- Interviews
Hi Mary, Debut album complete, what is your emotion at this point, relief, satisfaction &/or, already cracking on with record number two?
All of the above, except maybe the last one. Officially I’m excited and relieved, but privately I’m still wondering if it will ever stop being scary. It’s been a funny old journey so far, and at some point I look forward to being able to say “Phew! It was worth it”.
With this record, some of the songs were demoed in three or four versions before the final ones, so it will be nice to be able to jump in and make something a bit more spontaneous with album 2. Also I can play drums a bit now, so maybe it’s going to go in a different direction!
Song writing; A natural gift or a learnable trade?
I think there are many approaches to song writing, and there are certainly ways you can learn the standard structures etc, but I think I enjoy it most (in my own writing and in other people’s) when it comes from some unknown well of inspiration.
I never enjoy my tracks that I’ve sweated over as much as the ones that just arrived from nowhere, intact. More usually the first verse and chorus come like that for me, then I have to work out what the song is about to be able to write verse two.
How does your song writing process take shape, on the road, at home, with friends, alone etc?
Like I say above, usually a phrase or two will arrive, words and melody, and I go from there. I don’t write with other people for my solo stuff, would be interested in collaborating for some other projects etc, but I’m too protective of my own work to let anyone in.
That said, the production process with Will Twynham is often the thing that brings the songs to life, puts flesh on bone.
I seem to need a particular kind of insular feeling to start writing, it doesn’t come to me often and it’s hard to set it up. The muse is a bit flighty. Trying to do all the admin side of being in a band really doesn’t foster inspiration for me.
- Interviews
Tell us about your band, how did you get together and how would you describe your sound for people that have not heard your music yet?
We are PAWS. We all first stood in the same room at a log cabin in the Highlands of Scotland in 2009 and then started a band. I guess we are a noisy bunch of boys that live in Glasgow that like pop music.
Your new ep is called ‘Misled Youth’ Was it for you?
In some ways I suppose it was. Playing guitar, skateboarding and other such activities took up a lot of my time. The title is more so a nod to the Zero skate video of the same title.
Back to schooldays… What was the hot music exchanged in the playground or at college?
The first cd I ever exchanged with Josh was a copy of the Test Icicles record, which is kinda cool because Rory ended up recording our first LP that comes out later this year. True story. I think he gave me "In Faceless Towns Forever" by Y'all Is Fantasy Island in return. Great swap.
- Interviews
Hi Marissa, how the devil are you today and what is the view from where you are sitting?
I'm sitting in my apartment. The view is the computer!
When was the first time that you realised music was going to be your career and what was it that ‘lit the spark’ for you to make that decision?
I think that it was around the time I was 18- though I've been playing since I was 15. Around 18, when I was in college, I was running off to do a lot of open mics and things like that. I felt a really direct emotional connection to the music and I felt at the time that I really wanted to make it a career. I've been at it for so long now that honestly it’s hard to remember exactly what led me to it other than just a love for song writing and a general feeling that I didn't fit in the day to day workplace!
What is the story behind the new record theme?
There isn't a direct theme to the record in terms of the fact that it’s not a concept album. All of my records are collections of songs. The story is telling the story of the people around me. It’s a very realistic bunch of songs, dealing with a glimpse into everyday life.
- Interviews
Hello and I hope the sun is shining where you are. Where actually are you today?
We are in
Was there a general feeling of satisfaction when the latest album (I am Gemini) was completed or are you constantly writing new material?
Yep, I think we were all very happy with record upon completion. We are always happy with the completed records but this one was particularly fun and exciting to complete. It was a new approach and new producer so lots of new avenues. We tend to write in blocks so nothing new since the record was written.
Any particular instruments, effects or, recording techniques that you used this time around that would like to share with your fellow musicians’?
Well, we track most of the bass drums and guitar live which we think really helps with the energy and feel of the songs. Tim likes to record vocals on his own which gives him a comfortable and more relaxing atmosphere so he can take his time and work out all his ideas. Ted does the same thing with his lead guitar. By combining the live sound with their work I think we get the best of both worlds.
- Interviews
We thought it would be nice to interview two ‘Under the Radar’ bands from both sides of the pond at the same time, Ten City Nation from Bury St. Edmunds in
Ten City Nation (TCN) questions were all answered by guitarist/vocalist Seymour
Dot Dash (DD)
Hi and how the devil are you today, in fact where are you as well?
(TCN) I’m very well, thank you for asking! I’m sat at my computer at home in sunny
(DD) Very well, thanks. Everyone is at work. Terry and Hunter are in the ‘downtown’ area of D.C.; Bill in
How long have you been a band and how did you come together, what was the spark?
