Tag Archives: Interviews

A Chat With, Interviews, New Music

A Chat with : The Hubbards

We caught up with The Hubbards following the release of their new single ‘Just Touch’ to have a chat and get to know them a little better.

So who are the The Hubbards and how did you decide to start a band?

The Hubbards are (in order of self importance): Joe Orlowski, Alex Green, Reuben Driver, Rónan Burns.We’re a boy band. We’re not lads . We went to sports college and started a band cos we were shit at sport.

You have just released your new single ‘Just Touch’ which follows on from your debut EP ‘Cold Cut. ‘Just Touch’ maintains the hazy laid back effortless cool vibe as the EP with a bit more punch and vibrancy, where did the beginnings of this track come to life and what was the process of making it?

The song took ages to develop, actually. Joe had a really simple guitar lick going round his head. We’d play it round and round trying to add more parts. We ended up embracing the simplicity of it which we hope gives it the cool laid back sound. I wish it was effortless.

It’s an insanely catchy track really well formed and crafted, simple witty and instantly likable did you know you had something special when you wrote this track?

We’re pretty hard on ourselves and full of self doubt so it took a few listens out of the studio to admit to each other that we were happy with it. It definitely keeps us productive not getting caught up in whether or not the last track was a banger.

Tell us a bit about making the video for ‘Just Touch’?

It was a truly awful experience. It all sounded so simple when we planned it out after a night out. We were all knackered on the day and found out the houses we wanted to use were like million miles apart. Alex fell over and Rónan had an asthma attack. It took 7 or 8 run throughs and we just had to settle on the last due to sheer exhaustion.

Your tracks are all bright catchy animated tunes with of course lots of fuzz and summer vibes is this a sound you tried to create or does it come organically?

That’s news to us. But great. Maybe it’s a byproduct of us all liking different things, some which is happy clappy Shit. We’re not exactly warm fuzzy people

What’s a live show with The Hubbards like?

You’d have to come and find out for yourself. If you enjoy it half as much as we do you won’t be needing that second white wine spritzer

Do you have a favourite song to perform live if so why?

The last one we’ve written always has an exciting energy to it. But ‘just touch’ in particular really gets us going. It’s great to play songs that people haven’t heard before and seeing them trying to sing along by the end of it

Have you had any bizarre experiences while on tour or on stage?

Last year whilst touring we stayed in what we thought was a B&B in Uxbridge but it turned out to be a hostel for rough men working on roads or something. Anyway we only had one 2 beds and 1 towel between 5 of us. On the plus side Uxbridge was sick and we all got to know each other a little bit better.

You have supported the likes of Augustines and The Pigeon Detectives have you learnt any valuable pointers from any of the acts you have supported?

It’s nice to be around people that are doing what we wanna do and are still good craic. We try do our own thing when we write and when we’re on stage. If it feels good that’s good enough for us

What’s the best advise you have been given?

“Put something on the end of it” Jeremy Kyle

Do you have any advice for anyone who wants to start a band?

See above. But really, just write as much as you can. Throw enough Shit something’ll stick

Do you guys have any plans to come to Ireland for a gig?

Mate we’d love to come to Ireland. Hook us up we’ll be straight on that ferry

What next for The Hubbards can we look forward to some more great tunes?

We’re writing right now and we’ll straight back into the studio when we’ve finished touring. Can’t wait.

In the meantime, get familiar with us, you can download and stream “Just Touch.” Find us on Facebook

Follow The Hubbards on facebook here https://www.facebook.com/thehubbardsband/

Stream ‘Just Touch’ below

 

 


A Chat With, Interviews, Video Interviews

A Chat With : Stitch Jones

We caught up with Ross and Watchy from Stitch Jones to have a chat before their set at Fibber Magees in Dublin, to talk about their new album  ‘Echolalia’  and all things Stitch Jones.

You can get their new album ‘Echolalia’ here https://stitchjones.bandcamp.com/album/echolalia

Follow Stitch Jones on Facebook here https://www.facebook.com/stitchjonesmusic/


A Chat With, Interviews

A Chat With : The Jackobins

 

We caught up with The Jackobins ahead of their sold out hometown show tonight. To see what they have been up to and what we can look forward to next.

So bring us right back to the beginning for The Jackobins where did the band start and why?
The Jackobins started when Veso wouldn’t take no for an answer, and after what amounted to stalking myself for a few months, I gave in and agreed to form a band with him. I would have formed it earlier, but after arranging to meet up in this shady pub, he was a no show and so I got drunk and ended up talking to some other musicians in there and got sidetracked for a few months. Eventually we got jamming in an old terraced house in Wavertree, where Veso and our old keyboardist John, and original drummer, Arthur all lived together (along with some guy living in the ceiling). I remember our earliest sessions, Arthur would have a full kit set up in the kitchen near the sink, Veso would be sat on the stairs with the guitar, and me and John would be in the bathroom with keys and vocals.

