Interview :: Fun Lovin’ Criminals Discuss Classic Fantastic
It has been many years since FLC first graced our ears with their presence and original style of gangster rock. Screaming of something more Joe Pesci and Marlon Brando than the gangsters of today, FLC have moulded themselves into a niche. Recently M&B caught up with the wise guys to ask them a few questions of their own.
The latest offering from FLC is called ‘Classic Fantastic’, it is a thirteen track exploration into little more than the usual ramblings of a band far past their day. So far it has been largely panned by the critics and its recent release has done little to excite the masses.
Whilst this is certainly far from a classic there is a new upbeat and positive feel to this ageing bands recent repertoire. So just what does this new direction say about Fun Lovin’ Criminals?
‘Survival’ retorts front-man Huey Morgan from the corner of the room. He sits with his hand resting lightly on his forehead, clad in a black suit with an open-collared white shirt. Every inch the signature look of the band. ‘Mental survival really, coming out of that big lawsuit we had, it just seemed like if we didn’t make a record they would have won. It’s a little cliché if a band breaks up after big legal dispute.’
The long five-year break between albums was no calculated move on the bands behalf but rather the result of a long legal wrangle with a former manager. The result of such drawn out proceedings fell in favour of Morgan’s men and the good times reign again, surely a defining factor in FLC’s new found positivity?
‘Fast had been writing tunes during the whole dispute but it was kind of over the last year and half that we put the lyrics to the songs and really tried to make them a little bit more uplifting‘ continues Huey. ‘It helped us get into the funk a little bit if you know what I mean!’
Morgan has every reason to be in high spirits. The hiatus from musical projects has led him to add further strings to his bow. Currently he presents his own radio show, will soon be hosting his own TV show and is almost about to complete a debut novel. With the recent retirement announcement of Jonathon Ross from the BBC it is little wonder Morgan has been tipped to fill his shoes. A small wry smile as the front man takes another sip of his drink says it all.
To accompany the album a huge string of tour dates have been announced across Europe. From Scotland to Amsterdam FLC will be plying their trade but where is the place they consider home whilst on the road?
‘The audience in Ireland is great, before they get to the gig they are already fucking wired and ready to go’ chimes in Frank enthusiastically. ‘Sometimes, you just know that when you walk out everything is going to be great – it’s really the crowd which makes it.’
Mark ‘Frank Benbini’ Reid is a surprising addition to a band associated with the mean streets of Brooklyn. The last member to join after a string of other drummers, Reid grew up in Leicester, but has since found his home amongst the tales of debauchery on the mean New York streets. M&B Music suggests that the members of FLC now find themselves entering their twilight years and that maybe gigs are becoming a little more suited to a relaxed, elder statesman’s pace. Frank looks towards the last remaining member of the group to speak, Fast, and gives him a little smile. Fast seems ready for this question and leans forward so as to emphasise his point.
‘We’re really pushing our live show more than ever before on this tour’ he explains calmly but with intimidation in his voice. ‘We have about seven different set-lists which we can choose from and loads of great surprises planned.’
Fast pauses, leans back and takes a sip of his drink. Slowly he takes a breath and looks M&B straight in the eyes.
‘The magic is still there.’
Interview & Review :: Tiffany Page
Prior to seeing the Noisettes live at the O2 Academy in Liverpool, I went to meet their main support act and currently little-known, but dead-set future star, Tiffany Page.
After entering the Academy, I was taken through the tunnel-like rooms and lead to Tiffany’s dressing room, where I found her chilling out on her computer, surrounded by her male bandmates who departed to set their instruments up for the evening. It was in the dimly lit dressing room that we had a chat about her influences, the release of her single and album and her plans for 2010.
Jodie (Moon&Back): So, it’s the penultimate date of the tour with the Noisettes tonight, have you enjoyed it? Have you had a good time?
Tiffany Page: Probably some of the best times of my life! I don’t want it to end! I think we’re all a bit sad ‘cause we’ve been getting on really well with all the guys including Tinashé, the first support act... Awww, it’s really sad!
J: Sorry! I didn’t mean to upset you! So, it’s sad but you’ve had good reception everywhere?
T.P: Yeah, incredible! Towards the end of the tour we’ve been getting really good at getting the crowd involved with us. Before, we were completely new at this, you know, we’re very new as a band, and it’s getting more and more fun.
J: Awesome. How are you feeling about your debut single release/launch on the 15th March? Are you excited?
T.P: REALLY excited! Bit nervous, but really excited because obviously I don’t know what people are gonna think of it, but, I’m not expecting anything from the first one, usually it’s the second or third, but I hope it does well!
J: I’ve heard it, I think it’s really good! I like it!
T.P: Aww, Thankyou!
J: I read that the album you’re going to release was recorded in LA and London; that sounds very “Rock ‘n’ Roll”, how was it?
T.P: Yeah, well, to be honest we recorded most of it in the UK but I wrote alot in LA and we used some of the demo vocals from the States and actually from the UK aswell because when I’d just finished writing the music, and I’d been co-writing, I started to lay it down and I really started the songs then because sometimes you can’t replicate, so mostly we used the demo vocals and they were fine, but in the UK I had a hand in, you know, saying what I wanted.
J: Do you have a favourite track on your album or do you like them all equally?
T.P: I do, it’s probably the one that means the most to me, it’s called ‘You Won’t’, I think the ballads are probably the simplest songs on the album and we had real strings on it aswell which was incredible to watch.
J: That sounds really good! Do you write most of your songs yourself or do you have other people helping?
T.P: Yeah, well, with other people. We’d go in and I’d be feeling a certain way or something would happen, I’d have an idea... I prefer co-writing, I’d been writing on my own for about 2 years, ‘cause I learn alot more, I can learn from other people who are more experienced than I am. It’s like, instead of going to school ‘cause I’m still learning.
J: Are your songs based on real life experiences?
T.P: Yeah, definitely, it’s mostly what’s happened to myself. Yeah, I’m 23 but I think I’ve done quite alot already and I’m just starting to be settled now.
J: Obviously apart from your single and album etc, what else do you hope to do in 2010? Have you got many plans?
T.P: More tours, I think we’ve got a University tour coming up and a few tours, no dates are confirmed yet, loads more gigging and hopefully festivals! Just being the best live band that we can possibly be.
J: If you could play any festival, which one would it be?
T.P: READING, because I’ve been 4 times and I love Reading.
J: So to play it would be amazing!
T.P: I know, and not having to sleep in a tent!
J: I was wondering, being female do you think it’s important to encourage more and more girls to kind of take the lead? Especially in rock and punk music?
T.P: Definitely, there are loads of girls coming out at the moment; I think it’s really good. The competition aswell is really good because it makes you want to do better! But, also, I guess with more alternative music, people usually associate it with just being guys; I mean we’ve got people like Courtney Love, we’ve got bands like L7 but now I don’t think there’s that much. I mean, there’s Florence and the Machine... I think it’s quite nice girls doing alternative music. I aspire to be like my idols, you know, like Dave Grohl for one, hence my tattoo... [shows arm] I’ve got one like him [Laughs].
J: I was going to ask who are your idols? Are there any female icons that you look to?
T.P: Definitely Courtney Love, she was definitely one when I was growing up. Um, Cat Bolan. That’s probably it... more...grungey sort of people, but I guess because I’m not a loud person really, because I’m not them and they’re someone I’d love to be if I could be someone.
