Yentl As Anything Interview (+ pre-concert photos)
Since I had to cancel my plans to travel around New Zealand, the year turned out to be different than I had anticipated. Last minute, I flew to Queensland to live for three months on the world’s largest sand island. Moreover, I started my third and final working visa in Australia. With plenty of upcoming travel plans, new career paths, and COVID limitations on most destinations, I decided to work an additional 6 months on King Island. I had spent all of 2020 on this Tasmanian island, and I could easily pick up my life here. King Island Dairy was happy to give me my steady job back. Besides, Yentl As Anything had an extra 6 months to play gigs. Last Saturday, we already played our last gig. Because of that, we had both a photoshoot (Michael Laskey) and a Yentl As Anything interview (Rowan Cooke).
The Yentl As Anything Interview
On Saturday night, King Island rock group Yentl As Anything had their final gig at the King Island Club. The wildly charismatic musician and guitarist Yentl Doggen said this was officially the last time he would perform with Yentl As Anything. Yentl is a Belgian backpacker who has had more leaving and returning to the island than most backpackers. In Belgium, he studied music, performed professionally, and was a music teacher. Before the group Yentl As Anything was formed, Yentl supported various musical events as a pianist, drummer, and guitarist. Yentl As Anything consists of four talented musicians. Jess Boyes is the singer. Daniel Baer plays the drums, Tom Blake on bass, and Yentl Doggen on guitar. Before joining the band, Yentl was a drummer. However, he decided to play the guitar during the early formation days of Yentl As Anything.
Each band member brings their unique musical tastes to the group. Daniel said that he enjoyed hard rock and punk, whereas Tom loves 90s grunge, alternative, and rock. Jess openly said her passion was the “top 100” tracks circulating on the airwaves and music streaming sites. Yentl is interested in playing ‘pop’ and ‘electric music’. Although the band members vary on the music they enjoy, they believe ‘knowing when to compromise’ was vital for picking out the best tracks to perform. The band has had many amazing gigs on the island and played many classic rock songs from such artists as Nirvana, Green Day, Guns N’ Roses, Blink-182, and many more.
The band members said that during the early days of the COVID outbreak in 2020, performing to a crowd forced to sit down and not allowed to dance was hard. “Our second gig as a group improved as COVID restrictions loosened. It was more promising because the crowd was able to dance and respond to the music,” Tom said. As this is Yentl’s last performance with the band, he is now focusing on other projects. His website contains a regularly updated blog. He has also just released an ebook called “Rhythmic Permutations,” which Yentl is very excited about promoting as it focuses on the drums.
Yentl As Anything wants to thank the King Island community for coming out and showing support. “The energy from the crowd goes a long way for them to continue performing.” Additionally, the band thanked Wade Roskam. Yentl said, “Without Wade, none of this would be possible.” The performance on Saturday night was a success. People danced, made mosh pits while the band played their music loudly. The last song played was a cover of the Arctic Monkeys. The song “I bet that you look good on the dancefloor” was a fitting song for Yentl As Anything to play. It perfectly encapsulated the band’s rock ‘n’ roll spirit.
Rowan Cooke.
The Yentl As Anything Interview was published in the King Island Courier. Their slogan, A Beacon For The Community, stands for the go-to newspaper for King Islanders to keep up-to-date with the latest news on their beloved island. The edition that covers our interview is attached below.
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