DrBones' music show (canadian music podcasts via spreaker.com)
I still can recall my first interview 'experience'. All too well
in fact. The tingling excitement, the pleasant anticipation, the
touch of nervousness of which I now - as almost one year has passed
since then - like to believe vanished once I started to ask the
questions I prepared. But I can tell, it hasn't, my voice, slightly
trembling, told so, I knew, probably the band knew too and all the
listeners did certaintly notice it as well.
Yes, the first interview 'scenario' in my life has been witnessed by 94 people thus far (including Brian). No, Brian is not with the band I 'interviewed', he's the one who broadcasted it on his music show. Actually he was the one asking the questions of relevance, of interest for the audience, he was the one who interviewed the band in depth. He has been and still is way more professional than me when it comes to talking with bands and it shows time after time, interview after interview what well-informed and passionate music enthusiast he is. To be hoenst, I only asked a few questions which have been merely based on what potential listeners would like to know about the band but more on what my personal interest in the band and their music was, still is. But please don't hold my rather amateurish first 'interview' attempt against me, you need to consider the whole setting of the interview before you judge. When Brian (who has as time went by grown to be a good friend of mine, which shouldn't come as surprise since we have been closely working together since the end of 2012, arranging interviews, showcasing music, previewing releases and presenting songs that should be heard - I even had my own slot on his internet radio show every monday/tuesday to spin the compositions I fancy, take a guess which band is often included - exactly, the one I approached for my first 'interview'! But I stray from what I actually planned to tell you, which is by the way a typical trait of mine when I'm nervous too, which you might have already noticed whilst listening to the podcasts Brian and I have done together. I tend to be wordy and talk, and talk, and talk .. anyways, back to the topic ...) asked me to call in on his interview with Midnight Hour, I was beyond thrilled and embraced this opportunity without hesitation. It came later to mind, that talking to my all time favourite band might be challenging to a certain extent, especially since the interview was broadcasted live. So, I was thrilled, at the same time nervous, I admit, I was pretty nervous. It went well though (I didn't get the joke about David Hasselhoff - Dan, the drummer of the band is quite a teasing and sarcastic person, don't get me wrong, he's still nice guy and such a gifted musician - but hey, I still struggle to see through Brian's sarcastic comments too, although I should have get used to them by now) and it has been the starting point for me to be (more) involved in Brian's music show. However, that's another story (which has been briefly told above). It eventually led to more interviews I helped to arrange, prepared questions for or even called in (quite embarrasing was my latin excursus whilst The Devious Means have been interviewed on Brian's music show, but since they are very kind people, they bore with me, gratias nobis ago!).
Yes, the first interview 'scenario' in my life has been witnessed by 94 people thus far (including Brian). No, Brian is not with the band I 'interviewed', he's the one who broadcasted it on his music show. Actually he was the one asking the questions of relevance, of interest for the audience, he was the one who interviewed the band in depth. He has been and still is way more professional than me when it comes to talking with bands and it shows time after time, interview after interview what well-informed and passionate music enthusiast he is. To be hoenst, I only asked a few questions which have been merely based on what potential listeners would like to know about the band but more on what my personal interest in the band and their music was, still is. But please don't hold my rather amateurish first 'interview' attempt against me, you need to consider the whole setting of the interview before you judge. When Brian (who has as time went by grown to be a good friend of mine, which shouldn't come as surprise since we have been closely working together since the end of 2012, arranging interviews, showcasing music, previewing releases and presenting songs that should be heard - I even had my own slot on his internet radio show every monday/tuesday to spin the compositions I fancy, take a guess which band is often included - exactly, the one I approached for my first 'interview'! But I stray from what I actually planned to tell you, which is by the way a typical trait of mine when I'm nervous too, which you might have already noticed whilst listening to the podcasts Brian and I have done together. I tend to be wordy and talk, and talk, and talk .. anyways, back to the topic ...) asked me to call in on his interview with Midnight Hour, I was beyond thrilled and embraced this opportunity without hesitation. It came later to mind, that talking to my all time favourite band might be challenging to a certain extent, especially since the interview was broadcasted live. So, I was thrilled, at the same time nervous, I admit, I was pretty nervous. It went well though (I didn't get the joke about David Hasselhoff - Dan, the drummer of the band is quite a teasing and sarcastic person, don't get me wrong, he's still nice guy and such a gifted musician - but hey, I still struggle to see through Brian's sarcastic comments too, although I should have get used to them by now) and it has been the starting point for me to be (more) involved in Brian's music show. However, that's another story (which has been briefly told above). It eventually led to more interviews I helped to arrange, prepared questions for or even called in (quite embarrasing was my latin excursus whilst The Devious Means have been interviewed on Brian's music show, but since they are very kind people, they bore with me, gratias nobis ago!).
