Melbourne rockers Dangerous Curves caused quite a stir at Sentinel Daily HQ with the release of their superb Summertime Highs elpee earlier this year, so it was a no-brainer to try and get the boys involved in this latest series of Metal Origins, if only because we were sure that we’d be able to slip the odd Kiss or Poison track into the article for demonstration purposes. Happily the band’s guitarist Cam Shoobert delivered the goods in one of the most enjoyable chats in the series so far…

Without further ado, let’s get down to business… What are your earliest memories of heavy metal? “I was very lucky in a way; I had young parents who were teenagers in the eighties. My dad had VHS tapes of old school metal video clips that I remember seeing around the age of six or seven years old, bands such as Van Halen, Scorpions, W.A.S.P. and Stryper. Looking up to him it was more than just music, He lived and breathed it everyday and he was my main role model growing up. So it’s in my veins so to speak”.

So we’ve established that your olds inculcated a love of ‘our kind of music’… but what was the first metal album you bought with your own cash? “I actually came across the video clip for the classic Van Halen hit Jump at the age of twelve which is where the true obsession began, I borrowed my dad’s Best of Volume 1 CD until I had enough money to buy my own copy of 1984 on CD which I played to death and still have to this day. I know every nook and cranny on it; the musicianship is second to none and the deep cuts such as Drop Dead Legs and I’ll Wait deserve just as much credit as the massive hits, Great album!”

It certainly is! Are there any bands you loved as a youngster that cause you to wince now and ask: ‘what was I thinking’? “Van Halen were my first love and are still my absolute favourite band of all time so no regret here! I was never really into the current bands of my era”.

Now, who were the first band you saw live – please feel free to include no-name local bands if that was your first interaction with live… “My first concert was Paul Stanley’s solo tour for his Live to Win album; I was thirteen years old and blown away by his professionalism and the way he owned the stage was glorious . It was at a relatively small venue in Newcastle which made it all the more surreal being that close to a legend, Also his voice was in great shape at that time. It was also amazing to hear some deep cuts such as Magic Touch, Goodbye and Hide Your Heart. Going to a regular Kiss concert you probably wouldn’t hear those types of songs”.

That was a great show; for reasons that still haven’t been made clear I found myself in Paul’s dressing room at the Enmore in Sydney on that tour whilst he was on stage… a nice selection of liquid treats were on show! How hard was it growing up to get info on the bands you loved- was there much mainstream media coverage where you lived? “Not to hard at all really, I grew up in the 2000s so we had internet to research anything we wanted to know about certain bands, not to mention my dad who was a walking encyclopedia of rock/metal knowledge and of course Myspace. Also learning to play guitar in this era I feel was a lot easier than past generations with access to virtually any guitar lesson on Youtube which was a bonus as well”.

As an adjunct to the previous question, do you think the internet has taken away the mystique of being in a big band for young people today? Do we know too much about our heroes in 2021? “In a way I can absolutely understand that way of thinking, As a kid there was nothing more exciting than wondering what your idols are up to and how they’re living. Now, I can go on social media and see what Steven Tyler had for breakfast or Jon Bon Jovi going for his morning run which is kind of cool in a way as well so I’m cool with it!”

Were you a big festival goer as a junior headbanger? “Not at all actually, I was in my bedroom practising my ass off dreaming of being in a band I could be proud of! Which is one hundred and ten per cent what I have now! I still can’t believe how lucky I was to find these guys that have similar tastes and share the same passion!”

Would you have hitched hundreds of miles to see your favourite bands if necessary? “If I was with a couple of mates absolutely! The adventure would be just as fun I
reckon, maybe something like the Detroit Rock City movie (laughs)”.

What five albums have stayed with you since your formative metal years? “1984 for sure – who could get sick of those mind melting solos? New Jersey by Bon Jovi is a big one for me, as far as songwriting goes I think Jon and Richie Sambora are among the elite and that production team of Bruce Fairbairn along with Bob Rock inspired a whole generation of bands that came after. Hot in the Shade by Kiss – a strange pick for most Kiss fans but I’m a huge Paul Stanley fan and his songs on this album in particular are amazing, People don’t give him enough credit as being one of the great vocalists but he truly is, The guy could wail! Songs like Silver Spoon, You Love Me To Hate You, and of course the three singles are among his best. Hysteria by Def Leppard – the best way to describe this album is when you put it on you’re not just listening to it, It’s an experience; the production of Mutt Lange is out of this world and the sound they created together is magical, definitely one of my desert island albums! Flesh & Blood by Poison; I’m an absolute hardcore Poison fan! Any of their first four albums could have made the list, but I feel the original band were at their peak in terms of songwriting and playing on this one, the whole album is perfect, plus that production team in Vancouver with Bruce Fairbairn which I referred to before was behind this one”.

I’m a Kiss fan and you won’t get any argument from me – I absolutely love Hot in the Shade! Now, to matters less serious… Did you have a metal crush? I had life size posters of Lee Aaron and Doro Pesch on my ceiling in 1986… “Not really metal crush exactly, playboy models yeah! Pamela Anderson, Anna Nicole Smith in her prime was amazing, Kylie Minogue…”

We’ll leave it at that! Thanks for taking part! “No worries – thanks for having me!”

Dangerous Curves’ Summertime Highs is out now – read Scott Adams’ review of the album HERE