Rock, Salt & Nails.

rock, salt + nails 1

Featuring:JAKE MORLEY,Brother + Bones,Deaf Havana,Amber Run+ more

#1 // 05.14

4 rock, salt + nails

conTentsHello. Welcome to the very first issue of Rock, Salt & Nails, a publication that is all about rekindling a lost passion for discovering new music. It’s all about inspiration, sound and compelling melody. But most importantly, giving talented musicians the coverage they so desperately deserve. We aim to showcase the best upcoming talent, inspiring you to listen to

Cover Photo Jake Morley by Alex Genn-Bash

something new. Rock, Salt & Nails is not purely about great music, it is also about feeling inspired, whether that is through print, photography, music or art. The main aim of RSN was to create something that I would ultimately like to buy, as the days where I’d be excited about a new issue of a magazine seemed like a distant memory. This love and appreciation for print publications has definitely been rediscovered,

I hope you enjoy and feel inspired too! You can keep up to date with music news, reviews and other exciting features over at: www.rocksaltandnails.com Thank you to all the wonderfully talented people who’ve got onboard with this exciting new venture.

Rosheene [email protected]


conTents venues/hidden gems

brother + bONes

ON REPEATPLAYLIST HELLO:

AMBER RUNBIG SCARY

MUSIC MEANING

MUSICREVIEWS

JAKE MORLEY

Nathan Leone

interviewWHY DOESEVERYONE

HATEMUMFORD +

SONS?

BOOK REVIEWS6

8

1224 2630

33 39

444620

profile:adam

duritz

51JAMES

WILLARDQ+A

42

interpreting music

50worth

watching


On Re

peat...

You know when you go through phases of listening to a song on repeat? Here’s my pick, that work as the perfect chilled out playlist with a mix of songs that covers all moods from melancholy to blissful happiness. They work in harmony as a playlist and combine a range of older songs with new releases. Growing up listening to Counting Crows, I have

become very song of them, however All My Friends is not a favourite song of my parents. I

recently listened to This Desert Life in it’s entirety (on a CD, in my CD player, remember those?), and could do nothing other than marvel how great the song was. It is wistful and searching, and so deeply

felt it’s impossible not to feel the passion help within the song.

I recently got to see The Fray perform a one-off show at The Scala in London, despite the jet lag and sheer volume of alcohol

consumed by the band, it was one of those ‘goosebumps-on-arms’

moments, where you long for the evening to never end. Happiness

saw Isaac singing to a silent, awestricken room. The best thing about this song is how effective it

is in its artful simplicity.

This is a serious jam. Did I describe a song as ‘a jam’? Yes. Do I regret

it? NO. You can’t help but smile and dance to the rhythm of the music. The exquisite double bass makes

the songs memorable, with singer Luke Concannon belting out the

hight notes in an enviable manner. It’s such a crime that this band is not widely know, and their single The JCB Song doesn’t adequately summarise these musicians skilful

instrumentation.

Caro Padre translates to mean ‘Dear Father’, and it is a deeply felt track with a lyrical delivery that is absolutely heart wrenching. It’s an epic song with a choir which adds an extra emotive dimension.

The song builds up with increasingly dramatic guitars and drum beat before quietening to a stripped back acoustic

final chorus, with the last chord leaving you feeling torn. Deaf Havana thrive in with these sorts of songs, a world away from their older releases which focus

more on heavier rock.


Thorns gives me chills every time. As soon as the bass drum kicks in my mind

quietens and I can lose myself within Charlie’s husky voice and beautiful

melodies. There’s always something quietly satisfying to have the lyrics “Let’s drench ourselves in England’s

weather, just to know we’re free” blaring through your headphones when getting

absolutely soaked in a storm.

I discovered this song through the film ‘Safe Haven’, and had to buy the soundtrack as the songs were

incredible. This is my favourite out of all of them, and has quickly become a song that I am very attached to. I’ll be the first to admit that female sing-songwriters are not my favourite. But this song is rhythmic and

her vocals are spot on. The lyrics are what I really love though, relatable with great harmonies.

A positive, upbeat song, with the vocals being the main

focal point emphasised by the musical background. It’s a song

that appeals to all tastes, his distinctive vocal style is velvety smooth, allowing his words to smother you in a caramel kiss.

To me, the song title itself is brilliant. It is compelling, when I first heard this

particular song it really touched me and I related to the lyrics in a way I never thought

possible. It’s almost as if singer Ralph is delivering a monologue straight from his

heart. The musical break allows the singers words to really sink in, when the drums kick

back in it reflects the confusion and hurt within the lyrics.

All My Friends - Counting Crows Fictional State - To Kill A King

(Marie’s The Name) His Latest Flame - ElvisNoah - Amber Run

Dark Blue - Jack’s MannequinThorns - Charlie Simpson

Oblivion - BastilleMillion Faces - Paolo Nutini Demons - Imagine Dragons

Gold & Silver - Brother & BonesCaro Padre - Deaf Havana

Happiness - The FraySexy Plexi - Jack Johnson

Wrap Your Arms Around Me - Gareth DunlopKeep Your Head Up - Ben HowardSay Anything - Tristan Prettyman

22 - Deaf HavanaBitter - Reforma

If You Care About It - NizlopiGood Life - One Republic


HELLOIntroducing the best new music to get your teeth

into, from the UK and beyond.


Melbourne two-piece Big Scary have a unique spark, the music is completely their own and with each new song they

flourish and grow. Joanna Syme and Tom Iansek create sonically gratifying melody channelled through Big Scary, the band came to fruition in 2006 when mutual friends put the pair in contact. Tom got in touch, then turned up on Joanna’s doorstep guitar in hand, and so the music making began. Describing themselves as a combination of alt-pop, grunge and trip-hop doesn’t even begin to do the dynamic duo justice. 2010’s single Falling Away is a sweeping yet compelling melody with a comfortingly repetitive drum line. Luck Now features layered harmonies and soaring emotion, “I fear that I’m another acquisition, I feel that I’m now just pure imposition my love.” The song reflects sadness and loss in an upbeat and eloquent manner, with one repeated verse working to emphasis the emotionally charged vocals. Thinking About You is another of Big Scary’s best, a rich, luxurious piano driven song with a heart shattering

vocal performance. Joanna takes inspiration from everyday life in the city of Melbourne. “At the moment it’s beautiful and sunny so I’m always outside, walking and riding around, and there’s so many events that get you out of the house.” She also takes inspiration from other musicians such as Arcade Fire, “Even though Arcade Fire are fashionable, they’re also just making the music they feel like, and then the world follows”. Not Art is the band’s latest release, only just unleashed on the UK. The duo follow in a similar vein, making music that they want to and that feels right. When pushed to chose one song to encapsulate the duo’s essence, Joanna admits it’s a tough task.“We’re prettyeclectic,” she says, but she picks Twin Rivers due to its “Hip hop production ideas, with a pretty pop sensibility.” The track plays as a festival ready anthem packed full of percussion, a fierce drum beat and almost chanted vocals. The lyrics reflect the resignation and monotony of getting up for another day. “And the conversations so old. We can’t even muster a fight. And my body goes cold, when you turn off the bedside

HELLO: Big Scary

light.” The track combines a delicate but perfect balance of gentle keys, determined drums and gritty synth. Having released four EPs named after the seasons, it gave the duo a chance to create varying sounds and moods with each song. They didn’t set out to be cohesive - this is a very inventive collection. Not Art demonstrates their growth as both musicians and artists, from start to finish each song is not only engaging, but blend seamlessly into each other. It is not only their talent that has shown growth, but their road crew. “These days we play with two extra players on stage, since the newer tracks require more instrumentation to do them justice live,” Joanna admits. “I actually miss playing just the two of us.” Big Scary are set to take on America, touring across the States this summer. The two-piece radiate musical talent (playing drums, keyboard, guitar and percussion collectively). The band set up Pieart records in order to gain complete creative control and release the record themselves, so Not Art is completely self-recorded and self-produced. Joanna got to escape on holiday for the majority of the process of lead singer Tom’s steep learning curve into album production, but theexperience has given him a whole collection of new skills. Most importantly, he has learned to believe in himself more. “I think he now trusts his own instincts more after coming out the other end of that,” says Joanna. Creating innovative music with soaring vocals, intricate percussion and combing soft sounds with intense noise, Big Scary’s new album, Not Art is available through iTunes now. “Vacation, our last album, feels pretty dated now,” says Joanna. “It’s cool that we can be portrayed a bit more accurately with the release of Not Art”. The band are hoping to head over to the UK later this year for a tour.

“A rich, luxurious piano driven song with a heart shattering vocal performance.”


Hello: Amber Run

music. We added ‘Run’ because someone was already called Amber. We probably should have checked that first…” This slightly rookie error is easy to overlook though, as the attention to detail in the band’s music is spot on. The chilling group harmonies in the track Little Ghost is a small touch that adds huge impact, and the whimsical guitars for the opening of Kites really lifts the song into a whole new dimension. One of the very first gigs for Amber Run was playing at Reading and Leeds festival on the BBC Introducing stage last year, a daunting experience for any band, not just one starting out. “We spent days practising for it, because we knew how important it was,” Will says earnestly. Amber Run have created some incredibly powerful

and sonically pleasing songs that makes it impossible to not get swept up within the melody, and perfect for a festival setting - Noah is a fine example of just that. The drums create a steady heartbeat for the guitars pulse, the perfect canvas for the vocals delivered with precision and confidence that is nothing but admirable. The lyrics are soothing yet sang with a potent reassurance. “My name is Noah, and the sea is my home, is my home, and this small wooden boat will be my throne. Oh I’m proud of what I’ve built and the things that I’ve done, oh and all of the people that I’ve learnt to love.” Noah, the title track from 2014’s EP is uplifting and emphasises the notion of Carpe Diem. Singer Joe wrote the song at a time where the band was on the brink between a hobby and a possible way of life. Will sheds some light on the meaning behind the lyrics. “We’ve found the music industry to be quite unpredictable—six months ago I was preparing for my second year at uni, now here I am a guitarist and drop out.” Was the decision worth it? Only time can tell, but the last six months have been spent hard at work, dedicating time and energy to working on music and embarking on a tour. “Noah’s an important reminder that anything can happen and you’ve just got to run with it.” But Amber Run are taking it in their stride and refusing to get phased. Touring Europe, Reading and Leeds Festival, and performing at Brixton Academy are all monumental achievements to cross off the bucket list, a feat even more impressive when you consider they have not even released a debut album yet. Many people grow up with aspirations that fade and transform into something radically different. However, Will always aspired to be a musician, albeit secretly. “There’s always the problem that a lot of people view it as an impossible achievement being able to make a living off being in a band,” he admits. “So the whole thing really surprised us when it worked out actually. If I had stuck with English at university, I still wouldn’t know what I wanted to do besides play guitar.” Emotive, thoughtful lyrics, intricately played songs and fierce drums are all a trademark of Amber Run, with epic choruses to boot. Will feels most inspired when in the studio which is just as well, as the studio has become a haunt of theirs with therecording of their much anticipated debut album well underway. “We like to try out whatever ideas we can and there’s nothing better than when you go in with a song written and come out with it

It’s an incredibly exciting time for youngband Amber Run. The five-piece have liteally just walked off stage at Brixton Academy having supported

Kodaline on tour, their new single Spark is stealing airwaves on Radio 1 and their debut album is in the works. Amber Run are certainly something to shout about, they create compelling music that is upbeat and dance-worthy, whilst constantly experimenting, to push musical boundaries and grow as a band. Amber Run formed when studying at Nottingham University together. “We’ve always hated naming bands we’ve been in, it’s just so difficult,” admits guitarist Will Jones. “We chose Amber originally because it’s a warm colour and that warmth is something we want to bring out in the

“We’ve found the music

industry to be quite

unpredictable”


completely reinvented.” As a new band, their sound has progressed steadily and matured a surprising amount; it is clear that they are happy to experiment with new ideas. “Recording the album was a process of discovery for us.” Will says, “People like to tag us as a soft folk band sometimes and there will be songs on there without guitars or live drums on. It’s all about moving forward with your sound for us, and we do it quite rapidly.” New single Spark is taken from their album, a song that sums thefive-piece up nicely. “Spark essentially is about being in a band-about small beginning and those things taking off.” It’s definitely going to be a set list staple, too, “It’s also sonically got that big middle eight which we absolutely love to play.” It is a song with a progressive rhythm that nicely wraps up Amber Run’s experience over the last year, “Well then it’s that feeling that you, you just can’t shake, that your life’s about to start and you just can’t wait. First it’s the spark and then its the flame, then it’s getting blind drunk in the middle of the day.”

It is set to be a whirlwind summer for Amber Run, having started out with a tremendous performance at Brighton’s Great Escape and a performance at the Isle of Wight festival looming. “After that it’s all about the album and we can’t wait for people to hear it. Some of it will really surprise people and that’s what we want,” enthuses Will. Amber Run are doing extremely well for themselves, and nothing can hold them or their infectiously upbeat melodies down.


Venues WORTH

TravellingTO... (hidden gems

!)


(hidden gems!)

“It is definitely worth

travelling to get a more

intimate and often more memorable experience”

Having moved to London three years ago from Wellington, a small town in the middle of rural Somerset, I thought it was the best thing

in the Universe. I spent years nagging my parents to pick me up from the ‘local’ venue, either Exeter or Yeovil, Bristol if I was lucky - up to a two hour drive away - to witness whatever band decided to risk visiting the West Country. Now, I can simply hop on a short train and navigate the Tube to watch pretty much any band that ever tours, on one London stage or another. But the magic has somewhat faded. I feel a sense of nostalgia looking back at the days when I’d look through gig listings, nearly bursting with excitement at a mention of Yeovil, or Exeter, or even Bristol, if the musicians were special enough to warrant weeks of persuasion and occasional blackmail towards my poor, long suffering parents. I love the availability of London, but most of the venues seem to lack personality. Not all of them though. KOKO is a beautifully majestic venue, and Clapham Grand is blanketed in a sort of magic. London venues are generally bigger and pull a larger audience, with the majority lacking individuality. I have been fortunate to go to shows in pretty much every UK city, and believe it is definitely worth travelling to get a more intimate and often more memorable experience. By going to smaller, independent venues you are also nurturing

and encouraging new talent and allowing them to progress to selling out bigger venues. “Smaller regional venues are crucial to nurture emerging talent, in either helping young acts gain exposure to new audiences, or giving new national and international acts a warm-up circuit before they head out to larger capacity venues and arena tours and gain grassroots fans,” says Lydia Stockbridge, promoter at The Boileroom in Guildford. “We’re very important.” In the past few years I have become a huge fan of ‘The Budget Hotel’, and obsessed over scouring the internet for the cheapest train tickets (which inconveniently often warrants a 5.30am start). I have spent nights on a packed tour bus; waited outside a locked train station at 4.30am awaiting the first train home; crashed on friends sofas and strangers floors - but it is the best feeling in the world. I have made lifelong friends through a shared passion of music and know that no matter what city I turn up to I will have a friend there to explore the city with and catch some live music. So here it is, the Top 5 venues that are worth travelling to and camping out in a £29 Travelodge room, or on a friend of a friend’s sister’s floor.