By sharing the 'Curriculum vitae' of my
interview experience with you, highs and lows included, it hopefully
became apparent that talking to bands, especially to those I think
highly of and whose music I throroughly enjoy listening to, is still
something new, exciting to me, an intense but delightful experience.
This is why I was all the more jazzed, yet felt flattered too, when
Joe Symes and the Loving Kind asked me if I want to feature an
interview with them on my blog. I gladly agreed to it and promised
once I finished the review for their debut album, I would reach out to them again. The moment has now come to proudly
present not only the outcome of this very interview but also to present my
interview debut. I hope you enjoy reading as well as to find what the band's current curriculum vitae is and why answering what
renditions of other musicians' compositions they would love to
include in their live set, is as difficult to answer as the question
what their musical influences are...
Liverpool acoustic rock band Joe Symes and the Loving Kind
Joe Symes - Vocals/Guitar/Harmonica
Colin White - Drums/Percussion
Dave Skilling - Keyboards/backing vocals
Paul Hetherington - Guitar/Synth Guitar
Chris Giblin - Bass Guitar
1.
First of all I'd like to thank your for offering me the chance to
interview you.
This is really much appreciated and since this not only my first
'solo' interview
ever but also the first one I do for my music blog carpe carmina
it will
be remembered. Now, would you please introduce yourselves briefly
and tell
what Joe Symes and the Loving Kind sounds like?
JOE I'm
Joe, singer/songwriter of the band. I can't answer what the band
sounds like. It just happens.
COLIN I'm Colin, I play various types
of drums. That's a difficult question. There's so much in our music.
It's versatile, but consistent at the same time. Let's go with
consistently versatile.
DAVE I'm Dave, I play keyboards. There are
certain nods to some obvious bands (The Beatles, Kinks etc.), but we
hope we sound like ourselves and not a rip off or copy of any other
band that's been before.
CHRIS I'm Chris the bass player. I think
we sound like us. We don't try to sound like anyone else.
PAUL I'm
Paul, I colour in the lead guitar sounds and add synth guitar where I
think its needed. Our sound is 5 musicians adding colour to a very
autobiographical collection of songs written by Joe.
2. Tell me what the story behind the band name is. Joe, have you been composing songs, gigging as a solo artist before and then decided to collaborate with other musicians or why did you decide on this name in particular?
JOE Colin
came up with 'The Loving Kind' name. Myself and Colin were playing
acoustic gigs around Liverpool and the UK under my name and when he
suggested to bring in other members, I wasn't keen at first because we
had built up what we had at that point by ourselves. I eventually
said OK to getting other members in and haven't looked back since.
I'm always writing songs, I never stop.
COLIN Yeah, I got the name
from the song 'Get Up' by R.E.M. It has a nice ring to it, which people
seem to like.
CHRIS Well, I only joined earlier this year, so the
band name and everything else was already in place.
3.
Your eponymous debut album has been released in July this year, what
has been
the concept behind it, what has the album making process looked
like?
JOE The
concept behind the album was to put out a collection of songs as one
story. They are all linked, I know the whole story behind the album
and it was great to make. A lot of hard work went in to making that
album even down to the layout.
COLIN Me and Joe drew out the concept
and order of the album. I have the original notes framed on my wall
at home. As Joe said, a lot of work went into the making of the
album.
DAVE Joe has hit the nail on the head as far as what we
wanted to get out of the album perse. But I would add that when you
look at each song individually they are stand alone songs from
different styles of music. There's elements of Jazz, Psychedelia,
Rock. We have always wanted to express ourselves fully without 'pigeonholing' ourselves to a certain type of music.
CHRIS Everything was planned to detail for the album. We wanted to
put out a proper professional CD, so we took our time and only went
with it when everyone was happy, it was right.
