freaks) on drums and percussion, Ferguson played all instruments across the album. The album was recorded, mixed and mastered by long time Ferguson studio partner, John Castle, who has his own remarkable studio resume working on music by Alex Lahey, Cub Sport, Vance Joy and many more.