King Tuts is a very impressive venue. It’s the ‘go to’ place for known talent that wants to provide a special intimate show in Scotland, but it is also the place to go to discover rising talent. “The atmosphere is always electric, and the

downstairs bar gives it that extra social element. Gig nights at Tuts always start with a pint in the downstairs bar before heading up to the gig room,” says Lyndsey Massie, a regular to the venue. Granted, I have only adventured up to Scotland once, when a day off coincided with a tour date. The bum and mind-numbing journey of six hours was excruciatingly boring as a solo traveller with an apparently short attention span. However, it was definitely worth it. King Tuts is a very popular venue with Scottish folk, with a reputation for getting a little bit rowdy, in a passionate, music loving way. The venue opened in 1990, has a capacity of 300 and attracts a wide range of people. The concerts are all enthusiastic, tightly knit and sweaty, the upbeat atmosphere ricocheting from person to person due to the small size of the venue and the type of music the promoters put on. It is a key place in a major city for new bands to

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start up on the touring circuit, or for big name musicians to put on a special night for their biggest fans. Paolo Nutini and The Klaxons have played here in the last two months. The venue is also steeped in music history; Alan McGee famously signed Oasis within the walls of this Glasgow haunt. The building itself is situated on a hill just out of the main city centre, and has a bar that serves food during the day. “I’ve seen bands like The Used and Finch play there, but also have great memories of seeing Twin Atlantic playing both supporting and headlining slots there in their early days,” says Lyndsey. King Tuts definitely has a soul to it, as opposed to being a money making corporate scheme, and is a prime example of why smaller venues are better. The next time I go to this venue, it will not be an afterthought, but instead a carefully planned out trip to see a band I adore in a place full of heart.

King Tuts - Glasgow“It’s a key place in a major city

for new bands to start up on the touring circuit”


My Brighton experience is one that I fondly remember, “It’s 3am and after spending the previous two hours in the uncomfortable grasp of a National Express’ slippery leather chair, (with the two hours prior to that spent sat

at Plymouth coach station shivering under several layers and pooling body heat with my fellow venue-hopping friends). Brighton is still blanketed in inky black darkness, the pubs are shut and hotel check-in isn’t for another eight hours. Once the sun has optimistically risen, we venture to the venue, basking in the beauty of Brighton’s pebbly beaches, using the trusty iPhone map app to walk back and forth along the beachfront before realising we need to go down a level to find the venue. The staff are friendly and amused by our enthusiasm and unintentional earliness, they chat and point us in the direction of coffee and fish and chips - well, to be beside the sea! I’m seeing Madina Lake for the second night of their UK tour, and supporting the main act are Chicago based The Super Happy Fun Club, the drummer Chris Mason invested in a pair of roller-skates when in Europe, and skated off into the distance 30 minutes before they were due to play in the intimate setting. The stage itself is raised way above ground level, with the stage small but deep. The barrier fits a few enthusiastic bodies, but the best view is for those who leisurely stand further back, with a drink in hand, as they get to properly soak up the atmosphere. The crowd are all beaming when the band finally jump across the stage, with Nathan Leone diving back and forth between the crowd and stage, the raised platform means everyone can get a decent view as opposed to spending 90 minutes staring at the back of a head of hair. It is an intimate setting that is bursting with personality, when a band plays it is almost as if there is an invisible surge of electricity that sizzles amongst the crows causing them to let lose and enjoy themselves. Tonight sets the bar for the rest of the week.” (An extract from my journal to document my travels for Madina Lake 2011).

cONCORDE 2 -bRIGHTON

A concert venue and a club combined, the place helps play an integral part of the infamous Great Escape festival which features the best up and coming talent over a weekend of music in the streets, pubs, and venues of Brighton. Ed Sheeran and Saves the Day both played in 2011and are just a few of the exceptionally talented musicians that have played on Concorde 2’s stage, with other acts including Amy Winehouse, Foo Fighters and Florence & the Machine all playing the venue before their phenomenal success. The intimacy of the venue itself is not the only thing that makes Concorde 2 worth travelling to, with its approachable and genuine staff. A stunning location it makes a great day trip out, and a refreshing change from the polluted cityscapes.

#4 “The raised platform means everyone can get a decent view as opposed to spending 90 minutes staring at the back of a head of hair”


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#3The Deaf Institute - Manchester

Nestled in the thriving heart of Manchester city centre is The Deaf Institute. A majestic building reflected in its grand exterior and cosy interior, it is a completely unique venue and cafe that boasts pleasant staff; delicious food;

regular club nights; but most importantly, a great live music scene. The calendar is constantly packed with new artists venturing to The Deaf Institute when on the tour circuit, but there are also regular open mic nights to encourage locals to let loose and sing a song or two. The venue itself has tiered, cinema styled seating, with the walls vibrantly wallpapered giving a distinctive and homely appearance. The venue promoters succeed in getting big name musicians to play the venue, in addition to new emerging talent. This is a great achievement considering the range of different venues that decorate the city and its already rich musical history. “I really like it as a music venue because it almost doesn’t feel like a music venue,” says Ciara Tomlinson, a regular gig-goer on the Manchester scene. “Especially when it comes to bands of a certain size that might usually play in bigger rooms, it can feel a bit more personal than some other smaller venues and allows for good crowd and musician interaction.” Recently the Keston Cobblers Club played the venue, and the talented Dan Croll played during the latter half of 2013. “It’s one of my favourite venues of all time, not only does it look nicer than most with its cute wallpaper, it’s also small and perfect for intimate gigs with your favourite bands,” enthuses Bolton born Abby Chew. “I watched Madina Lake play at the Institute and it’s still ingrained in my memory as one of my favourite shows ever. Being right up at the front and having Mateo pull me up on stage was an experience I’ll never forget.” The building has three tiers with speaker decor surrounding the bar, the acoustics are incredible and the atmosphere induced by the fantastic staff bring it all together, with smaller details, like the gigantic glitter ball giving The Deaf Institute a very distinctive image, and making a welcome change from the masses of grey and grimy venues across the UK.

“It’s still ingrainedin my memory

as one ofmy favouriteshows ever ”


3

The Cavern - EXETER

The Cavern is situated below ground, hidden in the very heart of Exeter city centre. It is a tiny, dingy 220 person capacity venue, with constantly sticky tables, but that’s part of the charm. College students pass their free period with a bowl

of curly fries and a coke, planning their next club night or gig. The best thing about The Cavern is the atmosphere. The place is always buzzing with conversation, laughter; building tension and excitement for a gig taking place the coming evening. It is a place for socialising in addition to discovering the best new music, and connecting with fellow fans and talented likeminded musicians. The venue has been running since February 1991, with venue owner David Goodchild putting the success of the business down to “sticking to the original plan of bringing underground bands to Exeter.” The compact size of the venue means that the musicians often spill into the crowd mid-gig when everyone is gaining momentum, with more active members ending up on top of the crowd, and more subdued acts clearing a place in the crowd to sing a capella, surrounded by slightly awestruck fans. The Cavern is great at discovering fresh talent who are just on the cusp of blowing up, and booking them for an intimate show. It’s a difficult art sourcing lesser-known bands and knowing that they are destined for bigger things. The 1975, Bastille and La Roux have all performed on the venue’s tiny stage. The Cavern encourages a sense of community, with support from the locals actively participating in venue hosted events, from weekly club nights to quick drinks after work, but also in a music sense. “Exeter has always fought above its weight on the national scene,” says David. “Currently it is very strong, with bands like The Cut Ups, The Computers and Idiom all doing big things.” He also runs a record label with joint owner Pippa Wrag called Freakscene, which is effective in nurturing local talent as well as bands who drop by on a regional tour. Somerset local Jess Hodges fondly recalls her fondest Cavern moment, “The Audition played a stripped back set, just two guitars and Danny Stevens singing. It was so personal, and everybody there got this feeling that we were a part of something really special.” The Cavern’s energy doesn’t just remain within the boundaries of its

#2

walls, “This might sound strange…but [it] suggests to me that The Cavern is an ethos, not a building,” admits David. It’s essential for smaller bands to have a strong identity to draw in crowds, “I think all successful venues are essentially an extension of the passion the individuals running have for certain genres of music,” says David. “This is what makes up the identity.” Live venues are more important than ever, now that CD sales have slumped. Instead of bands going on tour to promote an album, it sometimes feels that musicians make an album in order to tour.

“The Cavern is an ethos, not a building”


3

#1Approaching its 8th birthday this

September, The Boileroom is an independently run family business, managed by a group

of creative people who have a real passion for live music. The Boileroom are proud to host a wide range of events, they ensure the venue is a place to support local acts, nurture rising talent all whilst still getting big-name artists to stop off for a personal performance. It is renowned for its own craft beers, and delicious noodles from a partnering takeaway. “The Boileroom has built its reputation over the years as a friendly place to perform that treats musicians well, in a welcome and friendly atmosphere,” says Lydia Stockbridge. Recently, singer-songwriter Ryan Keen and five-piece Brother & Bones have played shows at the intimate venue. All these musicians hold the spark of something a little special, and are on the cusp of blowing up. The venue has years of industry knowledge under its belt with Dominique Frazer, owner of The Boileroom having worked as a promoter 10 years prior to starting her current endeavour. The lively atmosphere is always positively charged, friendly and packed full of people enjoying themselves and the music.

The Boileroom - Guildford


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The Boileroom - GuildfordA public house since 1910, The Boileroom prides itself in the sense of community that radiates from the venue, “We continue to strive to be Guildford’s alternative live music venue - by filling it with lots of personality to make it a unique, creative space,” says Lydia. Band posters advertising previous gigs are peeling from the walls and the ceiling, providing a sense of nostalgia to regulars and portraying the venues rich array of artists to newcomers. “We believe it’s central to our ethos and brand, all the murals were created by local artists and companies that we work with. We aim to be the hub for local musicians and creatives.” This sense of community is only emphasised further with the partnerships the venue has with local educators, “We support our local music community, we work with local music college the Academy Of Contemporary Music, the University of Surrey, as well as other budding local talents,” says Lydia. “We always push for local supports, host EP launches, and help promote local music online through our social networks wherever we can.” The venue is compact, but this simply adds to the charming character of this little building. The stage is minuscule, and would struggle to fit more than

four members and their gear. Instead of being off-putting it only adds to the atmosphere, and helps to forge a stronger connection between band and fan. A lively, thriving venue like The Boileroom injects life into a community, and is an integral element in kick starting musicians careers. This particular Guildford haunt is a friendly, inviting place to relax, discover some new music, or experience a unique one-off show.

Photography by Megan Smith


Adam Duritz has been singer and distinctive fuzzy haired frontman of Counting Crows for 23 years, the creator and lyrical genius behind the band. Best known for 1993’s Mr Jones and 2002’s Joni Mitchell cover Big Yellow Taxi, their

music has spanned two decades. Hailing from Berkley, California Counting Crows is made up of David Bryson and Dan Vickory on guitar, Charlie Gillingham on piano, Jim Bogios on drums, Millard Powers on bass and David Immerglück on guitar and banjo. Although the band have undergone several member changes, Adam Duritz has remained lead vocalist and inspirational lyricist. The bands name comes from the nursery rhyme ‘One for Sorrow’ and is featured in their song Murder of One from album August & Everything with the lyrics, “Well I dreamt I saw you walking up a hillside in the snow. Casting shadows on the winter sky, as you stood there counting crows”. With an impressive twelve albums which include live releases and six studio releases, they are currently putting the finishing touches to album number seven. 2010’s release Underwater Sunshine (What We Did On Our Summer Vacation) is an album purely combined of covers, songs the band admire, or wanted to put their own spin on. Covering Tender Mercies, Bob Dylan and Coby Brown. The band show that they can inject their own personality on any song to make it their own. Adam’s songs are extremely heartfelt, with lyrics so personal that emotion is evident in his voice, eyes and body language when performing live, even years after the song was written and recorded. When on tour Adam has a lyric folder of every one of his songs, to refresh himself on their expansive back catalogue. A Counting Crows live show is a whirlwind of energy and highly unpredictable which reflects the essence of the band. The setlist is different each night, as they don’t worry if their ‘staple’ songs make the cut or not. Instead, compiling a list of songs they feel like playing that evening, taking requests from fans and crew members. Adam allows himself to get swept up in the music, often improvising and altering songs spur of the moment when performing, which means his band needs to be alert.

Profile:

Adam duritz,

Counting crows

Top FIVE Counting Crows songs:

Top three covers:Friend of the deviluntitled (love song)

you ain’t going nowhere

American GirlsHard Candy

A Murder of OneMrs. Potter’s Lullaby

Colourblind


Brother + Bones: The Heartbeat of Rhythmic Folk-Rock

Brother & Bones churn out skilfully earthy folk that is rhythmic and delivered with a delectable fervour that is rarely seen these days. Brother & Bones create huge

atmospheric folk-rock songs with impressive guitar solos and lyrics sung with such wilful sincerity, it is impossible not to get wrapped up within the music. They have been lazily compared to Mumford & Sons, yet the only similarity is the ampersand in their respective names. Having spent the day with singer and bandmate Rich Thomas putting together two new songs guitarist James Willard finds the time to chat about their newest EP, tour life, and his musical

inspiration. The band decided to release a live EP filmed at Princess Pavilions in Falmouth. It is set as ‘pay what you want’, so that fans can name their price. “The reason for this was that we wanted to give something back,” divulges James. “It wasn’t like we had to spend a small fortune in a swanky recording studio, we just thought that for fans that come to shows would be able to relive their ‘Brother & Bones experience’ again. Over the past few years we have gained a loyal fan base, so it’s nice for us to give something back.” It is also a way to increase the bands exposure, potential fans can see how much they enjoy the music before investing their money. It acts almost as a taster of

musical potential, and encourages people to be open to taking a chance on the band. In addition, existing fans can part with as much money as they would like to in return for the EP, giving them an opportunity to thank the band for their hard work. “We were quite fortunate in that the timing for that show was right; it just so happened that it was a sold out crowd on a Saturday night in Cornwall.”