J: That’s cool. So who are your favourite bands and musicians at the moment, who are you enjoying listening to?
T.P: Loads... I’m listening to Wu-Tang Clan at the moment! Just got back into them. Also a bit of old Foo Fighters, Queens of the Stone Age, Belle and Sebastien, all sorts of bands, I love music; a bit of The Smiths in the van today actually which was cool!
J: Awesome! So, I’ve read alot of comparisons and reviews about your music, on the Guardian website today actually, I read that people are comparing you to the likes of Chrissie Hynde and that must feel amazing for you... but for people who aren’t familiar with your music, how would you introduce and describe it?
T.P: I’d say it’s very pop-rock, I’d say on the album I hope there’s songs for everyone, my favourite songs on the album are the darker songs because that’s the kind of music I like to listen to. I’d like to say there are songs, hopefully, for guys and girls of all different ages. There’s some happier songs and some darker songs, heavy songs and lighter songs, so hopefully something for everyone!
J: Yeah, cool. Do you think at the moment it’s difficult for lesser-known indie bands to get noticed by record labels? Is it hard work promoting yourself to get that recognition?
T.P: I think it’s alot of luck and putting yourself out there but I used to live by this book called “The Unsigned Guide” and the first thing it says in the introduction is that if you’re talented you will get spotted...it’s whether anything comes of it or not, but you know, you will get spotted. It’s all about gigging but also the internet is a great tool that people trawl. You’d be surprised. Just gigging as much as possible and getting yourself out there.
J: Yeah. I know it’s really tricky and everyone always struggles but if you could name 3 of your top albums of all time, what would they be?
T.P: Phwoar, hmmm.... hmmm... OK....I’ll say; Radiohead – Ok Computer, bloody brilliant album! I’ll say; Hole – Pretty on the Inside, love that... and I’ll say... Wu-Tang Clan – 36 Chambers.
J: Good choices! Right, I think that’s everything covered...
T.P: Yeah? Awesome. Thankyou!
J: Thankyou for your time! Have a great time tonight and all the best!
After the interview, Tiffany had a few hours to chill-out, warm up and do whatever it is debutant rockstarlets do before a gig. She, and her band, followed a great act called “Tinashé” (well worth checking out! www.myspace.com/tinashemusic)
Walking on stage after her 3 male band mates, there was no doubt Tiffany Page had the right stage presence to pull off the grunge/rock material expected of her. With an apparent attitude but gleaming personality, evident from her smile and comfortable demeanour on stage, she began her set.
She shook a maraca and played both acoustic and electric guitars throughout her set. She interacted with the crowd, and received a great reception from everyone in the room. I think people weren’t entirely sure what to expect and were pleasantly surprised to hear a vampish purr-like voice seep out of the petite brunette. The band sounded tight and full with great acoustics in the Academy. I got the impression that every guy in the room wanted to be with her and every girl wanted to be her, myself no exception!
Her set was full of grungey, rock, angsty tunes that all had some lyrical depth. She roared, sang and purred over great guitar riffs and their performance of the debut single received great reception and applause from the audience. Said single, “Walk Away Slow”, is out on the 15th March and is available to listen to on her MySpace (www.myspace.com/tiffanypage). The single has received critical acclaim already and Tiffany has received airplay on Radio 1, thanks to Fearne Cotton.
I think she’ll be huge in 2010 and beyond. She’s fresh and new, a nice break from the synth-ridden, electric ladies of the moment, such as Ladyhawke, La Roux and Florence and the Machine. Her music will reignite your love for grunge and remind you of an old sound if you were once partial to the likes of Hole, Nirvana and Radiohead, or introduce you to a fresh take on pop-rock if you weren’t interested before.
Check her out on MySpace www.myspace.com/tiffanypage and give her music a listen! Her single is available to download on the 14th March. Her music is also featured on Spotify, just search "Tiffany Page". [J]
Interview :: Doll & The Kicks
The last interview with Doll & The Kicks didn't really go too swimmingly. There were some technical problems that really didn't help. With this, I felt it necessary to make amends with the guys and do a 'proper' interview. Crossing my fingers in the hope there were no hiccups, we chatted about that night in Liverpool, proper gig going etiquette and what we can expect from DATK in the future.
Anthony Barlow: So, last time we spoke it was a little bit of a shambles. Technology wasn't on my side and I lost a lot of what I wanted to say.
Doll: We thought it went fine.
AB: Thanks. I did manage to recover some of those questions though. They'd have probably been better used in the first interview, but it should be alright. So, let us begin. Previously you guys have said you were all in different bands in the past, how exactly was it that you got together?
Doll: Matt?
Matt: Oh, this old chestnut. We had all moved to Brighton and we were always the ones who liked the same kind of cheesy 80's tunes.
Doll: We were always at the same club nights
Matt: We all had a mutual love for
Chris: Toto
Matt: Toto especially.
Doll: We thought that rather than going out and getting drunk all the time, maybe we should try doing something productive. So we'd stay in, get drunk and do music. *laughs*
Matt: Plus, Brighton's a small place so we'd always bump into each other all the time.
AB: You were all in very different bands as well, weren't you?
Matt: Mine was kind of a...
Chris: Hair rock *laughs*
Matt: Rocky, Guns N Roses mixed with Foo Fighters or something like that.
Olivier: I was in a ska band. Madness-esque with a bit of punk.
Chris: and I was in a kind of...
Matt: Britney Spears tribute band
All: *laughs*
Chris: Mainly, but the odd time we'd do a sort of screamy, proggy, metally kinda thing.
Doll: Prog, screamy, emo. Before I moved to Brighton I was in a funk soul band. I'd also been in a dance band previously as well. I did a lot of chillout stuff with a partner.
Chris: She chilled out with her partner.
All: *laughs*
Doll: Yeah we really chilled out and just recorded it
Matt: Was it good stuff?
Doll: It was a bit quiet
AB: Ok *laughs*. Doll, you were recently described as Cindy Lauper on speed. How do you feel about that?
Doll: Who described me as Cindy Lauper on speed?
Olivier: It's actually crack, not speed.
Doll: *laughs* yeah, make that smack or crack. No I love Cindy Lauper...
Matt: And Crack
All: *laughs*
Doll: Yeah, and smoking crack. No, it's good to be compared to anyone I like.
AB: Before I forget, someone asked me to find out how you felt about having more stage time than Morrissey in Liverpool?
Doll: It was very disappointing at the time, because obviously we were worried about Morrissey and we were upset for everyone who didn't get to see him. It wasn't a great experience.
Matt: It wasn't, but we did get a lot of messages for the next few days after that show. A lot of people saying that we made their trip worthwhile, so that was good.
AB: I actually saw a lot of people sporting Doll & The Kicks t-shirts on the way in, seemingly happy to see you just as much as Morrissey. Did you expect that kind of reaction?
Doll: Yeah, we had quite a lot of people coming into the Morrissey gigs wearing our t-shirts which was amazing. They've paid to see Morrissey, but they're wearing our t-shirts. That was pretty cool.
AB: One thing that stuck in my mind from that night, other than the obvious, was something you said on stage actually. It was something along the lines of "We're going to play a new song now. The again, they're all new to you". I thought that was brilliant.
