It's fair to say that at some stage, most teenagers find themselves sitting at school bored out of their brains. We have all been before! When all you could think about is your cheap, shitty, guitar sitting at home waiting for you to come home and crank her up through your pride and joy, 50 watts of Peavey madness. Quickly your thoughts turn to a riff that you have been working on, and all you can think about is how good it would be to take the stage at the Rod Laver Arena and blast it into the ears of 12,000 rockers, wearing t-shirts with your bands name on it.

For most of us the dream ends there, but for Darren Cordeux, the dream is well alive. After dropping out of school he teamed up with fellow dreamers, Sean Thomas (guitar), Joel Vanderuit (bass) & Karl Ammitzboll (drums) and Kisschasy were born. They have just finished a national tour with Simple Plan, and they are a shoe-in for an Aria this year. Their average age is only 20 and their debut album is - "United Paper People"

But the story gets better. I asked Jai (A&R for Below par) about how he found out about Kisschasy.

(Jai) We met the Kisschasy guys through Joel (Bass Player), who we knew since his days in Tenpin (his, Sean and Karl's old band). Ever since Kisschasy formed he was sending us cassette demos of whatever they were doing, then they came to Sydney for a Major Label showcase a few months later. His manager didn't invite us, but Joel did and every head of A&R was there... We were the only indie. Anyway they bombed that night and the sound sucked, everyone left unimpressed except for us who thought they were awesome and had loads of potential. We signed them a week later... fast-forward 2 years and now every-ones kicking themselves.”

It is such a great story and to find out more, we sat down with Darren back stage at the Simple plan show for a bit of Q and A. It is important to note that during the Kisschasy set, the crowd was going off. There were kids in Kisschasy T-shirts everywhere and you could be forgiven for thinking that they were the main act on the night. Rarely does a crowd respond to the first support like they did for Kisschasy. But Darren takes it all with a quiet enthusiasm that would lead you to believe he has been doing it for years.

Firstly, thanks for sitting with us for this interview, you must be stoked with the response you’re getting from the crowd/s on this tour. But it could have been a very different story, was there a plan B? Or was it Rock & Roll or Bust?

There was never any choice. I tried other things like sports but I was too uncoordinated. I grew up in a musical family so it seemed like the right choice to drop out of high school and sit in my bedroom for two years writing crappy songs.

Did you’re parents support your decision to quit school?

Yes surprisingly. My dad is a singing teacher and he knew I wouldn’t be happy unless I pursued music as a career. I mean my school didn’t even have a music class! No one liked me there anyway.

I imagine your life is dramatically different now than it was 3 years ago and you are spending a lot more time stuck together on planes and in mini vans. Has this helped or hindered the writing process?

The way I write is I sit in my room with an acoustic guitar and write a song from beginning to end. I have to be by myself with no distractions around me, so being on the road it’s hard because I’m so rarely alone but at the same time I get a lot of inspiration on the road so it doesn’t hinder the process too much.

Because you guys are going places so quickly, the learning curve must be very steep, going from small shows to stadium supports in the space of 2 years. Your story makes this Rock & Roll thing sound too easy. Quit school, learn guitar, make record, sit back and let the good times roll. What has been the toughest part of all this for you.

You make it sound so easy!!!! I mean all of us have been playing since we were twelve so it doesn’t seem like our success was so sudden. Being away from loved ones sucks and service station food can have a nasty effect on your health. We still live at home and are yet to see any money, so it’s not like we feel like we’re a huge rock band or anything.

Recently you guys did a national pub tour with Kiwi rock Gods Shihad, who are considered by fans & peers, as one of the greatest rock bands to take the stage. What did you take away from that experience (if anything) that has helped you? Advice? Ideas…etc…?

They turned us into a rock band. Every night after each show tom (the drummer) would give us little nuggets of information about how to make our show better. After watching them every night we knew we needed to improve… A LOT!!!

Do you indulge in the excess of rock and roll, you know, Sex, drugs, money, or all of the above? Or are you more of a celery and water kind of guy?

Celery and water because that’s all I can afford.

If you could be in any other band than Kisschasy, which would it be and why?

I would join the pussycat dolls purely because I don’t feel that I can use my dancing talent to its full potential in kisschasy.

We all have albums that we listen to now and think what the hell was I thinking when I bought this? What’s the worst album in your collection?

Limp Bizkit "Significant Other".

Do you still listen to it today? (Be honest.)

No.

Now we have a few little questions that help us get to know you a bit outside of Rock.

Favorite food?

Celery

Favorite drink?

Water

Single, married, or just dating?

I’ve got a girl, she’s got cool shoes.

Favorite movie?

The corporation.

Who is you arch nemeses?

Anthony Callea

If you’re life was being made into a movie, who would play the lead role and what song would best suit the soundtrack?

Denzel Washington would play me and “it’s raining men” would be the soundtrack.

If you could raise the dead. Who would you bring back & why?

Elliot Smith. He left too early.

What is your most prized possession?

My acoustic guitar. (Guess what brand it is?)

What is the motto that you live by?

Less is more.

For more information see www.kisschasy.com