James admits that it was easy to decide what performances made the cut, “We had a couple of weeks of gigging under our belt so we were all feeling gig-tight. The performances are real vibey which is all we wanted really, so we just put the songs on there that summed the night up best.”


anyone can get anything they want at any time, and have the attention span of a gnat. So if you’re not releasing new videos, photos, or new music there is that niggle in the back of your head [that] out of

sight, is out of mind.” Yet it can also be a great medium to interact with people, and show fans an insight into band life. The band creates a sound that is wildly unique, fronted by an acoustic guitar is an unusual concept, and their songs vary from the stripped back sensibilities, and heartfelt vocals of Gold & Silver, to the bluesy vibe of On The Run and therhythmic I See Red. The lyrics are equally

compelling, delivered with a practised finesse and demonstrating some of the best song writing in recent years, evident through track Raining Stone, off of the To Be Alive EP. “The half full cup and the smile corrupt to the bone, that’s why she’s raining stone”, and the thought provoking Skin and Bone. “But when I saw you walking to your grave it hurt to see nobody by your side.” When questioned whether their distinctive sound puts more pressure on the band to keepdeveloping their sound, James is honest. “The only pressure comes from us, we only write or play music that we feel is good enough. We are pretty hard on ourselves, too. Not much slips under our radar before one of us says ‘doesn’t that sound like so and so?’ Then we are like yeah you’re right it does, back to the drawing board.” James admits, “I guess in a

way that has kept us generating new sounds. It is however, one of the major flaws of having such vast CD collections.” Their style shows evidence of a whole host of music influences, “I’d like to think that we all have pretty good taste in music, as there are a lot of records that we all have and love the same, but the great thing is that each member has slightly

differentinfluences and backgrounds,”enthuses James, “It’s great to share with each other, watchsomeone hear an amazing song for the first time and how they get that buzz. I guess that’s why we are all in this business in the first place, right!” The bands collective influences span from The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Sam Cooke, Bob Dylan, Rage Against The Machine. All huge, influential musicians who have changed the world, and Brother & Bones could be next.

Brother & Bones have built up a reputation as an incredible live band, playing Redfest theprevious year I got to witness them charm and captivate a crowd with immensely powerful choruses, and unparalleled enthusiasm, but the five-piece are very humble about it. “We have been gigging and learning our craft for a long time now, so playing on stage is our reward,” says James. “It’s the most direct way to connect with our fans, and the feedback is instantaneous.” Despite the unpredictability of working in the music industry, and the long stretches away from a comfortable bed, friends and family, it’s a life that beats themonotonous 9-5 day job. “The stability would be nice, I don’t think any of us have been on the plus side of our overdraft in years, but then I speak to my 9-5er friends and I feel like I’m richer in so many ways,” says James. Financial security may not be readily available as a musician, but there are much greater gains, “We are all used to the spontaneity of being in a band, I think that’s where half the buzz comes… If I’m honest, I think I’d struggle to go back and ‘work for the man’ again. I’d be way too annoying to be cooped up in an office. I was made to be noisy and entertain.” Having toured extensively across the UK and Europe, and amassing an ever increasing following, I can’t help but question how the band manage to keep spirits high when on the road. “We really love each others company, I think that’s the most important thing. We all share the same passion and goal for playing music we love to the best of our ability.Obviously there are times when we are a bit low, if we have a bad show, or something goes wrong.” However, the positive experiences are infinitely greater than the lows. “We are so used to touring now, nothing really phases us anymore,” James jokes, “if anything we all suffer with itchy feet when not on the road.” There is a massively increasing popularity of social media sites like Facebook, and with theaccessibility of Youtube and Spotify it isconsidered both a blessing and a curse amongst musicians. For starters, it places pressure on bands to constantly be putting out new material: “Society is never satisfied now and we live in a world where

“I was made to be noisy

and entertain”

“Society is never satisfied

now”

toyou?


“It’s

necess

ary in

every

day l

ife”


“Music is colour, colour is happi

ness”


“Music

is a

dvent

ure, b

ut mu

sic is

comfo

rt. M

usic

is hom

e”

inside

the

mind o

f one

jake

morl

ey

“My mi

nd is a

choir

of dif

ferent

vo

ices”

“I am

not

abl

e to

talk

abo

ut th

ings

ver

y w

ell,”

adm

its

Jake

Mor

ley

wit

h a

wry

sm

ile. “

I wri

te m

usic

be

caus

e I s

trug

gle

to e

xpla

in m

ysel

f pro

perl

y, I

end

up b

abbl

ing

and

then

goi

ng h

ome

and

spen

ding

m

onth

s w

riti

ng a

son

g to

try

and

bett

er e

xpla

in w

hat I

m

eant

.” It

’s p

roba

bly

a go

od jo

b th

en, t

hat J

ake

Mor

ley

can

prod

uce

such

exp

ress

ive

and

capt

ivat

ing

song

s.

It’s a

gor

geou

sly

sunn

y da

y in

Bri

xton

, with

peo

ple

buzz

ing

arou

nd th

e lo

cal f

ood

mar

ket.

I’m sa

t in

Dogs

tar,

a ba

r tha

t em

bodi

es th

e m

ix-m

atch

ed sh

abby

-ch

ic v

ibe

perf

ectly

. It’s

pas

t thr

ee a

nd I

am a

wai

ting

a lit

tle la

te, b

ut v

ery

apol

oget

ic Ja

ke to

turn

up.

Ap

pare

ntly

, whe

n in

spir

atio

n hi

ts, y

ou w

ould

be

fool

ish

to re

sist

. Hur

ryin

g in

, he

beam

s, “T

he la

st ti

me

I was

he

re I

was

wea

ring

a su

perh

ero

outfi

t, N

ew Y

ears

Eve

, 20

12!”

It is

a b

usy,

but m

assi

vely

exc

iting

tim

e fo

r Jak

e. H

e is

in th

e de

pths

of c

reat

ing

his s

econ

d al

bum

, the

follo

w

up to

201

0’s i

mpr

essi

ve M

any

Fish

to F

ry w

hich

is a

m

elod

ic st

orm

of a

mbi

tious

yet

art

fully

cons

truc

ted

song

s. N

ot o

ne to

rem

ain

conf

ined

with

in h

is co

mfo

rt

zone

, Jak

e ha

s bee

n do

ing

a gr

eat d

eal o

f dee

p th

inki

ng,

or p

onde

ring

per

haps

, as w

ell a

s tak

ing

the

time

to

expl

ore

new

mus

ical

idea

s.

The

dili

gent

mus

icia

n m

anag

es to

mak

e tim

e in

hi

s bus

y da

y fo

r a ch

at, d

espi

te fi

ndin

g hi

mse

lf in

the

mid

dle

of a

mus

ical

bre

akth

roug

h w

ith a

n ex

cept

iona

lly

prob

lem

atic

song

. “I t

hink

I’ve

pro

babl

y w

orke

d on

this

so

ng m

ore

than

I’ve

wor

ked

on e

very

oth

er so

ng o

n m

y ne

xt

albu

m p

ut to

geth

er, i

t’s a

due

t with

my

unco

nsci

ous m

ind.

M

y m

ind

is a

choi

r of d

iffer

ent v

oice

s,” h

e sa

ys.

E

ntitl

ed W

atch

Yo

urse

lf, it

is m

ore

than

a li

ttle

bit

intr

igui

ng. “

It’s l

ike

tam

ing

a ho

rse

- not

th

at I’

ve e

ver d

one

that

in m

y lif

e,” jo

kes

Jake

, tal

king

abo

ut

the

albu

m m

akin

g pr

oces

s. “T

hat

mom

ent w

hen

you

real

ise,

‘oka

y, th

ere’

s st

ill w

ork

to b

e do

ne’,

but I

kno

w it

’s go

ing

to w

ork,

it’s

goin

g to

go

wel

l.” T

he co

ncep

t of

a su

cces

sful

alb

um

is a

tric

ky o

ne to

fig

ure

out a

s it i

s not

ju

st n

umbe

rs sa

les

figur

es th

at m

ark

out

a go

od o

ne.

“I

thin

k ‘g

ood’

is a

n im

port

ant q

uest

ion,

” Ja

ke re

mar

ks. “

Like

how

muc

h yo

u ca

re

abou

t wha

t oth

er

peop

le th

ink

and

wha

t m

akes

a g

ood

song

. W

hat m

akes

a g

ood

song

for m

e ri

ght n

ow

is o

ne th

at I’

m h

appy

w

ith. W

heth

er a

nyon

e el

se li

kes i

t or n

ot,

I hav

e no

idea

,” he

he

sita

tes.

“But

if it

’s st

uff t

hat I

real

ly li

ke,

if it’

s the

mus

ic I

wan

t to

mak

e th

en I’

ll be

sa

tisfie

d, re

gard

less

w

heth

er p

eopl

e lik

e it

or n

ot…

I th

ink

they

w

ill.”

Man

y Fi

sh T

o Fr

y ha

s a m

esm

eris

ing

and

dist

inct

ive

styl

e so

the

seco

nd a

lbum

is

high

ly a

ntic

ipat

ed. I

f he

app

roac

hes i

t with

th

e sa

me

skill

and

at

tent

ion

to d

etai

l: th

e fu

ture

look

s bri

ght.

H

avin

g to

ured

the

UK e

xten

sive

ly fo

r the

pas

t 18

mon

ths,

Jake

has

man

aged

to co

nnec

t with

a w

ide

vari

ety

of p

eopl

e,

mak

ing

new

fans

and

pla

ying

to e

xist

ing

ones

. “It’

s not

the

sam

e fe

elin

g,” a

dmits

Jake

, dis

cuss

ing

how

it fe

els t

o pl

ay

live

alon

e as

opp

osed

to b

eing

surr

ound

ed b

y hi

s ban

d. “T

he

last

few

tour

s I’v

e do

ne h

ave

been

solo

tour

bec

ause

I’ve

still

be

en tr

ying

to fi

nd th

e so

und

of th

e m

usic

that

I’m

mak

ing

righ

t now

. It h

asn’

t mad

e se

nse

to h

ave

a ba

nd ri

ght n

ow,

until

I ha

ve a

n al

bum

toge

ther

and

I kn

ow w

hat i

t sou

nds

like.

I do

mis

s pla

ying

with

the

band

, the

y’re

my

boys

. We’

re

still

gre

at fr

iend

s, w

e se

e ea

ch o

ther

all

the

time.”

The

in

cred

ible

line

up fe

atur

es Jo

hn P

arke

r, th

e pr

olifi

c dou

ble

bass

pla

yer,

“he’

s in

ever

y ba

nd th

ere

is,”

laug

hs Ja

ke.

Ther

e ha

s bee

n a

disa

ppoi

ntin

gly

long

gap

bet

wee

n th

e re

leas

e of

his

deb

ut a

lbum

, and

the

reco

rdin

g of

a fo

llow

up.

Sh

eddi

ng li

ght o

n th

is, J

ake

is h

ones

t. “T

here

’s th

at p

hras

e ab

out t

he d

iffic

ult s

econ

d al

bum

and

I al

way

s tho

ught

that

w

ould

n’t h

appe

n to

me,

it’s

for l

oser

s,” la

ughs

Jake

. “Ju

st g

ive

me

a bi

t of t

ime

and

it’ll

be e

asy,

I’ll j

ust d

o it.

But

it w

asn’

t ea

sy.”

T

wo

seem

ingl

y en

dles

s yea

rs la

ter a

nd th

ere’

s bee

n a

huge

am

ount

of w

ork

that

has

gon

e in

to th

e w

hole

pro

cess

, w

ith Ja

ke e

ven

ques

tioni

ng h

is m

otiv

es. “

I loo

ked

real

ly

hard

at m

ysel

f at t

hat t

ime,

won

deri

ng w

hat k

ind

of m

usic

I w

ante

d to

mak

e be

caus

e it’

s a g

reat

opp

ortu

nity

to

reex

amin

e w

hy I

do m

usic

and

why

I w

ant t

o do

it, a

nd w

hat

I wan

t to

say.”

Inst

ead

of ju

st co

ncen

trat

ing

on th

e ov

eral

l so

und,

Jake

is th

inki

ng in

gre

ater

dep

th a

bout

the

mes

sage

he w

ants

to p

ortr

ay. “

Ther

e’s a

lot o

f noi

se in

the

wor

ld,

peop

le ju

st ch

urni

ng so

ngs o

ut, a

nd I

didn

’t w

ant t

o do

th

at w

ithou

t a lo

t of c

aref

ul th

ough

t.”

Man

y Fi

sh to

Fry

was

wri

tten

larg

ely

on h

is o

wn

with

an

acou

stic

gui

tar,

gett

ing

a ba

nd to

geth

er to

pla

y it

on re

cord

and

for t

he li

ve sh

ows.

The

seco

nd re

cord

is

bei

ng w

ritt

en w

ith th

e ba

nd in

min

d, in

stea

d of

pl

ayin

g so

ngs a

nd th

e ba

nd jo

inin

g in

, son

gs a

re cr

afte

d ar

ound

the

diffe

rent

inst

rum

ents

, allo

win

g ro

om fo

r a

vari

ety

of st

yles

. The

refo

re, J

ake

has a

gre

ater

scop

e to

be

crea

tive

and

expe

rim

ent w

ith h

is so

ngw

ritin

g an

d in

stru

men

tatio

n. H

e en

thus

es, “

like

in th

is se

ctio

n he

re I

shut

the

f**k

up

and

som

e be

autif

ul th

ings

hap

pen

with

th

e st

ring

s,” h

e la

ughs

. “Th

ere’

s diff

eren

t ide

as g

oing

on,

w

hich

is a

bit

mor

e sc

ary

in so

me

way

s.” It

is se

t to

be a

le

ss li

ghth

eart

ed a

lbum

than

the

last

.

The

deb

ut ra

diat

es sp

onta

neity

, with

a la

id b

ack

feel

. Th

e so

ng B

e W

ith

Me

Onc

e M

ore

star

ts o

ut sl

ow, g

aini

ng

an u

pbea

t tem

po, w

ith a

n in

tere

stin

g an

d hu

mor

ous

lyri

cal c

once

pt, w

here

the

sing

er m

akes

refe

renc

e to

lig

ht b

ulbs

, bee

r gla

sses

, car

key

s and

mor

e. “I

’m a

set

of ca

r key

s dow

n th

e ba

ck o

f you

r set

tee,

I’m a

choc

-chi

p co

okie

dun

k m

e in

you

r tea

,” he

sing

s, al

l del

iver

ed in

a

conc

ise,

chee

ky m

anne

r. Ye

t alb

um o

pene

r The

Lig

ht

is li

ghth

eart

ed a

nd re

flect

ive,

with

the

stri

ngs a

ddin

g a

soot

hing

und

erto

ne, a

nd v

ibra

nt, i

nnov

ativ

e ly

rics

. “So

I’m

fair

ly m

essy

, I p

ick

my

nose

, I li

ke R

ubik

’s cu

bes,

I lik

e ba

rber

shop

qua

rtet

s.” H

e ad

mits

, “It

just

coin

cide

d w

ith

how

I w

as fe

elin

g an

d w

hat I

wan

ted

to sa

y. Yo

u m

ake

the

mus

ic y

ou n

eed

to m

ake

at d

iffer

ent t

imes

in y

our l

ife. I

f I

mad

e th

e sa

me

albu

m te

n tim

es, t

here

wou

ld b

e no

poi

nt

in th

at.”