(TCN) We all used to be in a sort-of punk band called Miss Black America, who got together back in 1999. Mike (bass/vocals) and Neil (drums) were still at school and I’d just dropped out of university to concentrate on being an idiot. We did reasonably well but we toured Black Flag-style without any backing for two years and didn’t cope very well with a prolonged diet of crisps and lager, so the band fell apart. But gradually we became friends again and around 2007 we realised we were all listening to the same records – Chas & Dave Live At The Budokan,
(DD) We got together in the front part of 2010. We had all played in various bands over the years and knew each other, or had travelled in similar circles, and decided to give it a whirl.
Dot Dash
- Interviews
Tell us about your solo project, The Whispering Pines’ how did you come by the name? What was the decision making process that made you decide to make a solo record as against a band effort?
I am always writing songs, it’s a constant exercise for me so I regularly release solo work under various different guises. I have released albums as ‘Blue Vinyl Island’ before but I’m currently the Whispering Pines. I don’t make a conscious effort to produce a record without my band, The Lucky Strikes, as we are always working and playing, so my solo records just happen alongside the band. My solo work certainly explores a different side to my song writing and allows me the freedom to try soundscapes that don’t necessarily fit with the ethos of the Lucky Strikes and also allows me to work with other musicians who I admire and who I can call friends.
As for the name, well, the album is very much focussed on quietude and calm and where I live you can hear the trees rustling in the evening breeze, so I wanted to reflect the mindset I have when experiencing that. It’s also a fantastic song by The Band, who I greatly admire.
If somebody had not heard your solo music, how would you best describe what they are likely to hear?
I hear a lot of noises in my head so my solo material is quite eclectic. You would be safe if you labelled it lo-fi alt. country but there’s lots of hammered dulcimer, multi-layered recorders and pedal steel in there. I wanted to convey mysticism through this record, like a dreamscape so I hope it could be described as ambient, mysterious, a record with lots of nooks and crannies.
How did you get the chance to join the Simone Felice group?
I am very lucky to have Simone as a friend. I met him about two years ago in
- Interviews
Hello and I hope the sun is shining where you are. Where actually are you today?
I (Dan) am hiding from some miserable rain in one of the less well-loved districts of
Is there a general feeling of satisfaction now the first album is completed or are you already working on that “difficult” second?
The recording of all of the tunes that ended up on 'A Solution To Everything' was finished ages and ages ago, so there's more of a sense of satisfaction in the thing coming out at all. We've already recorded some stuff for a second album, and it seems to be easier than doing the first one so far. Is it that we have no time for rock music conventions, or is the difficulty of a second album more of a myth than a cliché?
How did you decide who was going to take the lead vocals on each song?
Sometimes these things just work themselves out. Ian wrote most of the words for this record, and many of them had a particular personal resonance which really required him to sing as they're about his life – 'Next Xmas' concerns the early stages of his relationship with his wife, for instance. The rest of the time someone might put a marker down, making demands on who sings lead. For at least one tune I'm pretty sure we had to take it in turns singing the lead to figure who did it the most justice
Photo by Chris Boland / www.distantcloud.co.uk
- Interviews
Hello and I hope the sun is shining where you are. Where actually are you today?
Hello, nice to meet you. We are having cold days over here under the
“Fuzzed-up pop gems. Guitar buzzes like a toy chainsaw over which Iris' angelic voice glides effortlessly” That’s how The
‘'sweet but hard' is the phrase I always use to describe our sound. To some people we are fuzzy sound, and to others, we are bubble gum pop or shoegazer, rock, brit pop, etc, but all we are doing is putting all the sounds, whatever we feel is right for a song and that becomes the taffy sound.
Your single is out for Record Store Day on 21st April, does that mean there is an album on the way as well?
Yeeees!!, and when you listen to it, you could probably see what I meant in the prior question.
- Interviews
1: How the devil are you today and where are you?
I'm actually lying in bed with the flu and was feeling pretty sorry for myself until I looked outside. I live opposite a church and there's a funeral going on outside my window. That's certainly put this flu in perspective. The poor bugger.
2: Where did the name Modern Painters come from for the band (any thoughts of Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers at the time?)
Jeez, this is going to sound so pretentious, but I think originally it was more of a reference to the Modern Art magazine called Modern Painters, and the John Ruskin book of the same name. I guess we wanted a band name that suggested some kind of vaguely artistic approach to sound; I've always liked band names that were in some ways representative of the sound of the band. Afterwards I realised that it was pretty similar to the Jonathan Richman thing, and thought that was a nice reference.
3. What inspired you to take the music path as a career?
It was just what I always wanted to do; from a young age. I think it's the same for everyone in the band really. It's almost like it chooses you rather than the other way round!