Doll: Well most people still don't know who we are, so every song was new. We might play the same thing every night, so it feels repetitive to us. To everyone else it's all new.
AB: It's criminal that people don't know who you are, yet bands like Delphic are the talk of the town. Is there any news on you guys sorting a deal out?
Matt: I don't think we're necessarily looking for a record deal really. We recently got a really good booking agent and we've been booked for small festivals and stuff.
Doll: Yeah, we're starting to build a really great team of people around us now so it's exciting.
AB: You're playing South By South West aren't you this year?
Doll: Yeah, it's really exciting.
Matt: Yeah, we've got one official show there and we'll do a lot of unofficial ones whilst we're out there. It's gonna be really good.
AB: You've sort of got a worldwide fan base now, how does that feel?
Matt: It's good. I saw we were sending t-shirts to Moscow in Russia.
Doll: It's amazing to see how many more people there's been on this second tour that we're doing compared to the first and if it keeps building and building then that'd be really good.
AB: Outside of the UK, where do you think you have the largest amount of fans then?
Chris: Germany?
Matt: Germany on the Morrissey tour was phenomenal.
Doll: We had quite a lot of people come to the second LA show.
Matt: Yeah, there was a lot of people at that gig. We've got a German booking agent and they're great with us. So I think Germany might be the biggest and then America.
AB: You said last time that the amount of people coming to your gigs had gone up after the Tour Of Refusal, have you seen a similar rise again after the one Swords Tour?
Doll: Yeah. We were pleased with the turn out on our first headlining tour. We were pleased with the amount of people that came, but this time there's been a lot more. Obviously, there were people who came last time who're now bringing people with them.
Matt: We still rely a lot on word of mouth and stuff like Facebook and Twitter to get the word out. They're good crowds.
AB: There's a lot of big bands using that kind of stuff as well and it proves that it is a good way to promote.
Matt: It's so much fun and we feel really lucky to be able to do this.
Chris: It's extremely satisfying when you know you've done it yourself as well. It's gonna be quite weird if it ever gets to the point where we have to hand it over to someone else. Especially if they're a nightmare to work for.
AB: Would you ever really want to hand over that work to someone else then?
Doll: Yeah, eventually.
Chris: We'd have to eventually, because it'd just get too much.
Matt: I think we'll always, whoever we work with, will always keep a keen interest in what they're doing and how they're doing it. They'd probably appreciate that as well.
AB: We spoke a bit about your debut album last time, but not too much. It seems a lot of that material was based around relationships and particularly the breakdown of relationships. Do those themes continue throughout your recent stuff?
Doll: Some of it is.
Matt: I think it's more objective actually. Songs like 'What Goes Around' and 'You Do It Better'.
Doll: But they're still about relationships, but I just write about stuff that happens to me really.
AB: Can we expect another studio album any time soon?
Doll: When we get the time and the money. That probably won't be for a while.
Matt: We might do an EP with just five tracks or something like that.
Chris: Did you mention the live album, I can't remember?
AB: I was just about to get on to that. Will that be on sale at tonight's show?
Chris: No, because we're waiting to get it back from the printers. We had to, basically, save up enough money to buy it from the printer.
Doll: They were holding it hostage. They printed it, but we didn't have the money to give them.
Chris: We should have it by the end of the week and it's got about four new tracks on it.
Matt: I think it's three new ones.
AB: What was the decision behind recording a live album?
Chris: Well our sound engineer did recordings of every gig we did with Morrissey so it just seemed to make sense really. We had these recordings and we don't have the money to record good versions of the new stuff so it's kind of a half way point between.
Matt: A lot of people want copies of the new stuff and we're hoping by the end of the week we'll have the new album.
AB: In one of my past interviews someone brought up the idea of people getting a CD or USB sick with the gig on as they left. Is that something you've thought about or would be interested in doing?
Matt: We're quite critical about some of the gigs so if we didn't like a certain part of a show, it's not something we'd want to put out.
Chris: We had to actually replace all the bass parts with program bass.
Olivier: Not really
AB: I was gonna say. You know what the people of the internet are like. That'll be a known fact soon.
Olivier: *laughs* I'd love it if that actually went out. It'd be awesome.
Matt: Our whole show is backing track.
AB: So, how's the tour going? I realise that should've been my first question but what the hell.
Matt: Well our van broke down the other day as we were about to go to Cambridge. It ended up getting towed down to Brighton with all our gear in it. We had a gig in Cambridge that night, so we had to hire a car.
Doll: When we got the van back, we were so pleased that we decided to throw an amp out of the back of it.
Matt: Yeah, Chris left the van door open the other day, driving out of Brighton at 30 miles an hour, and an amp went flying out of the back of it. It was in a flight case and two trusty tramps wheeled it to the side of the road.
Olivier: They assured us that the case was a very good case.
Chris: We thought they were just shouting at us and waving their bottles.
Doll: Yeah, Chris was like "fuck off, tramps".
AB: Does it still work?
Matt: It does.
AB: So you're playing the Ruby Lounge tonight, how does that compare to playing big arenas on the Morrissey tours?
Matt: It's great. All those people they're there to see us. It's a different kind of buzz. It's still as exciting as doing the Morrissey thing.
AB: Would you not prefer to be playing arenas then?
Matt: Not at all, no.
AB: Fair enough. I'm gonna get on to the some questions people have wanted me to ask you. If that's alright.
Matt: Go for it
AB: Someone has asked how you feel about the use of swearing in music and if you think it serves a genuine purpose.
Doll: I don't have a problem with it. I think it's fine. I think if someone feels the need. Some really good songs have swear words in them. Take Lily Allen, loads of her stuff has swear words in it and she just has radio edits where it's got a blank space or she says something else.
AB: Fair enough. Someone pointed out that, in your last interview with Moon & Back, you said you'd been inspired by a lot of 70's punk. They've asked if there's any specific artists who you think have directly influenced your sound.
Doll: New acts or older acts?
AB: I think they meant in general really.
Doll: People like Kate Bush, people have said that they can her Siouxie Sioux in my vocals, Annie Lennox, Cindy Lauper. All those women who I think are amazing.
AB: Like I pointed out last time, it can't be a bad thing to be compared to them.
Doll: Yeah, always. I'll never complain about being compared to any of them because they were all amazing. I'll start complaining when I start getting compared to Shakira
Olivier: Or Lionel Ritchie
Chris: Barry White
All: *laughs*
AB: What do you think about the 'pay what you want' model that people like Radiohead have started using when they release a new album?
Matt: I think it's a load of rubbish.
Doll: I can see why people have tried to do it, but I think it's not going to help the situation so it does render itself a little bit pointless.
AB: Given the choice of paying ten quid or nothing, I think a lot of people are going for the 'nothing' option.
Doll: Yeah, most people would.
Olivier: To be honest, I used to do a similar thing washing cars about 10 years ago with my mate. We went around saying "we'll wash your car and you can pay us what you want for it". We actually got paid quite well, because we were in a rich area. The thing is with music, most people will take it for free.
Chris: I think if we did that, we'd have people coming up drunk going "go on, I'll give you 2 quid for it".
Matt: We've got to pay for fuel and accomodation. We can't afford to give it away for free.
AB: Someone wanted to know why Matt wasn't in the last interview.
Chris: You were doing something with the gear weren't you?