T

he

conn

ectio

n Ja

ke fe

els t

o m

usic

is n

ot a

re

cent

thin

g,

havi

ng co

me

from

a m

usic

al

fam

ily. “

I was

ab

out e

ight

ye

ars o

ld

whe

n I s

tart

ed

lear

ning

pi

ano,

and

ve

ry q

uick

ly

I mas

sive

ly

fell

in lo

ve

with

it, t

o th

e po

int w

here

I’d

com

e ho

me

from

scho

ol

ever

yday

and

ju

mp

stra

ight

on

the

pian

o,”

he re

min

isce

s. “

I was

qui

te

a sh

y ch

ild,

and

mus

ic

beca

me

a w

ay

to e

xpre

ss

mys

elf i

n a

way

I f

ound

har

d w

ith w

ords

.” Th

is lo

ve a

nd

appr

ecia

tion

for m

usic

then

flo

uris

hed.

“W

hen

I got

in

to m

y te

ens

I lea

rned

to

play

gui

tar,

obvi

ousl

y yo

u ca

n’t

play

pia

no

whe

n yo

u’re

fo

urte

en,

it is

a lo

ser

inst

rum

ent

to p

lay,”

he

laug

hs. S

o in

stea

d he

opt

ed fo

r gui

tar.

“It w

as a

ll tie

d up

w

ith m

y gr

owin

g up

and

han

ging

out

with

my

frie

nds,

and

mus

ic w

hen

you’

re g

row

ing

up is

kin

d of

infu

sed,

it’s

in

the

fabr

ic o

f you

r gro

win

g up

,” Ja

ke a

dmits

. “It’

s ass

ocia

ted

with

cert

ain

mom

ents

in y

our l

ife. I

gue

ss [m

usic

] cam

e to

me

at a

ver

y ea

rly a

ge a

nd th

en I

neve

r sto

pped

find

ing

it fa

scin

atin

g an

d am

azin

g.” Ja

ke re

veal

s tha

t his

fam

ily

mem

bers

are

cons

ider

ed n

ot o

nly

his b

igge

st fa

ns, b

ut a

lso

his b

igge

st cr

itics

, giv

ing

him

an

unw

aver

ing

supp

ort b

ase.

A

lthou

gh m

usic

has

alw

ays b

een

a m

assi

ve, a

ll en

com

pass

ing

love

, he

deci

ded

to b

e se

nsib

le a

nd e

xplo

re

his o

ptio

ns, g

oing

to u

nive

rsity

to st

udy

law

. Jak

e is

hon

est

abou

t his

har

d de

cisi

on w

heth

er to

pur

sue

mus

ic, o

r to

put t

his p

assi

on o

n th

e ba

ck b

urne

r. “I

had

a re

al st

rugg

le

at th

at ti

me

of m

y lif

e w

here

I w

as w

onde

ring

whe

ther

to

follo

w w

hat I

love

d w

hich

was

mus

ic, o

r wha

t I th

ough

t w

ould

be

a se

nsib

le ca

reer

choi

ce. I

n th

e en

d I j

ust k

ind

of th

ough

t, I’l

l go

get a

deg

ree,

then

afte

r I’m

don

e if

I st

ill w

ant t

o th

en I’

ll le

t loo

se w

ith m

usic

and

see

whe

re

it go

es.”

Jake

says

, “th

en if

that

goe

s wro

ng I

coul

d ha

ve

a de

gree

to fl

og m

ysel

f with

.” Bu

t the

nee

d to

hav

e an

ac

adem

ic o

ffice

job

didn

’t ha

ve to

pre

sent

itse

lf.

It w

as 2

007

whe

n Ja

ke’s

mus

ical

end

eavo

urs d

rast

ical

ly

chan

ged.

Hav

ing

thro

wn

out a

ll th

e so

ngs h

e’d

been

w

ritin

g si

nce

child

hood

, he

was

bac

k to

pla

ying

pia

no a

lo

t and

get

ting

back

into

gui

tar.

“I g

uess

I’d

alw

ays b

een

a bi

t tur

ned

off b

y gu

itar s

tuff

beca

use

I’ve

asso

ciat

ed it

w

ith sh

owin

g of

f for

the

sake

of t

ryin

g to

look

cool

. So

I’d

alw

ays d

ism

isse

d it

for t

hat r

easo

n,” s

ays J

ake.

“I h

eard

“I am

not

abl

e to

talk

abo

ut th

ings

ver

y w

ell,”

adm

its

Jake

Mor

ley

wit

h a

wry

sm

ile. “

I wri

te m

usic

be

caus

e I s

trug

gle

to e

xpla

in m

ysel

f pro

perl

y, I

end

up b

abbl

ing

and

then

goi

ng h

ome

and

spen

ding

m

onth

s w

riti

ng a

son

g to

try

and

bett

er e

xpla

in w

hat I

m

eant

.” It

’s p

roba

bly

a go

od jo

b th

en, t

hat J

ake

Mor

ley

can

prod

uce

such

exp

ress

ive

and

capt

ivat

ing

song

s.

It’s a

gor

geou

sly

sunn

y da

y in

Bri

xton

, with

peo

ple

buzz

ing

arou

nd th

e lo

cal f

ood

mar

ket.

I’m sa

t in

Dogs

tar,

a ba

r tha

t em

bodi

es th

e m

ix-m

atch

ed sh

abby

-ch

ic v

ibe

perf

ectly

. It’s

pas

t thr

ee a

nd I

am a

wai

ting

a lit

tle la

te, b

ut v

ery

apol

oget

ic Ja

ke to

turn

up.

Ap

pare

ntly

, whe

n in

spir

atio

n hi

ts, y

ou w

ould

be

fool

ish

to re

sist

. Hur

ryin

g in

, he

beam

s, “T

he la

st ti

me

I was

he

re I

was

wea

ring

a su

perh

ero

outfi

t, N

ew Y

ears

Eve

, 20

12!”

It is

a b

usy,

but m

assi

vely

exc

iting

tim

e fo

r Jak

e. H

e is

in th

e de

pths

of c

reat

ing

his s

econ

d al

bum

, the

follo

w

up to

201

0’s i

mpr

essi

ve M

any

Fish

to F

ry w

hich

is a

m

elod

ic st

orm

of a

mbi

tious

yet

art

fully

cons

truc

ted

song

s. N

ot o

ne to

rem

ain

conf

ined

with

in h

is co

mfo

rt

zone

, Jak

e ha

s bee

n do

ing

a gr

eat d

eal o

f dee

p th

inki

ng,

or p

onde

ring

per

haps

, as w

ell a

s tak

ing

the

time

to

expl

ore

new

mus

ical

idea

s.

The

dili

gent

mus

icia

n m

anag

es to

mak

e tim

e in

hi

s bus

y da

y fo

r a ch

at, d

espi

te fi

ndin

g hi

mse

lf in

the

mid

dle

of a

mus

ical

bre

akth

roug

h w

ith a

n ex

cept

iona

lly

prob

lem

atic

song

. “I t

hink

I’ve

pro

babl

y w

orke

d on

this

so

ng m

ore

than

I’ve

wor

ked

on e

very

oth

er so

ng o

n m

y ne

xt

albu

m p

ut to

geth

er, i

t’s a

due

t with

my

unco

nsci

ous m

ind.

M

y m

ind

is a

choi

r of d

iffer

ent v

oice

s,” h

e sa

ys.

E

ntitl

ed W

atch

Yo

urse

lf, it

is m

ore

than

a li

ttle

bit

intr

igui

ng. “

It’s l

ike

tam

ing

a ho

rse

- not

th

at I’

ve e

ver d

one

that

in m

y lif

e,” jo

kes

Jake

, tal

king

abo

ut

the

albu

m m

akin

g pr

oces

s. “T

hat

mom

ent w

hen

you

real

ise,

‘oka

y, th

ere’

s st

ill w

ork

to b

e do

ne’,

but I

kno

w it

’s go

ing

to w

ork,

it’s

goin

g to

go

wel

l.” T

he co

ncep

t of

a su

cces

sful

alb

um

is a

tric

ky o

ne to

fig

ure

out a

s it i

s not

ju

st n

umbe

rs sa

les

figur

es th

at m

ark

out

a go

od o

ne.

“I

thin

k ‘g

ood’

is a

n im

port

ant q

uest

ion,

” Ja

ke re

mar

ks. “

Like

how

muc

h yo

u ca

re

abou

t wha

t oth

er

peop

le th

ink

and

wha

t m

akes

a g

ood

song

. W

hat m

akes

a g

ood

song

for m

e ri

ght n

ow

is o

ne th

at I’

m h

appy

w

ith. W

heth

er a

nyon

e el

se li

kes i

t or n

ot,

I hav

e no

idea

,” he

he

sita

tes.

“But

if it

’s st

uff t

hat I

real

ly li

ke,

if it’

s the

mus

ic I

wan

t to

mak

e th

en I’

ll be

sa

tisfie

d, re

gard

less

w

heth

er p

eopl

e lik

e it

or n

ot…

I th

ink

they

w

ill.”

Man

y Fi

sh T

o Fr

y ha

s a m

esm

eris

ing

and

dist

inct

ive

styl

e so

the

seco

nd a

lbum

is

high

ly a

ntic

ipat

ed. I

f he

app

roac

hes i

t with

th

e sa

me

skill

and

at

tent

ion

to d

etai

l: th

e fu

ture

look

s bri

ght.

H

avin

g to

ured

the

UK e

xten

sive

ly fo

r the

pas

t 18

mon

ths,

Jake

has

man

aged

to co

nnec

t with

a w

ide

vari

ety

of p

eopl

e,

mak

ing

new

fans

and

pla

ying

to e

xist

ing

ones

. “It’

s not

the

sam

e fe

elin

g,” a

dmits

Jake

, dis

cuss

ing

how

it fe

els t

o pl

ay

live

alon

e as

opp

osed

to b

eing

surr

ound

ed b

y hi

s ban

d. “T

he

last

few

tour

s I’v

e do

ne h

ave

been

solo

tour

bec

ause

I’ve

still

be

en tr

ying

to fi

nd th

e so

und

of th

e m

usic

that

I’m

mak

ing

righ

t now

. It h

asn’

t mad

e se

nse

to h

ave

a ba

nd ri

ght n

ow,

until

I ha

ve a

n al

bum

toge

ther

and

I kn

ow w

hat i

t sou

nds

like.

I do

mis

s pla

ying

with

the

band

, the

y’re

my

boys

. We’

re

still

gre

at fr

iend

s, w

e se

e ea

ch o

ther

all

the

time.”

The

in

cred

ible

line

up fe

atur

es Jo

hn P

arke

r, th

e pr

olifi

c dou

ble

bass

pla

yer,

“he’

s in

ever

y ba

nd th

ere

is,”

laug

hs Ja

ke.

Ther

e ha

s bee

n a

disa

ppoi

ntin

gly

long

gap

bet

wee

n th

e re

leas

e of

his

deb

ut a

lbum

, and

the

reco

rdin

g of

a fo

llow

up.

Sh

eddi

ng li

ght o

n th

is, J

ake

is h

ones

t. “T

here

’s th

at p

hras

e ab

out t

he d

iffic

ult s

econ

d al

bum

and

I al

way

s tho

ught

that

w

ould

n’t h

appe

n to

me,

it’s

for l

oser

s,” la

ughs

Jake

. “Ju

st g

ive

me

a bi

t of t

ime

and

it’ll

be e

asy,

I’ll j

ust d

o it.

But

it w

asn’

t ea

sy.”

T

wo

seem

ingl

y en

dles

s yea

rs la

ter a

nd th

ere’

s bee

n a

huge

am

ount

of w

ork

that

has

gon

e in

to th

e w

hole

pro

cess

, w

ith Ja

ke e

ven

ques

tioni

ng h

is m

otiv

es. “

I loo

ked

real

ly

hard

at m

ysel

f at t

hat t

ime,

won

deri

ng w

hat k

ind

of m

usic

I w

ante

d to

mak

e be

caus

e it’

s a g

reat

opp

ortu

nity

to

reex

amin

e w

hy I

do m

usic

and

why

I w

ant t

o do

it, a

nd w

hat

I wan

t to

say.”

Inst

ead

of ju

st co

ncen

trat

ing

on th

e ov

eral

l so

und,

Jake

is th

inki

ng in

gre

ater

dep

th a

bout

the

mes

sage

he w

ants

to p

ortr

ay. “

Ther

e’s a

lot o

f noi

se in

the

wor

ld,

peop

le ju

st ch

urni

ng so

ngs o

ut, a

nd I

didn

’t w

ant t

o do

th

at w

ithou

t a lo

t of c

aref

ul th

ough

t.”

Man

y Fi

sh to

Fry

was

wri

tten

larg

ely

on h

is o

wn

with

an

acou

stic

gui

tar,

gett

ing

a ba

nd to

geth

er to

pla

y it

on re

cord

and

for t

he li

ve sh

ows.

The

seco

nd re

cord

is

bei

ng w

ritt

en w

ith th

e ba

nd in

min

d, in

stea

d of

pl

ayin

g so

ngs a

nd th

e ba

nd jo

inin

g in

, son

gs a

re cr

afte

d ar

ound

the

diffe

rent

inst

rum

ents

, allo

win

g ro

om fo

r a

vari

ety

of st

yles

. The

refo

re, J

ake

has a

gre

ater

scop

e to

be

crea

tive

and

expe

rim

ent w

ith h

is so

ngw

ritin

g an

d in

stru

men

tatio

n. H

e en

thus

es, “

like

in th

is se

ctio

n he

re I

shut

the

f**k

up

and

som

e be

autif

ul th

ings

hap

pen

with

th

e st

ring

s,” h

e la

ughs

. “Th

ere’

s diff

eren

t ide

as g

oing

on,

w

hich

is a

bit

mor

e sc

ary

in so

me

way

s.” It

is se

t to

be a

le

ss li

ghth

eart

ed a

lbum

than

the

last

.