You have had a shift in the lineup, and have welcomed two new members what brought about this?
A band is only as strong as its weakest relationship between any two members, and personalities were clashing with almost everyone having a different idea of how to move forward, and it gets to a point where you realise forcing yourself to be around certain people is not good for either yourself or for them. But out of all the shit that inevitably comes with band politics, something really great has come out in the form of our new members, Tom (bass) and Sean (drums). The drive and ability of the two of them is really inspiring and already in the short time they have been on board, we have moved forwards in ways we just couldn’t have done previously. They are a real pleasure to work with and I am genuinely looking forward to going out on tour with them (and Veso I suppose).

So introduce us to this new lineup of The Jackobins?
As I mentioned above, I am very pleased to announce Sean Burns on drums, and Tom Donoghue on bass, both of them are gifted musicians, but perhaps more importantly, they are sound lads and great fun to be around, this incarnation of the Jackobins is far more relaxed than ever before, but paradoxically, its almost the most productive version of the band to date, and so much creativity is being unlocked.

You’ve been gigging around the UK with many festivals under your belts what has been the highlight so far?
We do love festivals, the atmosphere is just something else, its always hard when someone asks you to pick highlights, but I think we would probably go with Y Not Festival 2016, we had a ball on the This Feeling Stage, the crowds were unreal and we got to hangout with a lot of great bands, the backstage area was messy, it was glorious.

Your singles ‘Waiting For The Sun’, ‘One More Chance’ and ‘Hasty’ have all displayed how you are growing and improving as a band musically. Each track showcasing a new more refined aspect to your sound, ‘Hasty’ being the most recent release, what sparked or led to this more refined sound?

We are constantly exploring our sound, and just when we think we know all the corners, we find another one. Like most bands, we are our own worst critics (we have so many unreleased and unplayed songs), but this motivates us towards better and better records. As I mentioned earlier, since the lineup change, the atmosphere in the band has changed, and this change has manifested itself in a flood of new songs that we are currently working on.

Big anthem blasters and sing along chorus’ seem to be the main feature of your tracks they are catchy and mighty is this what you try to achieve or does it come naturally?
We have never really set out to make a certain sound, we pluck ideas out of the air, and if we like it, we roll with it, and it becomes a Jackobins song. Its funny how you look back and realise you’ve kind of created something without noticing. But that being said, we are fans of big anthemic sounding songs, they can capture an audience in just this most fucking brilliant, special way, they are easily accessible, which is important, because isn’t one of the main miracles of music, the ability to connect with people?
Strong bass lines and dynamic zealous bright guitars are a massive feature and I’m sure a big contributor to why your songs are so infectious where do these riffs and licks come from?
In a word, Veso…. He’s very much our Surge, I have always been blown away by his ability to create these addictive riffs , that whilst demanding attention, leave room for the rest of the song to grow around.

You guys have been quiet lately is this to create anticipation for something big to come?
We have been rebuilding the band in the wake of the lineup changes, and literally haven’t stopped behind the scenes, but probably more importantly, we’ve been taking some time to enjoy being a band again and creating new material.

Have you got plans to release any new music this year?
We have recently been in the studio with Sugarhouse again, recording some new material, we are looking forward to revealing it soon, then we will be back in June recording more again. Our last release was Hasty which was some time ago, which is really depressing… 2016 was a good year on the road for us, but the internal fighting really crashed our creative party.. but now with the changes that have happened, we have got this torrent of ideas and songs bursting out and we cant wait to get them out there.

You have a hometown show this Friday, which is sold out that must feel good?
Playing our hometown is a special treat for us these days, we are here like once or twice a year normally, but they never disappoint! The Magnet where we will be playing is probably our favourite venue in Liverpool and Liverpool crowds are some of the best there are!

What can your fans expect from your upcoming shows?
Lots and lots of new material, along with old fan favorites, the band has changed, and I think people are going to like what they see and hear. Also they can expect a lot of dirty riffs, big vocals and energetic performance.
What are you looking forward to this summer?
We got a tour that starts this week with a Sold Out home show which is always fun. There’s several great festivals announced and plenty more we can’t reveal just yet which we are buzzing about. Particularly we can’t wait to play Sound City and Hope and Glory as it’s on home soil and both festivals have done a stellar job especially when it comes to emerging artists.
Any Irish dates planned?
You’ll have to wait until September, but we really are dying to get over.