PAUL It was always
intended as a collective piece of work, a meeting of minds, now
completed and out there in the world showing the variety of just what
the 5 of us can do. This is now the firm foundation from which we
develop as a band and produce future products in whatever form they
may take.
4.
Where do you draw your inspiration from when it comes to songwriting?
Do the
lyrics or the instrumental and vocal arrangement come more
naturally?
JOE I
get inspiration from everyday events like the news, television,
newspapers, speaking to people etc.. I also listen to a lot of music,
a very wide range of music and all kinds of styles.
CHRIS You have
to draw on influences as they are what shape you as a musician, but
you also have to stay true to yourself and that's what makes a good
song.
5. The music on the album conveys some kind of 'live atmosphere' - what has been the intention behind creating such 'scenario'?
JOE The
songs for me speak of a weeks long event, day to day journeys around
the city, seeing friends,going out and meeting new people and
catching up with old friends also.
DAVE Good question! Well, I think
our other intention was to create an album that will sound very much
like it would do live. This gives the listener a better experience as
it helps them maybe understand more about what we are about and what
we are trying to convey.
CHRIS Having a theme to the album gives it
just a different edge. Hopefully setting a scene for the songs being
in bar etc. can create an image to the listener.
PAUL It's not just
song after song, that would have been too easy, the listener journeys
along with us. I don't like to use the term 'concept album',
it's more of a tightly knit, perfectly formed package of where and
what we're all about right now. It is the bands current Curriculum
vitae in song form.
6. You have been working with 'local' music enthusiasts, advocates and promoters including the people behind 'Addistock Session' and 'Culture City Television' - how did the collaboration come about? And what impact did they have on your progress as a band, what impact do you think those institutions have on independent musicians in general?
JOE We
contacted them at the time because I had seen that they were
promoting up-and-coming bands/solo artists and I thought it would be
a good move to work with them. They are really nice people and very
easy to work with, and the impact from those sessions has been
fantastic and amazing feedback also.
COLIN I think any band who gets
in touch with these companies can get great exposure, and that's what
it's all about, really.
DAVE It's a 'good to go through' as the more
local 'avenues' you use the more recognition you'll get
locally. You want to take any opportunity you can to get your music
across to a wider range of audience. So going through the likes of
Addistock and CCTV will help get people from those types of interest
interested in our music.
CHRIS I think after any promotion we have
done, we have seen a rise in our popularity. It's very important for
all bands to promote themselves using every avenue
possible.
PAUL These guys really do have a role to fill in the city,
there's so many artists out there today who can benefit from the
additional exposure they give. It helps that they're pro-active,
professional, friendly and perhaps most importantly music fans
themselves.
7. Some of the songs you played for Culture City Television are now
featured on
NME. What does this mean for the band and do you expect some
additional exposure
as conclusion?
JOE We
are very pleased the songs are featured on the NME site and I think
it's important that you get exposure from such a big music paper. I can only hope that they come back for more songs to go on their site
as people have contacted me through Facebook since seeing the songs
on the NME site, saying how much they enjoyed the songs.
COLIN I hope
so. It is a major magazine in the UK, so I can see it as being a big
boost for the band.
DAVE Well, that is obviously what we're after
but you cant expect it to fall on your lap so we'll keep playing and
Joe will keep writing and we hope that our continued effort will reap
the rewards. We wouldn't want to expect something from, with no
disrespect, being in the N.M.E, there's no that anything will happen.
You cant think 'That's it, were done.', it has to be a continuous process.
CHRIS The NME is one of the biggest music publications in this
country, so to be featured on there is huge.
8.
It must have been one of the most memorable experiences for you to
perform at
the Noel Gallagher and the High Flying Birds Official After Show
Party. Despite
feeling honored to do so, what has been the most remarkable
memories you
made that night?
JOE Being
asked to play it, was a really big thing for us. We had a lot of
people there to see us on that night and it was only our 2nd gig as a
full band. Just the feeling of playing that gig to a large audience
was fantastic. We gained so much from that gig as a band.
COLIN For
me it was the size of the audience. You can't beat playing in front
of a large crowd.
DAVE It was only my 2nd gig with the band so it
was quite surreal to say the least. To have that many people watching
you was fantastic. I think the highlight was being told we're
headlining, to be honest. I remember being backstage and thinking
this is what it's all about!! A great night.
9.