The

deb

ut ra

diat

es sp

onta

neity

, with

a la

id b

ack

feel

. Th

e so

ng B

e W

ith

Me

Onc

e M

ore

star

ts o

ut sl

ow, g

aini

ng

an u

pbea

t tem

po, w

ith a

n in

tere

stin

g an

d hu

mor

ous

lyri

cal c

once

pt, w

here

the

sing

er m

akes

refe

renc

e to

lig

ht b

ulbs

, bee

r gla

sses

, car

key

s and

mor

e. “I

’m a

set

of ca

r key

s dow

n th

e ba

ck o

f you

r set

tee,

I’m a

choc

-chi

p co

okie

dun

k m

e in

you

r tea

,” he

sing

s, al

l del

iver

ed in

a

conc

ise,

chee

ky m

anne

r. Ye

t alb

um o

pene

r The

Lig

ht

is li

ghth

eart

ed a

nd re

flect

ive,

with

the

stri

ngs a

ddin

g a

soot

hing

und

erto

ne, a

nd v

ibra

nt, i

nnov

ativ

e ly

rics

. “So

I’m

fair

ly m

essy

, I p

ick

my

nose

, I li

ke R

ubik

’s cu

bes,

I lik

e ba

rber

shop

qua

rtet

s.” H

e ad

mits

, “It

just

coin

cide

d w

ith

how

I w

as fe

elin

g an

d w

hat I

wan

ted

to sa

y. Yo

u m

ake

the

mus

ic y

ou n

eed

to m

ake

at d

iffer

ent t

imes

in y

our l

ife. I

f I

mad

e th

e sa

me

albu

m te

n tim

es, t

here

wou

ld b

e no

poi

nt

in th

at.”

T

he

conn

ectio

n Ja

ke fe

els t

o m

usic

is n

ot a

re

cent

thin

g,

havi

ng co

me

from

a m

usic

al

fam

ily. “

I was

ab

out e

ight

ye

ars o

ld

whe

n I s

tart

ed

lear

ning

pi

ano,

and

ve

ry q

uick

ly

I mas

sive

ly

fell

in lo

ve

with

it, t

o th

e po

int w

here

I’d

com

e ho

me

from

scho

ol

ever

yday

and

ju

mp

stra

ight

on

the

pian

o,”

he re

min

isce

s. “

I was

qui

te

a sh

y ch

ild,

and

mus

ic

beca

me

a w

ay

to e

xpre

ss

mys

elf i

n a

way

I f

ound

har

d w

ith w

ords

.” Th

is lo

ve a

nd

appr

ecia

tion

for m

usic

then

flo

uris

hed.

“W

hen

I got

in

to m

y te

ens

I lea

rned

to

play

gui

tar,

obvi

ousl

y yo

u ca

n’t

play

pia

no

whe

n yo

u’re

fo

urte

en,

it is

a lo

ser

inst

rum

ent

to p

lay,”

he

laug

hs. S

o in

stea

d he

opt

ed fo

r gui

tar.

“It w

as a

ll tie

d up

w

ith m

y gr

owin

g up

and

han

ging

out

with

my

frie

nds,

and

mus

ic w

hen

you’

re g

row

ing

up is

kin

d of

infu

sed,

it’s

in

the

fabr

ic o

f you

r gro

win

g up

,” Ja

ke a

dmits

. “It’

s ass

ocia

ted

with

cert

ain

mom

ents

in y

our l

ife. I

gue

ss [m

usic

] cam

e to

me

at a

ver

y ea

rly a

ge a

nd th

en I

neve

r sto

pped

find

ing

it fa

scin

atin

g an

d am

azin

g.” Ja

ke re

veal

s tha

t his

fam

ily

mem

bers

are

cons

ider

ed n

ot o

nly

his b

igge

st fa

ns, b

ut a

lso

his b

igge

st cr

itics

, giv

ing

him

an

unw

aver

ing

supp

ort b

ase.

A

lthou

gh m

usic

has

alw

ays b

een

a m

assi

ve, a

ll en

com

pass

ing

love

, he

deci

ded

to b

e se

nsib

le a

nd e

xplo

re

his o

ptio

ns, g

oing

to u

nive

rsity

to st

udy

law

. Jak

e is

hon

est

abou

t his

har

d de

cisi

on w

heth

er to

pur

sue

mus

ic, o

r to

put t

his p

assi

on o

n th

e ba

ck b

urne

r. “I

had

a re

al st

rugg

le

at th

at ti

me

of m

y lif

e w

here

I w

as w

onde

ring

whe

ther

to

follo

w w

hat I

love

d w

hich

was

mus

ic, o

r wha

t I th

ough

t w

ould

be

a se

nsib

le ca

reer

choi

ce. I

n th

e en

d I j

ust k

ind

of th

ough

t, I’l

l go

get a

deg

ree,

then

afte

r I’m

don

e if

I st

ill w

ant t

o th

en I’

ll le

t loo

se w

ith m

usic

and

see

whe

re

it go

es.”

Jake

says

, “th

en if

that

goe

s wro

ng I

coul

d ha

ve

a de

gree

to fl

og m

ysel

f with

.” Bu

t the

nee

d to

hav

e an

ac

adem

ic o

ffice

job

didn

’t ha

ve to

pre

sent

itse

lf.

It w

as 2

007

whe

n Ja

ke’s

mus

ical

end

eavo

urs d

rast

ical

ly

chan

ged.

Hav

ing

thro

wn

out a

ll th

e so

ngs h

e’d

been

w

ritin

g si

nce

child

hood

, he

was

bac

k to

pla

ying

pia

no a

lo

t and

get

ting

back

into

gui

tar.

“I g

uess

I’d

alw

ays b

een

a bi

t tur

ned

off b

y gu

itar s

tuff

beca

use

I’ve

asso

ciat

ed it

w

ith sh

owin

g of

f for

the

sake

of t

ryin

g to

look

cool

. So

I’d

alw

ays d

ism

isse

d it

for t

hat r

easo

n,” s

ays J

ake.

“I h

eard

“tHE W

ORLD I

S FUL

L OF

MILLIO

ns an

d mill

ions

of lo

ve s

ongs,

the pr

oblem

is tha

t we e

nd up

definin

g ours

elve

s by r

eferen

ce to

our r

elat

ionshi

ps wh

ich is

a re

cipe f

or dis

empow

erment

.”

Mat

Qua

ke,

Sub

stan

ce P

hoto

grap

h

“It w

as l

ike

walk

ing ou

t int

o Na

rnia”


“There

’s a

lot of

nerdin

ess

on thi

sal

bium”

this

song

on

YouT

ube

that

this

guy

sent

me.

It w

as th

e m

ost

beau

tiful

song

I’d

hear

d, it

had

som

e cl

ever

gui

tar s

olos

in

it, a

nd I

obse

ssed

abo

ut h

ow to

pla

y it

and

that

got

me

into

th

is id

ea o

f act

ually

pla

ying

clev

er g

uita

r stu

ff, a

nd a

ctua

lly

havi

ng so

ngs t

hat m

atte

r rat

her t

han

just

show

ing

off.”

Di

fficu

lties

aro

se w

hen

tryi

ng to

pla

y co

mpl

icat

ed g

uita

r pa

rts,

but b

eing

una

ble

to se

e w

hat h

e w

as d

oing

. “Sp

ur o

f th

e m

omen

t I tr

ied

seei

ng w

hat i

t wou

ld b

e lik

e th

e ot

her

way

aro

und,

it w

as a

big

mom

ent f

or m

e.” T

his w

as th

e fir

st

time

he d

ecid

ed to

pla

y th

e gu

itar o

n hi

s lap

, “It

was

like

w

alki

ng o

ut in

to N

arni

a a

bit l

ike

‘oh

my

god’

ther

e’s t

his

who

le n

ew w

orld

of t

hing

s to

do.”

T

he m

usic

ian’

s dis

tinct

ive

styl

e m

eans

his

gui

tar g

ets

a be

atin

g, b

ut su

rpri

sing

ly h

e ha

s nev

er h

ad to

thro

w o

ut

an in

stru

men

t. “I

’ve

had

to re

pair

a lo

t, re

cent

ly I

had

a ca

tast

roph

ic fa

ilure

of s

ome

woo

d,” a

dmits

Jake

. “To

me

it’s a

tool

, I d

on’t

nam

e th

em o

r any

thin

g.”

Jake

’s m

usic

has

an

irre

sist

ible

char

m, h

eigh

tene

d m

ore

by th

e co

nsci

ous l

ack

of re

latio

nshi

p so

ngs.

“It’s

som

ethi

ng I

thou

ght a

bout

a lo

t, an

d no

t tal

ked

abou

t muc

h. T

he w

orld

is fu

ll of

mill

ions

and

mill

ions

of

love

song

s, th

e pr

oble

m is

that

we

end

up d

efin

ing

ours

elve

s by

refe

renc

e to

our

rela

tions

hips

whi

ch is

a

reci

pe fo

r dis

empo

wer

men

t, it’

s muc

h be

tter

to d

efin

e ou

rsel

ves b

y ou

rsel

ves,

to b

e st

rong

peo

ple

and

to b

e ok

ay in

who

we

are.

The

n if

we

see

peop

le, o

r mak

e fr

iend

s, w

e’re

not

fore

ver d

efin

ing

ours

elve

s by

thos

e re

latio

nshi

ps b

ecau

se th

ey m

ight

chan

ge a

nd th

en y

ou

end

up m

iser

able

.” W

ise

wor

ds in

deed

, and

an

extr

emel

y re

fres

hing

poi

nt o

f vie

w, b

ut th

is re

solv

e m

ay h

ave

shift

ed sl

ight

ly. “

My

seco

nd a

lbum

is le

ss so

, not

that

it’

s all

just

goi

ng o

n ab

out r

elat

ions

hips

. I’d

still

say

the

driv

ing

forc

e of

it is

abo

ut w

ho y

ou a

re a

nd th

e ki

nd o

f so

met

hing

with

in o

urse

lves

, rat

her t

han

‘oh,

I lo

ved

you

and

then

you

don

’t lo

ve m

e an

ymor

e,’ sh

ut u

p! A

lthou

gh

ther

e ar

e on

e or

two

like

that

.”

Ins

pira

tion

can

hit a

t the

mos

t unl

ikel

y, an

d of

ten

inco

nven

ient

mom

ents

, but

with

the

influ

x of

tech

nolo

gy

it m

akes

the

crea

tive

proc

ess a

lot e

asie

r. “I

hav

e hu

ndre

ds

of v

oice

mem

os o

f me

on th

e tu

be m

umbl

ing.

I lis

ten

back

to

them

the

next

mor

ning

won

deri

ng w

hat a

n ea

rth

the

mum

bly

rubb

ish

mel

ody

is.”

He

furt

her a

dmits

, “I’v

e ne

ver

been

one

of t

hose

peo

ple

who

’s ro

man

tical

ly in

love

with

w

ritin

g on

not

epad

s.”

“F

or m

e th

e be

st, m

ost i

nspi

ring

thin

gs h

appe

n w

hen

you’

re n

ot tr

ying

to w

rite

a so

ng. Y

ou’re

not

tryi

ng to

forc

e an

ythi

ng, i

t jus

t hap

pens

,” sa

ys Ja

ke. “

That

’s pa

rtly

wha

t th

e so

ng W

atch

You

rsel

f is a

bout

, it’s

got

wha

t fee

ls li

ke

quite

a co

ntro

lling

, dom

inee

ring

cons

ciou

s ele

men

t to

our

min

ds w

hich

alw

ays w

ants

cont

rol a

nd li

kes t

o th

ink

it m

akes

dec

isio

ns. I

t’s th

e au

thor

of o

ur a

ctio

ns a

nd k

now

s w

hat’s

bes

t, bu

t act

ually

that

’s no

t alw

ays t

rue.

Tha

t par

t of

the

min

d ca

n ju

st g

et in

the

way

and

mak

e yo

u ge

t it

wro

ng.”

The

sing

er a

dmits

to b

eing

hap

pies

t whe

n le

ttin

g go

of w

orri

es.

W

hen

aske

d to

cons

ider

the

song

he

is m

ost p

roud

of

crea

ting,

Jake

coul

dn’t

poss

ibly

choo

se. “

Part

ly w

hy

I wri

te so

ngs i

s bec

ause

it’s

a ch

alle

nge

to u

nder

stan

d m

y ex

peri

ence

of l

ivin

g, b

ut th

e ex

peri

ence

of l

ivin

g is

re

ally

bro

ad. S

omet

imes

you

mig

ht b

e ha

ppy

or so

lem

n or

pla

yful

, why

pic

k a

happ

y so

ng w

hen

I’m n

ot a

lway

s ha

ppy?

” Pon

deri

ng O

n A

Scen

ario

, fro

m h

is d

ebut

alb

um

is a

n in

spir

ing

song

that

flaw

less

ly co

mbi

nes J

akes

gui

tar

tapp

ing

with

the

gent

le m

urm

ur o

f the

dou

ble

bass

. The

si

nger

’s fin

gers

app

ear t

o da

nce

over

the

guita

r with

an

unm

easu

rabl

e pr

ecis

ion

and

delic

ate

art.

“The

goo

d th

ing

abou

t thi

s son

g is

that

it’s

not r

eally

abo

ut b

eing

hap

py o

r sa

d, o

r any

thin

g. Y

ou ca

n be

in a

ny m

ood

and

that

kin

d of

fit

s.”

T

he n

ew a

lbum

has

bee

n pa

inst

akin

gly

thou

ght o

ut,

with

eac

h w

ord

care

fully

chos

en. H

e se

t out

to m

ake

a th

ough

tful,

inte

llect

ual a

lbum

. “I w

as a

bit

bore

d by

em

otio

ns in

mus

ic. I

t’s v

ery

com

mon

to ju

st sp

lurg

e yo

ur

emot

ions

, esp

ecia

lly in

mus

ic, a

nd so

met

imes

that

’s ju

st

tirin

g,” Ja

ke a

dmits

. “I w

ante

d to

wri

te a

n al

bum

full

of

mor

e id

eas,

and

thou

ghts

that

wer

en’t

emot

iona

l, be

caus

e th

at fe

lt m

ore

valu

able

in so

me

way

s - a

n id

ea fe

lt m

ore

valu

able

than

an

emot

ion.

” Pon

deri

ng is

an

exam

ple

of

this

conc

ept,

”It’s

an

idea

song

, the

re’s

not m

uch

emot

ion

in th

at so

ng a

nd y

et it

can

actu

ally

be

quite

em

otio

nal t

o pl

ay o

r to

liste

n to

. I se

t out

to w

rite

a lo

t of t

hose

, but

as

I w

as w

ritin

g ab

out t

hem

, bit

by b

it th

ose

idea

s wer

e st

artin

g to

get

ove

rwhe

lmed

by

emot

ions

, and

song

s th

at st

arte

d be

ing

abou

t ide

as b

ecam

e em

otio

n so

ngs.”

Th

is w

as a

cont

radi

ctio

n of

thou

ghts

for t

he m

usic

ian,

“I

was

initi

ally

dis

appo

inte

d, I

thou

ght j

ust s

plur

ging

out

em

otio

ns co

uld

just

be

a bi

t em

otio

nally

futil

e.”