Matt: I could've been meeting up with somebody. I don't know, but there was a valid reason.
Chris: He was practicing his shapes.
Olivier: He almost got fired from the band for not turning up *laughs*
Chris: He just thinks he's too good for it, man.
Matt: Yeah. Actually I think I was online trying to sort out some stuff. Some gigs in America, because we were due to go to LA in about a month and we hadn't got any gigs sorted out at the time. So I was online just trying to contact loads of people.
AB: I'll forgive you then
Matt: We did get a few shows out there, so it worked out alright.
AB: Ok, I'm going to leave you in peace. Before I do, someone wanted to know if you had any words for the guy that threw the bottle at the Liverpool gig.
Doll: I don't think we need to say anything. I'm sure he feels suitably stupid about it.
Olivier: Don't do it to us. I don't want a bottle in my face.
Chris: If you do, can you aim it at Matt please.
Matt: I think if I'd have seen him, I'd have taken off my guitar, gone down there and jumped on him.
Doll: I think he did actually get a good kicking though anyway.
Chris: I think so, yeah.
AB: There were certainly people vying for blood.
Doll: Yeah, I'm sure he got beaten up. I think he actually did, in the crowd. I think the bouncers had to take him out for his own safety.
Matt: I hope it doesn't happen to us.
Doll: Yeah, don't do it.
AB: Right then, thanks a lot for that.
Matt: No worries.
Chris: Thank you.
You can buy Doll & The Kicks' debut album and any other merchandise here. Be sure to check out their MySpace Page too.
Interview, Promo :: Violet Bones, ‘I Feel The Need’ out 15th Feb
Cambridge -based band Violet Bones are releasing their single ‘I feel the need’ on the 15th Feb. I caught up with them to see what the new year holds for Violet Bones.
CC Hey guys how are we all?
VB Hi, yeah we're all really good! Really busy, but really excited for the year ahead!
CC What’s been happening with Violet Bones of late?
VB Well, we've been very busy promoting our debut single 'I Feel The Need' trying to get ourselves out there, also spending a lot of time working on new material which is going well....
CC Obviously there’s been a change of name, because you used to be called 9fold Punch, does Violet Bones symbolize a change in the band?
VB Yeah definitely, when we started playing together we were all quite young and the music we wrote was very different to what we write now. We achieved a lot and we're very proud of what we had done, but wanted to take things to the next level and felt drawing a line under 9FoldPunch and starting with something fresh, Violet Bones, was an exciting thing to do.
CC Your first album was called ‘Suddenly out of nowhere’ how do you feel you’ve progressed since then ?
VB Wow, now we're talking 4/5 years ago! That album we recorded in 2 days and mixed ourselves. It was a good thing for us to do at the time, we had lots of songs that Si had written as a very young teenager that we had now got out of our system. It was very early days for us when we recorded that!
CC What do you see for VB In the future?
VB Well, we've got a couple of tours lined up for later this year and we'll have a follow up single to 'I Feel The Need' coming in the next few months too. We've all started writing songs again since having a break over Christmas and feel really good about what's coming out. So we'll get in the studio to record later in the summer too! We're also going to start putting on regular nights but running them more like a party than just your normal gig.
CC Who/What are Violet Bones’ main influences
VB We draw influence from all different genres really. We all love the original rock n roll from Led Zeppelin to The Beatles. More recent influences stem from the likes of Phantom Planet and The Libertines who write great indie pop songs! We recently support New York Dolls, who have been an influence over the years too
CC How long have you guys been together and how did you start?
VB We've been playing in a band together for the last four years! We all grew up together. Going to different secondary schools; Si met Oz and they started playing together. I learnt to play guitar and joined them on Saturdays. Stu then started at my school and said he could play bass (even though he'd never actually picked one up before our first practise!). And that was that!
CC And finally How would you describe your music?
VB Our music is a mix of different things we started out playing pop punk songs, as that’s what we listened to when we first started writing songs all those years ago and so our sound has developed as our taste in music has broadened, so we write and play songs that make you want to get up and have a dance and a good time, but at the same time still hopefully people can relate to what we sing about! Chloe Cooper
http://www.myspace.com/violetbonesmusic
Interview: Fyfe Dangerfield
A lot of laughter, some jokes and an oddly over lapping live call between a taxi driver and BBC Radio... That's an overview of my phone interview with Fyfe Dangerfield. For some more indepth details about what we chatted about and the release of his debut solo album Fly Yellow Moon keep on reading.
ND: When’s the album out and what’s it called?
FD: It’s out Monday [Monday 18th] and it’s called Fly Yellow Moon.
ND: I’ve heard that you’re playing a few gigs soon, when do they start?
FD: It’s just one week. I’ve just got four gigs starting next week [Monday 18th]
ND: Where are the gigs being played?
FD: Playing, Birmingham, Glasgow, Manchester and London. I’m looking forward playing all of them. Playing Scala in London is going to be quite exciting because I’ve played there with the Guillemots. Going back it’ll be exciting going there to play that one myself.
ND: How do you feel about the album and the tour coming out, since it’s your first solo stuff?
FD: It’s really exciting; you always get a kick out of being in a position where you have something that you can bring out. I’m just really excited.
ND: Your solo stuff is a lot different from what your fans are used to hearing from you. What are your hopes for the success of the album?
FD: I’ve not really thought about that too much, I’m just thinking about the next thing I want to do. I just want people to hear it, you can’t worry too much about what you want a record to do. It’s coming out and that’s about as much as you can hope for really.
ND: I know that you recorded a whole load of songs for the album and you had a bit of trouble narrowing it down to just 10 songs. Do you have a favourite song on the album?
FD: I don’t really have a favourite. There’s a song called “So Brand New” which was one of the most fun. Most of them were very fun to record. I just remember that one being quite funny as we did it. The whole album was just really fun to record. It’s really hard to pick out just one track; it was really hard narrowing it down just for this one album. But I have this sort of special edition that’s coming out. It has the other extra tracks, another album of bonus tracks and other stuff as well; that will eventually come out online. The stuff will all find its way out eventually.
ND: You recorded the album at Urchin Studios which is where you recorded the first Guillemots EP. Do you think that was a good way to start your solo career, where you started with The Guillemots?
FD: Yeah, it was funny it was just down the corridor from the studio where we did our first EP. It’s a lovely, great little studio. It’s really, really cool there.
ND: What made you decide on going solo?
FD: It wasn’t really a big thought. It’s just something else to do, it’s not instead of Guillemots, we’re really busy in the band at the moment writing our next record. It was just I had some songs that I had quite a good idea of what I wanted them to sound like. They were pretty acoustic and stripped down, well most of them were anyhow. They just didn’t seem like band records. Or something you would do with Guillemots. It’s nice to do something different anyway, it reinvigorates you for all the other stuff you do.
ND: What do you think the biggest difference is between playing solo and with a band?
FD: They’re both different kind of things, but you know I haven’t really played any gigs yet for this record. I’m still kind of finding out what it’s going to be like anyway.
ND: You said earlier about recording Guillemots next album as well as doing Fly Yellow Moon, do you think you’ll be doing any tours or festivals this summer?
FD: I’m not sure yet, hopefully I might do a few. I’m not sure whether we’ll be doing any in Guillemots or not this year; we’re just focusing on getting the next album ready. We’ll see.