4. Manchester has an unprecedented history for the creation of bands, how has the vibe of the city influenced your sound?
Yeah, the heritage is there, for sure, but when you actually live here it's a different kind of thing compared to how it looks from the outside. The majority of us in the band came here for university around 2001, and even by that time, the whole
I think a lot of people from Manchester feel the same as well; you only need to look at the kind of reaction Peter Hook is getting now by touring the old Joy Division stuff, or opening up the FAC 51 venue - he's getting a lot of flak for that, and I think part of the reason is because Manchester's always been a very forward-looking place, musically; it's not really interested in the nostalgia trip.
The vibe of
- Interviews
How are you all feeling just back from your UK & US tour?
Both tours were great and it feels like the new record has made a real impact on people who like our music and it's also introduced new people to our music as well and that's what we'd hoped for with this record. We're going to be touring both places again later in the year and if those tours were anything to go by then the band seems to be growing and reaching new ears very naturally.
Has your hometown of Kilsyth influenced your sound?
Andy and Mark stay in Kilsyth and I stay in a smaller village which is 3 miles away from them. I would say that where we stay influences the lyrics but as far as the sound of the band is concerned I'd say that it's more of a subconscious influence. If we stayed somewhere else I'm pretty sure we'd sound a lot different but it's not something we think about, we just do what comes naturally. All my lyrics are very personal and are about people I know and things that have happened to us over the years. I love where we live but I'm pretty sure I'm not giving it a good reputation with all the miserable lyrics and pretty disturbing images that those lyrics may induce.
Who were your musical influences when you were at school?
The first album I bought was "Everything Must Go" by the Manic Street Preachers. After that I went back and bought "The Holy Bible" by the Manics and that became one of my all time favorite albums. I listened to a lot of Mogwai and Arab Strap and still do, they are two of my favorite bands.
- Interviews
How the devil are you today Laura and is the sun shining in your world?
I'm very well thank you - exhausted but pleased after my day of gigging in peoples' offices around London! It was a lovely spring day so it was all very enjoyable. A big cup of tea is imminent. I am a happy lady.
“She Makes War is the gloom-pop solo project of Laura Kidd – multi-instrumentalist, visual artist and digital polymath” How would you actually describe your music?
That's exactly how I'd describe it…I invented the term gloom-pop just before I released my debut album as I was sick of people asking me what I sounded like and trying to fumble for an answer. The full description is grungy dystopian gloom-pop but it's gloom-pop for short - it's bittersweet, melancholy but hopeful indie pop music, basically ;)
Your new album ‘Little Battles’ is out on the 9th April. How does this record differ from last year’s ‘Disarm’ LP?
It's definitely a step on in terms of production values and songwriting - I worked with the same co-producer, the fabulous Myles Clarke, but because the recording costs were funded through my Pledge campaign I could afford to spend about double the amount of time in the studio and therefore add in a lot more detail.
"Little Battles" was also written in a much shorter period of time than "Disarm", so for me the stories and themes are much more strongly focused and coherent. My first album actually came out in September 2010 so it may seem like a very short period of time between the two but it feels right to me and I'm already thinking about the next collection of songs!
- Interviews
Hi and how is Chicago today or, are you somewhere else?
We are in Memphis Tennessee and it's very nice!
Your new album is out of the 19th April in the UK. What are the greatest differences between ‘Beware and be Grateful' and ‘Perch Patchwork’ in your eyes (& ears)?
In many ways I think that 'Beware and Be Grateful' grew out of 'Perch Patchwork' and feels like it builds upon our previous work, but the album has a very different feel and is thematically very different. I think that 'Beware and Be Grateful' is more expansive sonically, more technically challenging and includes a lot of new type of experimentation for us such as improvisation and the use of effects.
The new record was recorded at Omaha's ARC Studios. Anything cool we should know about Omaha?
Omaha is a really fun city and was a place that we'd only had the opportunity to stop by briefly on tour, so having the opportunity to spend a more substantial amount of time there was really nice. There is such an interesting music scene in Omaha and ARC is a part of that so it was great to experience a small piece of that.
Any particular instruments, effects, or recording techniques that you would like to share with your fellow musicians’ that you used on the new record?
We tried experimenting with new techniques on every song and ARC had a lot of great equipment to play around with. I haven't historically used effects pedals live, but after playing around with the Red Witch Titan delay pedal, Electro-Harmonix POG and a bunch of different Z. Vex pedals I kind of want to get a bunch of them.
Any festivals lined up for this summer or any places you are particularly looking forward to playing?
We are playing Free Press Summer Fest in Houston as well as a several other festivals in the Midwestern US. We really appreciate the festival atmosphere and are really looking forward to it!