W

hen

push

ed to

reve

al d

etai

ls o

f the

new

alb

um Ja

ke is

ve

ry u

nwill

ing

to d

iscl

ose

anyt

hing

, but

adm

its h

e w

ould

lik

e an

odd

num

ber o

f son

gs to

mak

e th

e fin

al cu

t. “W

e ca

n’t r

ecor

d an

unl

imite

d nu

mbe

r of s

ongs

, we

have

to

prio

ritis

e w

ith th

e on

es w

e th

ink

are

mos

t lik

ely

to b

e th

e be

st,”

he sa

ys. “

If yo

u ha

ve a

n od

d nu

mbe

r of t

rack

s you

ca

n ha

ve a

mid

dle

trac

k. I’

ve g

ot th

is so

ng ca

lled

Room

in

the

Mid

dle,

whi

ch I’

d qu

ite li

ke to

put

in th

e m

iddl

e.”

That

’s cl

early

the

acad

emic

edg

e th

at h

asn’

t qui

te fa

ded,

“t

here

’s a

lot o

f nee

dine

ss o

n th

is a

lbum

.”

My

time

with

this

phe

nom

enal

tale

nt is

alm

ost u

p, b

ut

ther

e’s s

till t

ime

for t

hat a

ll im

port

ant q

uest

ion,

with

the

mus

icia

ns N

ew Y

ears

out

fit in

min

d… “W

hat w

ould

you

r su

perp

ower

be?

” Afte

r muc

h de

liber

atio

n, h

e do

esn’

t w

ant s

uper

stre

ngth

or x

-ray

vis

ion,

inst

ead

sett

ling

for

a po

wer

muc

h m

ore

eloq

uent

and

ver

y us

eful

. “I t

hink

m

y su

perp

ower

wou

ld b

e th

e ab

ility

to d

escr

ibe

exac

tly

how

I th

ink,

or t

o ph

rase

my

wor

ds in

a w

ay th

at e

xact

ly

mak

e se

nse.

Tha

t wou

ld b

e a

very

cool

supe

rher

o po

wer

to

hav

e,” Ja

ke sa

ys. “

If yo

u’re

supe

rman

you

wou

ldn’

t wis

h fo

r mas

sive

flyi

ng sk

ills a

nd st

reng

th, s

o yo

u ch

oose

a

supe

rher

o tr

ait t

hat y

ou m

ost l

ack,

oth

erw

ise

you

don’

t

need

it.”

Mat

Qua

ke,

Sub

stan

ce P

hoto

grap

h


Mat

Qua

ke,

Sub

stan

ce P

hoto

grap

h

giving our opinion on the best new music, films + books around at the moment

Reviews


DEAF

HAVA

NA cLAP

HAM gR

AND 1

0TG +

11TH

aPRIL

2014

. It’s the second and final night of Deaf Havana’s residency at The Clapham Grand in south east London and fans have been queuing hours before doors,

clad in a range of Deaf Havana merchandise. Many faces are familiar from the previous evening, yet are no less excited. Promptly on first are The People The Poet, the South Wales five piece with the vital task of preparing the swelling crowd for tonight’s performance, they get a smattering of applause with their ambient folk-rock. Next up are The Maine, who swagger on stage to a long instrumental, allowing them to limber up whilst the crowd look frankly disinterested, besides a row of teenage girls dancing at the barrier. Deaf Havana is a band whose name is in lights… Quite literally. Featuring their very special guests, London’s Youth Choir and a string quartet, you can’t quite shake the feeling that tonight will be talked about for years to come. Opening with the aptly named Lights the enticing strings are followed swiftly with rhythmic drums and awe-inspiring vocals. Their simplistic stage production of the illuminated band name, and extra musicians elevates the live show into an experience so profound that each member of the audience seems to be visibly drawn to the music. The band’s smiles are wide and the crowd bounces around as the chorus strikes. Everybody’s Dancing and I Want to Die is a clear favourite among fans. The dynamic six-piece clearly thrive in the electric atmosphere that is only heightened within the beautiful high-ceilinged venue. New single 22 encapsulates a boundless enthusiasm, with its steady drumbeat reverberating through the heartfelt shouts of “With Springsteen in my headphones singing mockingly away, oh Brucey baby I’ve seen better days, and these are not better days.” Causing foot stamping and a subsequent eruption of lyrics, Leeches

is infectious and impossible not to dance to. Determined to kick things up a notch or six, The Past Six Years is reflective and a great illustration of just how well this youthful band are doing and how far they have progressed. Little White Lies encourages chaos with its unforgettable chorus and spectacular high notes. People clamber on each other’s shoulders as they belt the lyrics out equally as enthusiastic as the band themselves. Bringing it back to newest album release Old Souls, and encouraging a slightly calmer mood you can’t help but marvel over James Veck-Gilodi’s vocals and honest, personal lyrics. The string quartet enhances each song mellowing the gentle songs and placing emphasis on the guitars in rowdier tracks. The band are helpless to the thanks tumbling repeatedly from their mouths, as their fans soak up each precious second they get to spend in the company of one of the best live bands around. The tremulous vocals of Boston Square and ferocious drums reflect the despair and anger they translated into the music as they deliver an array of deeply searching, raw music. Anemophobia is engrossing and impossible to not get lost in the sheer desperation and depth of emotion that crackles through the air, the crowd are left in silent awe as the piano works its gentle magic, until the chorus kicks in allowing a mass release of feeling from band and fans alike. Hunstanton Pier is dedicated to their childhood friends, who stand watching proudly from the back of The Grand, as the band transition into an acoustic led song about growing up. The night ends with an intensely powerful and thought provoking Caro Padre, singing of his absent father, James’ voice radiates a deep passion. This is a band who thrive in a spotlight, and definitely sets the bar high when it comes to live shows—every band needs a choir and orchestra to help elevate their performance.

live


live


SINGLES

Ed Sheeran // sing

Foot stomping and country hollering would not go amiss when listening to Love Don’t Lie, The Fray’s adventure away from the shackles of piano solos and soaring melody

that is trademark of the band. Instead cascading guitars and a persistent drum beat nestle amongst soothing harmonies that work to colour Isaacs passionate lyrical delivery creates an energetic and memorable track.

Giving an indulgent and painfully brief insight into the patiently awaited follow up to Young Pilgrim is Winter Hymns. Intricate guitar picking is softened further

with Charlie Simpson’s distinctive husky vocals, that are intense and lead to gorgeous harmonies. A soothing and intriguing song, heartfelt with the singer imploring, “I promise I won’t make a sound, as I figure you no longer want me around.” The song is a perfect soundtrack for the tentatively sunny mornings to close the doors on the misery of winter. Winter Hymns masks raw emotion, it is captivating and gives an intriguing taster of the new album. Going all out Sing is a funk tempo driven

song. Breaking from his distinctive style grounded in guitar playing, Ed Sheeran croons, “I need you darling, come on set the

tone.” Featuring his signature acoustic strumming, the singer-songwriter transitions seamlessly into a verse of indulgent, highly melodic rap. A mash up of genres tied together with wavering vocals in a compelling and pleasing way that is mastered through phenomenal talent and a great deal of precision. Heavily commercial with a pop edge, Sing is direct and extremely infectious.

the fray // love don’t lie

charlie simpson // winter hymns


The demise of The Good Natured, female fronted electro-pop was saddening to hear for lovers of upbeat, infectious melody. Having been shelved by their label despite the much anticipated debut album Prism awaiting to be unveiled—a devastating blow to the music industry has tuned into a positive new beginning for the vibrant young trio. Emerging as a solid unit and brandishing a new name, Lovestarrs have confidently delivered new song Get Your Sexy On. Enticed with precision drums and echoed cries of Get Your Sexy On, the track has a real summery vibe to it with its effortlessly rhythmic pull and progressive keys. Buoyant pop with a sultry undertone, Sarah, Hamish and George unite to create a strong and colourful track that could readily dominate the charts.

the fray // love don’t lie

Lovestarrs // Get Your Sexy On

38 rock, salt + nailsalbum

Fresh faced Amber Run are set to entice and delight with new EP Spark. The title track creates wave upon wave of deliciously upbeat and thoughtful lyrics paired with

gentle piano chords, layered with enthusiastic drums. The uplifting performance allows the lyrics to shine and expel the bands current adventure, “It’s that feeling that you just can’t shake, that your life’s about to start and you just can’t wait.” Bursting into the very heart of the song, the sweeping guitars and subtle harmonies gather momentum before fading into an instrumental to allow the other members to shine. Heaven is all melodic guitars and wistful, melancholy vocals repeating the theme of a fiery passion, frontman Joe sings, “and it’s you that burns brighter than all.” Chamber is a delicate song with a comfortingly repetitive rhythm, female harmonies adding to the dreamy feel of the song. Closing with the silky velvet of Hide & Seek, the buoyant drums echo in the distance with a break in the music to allow a powerfully poignant group harmony. Harnessing an effortless charm, and simple elegance Spark is uplifting, confident and undeniably destined for festival stages.

Caustic Love is a celebration of 27 year-old Paolo Nutini’s transition into manhood. Featuring a greatly developed sound, a rhythmic soul and blues feel contrasts with

the effortlessly upbeat melody of previous release Sunny Side Up. Scotsman Paolo allows for a career defining album with his third LP. Album opener Scream (Funk My Life Up) is full of groove, the feel-good track is memorable with female backing vocals and Nutini’s purr of his dream woman. Let Me Down Easy is reminiscent of 60s soul with earthy undertones. The raspy melody of One Day sees Nutini sing, “I’ll cry and you cry and we’ll cry, till the rain turns black and the devil moves and clings to us.” Soaring vocals are enhanced by smooth, resonate violins. Numpty is a jaunty track despite the downbeat lyrical content, “Building a house so we can fall at the first brick. If the cement don’t stick, but I’ve been told that it only gets harder from there.” His soulful voice envelopes you into a strong narrative. Better Man is a soft, acoustic led song, sung with an honest conviction. The stripped back track is a welcome contrast with the fervour seen throughout the rest of the album. Iron Sky is all echoed melody and delicate cymbals, shifting into a moody Diana displaying soul funk at its best. Recorded with a live band the each song is enriched with a smoky ambience, a man of many talents he sheds his indie acoustic stylings in favour of a richly matured sound to create one of the best albums of 2014.

amber run // spark [ep]

Paolo Nutini // Caustic Love

rock, salt + nails 39 album

How many people let go of their hopes and dreams to commit to a mundane 9-5 day job, when instead they could be doing something enjoyable and inspiring. Exploring the world whilst in the

company of your friends, perhaps it sounds unrealistic? Jamie Pham’s ‘I Could Be the President’ is a collection of memories, hopes, and fears that have been combined to create an honest and unique insight into a life spent chasing your dreams. It documents how he got into the fiercely competitive music industry, working from the very bottom to gain experience and demonstrate his worth, it also touches on more personal matters such as his father’s ill health. Jamie decided he wanted to work within the music industry after setting up a clothing label whilst still at school with a group of friends, they got a merchandise booth on a local Warped Tour date and got to see behind-the-scenes of a successful music festival: it was then that Jamie uncovered a desire to work with musicians. The book illustrates the author’s dedication to hard work and his thirst for new experiences and provides a unique insight into what goes on behind-the-scenes in getting band to stage. A book about life, and living it to the full, as well as the alteration of passions and change of career aspirations. I Could Be the President is skilfully written, a short but extensive account set to leave the reader inspired. It leaves you craving the next instalment—where has life taken the ambitious Jamie Pham.

i co

uld b

e the

presid

ent BY ja

mie ph

am books


It’s getting harder for musicians to earn a living, unless they are selling out arenas and signed with a

major label. As a result, artists are looking at alternative methods to make money to continue doing what they love. It’s a natural progression to start writing, as touring the world is an adventure in itself. The creative mindset needed to make music also lends itself nicely to writing an engaging book. They benefit from already having their name out there, being able to reach out to fans to support their ventures, in addition to people interested in the music industry wanting to purchase a book written by an industry expert. After all, who could possibly be better to talk about the industry than somebody who lives it each day. A benefit from having a core following already is being able to utilise funding sites such as Kickstarter to generate start up funds and concentrate on writing. Not only that, but there is a larger profit margin as artists can publish their books independently. Nathan and Matthew Leone, identical twins from the band Madina Lake both made the decision to write a book. Nathan’s is in the style of an autobiography, and documents his somewhat crazy life, whereas Matthew’s is a conceptual story of a fictional town which was planned alongside their trio of albums.

books


books Don’t Love Me, Judge Me BY NATHAN LEONE

An insightful glimpse into the extraordinary life of Nathan Leone. Don’t Love Me, Judge Me is a hilarious yet painfully unabashed

collection of anecdotes from his early life to his most present adventures and experiences. Don’t Love Me, Judge Me follows Nathan from childhood, to gaining a scholarship to play NCAA soccer, deciding to pack it in to ride a camel across the dessert and chronicling the surprising Fear Factor win that funded the start up of demo for Madina Lake, Nathan’s band. All of these experiences were shared with Nathan’s other half and partner in crime, identical twin Matthew Leone. Where else can you read - in explicit detail - what happens when you want to get even with a cowboy builder and end up with explosive diarrhoea and a broken nose? The ethos of the book is indeed, ‘Don’t Love Me, Judge Me,’ it’s impossible not to be awestricken, humiliated, hysterical and ashamed reading the events of this one man’s life. “I think the best experience was when Matthew Dan Mateo and I we’re out in LA for the final Fear Factor stunt because we’d just been totally scammed by some C rate local manager, were in the process of getting scammed by some C rate producer in LA but being together for the first time as a band,” says Nathan. “Hiding Mateo and Dan in our Fear Factor hotel room while we left to do the final stunt was so fun. Then we won and nobody knew it but us four. We had the time of our lives whilst two

Lila, The Divine Game is deeply

philosophical, whimsical, yet terrifyingly dark. The brain childof Matthew Leone, bassist of the late Madina Lake, the story ties their trilogy of albums neatly together, yet can be read independent of the albums.The concept is questioning life and death through a mythical town which acts as a metaphor for the world, with its occupants each standing for a different emotion or trait. Meet Adalia, a socialite in a place obsessed with celebrity culture—she is a symbol of America and all it stands for in the 21st century—until she gets murdered. Meet Pandora, the sexy goddess, envious of Adalia’s popularity. And meet Forrest, he has a mission to do but he is unsure what. A town shrouded in mystery and cut off from the world, mysterious Auspices fall from the sky, with a special note for the recipient, gifted by The River People, strange faceless creatures cloaked in white. Where’s Adalia? What’s happened to the once peaceful town? Matthew’s book is eloquently written with a skill and passion that is rarely seen. Extremely well written, it keeps you guessing and pages turning at great frequency until the climactic ending. L

ila, T

he Div

ine Ga

me By

Matthe

w Le

one

scam artists thought they’d bested us!” However, it’s not all misdemeanours and surreal experiences, as he touches on what life was like having lost him mum at the age of 12, getting car jacked and the night where time screeched to a halt on discovering that his brother had been attacked and was in critical condition. Take the journey through Don’t Love Me, Judge Me, to discover the wondrous highs and terrifying lows of playing Download Festival, creating lifelong friendships, several near death experiences and battling depression and anxiety, all whilst gaining invaluable insight into the difficulties faced being a musician.