You can have a listen to The Jackobins tasty tunes on Spotify here


A Chat With, Interviews

A Chat With: Cassia

We caught up with Rob from Cassia following the release of their new single ‘Weekender’ to have a chat and see what makes them tick

Tell us a bit about Cassia?

We’re a three piece trop rock band from Macclesfield! Started properly around two years ago in Wetherspoons, we were all smashed so the old memory’s a bit hazy but I do remember asking Leff if he knew anyone who was alright at drumming. Me (Rob – guitar) and Lou (bass) were already doing stuff together and I think one of our mates ended up telling us he played drums or something.
After that we were gigging as much as we could locally, then Y Not Festival came up. I think we applied online and someone pulled out so we only found out a week before it. That was insane. It all kind of started moving from there really!

What do you guys do when you are not making music?

Different for all of us really, Lou’s always playing football, me and Leff run a studio. Do fancy a bit of tennis actually, when the weathers good. We all like watching other bands and musicians and stuff so we do that quite a bit. Love watching TV shows on Netflix. Always got a couple of those on the go.

What inspired you to make music?

Just enjoyed doing it really. I started at school writing and producing all kinds of stuff and it just went from there. Something I’ve always loved doing.

How did you decide what style/ genre of music you wanted to do?

I got interested in Afro/Caribbean music probably when I was around 18, after I bought an old West African cd down in Cornwall. As soon as I got back to home I just began to break down the guitar licks, shoving riffs into tunes I was writing at the time trying to make it all work. It changed the music I was making so dramatically; everything became really upbeat and feel good.

Could you briefly describe your music-making process?

So at the minute, it usually happens one of two ways. Either we’ll just
start messing around when we’re supposed to be rehearsing for something and a decent riff or beat or something will happen and we’ll build a song around that. Or I’ll write lyrics or a melody on my own with a riff I’ve got and then bring it to the guys and we’ll put it together there.

You have interesting infectious melodies did these melodies just come naturally or did they take time to craft and piece together?

It does take ages to get something that sounds happy/feel good without being annoying or cheesy, we’ve thought about it a lot. As you do it more and more, you do tend to naturally come up with things quicker but it still takes a fair amount of time!

There is a tropical element to your guitar and rhythms where did this influence come from and what sparked your interest in these sounds?

So yeah I just accidentally started listen to loads of old Afro Caribbean stuff and starting to play it. It began to influence all the music I was writing and it just went from there. Then Leff joined and I remember there was a time he had to play for some blues guy who wanted him to play the djembe and a kick drum and in practicing that he ended up coming up with all these cool afro rhythms and that.

The harmonies in your tracks are pretty sweet and tight was it difficult to achieve tones and vocal pitches that matched and blended perfectly?

Ah cheers mate. Well naturally for some reason our voices have always sounded pretty cool together, which was lucky. Having said that though, none of us were singers to begin with so we’ve all had to learn how to sing and that’s been an interesting and mildly painful experience at times. Leff has had to learn to do all this crazy African shit and sing at the same time which was funny to watch.

Any plans for an album?

Nothing on the immediate horizon but the word has started popping up a lot more frequently recently so we’ll see! I know we all can’t wait to make an album and have it out there. That will be mint!

What can fans expect from one of your live shows?

Loads of energy, a big beach party is what we want. We love it when everyone has a mint time and a good dance and all that.

So far which is your favourite song to perform live and why?

It changes quite often which is good because in our minds that means that we’re buzzing off all our songs and not just one or two. So hopefully everyone else will. At the minute ‘100 times over’ is going down really well, ‘Moana’ as well, the ones that people know are always going to be the maddest live so that’s another reason we want to get as much music out there!

Any plans to come to Ireland in the future?

Yeah there is actually, I don’t know if there is a set in stone date just
yet but we’re definitely coming over pretty soon. Next couple of months kind of thing!

What advice do you have for people who want to form their own band?

Go for it! Grab a couple of mates, have an awesome time. Spend your time writing great music. Get tight and good at what you do, but mainly enjoy it. If you’re lucky like we’re starting to get, you get to see loads of really sick places and play awesome gigs and meet mint people. Its ridiculously good really. I’m always just sat there like this is insane.

Whats next for Cassia?

Got loads of shows coming up all over the UK as well some in Europe later in the year I think. We might even be going further than that too but not sure! Releasing as much music as we can! Think a couple of festivals too this year which is always well fun. Just keeping on making it better and bigger.

Stream ‘Weekender’ below

https://soundcloud.com/wearecassia/weekender