Interview: Mike Lewis, LostProphets
With the upcoming tour and album LostProphets fans have a lot to be excited about. I got guitarist Mike Lewis on the phone to grill him about all the juicy details.
Check out M&B's pre-release review of The Betrayed
ND: The new album is out pretty soon what’s the release date?
ML: The release date is Monday, January 18th.
ND: I know the album has been a long, long time in the making. What do you feel about the final result?
ML: I love it. I love it, it’s my favourite record by us. I can’t wait to get it out and I’m just really, really excited to hear it and see what people think after us spending so much time on it and putting everything we had into it. I can’t wait for it to come out and I can’t wait to get out on tour and start playing.
ND: I heard that you had written an album, completely scrapped it then started anew…?
ML: Yeah, well we finished a record and weren’t a hundred percent happy with it. So we scrapped a few of the songs, we kept some of the songs and recorded them, produced ourselves and just took it on and did the record ourselves.
ND: What do you think makes this album (Betrayed) different from your previous ones?
ML: I dunno, just I think it’s a lot darker. Lyrically, musically, the tone is a lot darker. I think Ian’s lyrics are a lot more introspective and a lot more cutting. There’s a different mood and tone to them than our previous albums. This one is just as I said a lot more introspective and a lot more personal.
ND: Do you think the mood change and the change in lyrics will help you reach a wider audience?
ML: Possibly I’m not really sure. Maybe, It’s like doing three albums full of these kind of uplifting anthems to get people going. It’s almost like enough had been said on that so this was like a natural progression. Like what do I write about now? Write about myself and write about what’s happened. I don’t think it was a conscious decision it was just the natural way to go.
ND: Your music has clearly progressed since you formed, is there any bands that have influenced your song writing throughout?
ML: Yeah definitely. 10 years ago it was a lot of [bands] like At The Drive In and GlassJaw and bands like that were influencing us pretty heavily. Since then, me personally, I’m influenced by bands like Joy Division, the Clash and The Jam and stuff like that. You know maybe our sounds don’t sound like that but listening to these amazing song writers like Joe Strummer and Paul Weller it’s pretty inspirational when you’re writing songs yourself.
ND: Is there anything different you’ve done to promote the album this year?
ML: We’re doing some stuff, like next week we’re playing our old high school. Like a return to the South Wales Valley. Not only to promote the album but to promote to kids in schools in South Wales and stuff like that and to try and get them into music and try to encourage them to try and do something, also to kind of revitalise the valleys. We definitely have some things planned coming up. We’re going to do some cool stuff with twitter and Myspace. Like the first person to respond to this gets two tickets to tonight’s show or can come and hang out with us in sound check. All kinds of cool stuff we’re going to be doing while on tour, just to get kids involved.
ND: You said a lot about revitalising the Valleys, is it important to give back to the community that you came from?
ML: Definitely. It’s always been very important to us, where we’re from and stuff like that. So it’s always been important to give something back all across; to play at the school and even just helping out our friend’s bands and to promote them and take them on tour. To give them a step up like bands gave us a step up back in the day.
ND: When is the start date for the tour and where are you playing?
ML: The start date is February 4th in Leicester and then we’re covering the whole country. Well as much as possible. We’re going up as far as Edinburgh and Glasgow down to Southampton, Bristol, Wales, London, Manchester and Hull. All over, we’re spending like a month on tour so it’s one of the most extensive tours we’ve ever done. So all bases will be covered.
ND: Is there any venue that you’re looking forward to playing most?
ML: I always look forward to places like ten years on we haven’t played before. We’ve never played Cambridge, we’ve never played Preston. We haven’t played Southampton for a long time. Places like that are always fun, if you’ve never played there then kids are always excited. Wales is always awesome to play, London is always awesome to play and Glasgow is always awesome to play. We always have fun in those cities.
ND: You’ve played a lot of big festivals in the past couple of years, do you prefer playing big festivals or smaller, more intimate gigs?
ML: I prefer, to be honest I like everything. It’s awesome to play 200 capacity clubs with people in your face and just like the intimacy and the energy. But then playing a field with 50,000 people all going nuts is pretty epic. Everything has its good points.
ND: What would you say is the best place you’ve ever played?
ML: Pontypridd maybe. Being our hometown, we did like a huge homecoming festival there to about 20,000 people in the park right next to where I grew up. It was pretty cool to go back there and have the whole town come out and play on the field where I used to play football when I was about ten.
ND: On your 2007 The Blackout supported you, what band is playing alongside you this year?
ML: We are taking out another Welsh band, Kids In Glass Houses. We’re splitting the other half of the tour, I think, with a band called Hexes and maybe the other half is going to be Sharks but we haven’t quite sorted it out yet.
ND: That’s just about the end of our interview, anything else you’d like to say?
ML: I think that’s about it. Just buy the album, come see us on tour. Hit up the websites, Myspace and Twitter for all the cool stuff we’ve got going on and get involved in any way possible.
Check out Moon & Back's pre-release review of The Betrayed
Interview :: Monster! Monster!
After a whirlwind of a 2009, including launching stonking sales on iTunes, remixing for other artists and even being featured on a Japanese clothing ad, Rob of Monster! Monster! took the time out to reflect on what's been and what is soon to be in the new year with Moon & Back Music.
MF: Hi Robin, how you doing?
MM: I'm great thanks, but rather busy at the moment with uni!
MF: What have you been up to recently?
MM: The past two months I've been focusing on producing, writing loads of new tunes and doing remixes for people. It's been pretty hectic to say the least, but really rewarding!
MF: What has your highlight of the year been so far?
MM: There have been so many amazing moments of 2009. The highlights have been completing my first tour at the end of the summer and putting out my first single on iTunes. It's gone so fast!
MF: You can grab your stuff on iTunes now. Have you had a good reception from that?
MM: It's been great! I put the single out in early September and it sold like hotcakes. I was overjoyed at the reception I got!
MF: Can we expect a full length from Monster! Monster!?
MM: I'm looking to produce some full releases in 2010, but I can't say when just yet! Let's just say that there's going to be an awful lot of bass, a lot of genre mashups and a fair bit of Gameboy!
MF: You recently featured in a Japanese clothing ad. Can we expect to hear you anywhere else soon? Maybe the next Pacman game?!
MM: The Killer Tunes 916 clothing ad came about earlier in the year, I was flattered to be chosen by them. I'm writing the music to an animation at the moment actually, which is a bit different to say the least! It's a new challenge and I'm really enjoying it!
MF: What are your biggest influences? Are you one of those artists who completely shocks everyone by saying your biggest influence is mathcore metal or something?
MM: I'm one of those people who listens to loads of different music. At the moment I'm really into dubstep, I love the vibes and I think it's a very fun genre when it's done right! But I think the way I write music is definitely influenced by playing the guitar! I've been in all sorts of bands over the years: metalcore, power metal and all sorts. I was also really into guitar virtuoso stuff like Steve Vai. I still play guitar a bit, but it's toned down now. Usually I just jam some acoustic stuff!
MF: If you could work with anyone musically, dead or alive, who would it be and why?
MM: I have no idea [laughs]. There are so many fantastic musicians I've grown up listening to. If I had to choose someone contemporary, I'd probably go with Frankmusik. I love his tunes!
MF: What's the weirdest thing that has happened to you as Monster! Monster! so far?