Your life has been anything but ordinary, is it just a case of shrugging your shoulders and diving head-on into the next adventure/experience?Yeah you kind of have to right? Despite your greatest effort, you can only control so much of your life circumstance. There will always be highs and lows, joy and pain, tragedy and triumph. So I think the key is not to dwell on anything and keep moving. It’s easy to fall into the traps of useless emotions like regret, guilt, resentment and anger. But the fact of the matter is neither of those things have one productive or beneficial value whatsoever. If there’s a lesson to be learned learned it and move on!

Why did now feel like the right time to release a book?We’d recently closed a major chapter of our lives and it felt like an appropriate time to document it and put it in the vaults. We’ve continued to write music and will continue to create perform and otherwise engage in every aspect of music forever but closing the Madina Lake chapter was significant for us. I think the

Nathan Leone

Q+A with....

“Don’t Love Me, Judge Me”

book was a nice way to get closure.

Did you find it to be a challenging experience writing, or was it therapeutic in a sense?Both though it was much more challenging. Whenever I’ve made records there’s always been a manager, label person, bandmate or producer telling me when I had to stop writing and commit to what I had on account of deadlines. I’m neurotic enough when it comes to writing so to have to determine when to stop obsessing was impossible!

Have you kept journals, or was it a case of remembering the necessary anecdotes?I used to keep journals ages ago but I think I’ve told those stories so many times throughout my life that they just became permanently embedded in my mind.

Was there anything too weird to write about/share with the world?Ha. If you can believe it yes. and it already gets pretty weird as it is so...


Q+A with....

Follow Rock, Salt + Nails online at www.rocksaltandnails.com


Stepp

ing

into

HM

V I b

risk

ly w

alk

over

to th

e CD

sect

ion,

al

low

ing

my

finge

rs to

wor

k m

etho

dica

lly fr

om th

e le

tter

‘A’

, pau

sing

eac

h tim

e I d

isco

ver a

CD

I’ve

been

crav

ing,

or

if th

e al

bum

art

catc

hes m

y ey

e. T

he L

umin

eers

, Luc

y Ro

se,

Man

ic S

tree

t Pre

ache

rs. M

y pa

lms a

re sw

eatin

g an

d I a

m u

ltra

awar

e of

all

the

thud

ding

foot

step

s sur

roun

ding

me.

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ickl

y gr

ab

the

desi

red

CD a

nd h

urry

ove

r to

the

tills

. Tha

nkfu

lly th

e qu

eue

is

shor

t, ye

t I lo

ok d

own

inte

ntly

at m

y sh

oes t

o av

oid

the

yout

hful

ca

shie

rs ju

dgin

g ey

es a

s he

scan

s Bab

el, a

nd “Y

es th

ank

you

very

m

uch,

I w

ould

like

a b

ag to

dis

guis

e m

y so

mew

hat m

ortif

ying

£4

.99

purc

hase

.” W

hy d

o so

man

y pe

ople

seem

to h

ate

Mum

ford

&

Sons

, whe

n th

eir i

mpr

essi

ve re

cord

sale

s tel

l a d

iffer

ent s

tory

?

Que

stio

ning

the

auth

entic

ity o

f fol

k m

usic

is n

ot a

new

thin

g.

The

lege

ndar

y Bo

b Dy

lan

has b

een

face

d w

ith a

gre

at d

eal o

f cr

itici

sm th

roug

hout

his

care

er. I

n an

inte

rvie

w w

ith th

e LA

times

in 2

010

Joni

Mitc

hell

stat

ed: “

Ever

ythi

ng a

bout

Bob

is a

de

cept

ion,

” she

refe

rred

to h

is n

ame

chan

ge, a

nd a

lso

accu

sed

him

of

pla

giar

ism

. Yet

Dyl

an h

as h

ad p

heno

men

al su

cces

s thr

ough

out

his c

aree

r and

is co

nsid

ered

one

of t

he b

est f

olk

artis

ts o

f the

60

s. Fo

lk m

usic

was

seen

as t

he m

usic

of t

he m

iddl

e-cl

ass,

the

mus

ic o

f a co

mm

unity

. The

mus

ic w

as sh

ared

ora

lly a

mon

gst

wor

king

clas

s com

mun

ities

pre

-20t

h ce

ntur

y w

hen

peop

le w

ere

larg

ely

illite

rate

. Fol

k m

usic

had

a re

viva

l with

Bob

Dyl

an a

nd

has p

erio

dica

lly e

njoy

ed m

omen

ts in

the

limel

ight

. Whe

ther

it

was

Suz

anne

Veg

u an

d th

e N

ew Y

ork

coffe

ehou

se sc

ene

of th

e 19

80s,

or th

e an

ti-fo

lk m

ovem

ent o

f the

nou

ghtie

s. Or

ag

ain

mor

e re

cent

ly w

ith M

umfo

rd &

Son

s and

oth

er

band

s lab

elle

d w

ith fo

lk te

nden

cies

. Mus

ic w

as m

ade

acce

ssib

le w

ith re

cord

ing

equi

pmen

t and

now

it is

not

si

mpl

y sh

ared

am

ongs

t a sm

all c

omm

unity

, but

rath

er

anyb

ody

who

wis

hes t

o lis

ten.

Cur

rent

folk

mus

ic su

ch

as T

o Ki

ll A

King

, The

Lum

inee

rs a

nd T

he S

tray

bird

s, is

cr

eate

d by

mus

icia

ns u

sing

trad

ition

al fo

lk in

stru

men

ts

incl

udin

g ac

oust

ic g

uita

rs, b

anjo

s and

the

doub

le b

ass.

They

ofte

n dr

aw o

n tr

aditi

onal

folk

them

es w

ithin

the

song

s suc

h as

fam

ily re

latio

nshi

ps a

nd th

e id

ea o

f a

sim

plis

tic li

fest

yle

that

reso

nate

s am

ongs

t the

com

mun

ity.

Inst

ead

of th

e in

tens

ity o

f tra

ditio

nal f

olk

mus

ic co

min

g th

roug

h th

e so

und

of in

stru

men

ts a

nd th

roug

h co

mpl

ex

inst

rum

enta

tion,

the

inte

nsity

of t

he ly

rics

and

voc

al

deliv

eran

ce a

dds t

he e

mot

ion

and

pass

ion

that

is in

twin

ed w

ithin

th

e fa

bric

of t

he m

usic

. The

sim

plic

ity is

effe

ctiv

e on

taki

ng th

e lis

tene

r on

a jo

urne

y an

d to

ade

quat

ely

port

ray

the

mes

sage

en

visa

ged.

Alth

ough

mod

ern

folk

doe

sn’t

stic

k to

usi

ng a

cous

tic

inst

rum

ents

, the

idea

rem

ains

the

sam

e.

Q

uest

ioni

ng th

e au

then

ticity

of a

ny m

usic

is a

tric

ky b

usin

ess,

as it

is im

poss

ible

to la

bel s

omet

hing

as t

ruly

uni

que,

but

then

why

ha

ve so

me

peop

le b

ecom

e so

enr

aged

at M

umfo

rd &

Son

s bei

ng

refe

rred

to a

s a fo

lk b

and?

One

of th

e re

ason

s lie

s in

the

band

’s ba

ckgr

ound

. The

four

-pi

ece

is m

ade

up o

f fro

ntm

an a

nd le

ad v

ocal

ist M

arcu

s Mum

ford

, Be

n Lo

vett

, Win

ston

Mar

shal

l and

Ted

Dw

ane,

The

y al

l pla

y m

ultip

le in

stru

men

ts, a

nd jo

in in

with

sing

ing

voca

ls. A

s affl

uent

an

d pr

ivat

ely

educ

ated

indi

vidu

als t

hey

all h

ad a

gre

at st

art

in li

fe, s

omet

hing

that

man

y tr

aditi

onal

folk

mus

icia

ns m

aybe

la

cked

, hav

ing

com

e fr

om h

umbl

e, w

orki

ng b

ackg

roun

ds. I

f thi

s is

the

reas

on p

eopl

e qu

estio

n M

umfo

rd &

Son

s aut

hent

icity

, it

seem

s rat

her s

illy,

as th

ey h

ave

sim

ply

had

mor

e pr

ivile

ged.

Mor

e an

noyi

ng is

the

‘gen

tlem

an fa

rmer

s’ im

age

and

the

nam

e M

umfo

rd

& S

ons,

cons

ider

ing

the

mem

bers

are

n’t e

ven

rela

ted,

can

seem

bo

th e

xces

sive

and

unn

eces

sary

. In

folk

ther

e is

a tr

aditi

on o

f fa

mily

sing

ing

toge

ther

whi

ch a

gain

em

phas

ises

the

com

mun

ity

spir

it. T

he C

arte

r fam

ily w

ere

an A

mer

ican

fam

ily w

ho re

cord

ed

blue

gras

s and

coun

try

mus

ic to

geth

er, D

oc W

atso

n al

so p

erfo

rmed

w

ith h

is so

n M

erle

Wat

son

for m

any

year

s. Th

e M

umfo

rd &

Son

s ba

nd n

ame

feel

s alm

ost m

ocki

ng o

f tra

ditio

nal f

olk

root

s. Th

ere

is a

pre

ssur

e on

peo

ple

to e

ither

‘lov

e’ o

r ‘ha

te’ t

he E

nglis

h ba

nd,

with

indi

ffere

nce

no lo

nger

bei

ng a

n op

tion.

Lau

ra M

arlin

g cr

eate

s a si

mila

r sty

le o

f mus

ic, a

nd co

mes

from

th

e sa

me

priv

atel

y ed

ucat

ed b

ackg

roun

d as

Mum

ford

& S

ons,

yet

she

is w

idel

y pr

aise

d w

ithou

t a su

bsta

ntia

l bac

klas

h. P

erha

ps it

is

not

due

to m

ere

supe

rfic

ial d

etai

ls li

ke im

age

and

back

grou

nd,

but t

he a

ctua

l mus

ic p

rodu

ced,

as o

ppos

ed to

its r

oots

. The

re

are

cert

ainl

y so

me

poor

lyri

cal c

hoic

es e

vide

nt in

Mum

ford

&

Sons

cata

logu

e. F

or e

xam

ple,

the

rhym

ing

of “f

ire”

and

“des

ire”

in

thei

r son

g H

opel

ess

Wan

dere

r, or

its d

isap

poin

ting

and

fran

kly

bori

ng ch

orus

: “Bu

t hol

d m

e fa

st, h

old

me

fast

. ‘Cau

se I’

m a

hop

eles

s w

ande

rer.

But h

old

me

fast

, hol

d m

e fa

st. ‘C

ause

I’m

a h

opel

ess

wan

dere

r.” A

ll of

the

song

s are

ver

y si

mila

r, in

stea

d of

wor

king

as

a co

hesi

ve p

iece

of a

rt, t

hey

blen

d in

to o

ne n

ever

-end

ing

mas

s of

banj

os a

nd u

nins

pire

d ly

rics

.

Bab

el w

orke

d as

the

follo

w u

p to

Mum

ford

& S

ons 2

009’

s de

but a

lbum

Sig

h N

o M

ore,

who

se a

lbum

title

was

take

n fr

om

Shak

espe

are’

s ren

owne

d M

uch

Ado

Abou

t Not

hing

, and

was

aw

arde

d Al

bum

of t

he Y

ear.

Yet B

abel

smas

hed

this

reco

rd,

beco

min

g th

e to

p se

lling

of a

lbum

in 2

012

and

selli

ng o

ver

600,

000

copi

es in

its f

irst

wee

k in

Am

eric

a. T

he st

ar o

f the

alb

um

is si

ngle

I W

ill W

ait,

whi

ch is

una

sham

edly

catc

hy; y

et th

e ly

rics

ar

e fa

r fro

m im

pres

sive

. “W

ell I

cam

e ho

me

like

a st

one,

and

I fel

l he

avy

like

a st

one

into

you

r arm

s.” T

he m

elod

y is

infe

ctio

us, b

ut th

e ly

rics

com

e as

a so

rt o

f afte

rtho

ught

.

S

inge

r son

gwri

ter J

ake

Mor

ley

adm

its to

enj

oyin

g th

e ba

nd’s

de

but a

lbum

, but

was

left

disa

ppoi

nted

by

Babe

l. “I

was

real

ly

hopi

ng th

at th

eir s

econ

d re

cord

wou

ld d

evel

op th

eir s

tyle

fu

rthe

r… B

ut I

didn

’t ge

t the

ir se

cond

alb

um a

t all,

” he

says

. The

bi

gges

t dis

appo

intm

ent w

as in

fact

the

lead

sing

le. “

To h

ave

a bi

g hi

t cal

led

I Will

Wai

t, I j

ust f

ind

noth

ing

in th

at,”

Jake

stat

es. “

I will

w

ait f

or y

ou is

so g

ener

ic, i

t’s a

pro

blem

I ha

ve w

ith so

me

mus

ic. I

t tr

ies t

o be

so a

ll en

com

pass

ing

and

so d

eep

that

it a

ctua

lly re

veal

s no

thin

g. ‘I

will

wai

t for

you

’ cou

ld b

e th

e m

ost b

eaut

iful,

deep

ly

mea

nt p

hras

e th

at so

meo

ne co

uld

say

to y

ou, b

ut in

a so

ng

like

that

it’s

just

so g

ener

ic it

mea

ns n

othi

ng.”

“H

ow m

any

reco

rd la

bels

and

radi

o st

atio

ns st

arte

d ta

king

m

ore

notic

e of

folk

mus

ic th

at a

lrea

dy e

xist

ed a

nd la

belle

d it

as n

ew si

nce

Mum

ford

hit

it bi

g,” a

rgue

s Jam

es W

illar

d,

guita

rist

for B

roth

er &

Bon

es. “

I don

’t th

ink

it’s g

ot a

nyth

ing

to d

o w

ith M

umfo

rd &

Son

s, it’

s the

reco

rd in

dust

ry. T

hey

are

all t

oo sc

ared

to ta

ke ri

sks a

nym

ore.