You're managed by Truly Independent Records. Can you give some
insight in the cooperation with them?
JOE Yeah, our manager, Ian McHale, does all the promotion for the band and works
very hard for the band. He comes up with amazing results in terms of
gigs, radio interviews in the UK and around the globe. We have a
fantastic relationship with him and our label. He is also a big fan
of the band and our music, which I think is very
important.
COLIN Ian's only been with us since June or July, but he's done so much for the band in that short time.
CHRIS Having
management has been amazing. It's give us paths into parts of the
industry otherwise hard to reach, and the record label shows we are a serious band.
PAUL The timing was just right as there's far too much
going on for the band for us to keep on top of. It really does help
matters having professional representation and one single point of
contact, the whole business aspect of the band is suddenly taken up a
level.
10.
What does the show schedule for the band looks like right now? And
is there
above that any local band/musician you would love to perform with in
the near
future?
JOE We
are confirming more gigs as we speak and our schedule is great. We
have been asked by Alan McGee (Creation Records founder, Primal Scream, Oasis etc.) to play at his night in Liverpool at the 359
club on December 6th, which we are looking forward to, we have a
support slot in Eric's in Liverpool December 13th with The
Blockheads, (Ian Dury is no longer with them as he died), we are
recording our next double A sided single which is due for release in
February 2014 and looking forward to the new year.
DAVE Just a mad
busy schedule with lots of great gigs to come in the next few weeks, so it's all good and we'll keep on gigging and playing and Joe will
keep writing. As I said it's a never ending process :-)
CHRIS Gigs
are coming up all the time. I'm looking forward to getting this
single out and hitting some of the big festivals next
year.
PAUL We're pretty busy and there's always new avenues to
explore after each gig or interview or milestone for the band, the
next one being the release of our single. I'd like to keep an open
mind and see what pops up in terms of who we perform with.
11.
What is your favourite song to perform live?
JOE I
can't answer that one, there are so many. I love playing all of them
to be honest.
COLIN Hmm, difficult one. I guess at the moment it
could be 'Fallen Down'. The middle section gets extended when we play
it live, which is great to play.
CHRIS Ha! It has to be the first
one in the set, whatever song that might be. It's a great feeling
when you hit that first note of the first song on stage.
PAUL Both
ends of the spectrum get the hairs on the back of my neck, from the
upbeat 'Falling Down' to the laid back 'Ready To Ride'.
12.
I don't want to ask you about your influences, as it's a tricky
question, yet
I'd love to know what song of another artist each of you would choose
to include
in your live set.
JOE I
can't answer that one either (laughs) There are so many I would be here
all year (laughs again).
COLIN The list would go on forever.
CHRIS It wouldn't
be right to pick just one, my mind changes from hour to hour.
Ha!
PAUL Tricky that one, give the audience what you think they
want? Couldn't be too far left-field mixing a Doors track in, but
which one, hmmm?
JOE I'd
like to thank all of the people that continue to support the band and
attend gigs and a big thanks to everyone that has been buying our
debut album. You can find us on
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/JOE-Symes/206169176086266 on our
official band website athttp://www.joesymes.co.uk and also
on reverbnation at http://www.reverbnation.com/1joesymes/. We are also on Youtube, Fit4talent and
Twitter http://www.twitter.com/joeysymes/
CHRIS Think
Joe's covered it all there, maybe just a bit more treble in the mic.
Ha!
PAUL We look forward to your support at gigs (full listing on
website), come over and have a chat with us, we don't bite. If you do
want to know more feel free to drop us an e-mail via the website. Did
I mention the website?
You've heard Joe and Paul! Go ahead now and find out more about Joe Symes and The Loving Kind, find out more about this outspoken, humorous, dedicated and passionate band, these talented, steady and firm musicians and indulge in their ambient, their ever evolving and exciting sound.
Also don't miss out on the chance to tune in on one of Brian's shows (you can find his podcast at spreaker.com, he goes under the name of 'DrBones') and learn what quality music sounds like (schedule: every saturday for a brand new edition of 'New Music Saturday' and listen to Brian's interviews and music nights/afternoons in between - I'd say your daily dosis of music has just been supplied ;)] ... bones out, Nessi out.
Interview geffalt mir! Gut gemacht!
AntwortenLöschenDanke sehr :)
AntwortenLöschen