MM: I think the weirdest thing for me is that fact that it seems to be going quite well haha. I've been in a lot of bands before and they never went anywhere. But so far this year I've done a tour, been on BBC introducing's Friday Session and put out a single on iTunes. It seems wholly surreal to me!
MF: Where do you see yourself this time next year? What does 2010 have in store?
MM: I hope 2010 is a good year! I would love to tour more, play some festivals and release some more music. Unfortunately I finish university in 2010, so it might be a struggle for a while haha, but I'm sure I'll manage!
- Matt Fearon
Interview & Promo :: Two Spot Gobi
Put your hands in the air! Like you just don't care! Now never do that again. Instead...welcome yourself in to the world of the Two Spot ::
It was little over three years ago that singer songwriter James Robinson and cellist Rob Lewis bumped heads with guitarist Dino Randawa, a funk-wristed drummer by the name of Ben Matthews and trumpeter Matt Ellis to form the roots of Two Spot Gobi. Fast forward to 2009, and with the addition of bassist Matt Harris, their ‘Melodious Star’ EP (and a whole lot of love), the ‘Two Spot’ have started injecting ears and turning heads with their debut album ‘Everywhere You Should Have Been’.
Not only did it see them float across the U.S with Jason Mraz- and play at the first ever Leeza Gibbons Oscars aftershow party in LA- but it’s allowed them to return to the West coast once again to record their much awaited second album, due for release in the better half of this fine year. I caught up with a few of the guys a for a chin-wag before they hopped on stage at Shoreditch’s Cargo to do what they do best…with a little help from their friend Bushwalla.
Nick Pryke: Well, first of all, congratulations on your continued success as Two Spot; how does it feel to be back in the U.K after basking in the Californian sunshine and recording the new album?
James Robinson: Yeah, we didn’t feel that great about it! We obviously knew we were coming back to some shit weather, but actually September turned out to be alright. Having some fun, getting on with the new album, and getting back into the gigs and stuff… and loving it. Living it, loving it, bringing some new songs into the set, re-arranging some old ones and just trying to have fun with it all.
NP: The U.S seems to have understood your sound a lot quicker than the UK have. Not that I’m suggesting a lack of love here, but why do you think that is?
JR: Well the thing is with the UK is that what’s hip in London at the time is hip everywhere because London is the natural epicenter for the music scene in this country. So in terms of that, we don’t really fit in into the London scene too well, so we do love going over to California because obviously the vibe over there is very open; people are very open minded to what music they’ll listen to. A lot of people appreciate turning up and seeing musicians who can really play and get involved. Whereas, often in this country, I think a lot of it is based around the wrong principles of image and everything connected with that.
NP: Yeah, definite agreement there. Who you are impressing seems to be given too much credibility this side of the pond. That said, one who you have managed to impress rather a lot over the past eighteen months or so is Monsieur Jason Mraz, who describes the Two Spot as “…being able to perform their music swimmingly”. What do you have to say to that, eh?
JR: Haha! Ye it was because we did a gig in a pool naked for a..lot… of people!
NP: Really?
JR: No, we didn’t unfortunately! But that is very nice of Mr. Mraz to say so, and we really appreciate him letting us use his studio all summer, and giving up his house and his car. And his cats. And his girlfriend *pause for a cheeky eyebrow*. And his avocados. We ate all of his avocados from his avocado farm.
NP: That’s a lot of avocados. And I don’t believe you.
JR: OK, maybe we didn’t eat all of them, but we were hunter gathering…mostly gathering, so we made a strong dent.
NP: So has the avocado farm helped you out a lot with the new album? California is enough inspiration as it is; being at Mraz’s casa of tranquility must have served you well, no?
JR: Yeah man. We went out with about half of the album written, about 5 or 6 tracks, and then with the rest of it we thought, well, there are things that are half finished, a couple of old number that we thought- ok, we need to jump on them and get them all up to scratch to stick on the new album. Then when we got out there, we started working with a guy called Niko Bolas who’s worked with Sting, Neil Young and all sorts of people, and then, you know, he got involved and got us bantering. The way he worked was to turn up at the beginning, leave us alone for a bit, we’d get some tracks down, then come back later in the day to hear what we’d put down. He really found in us the essence of what we’re all about. We were all recording in one big room, in a live situation, so obviously when you open up those doors its full of natural beauty all around that cant help but inspire.
NP: So did being in that different environment help your writing?
JR: Yeah, it really helped.
Matt Ellis: Completely. The fact that we were privileged to record where we did, with no time constraints, allowed the vibe to happen, as opposed to having to force something that would inevitably destroy that vibe.
NP: So you think that when the new album comes out, that inspiration will be noticed?
JR: Yeah, without a doubt. You can hear the sun setting, the shoreline is in there somewhere; it sounds cheesy but it’s a really positive sound.
NP: Compared to ‘Everywhere you should have been’?
JR: No, not necessarily. We’re all very proud of that album, but with the new one we’re all much more together. Since we’ve got Matt (Harris) on board we’ve gelled both musically and as a band. California has definitely helped the cause, of course.
NP: And it certainly shows. Since hearing your first EP back in 2004, your sound has matured at lightening pace, but so too have your lyrics. How do you guys work lyrically? Is there a go-to man, or do you write collectively?
JR: The lyrics often come from myself and Rob, but I’ve had plenty of input from these guys with songs on the new album; the Two Spot ethos reigns true that anyone is always welcome to contribute. What we usually do is have a bare-boned structure of lyrics and chords, take it over to rehearsal and let everyone add what they’ve got. More often than not, you can tell whether something is going to work or not pretty quickly.
NP: So is it more of an add lyrics to a work in progress scenario, vice versa? An amalgamation of the two perhaps?
JR: Yeah, it’s most certainly an amalgamation of everything. What I tend to write songs about are usually based on personal experiences, and so if I find that there’s something particular to say then perhaps the melody might find the lyrics afterwards. But to be honest it’s quite random and anything that fits, goes.
ME: If I was trying to do it, I’d probably try to write a poem then add a melody to it, but Robbo seems to have that ability to think of the two collectively.
NP: Spot on. I would no doubt go about it the same way- think of lyrics and try and squeeze instruments around it- that I’m certain wouldn’t get me very far. But bar the process, how important are the lyrical storylines to your songs?
JR: The content is so integral to a good song. If you don’t write something that is really honest to yourself or how you feel about something, you and everybody around you will know that you’re faking it. And that’s only because lyrics are so powerful; people will connect to them and will want to take their own interpretations away from that. I’m sure my favourite songs mean something completely different to me than from the artists who wrote them, but that’s the genius of it all.
NP: Seeing as we’re on the subject of favourite songs- you guys must have had smiles slapped on your faces when Air Australia decided to add ‘Sunshine Lady’ to their music menu? It says a lot about the feel of the song.
ME: You know what, I forgot that had even happened. That’s one of the most pleasantly strange and weird things that has happened to the Two Spot. It all came from some guy we met in America- who turned out to be a pretty ‘original’ thinker to say the least. He worked with us for a few months and grabbed us some weird deals, but Air Australia seemed to be one of the good weir things. That’s fine- it’s the bad weird that you have to look out for.
JR: Although, I don’t know how many people will actually listen to it. *Putting on an Aussie accent* “Ah! Two Spot Gobi. Jesus Christ…who the fuck are they?!”
NP: Ok. But for those who do listen- question time; ‘Let’s Get Lost’- the original, or featuring Mraz?
JR: Difficult one…tut, tut! Well the thing about that night was that it was really cool for us because it was the first time we’d played with him, so having him featuring on the track was definitely wicked, and the whole crowd went mental as he stepped out- you cant help but latch onto that buzz. So I’m not sure, we all really enjoyed that moment, but then again I love that first recording because we didn’t really know what we were doing at the time, and that was the one song we felt really strongly about. Which is why its still in our set list today.
ME: I think that song represents Two Spot Gobi in so many ways, it’s really no surprise that we’ve kept it on our set list for so long.
NP: Moving on to an issue of annoyance if we may- sticking labels and genres onto music seems futile at the best of times, but the Two Spot sound seems to be notoriously difficult to pin down. At the risk of being a pain in the behind, how would you define your sound?
Matt Harris: Its funny you should ask that. The other night I had some friends round, so went to stick some music on my ipod but scrolled down too far on the genres list, and right next to ‘unknown’ was another genre called ‘unclassifiable’. I was thinking that’s a bit odd as there was only one album. Low and behold, give it a little click and it’s Two Spot Gobi. I was going, what does that mean…maybe that we’re post-genre somehow.
ME: Yeah, we’ve had our share of those in the past: ‘post pop’, ‘organic- soul’, ‘alternative pop’…and now you’ve done it with ‘post-genre’. Nice.
NP: And the list goes on and on! To smack an analogy in here, its almost as if you’ve bumped through this whole arena of music, flirted with some jazz, pop, ska etc. on the way, then walked out the other side thinking where do you even begin trying to explain your sound?
JR: That’s an imaginative view but, yeah, it is really difficult to explain our sound to other people. I end up trying to liken us to other bands until I get a confused “oh yeah” and end up going off on a tangent of other bands. Rhianna. Yeah. Scouting for Girls. Definitely. We’re just like Scouting for Girls!
MH: Sometimes I tell people we’re hardcore Belgium trance, just to see the reaction.
JR: I usually liken us to the Dave Matthews Band, The Police. Actually, we all agree on very few bands, so The Police is one we can stick on in the tour bus without everyone retreating back into their own stuff.
ME: We all like a bit of the Red Hot Chilli Peppers; you’ve got to love a bit of the Chilli’s!
NP: Indeed you do. I saw them a while back and admittedly they looked pretty tired, but squeezed what they could. Quick salute please! Anyway, what would you want a debut audience at a Two Spot gig to leave thinking, if anything, or is it just a case of come and don’t think, eh?
JR: Basically we’d just hope people feel part of what’s gone on, and have enjoyed the songs that they know- and go home feeling part of the Two Spot connective. Then that’s cool man, ‘cause we love it. I mean, being in a creative situation with five other individuals is intense, but essentially what we’re doing it for is that feeling of playing live to people who want to come and see our stuff. And that’s all we want to do.
MH: If they don’t know us as a band before they come down, I want them to leave thinking “yeah, I want to know more”, and going to check us out because they’ve maybe never seen a band like ours, with a cello or a trumpet or whatever.
NP: Do you think that has helped you hit such a wide demographic of fans in such a short period of time- sparking inquisitive minds with this eclectic mix of instruments?
JR: Ever since the band formed, Rob and I have had this idea of the music appealing to as many people as possible. If you stick on a Two Spot Gobi album, I reckon some of its not for some people, but it’ll be hard for those who listen to it to dislike anything, I think. The songs are so vast and different that there’s something for everyone. Different genres, different influences, the sound is really warming…its just good time music really. I thought it might appeal to enough people, I hope so anyway.
NP: It certainly conjures that weirdly worldly sound- and ‘Otherside of the World’ is testament to that. The intro is exceptional- who was the culprit behind that one?
JR: Rob! Actually, a lot of that song is Rob’s doing because he came up with that cello riff. Then with the chorus, we just sat down and tried to figure out the melody. But the thing is, I like knowing what Rob was thinking when he comes out with these riffs and lyrics and things, so the fact that he was on this whole thought process of when he was traveling and thinking about the ‘usual’ that really got us focused on taking that song on board that little bit more in order to nail the intro.
Rob Lewis: I teach the cello, so what often happens is I end up getting into the habit of bringing out my phone in the middle of a lesson to record some little riff that has just popped out so I could take it home and sort it out properly. That’s really how a lot of the new stuff has come about, especially in songs like ‘Try Again’. It just seems that is how it works, I don’t tend to sit down and think about it too much.
NP: Well thank you for having the foresight to press record- who would have thought the phone would get recognition from this! On potentially the most random change of pace known to man- for ten finishing points- if Two Spot was a superhero, would it have gills, breathe fire or fly?
JR: It would have to be flying man!
MH: Yeah, flying would be the one, would have to be.
ME: Gills, you’re all wrong. Think about it.
NP: I have to agree with Matt on this one, gills win- just think about the insane places you could explore. And on that note, I think I should stop bothering you all and say a hearty thank you for taking time out of your sound check to have a natter with me. God speed Two Spot Gobi.
Check the Two Spot sights and sounds out at www.twospot.co.uk. Download album and songs from iTunes
Interview :: Henry Rollins
Singer, activist and spoken word artist Henry Rollins is coming to a town near you very soon. He took time out of his day to answer our questions.
Henry Rollins is off on his travels once again. The former Black Flag frontman is doing a run of spoken word shows across the UK and although we couldn't sit down face to face with him, he was more than happy to answer the questions via the power of the internet. We talk to him about the BNP, entertaining the troops and, of course, Black Flag.
Anthony Barlow: You once said that, and forgive me if I misunderstood, you saw the conducting of interviews as selling out. Do you still feel the same way today?
Henry Rollins: No. At that point, I probably thought it was better to do than to talk about doing. I don't see any problem in elaborating on something at this point.
AB: Your work is, quite often, tinged with humor. This has lead some to compare it to that of stand-up comedians. How do you feel about that?
HR: Sometimes life is funny and I try to deal with it. I don't know how much of a comedian I am as I think that's a real skill and that I don't posess it. I see some things humorously though, it's true. Rendering it as such is not easy for me though.
Ian Crichley: Greg Ginn is quoted as saying about you: "We couldn't do songs with a sense of humor anymore; he got into the serious way-out poet thing". Thinking about the previous
observation, how do you feel about that? do you feel you've changed as a person?
HR: Greg Ginn should have fired me if he didn't like what I was doing, it was his band. I can't evaluate myself from something Greg Ginn said about me.
AB: Of course, you put across serious messages too. From experience, how well have they been received by those who come to see you?
HR: They're still showing up after all these years so I guess something's registering.
AB: You started doing these shows before the break up of Black Flag. What made you want to do that?
HR: It was a gig offered me by a local promoter. I got ten bucks to talk for ten minutes and ended up liking it and went further into it. I liked being onstage and not being tied to a song all the time.
AB: US politics is often a subject in your shows, will you be changing that to suit UK audiences? Will you include anything on UK politics?
HR: I tend to lay off the US political stuff outside of America unless it's a global issue. I don't know much about British politics and wouldn't want to insult an audience by making them think I did.
IC: You're a respected human rights campaigner, how do you feel about the policies employed by the British National Party?
HR: I think it's the same old nationalist bullshit. The foreigners are taking our jobs, white power and all that. It's sad that it still draws and audience.
AB: You've done, to my knowledge, four USO tours now. Have those experiences changed you as a person? Is this why you got involved with the IAVA? - I should've really done my research here.
Seven. I saw a lot on those tours as well as the many visits I made to the military hospitals. I saw a lot destruction in Afghanistan and Iraq and a lot of mutilated young people in the hospitals. Definitely made me want to work with IAVA.
IC: Is 'the buzz' different to performing in a band? Is it better or worse?
HR: Neither. It's just different. The talking shows are far more difficult.
AB: Have you got any more music-based projects coming up in the future?
HR: Nothing planned.
IC: You and Ian MacKaye are good friends, but to my knowledge you haven't done any musical projects with him (aside from him engineering stuff for Rollins Band). Is there any reason for this?
HR: To my knowledge, we have never really discussed it.
AB: What do you think of the state of the music industry at the moment?
HR: I think the major lables are getting what they deserve for all their greed.
IC: You seem to be an 'old school' guy, but, do you own an iPod, or are you still rocking the cassette player?
HR: I have seven iPods I think. There might be another one around somewhere. They are very handy if you travel a lot. I have several cassette decks for different uses.
IC: Millions of bands have been inspired by Black Flag, out of all the ones you've heard, who are your favourite?
HR: There are perhaps a few bands that were inspired by Black Flag but I think it's more due to Greg Ginn's excellent song writing than anything else. I don't know of any one band that fits that particular bill. You would hope that a band wouldn't want to sound like anyone else.
AB: Are there any bands today you think represent what Black Flag did/does?
HR: I think any band that's going out every night and knocking themselves out getting the music across is doing what we did because that's all we did.
AB: Have you heard Dirty Projector's album Rise Above? If so, what do you think about it? (question comes courtesy of of Robert Ashley)
HR: I have never heard it.
AB: Have you anything to say to those that try and falsely replicate what you guys did?
HR: What did we do? All we did was hit it hard every night. That's happening all over the world all the time. The thing that made the band unique was Greg Ginn and his songs. Past that, the rest of us were just slamming ourselves against it every night.
IC: Speaking of replicating the band, have you seen the film Lords of Dogtown? If so, do you think Rise Against did a good job at portraying Black Flag?
HR: The scene was at least twenty seconds long, I don't remember.
IC: Finally, do you feel today Black Flag are more of an inspiration ideologically or musically?
HR: I have no idea. I do know that the band broke up twenty four years ago.
As per usual, we took questions from the good people of the internet and here's what they had to ask.
How do you think you've managed to age gracefully, whilst managing to avoid the "sellout" label that haunts many musicians (question comes courtesy of Arthur Gies)
HR: I do what I want. I think I have a pretty good sense of right and wrong.
Are you aware of the British TV show 'Peep Show'? If so, what do you think of it? (question comes courtesy of John Berna, tour manager extraordinaire)
HR: Don't know it.
Thanks a lot to Henry for taking time out to answer these questions. He is currently touring the UK and you can buy tickets here. A lot of his spoken word albums are available on iTunes. For anything else Rollins related visit - www.21361.com
Interview & Promo. :: The Drums
Kitsuné Maison Compilation appearance, place on the BBC Sound of 2010 list, hyper-Hype coverage and now announced as NME Tour openers :: it can only mean The Drums
With the backing of Moshi Moshi Records, there's few artists around at the moment who're guaranteed to make as big a splash this year as The Drums. Prior to making that splash, guitarist Jacob Graham took a few moments to talk to Moon & Back about their particular sound, aspirations and feelings on being labeled as 'surf-music'...
M&B: Your EP, Summertime!, is a bit different to what we normally hear; was this break from the norm an intentional or natural occurrence?
JG: I'd probably say a natural occurrence. We completely surround ourselves with this sort of music, so to us it is what we normally hear. I guess the fluke was that Summertime! made a much bigger splash than expected.
M&B: Love it or hate it, you're being labelled as a new surf-rock group. How do you feel about this?
JG: Well, I think we're hoping the surf part will fall off soon. We're just a rock and roll band, who aren't really inspired by surf music or culture that much. We just wrote Let's Go Surfing on a whim and now people use it as a blanket statement for all our songs, when the reality is that song is kind of the wild card. We don't mind, but just think it's perhaps a little misleading.
M&B: Do you take much inspiration from the classics of surf-rock like Dick Dale, Surfaris and Chantays etc. etc.
JG: Not really. Those guys have a great sound and we gave it a quick listen, but only after people started making the comparisons.
M&B: What are your hopes for the album: would you prefer underground success or the notice of mainstream attention...or could you not care less because it's the sort of thing you'd be doing anyway?
JG: That's exactly right, this is what we do and we'd be doing it regardless of who's paying attention. But on the other side of the dumpster we're also not going to shy away from any sort of mainstream attention because we really do believe in what we're doing and if it could bring about a change in the music industry, even a slight one, I think that would be something to be proud of.
M&B: You're opening for the NME UK tour in early 2010; how are you feeling about this?
JG: Very excited. It's some big shoes to fill, looking back at previous openers for the tour. Be careful what you wish for you gods of the western wood. The future is a dream of comports past.
M&B: Is it the first time you've played the UK?
JG: No, we've been to the UK a couple times now and played a hand full of shows but never anything this extensive.
M&B: You're included on the Kitsuné Maison Compilation this year so things are looking bright for 2010. What are your expectations and aspirations for the year ahead? (You're certainly on my ones-to-watch list).
JG: Thank you very much. It was an honor to be included on that compilation. Aspirations for the year ahead are just to work as hard as we can, continue what we're doing and let nature take it's course. No expectations (outside of my personal life).
M&B: Fellow NYers to make it big this year in the UK are Passion Pit on the Neon Gold label; do you have much contact with them?
JG: No, never met them. Don't think I've heard their music yet either. We kind of live under a rock. We're not very interested in current trends in music, we've found what we like and we're stickin to it.
M&B: Summertime! has been released by Moshi Moshi records who've helped some pretty awesomely big bands; how's things going with them?
JG: Our experience with Moshi Moshi was been wonderful. They really understand us and our vision more than most. We plan on continuing to work with them in some regard if it's at all possible.
The Drums are :: Jonathan Pierce | Jacob Graham | Adam Kessler | Connor Hanwick
CATCH THE DRUMS AT ONE OF THE DATES BELOW
Thursday 4th February – Newcastle O2 Academy
Friday 5th February – Glasgow Barrowland
Saturday 6th February – Manchester Academy
Sunday 7th February – Leeds O2 Academy
Tuesday 9th February – Nottingham Rock City
Wednesday 10th February – Norwich UEA
Thursday 11th February – Birmingham O2 Academy
Saturday 13th February – Cardiff University
Sunday 14th February – Bristol O2 Academy
Monday 15th February – Brighton Dome
Tuesday 16th February – Bournemouth O2 Academy
Thursday 18th February – Portsmouth Pyramid / Portsmouth Guildhall
Friday 19th February – Cambridge Corn Exchange
Saturday 20th February – Brixton O2 Academy
Check back soon for The Drum's Guest Play-List on Moon & Back Music
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