If th

ey w

eren

’t th

en

we

wou

ldn’

t stil

l be

hear

ing

of ‘f

olk

band

s’, w

e’d

be li

sten

ing

to th

e ne

xt b

ig th

ing.”

Man

y pe

ople

are

furi

ous,

beca

use

a ba

nd w

ith e

xces

sive

ban

jo p

layi

ng a

nd d

ull m

usic

is a

llow

ing

incr

edib

le ta

lent

s to

rem

ain

unno

ticed

so th

at th

e m

unda

ne

can

thri

ve.

T

here

is p

rais

e fo

r the

ban

d th

ough

. “W

hen

they

firs

t st

arte

d w

orki

ng to

geth

er a

nd m

akin

g m

usic

toge

ther

they

w

ere

just

doi

ng it

out

of a

gen

uine

exc

item

ent a

nd lo

ve o

f wha

t th

ey’re

doi

ng a

nd it

was

infe

ctio

us, i

t was

bri

llian

t. Th

ere’

s a

reas

on w

hy th

ey b

ecam

e st

agge

ring

ly p

opul

ar a

nd it

was

bec

ause

w

hat t

hey

wer

e do

ing

was

kin

d of

exc

iting

,” ad

mits

Jake

.

Folk

mus

ic is

a ce

lebr

ator

y w

ay o

f bri

ngin

g pe

ople

toge

ther

. W

hen

Mum

ford

& S

ons p

laye

d at

Rea

ding

fest

ival

in 2

010,

the

atm

osph

ere

was

triu

mph

ant,

ever

ybod

y w

as h

avin

g fu

n an

d en

joyi

ng th

emse

lves

. Whe

n pi

anis

t Ben

Lov

ett a

sks t

he e

ager

cr

owd,

at t

he N

ME

stag

e “D

o yo

u w

ant t

o da

nce

toni

ght?

” the

re

spon

se w

as n

ear d

eafe

ning

. Dur

ing

Roll

Away

You

r St

one

the

rapi

d gu

itar s

trum

min

g ca

uses

roar

s of d

elig

ht a

mon

gst

the

exte

nsiv

e cr

owd.

The

ir la

st li

ve fe

stiv

al p

erfo

rman

ce a

t Gl

asto

nbur

y 20

13 w

as si

mila

rly su

cces

sful

with

fans

dec

lari

ng

thei

r lov

e fo

r the

mus

icia

ns in

the

brea

k be

twee

n so

ngs.

Th

e ba

nd m

ay b

e la

ckin

g in

subs

tanc

e bu

t the

re is

a ch

arm

in

kno

win

g ex

actly

wha

t you

are

get

ting

whe

n yo

u lis

ten

to

som

ethi

ng. “

Let t

he p

eopl

e th

at lo

ve it

carr

y on

lovi

ng it

and

they

’ll

carr

y on

mak

ing

thei

r mus

ic re

gard

less

of a

nyon

e’s o

pini

on,”

says

Ja

mes

. Yet

the

band

dec

ided

to g

o on

hia

tus i

n la

te 2

013,

telli

ng

Rolli

ng S

tone

, “Th

ere

won

’t be

any

Mum

ford

& S

ons a

ctiv

ities

for

the

fore

seea

ble

futu

re.”

The

futu

re o

f the

ban

d is

still

unc

erta

in,

but t

hat d

oesn

’t st

op sp

ecul

atio

n. M

arcu

s adm

itted

to e

njoy

ing

the

band

bei

ng o

n in

defin

ite h

iatu

s. H

e jo

kes,

“Eve

ryon

e ke

eps a

skin

g if

we’

ve b

roke

n up

as a

ban

d, w

hich

I lo

ve. S

o I k

eep

sayi

ng y

es,

and

then

we

can

have

a b

ig co

me

back

tour

nex

t yea

r.” H

owev

er,

ther

e m

ay b

e an

ele

men

t of a

pla

n in

wha

t he

says

, as b

ands

hav

e m

ade

a lo

t of m

oney

with

com

ebac

k to

urs,

whi

ch a

re b

ecom

ing

mor

e ex

pect

ed. W

ith th

e cr

itici

sm th

at th

e ba

nd h

as fa

ced,

they

m

ay h

ave

deci

ded

to d

isap

pear

for a

shor

t whi

le to

ens

ure

a w

elco

me

retu

rn w

ith a

new

alb

um, o

r per

haps

they

too

have

be

com

e tir

ed o

f the

exc

essi

ve b

anjo

pla

ying

. Hav

e M

umfo

rd &

Son

s ex

haus

ted

thei

r pot

entia

l, co

nsid

erin

g al

l of t

heir

mat

eria

l sou

nds

dist

inct

ly si

mila

r? W

ith M

umfo

rd &

Son

s off

the

rada

r for

now

, it’s

tim

e fo

r oth

er b

ands

to sh

ine,

who

hol

d da

ring

am

bitio

ns, h

arne

ss

raw

tale

nt a

nd p

rodu

ce o

rigi

nal m

usic

wor

th g

ettin

g ex

cite

d ab

out.

Why d

oes ev

erybod

y hat

e mumf

ord +

sons

“We’l

l ta

lk a

bout

anyt

hing w

ith a

n acou

stic

guita

r bein

g fol

k mus

ic but

fol

k mus

ic doe

sn’t

deserv

e that

kind

of de

finitio

nal

abuse”

- Jak

e Morl

ey


“Per

haps

th

ey to

o ha

ve

beco

me

tired

of

the

exce

ss

banj

o pl

ayin

g”

Stepp

ing

into

HM

V I b

risk

ly w

alk

over

to th

e CD

sect

ion,

al

low

ing

my

finge

rs to

wor

k m

etho

dica

lly fr

om th

e le

tter

‘A’

, pau

sing

eac

h tim

e I d

isco

ver a

CD

I’ve

been

crav

ing,

or

if th

e al

bum

art

catc

hes m

y ey

e. T

he L

umin

eers

, Luc

y Ro

se,

Man

ic S

tree

t Pre

ache

rs. M

y pa

lms a

re sw

eatin

g an

d I a

m u

ltra

awar

e of

all

the

thud

ding

foot

step

s sur

roun

ding

me.

I qu

ickl

y gr

ab

the

desi

red

CD a

nd h

urry

ove

r to

the

tills

. Tha

nkfu

lly th

e qu

eue

is

shor

t, ye

t I lo

ok d

own

inte

ntly

at m

y sh

oes t

o av

oid

the

yout

hful

ca

shie

rs ju

dgin

g ey

es a

s he

scan

s Bab

el, a

nd “Y

es th

ank

you

very

m

uch,

I w

ould

like

a b

ag to

dis

guis

e m

y so

mew

hat m

ortif

ying

£4

.99

purc

hase

.” W

hy d

o so

man

y pe

ople

seem

to h

ate

Mum

ford

&

Sons

, whe

n th

eir i

mpr

essi

ve re

cord

sale

s tel

l a d

iffer

ent s

tory

?

Que

stio

ning

the

auth

entic

ity o

f fol

k m

usic

is n

ot a

new

thin

g.

The

lege

ndar

y Bo

b Dy

lan

has b

een

face

d w

ith a

gre

at d

eal o

f cr

itici

sm th

roug

hout

his

care

er. I

n an

inte

rvie

w w

ith th

e LA

times

in 2

010

Joni

Mitc

hell

stat

ed: “

Ever

ythi

ng a

bout

Bob

is a

de

cept

ion,

” she

refe

rred

to h

is n

ame

chan

ge, a

nd a

lso

accu

sed

him

of

pla

giar

ism

. Yet

Dyl

an h

as h

ad p

heno

men

al su

cces

s thr

ough

out

his c

aree

r and

is co

nsid

ered

one

of t

he b

est f

olk

artis

ts o

f the

60

s. Fo

lk m

usic

was

seen

as t

he m

usic

of t

he m

iddl

e-cl

ass,

the

mus

ic o

f a co

mm

unity

. The

mus

ic w

as sh

ared

ora

lly a

mon

gst

wor

king

clas

s com

mun

ities

pre

-20t

h ce

ntur

y w

hen

peop

le w

ere

larg

ely

illite

rate

. Fol

k m

usic

had

a re

viva

l with

Bob

Dyl

an a

nd

has p

erio

dica

lly e

njoy

ed m

omen

ts in

the

limel

ight

. Whe

ther

it

was

Suz

anne

Veg

u an

d th

e N

ew Y

ork

coffe

ehou

se sc

ene

of th

e 19

80s,

or th

e an

ti-fo

lk m

ovem

ent o

f the

nou

ghtie

s. Or

ag

ain

mor

e re

cent

ly w

ith M

umfo

rd &

Son

s and

oth

er

band

s lab

elle

d w

ith fo

lk te

nden

cies

. Mus

ic w

as m

ade

acce

ssib

le w

ith re

cord

ing

equi

pmen

t and

now

it is

not

si

mpl

y sh

ared

am

ongs

t a sm

all c

omm

unity

, but

rath

er

anyb

ody

who

wis

hes t

o lis

ten.

Cur

rent

folk

mus

ic su

ch

as T

o Ki

ll A

King

, The

Lum

inee

rs a

nd T

he S

tray

bird

s, is

cr

eate

d by

mus

icia

ns u

sing

trad

ition

al fo

lk in

stru

men

ts

incl

udin

g ac

oust

ic g

uita

rs, b

anjo

s and

the

doub

le b

ass.

They

ofte

n dr

aw o

n tr

aditi

onal

folk

them

es w

ithin

the

song

s suc

h as

fam

ily re

latio

nshi

ps a

nd th

e id

ea o

f a

sim

plis

tic li

fest

yle

that

reso

nate

s am

ongs

t the

com

mun

ity.

Inst

ead

of th

e in

tens

ity o

f tra

ditio

nal f

olk

mus

ic co

min

g th

roug

h th

e so

und

of in

stru

men

ts a

nd th

roug

h co

mpl

ex

inst

rum

enta

tion,

the

inte

nsity

of t

he ly

rics

and

voc

al

deliv

eran

ce a

dds t

he e

mot

ion

and

pass

ion

that

is in

twin

ed w

ithin

th

e fa

bric

of t

he m

usic

. The

sim

plic

ity is

effe

ctiv

e on

taki

ng th

e lis

tene

r on

a jo

urne

y an

d to

ade

quat

ely

port

ray

the

mes

sage

en

visa

ged.

Alth

ough

mod

ern

folk

doe

sn’t

stic

k to

usi

ng a

cous

tic

inst

rum

ents

, the

idea

rem

ains

the

sam

e.

Q

uest

ioni

ng th

e au

then

ticity

of a

ny m

usic

is a

tric

ky b

usin

ess,

as it

is im

poss

ible

to la

bel s

omet

hing

as t

ruly

uni

que,

but

then

why

ha

ve so

me

peop

le b

ecom

e so

enr

aged

at M

umfo

rd &

Son

s bei

ng

refe

rred

to a

s a fo

lk b

and?

One

of th

e re

ason

s lie

s in

the

band

’s ba

ckgr

ound

. The

four

-pi

ece

is m

ade

up o

f fro

ntm

an a

nd le

ad v

ocal

ist M

arcu

s Mum

ford

, Be

n Lo

vett

, Win

ston

Mar

shal

l and

Ted

Dw

ane,

The

y al

l pla

y m

ultip

le in

stru

men

ts, a

nd jo

in in

with

sing

ing

voca

ls. A

s affl

uent

an

d pr

ivat

ely

educ

ated

indi

vidu

als t

hey

all h

ad a

gre

at st

art

in li

fe, s

omet

hing

that

man

y tr

aditi

onal

folk

mus

icia

ns m

aybe

la

cked

, hav

ing

com

e fr

om h

umbl

e, w

orki

ng b

ackg

roun

ds. I

f thi

s is

the

reas

on p

eopl

e qu

estio

n M

umfo

rd &

Son

s aut

hent

icity

, it

seem

s rat

her s

illy,

as th

ey h

ave

sim

ply

had

mor

e pr

ivile

ged.

Mor

e an

noyi

ng is

the

‘gen

tlem

an fa

rmer

s’ im

age

and

the

nam

e M

umfo

rd

& S

ons,

cons

ider

ing

the

mem

bers

are

n’t e

ven

rela

ted,

can

seem

bo

th e

xces

sive

and

unn

eces

sary

. In

folk

ther

e is

a tr

aditi

on o

f fa

mily

sing

ing

toge

ther

whi

ch a

gain

em

phas

ises

the

com

mun

ity

spir

it. T

he C

arte

r fam

ily w

ere

an A

mer

ican

fam

ily w

ho re

cord

ed

blue

gras

s and

coun

try

mus

ic to

geth

er, D

oc W

atso

n al

so p

erfo

rmed

w

ith h

is so

n M

erle

Wat

son

for m

any

year

s. Th

e M

umfo

rd &

Son

s ba

nd n

ame

feel

s alm

ost m

ocki

ng o

f tra

ditio

nal f

olk

root

s. Th

ere

is a

pre

ssur

e on

peo

ple

to e

ither

‘lov

e’ o

r ‘ha

te’ t

he E

nglis

h ba

nd,

with

indi

ffere

nce

no lo

nger

bei

ng a

n op

tion.

Lau

ra M

arlin

g cr

eate

s a si

mila

r sty

le o

f mus

ic, a

nd co

mes

from

th

e sa

me

priv

atel

y ed

ucat

ed b

ackg

roun

d as

Mum

ford

& S

ons,

yet

she

is w

idel

y pr

aise

d w

ithou

t a su

bsta

ntia

l bac

klas

h. P

erha

ps it

is

not

due

to m

ere

supe

rfic

ial d

etai

ls li

ke im

age

and

back

grou

nd,

but t

he a

ctua

l mus

ic p

rodu

ced,

as o

ppos

ed to

its r

oots

. The

re

are

cert

ainl

y so

me

poor

lyri

cal c

hoic

es e

vide

nt in

Mum

ford

&

Sons

cata

logu

e. F

or e

xam

ple,

the

rhym

ing

of “f

ire”

and

“des

ire”

in

thei

r son

g H

opel

ess

Wan

dere

r, or

its d

isap

poin

ting

and

fran

kly

bori

ng ch

orus

: “Bu

t hol

d m

e fa

st, h

old

me

fast

. ‘Cau

se I’

m a

hop

eles

s w

ande

rer.

But h

old

me

fast

, hol

d m

e fa

st. ‘C

ause

I’m

a h

opel

ess

wan

dere

r.” A

ll of

the

song

s are

ver

y si

mila

r, in

stea

d of

wor

king

as

a co

hesi

ve p

iece

of a

rt, t

hey

blen

d in

to o

ne n

ever

-end

ing

mas

s of

banj

os a

nd u

nins

pire

d ly

rics

.

Bab

el w

orke

d as

the

follo

w u

p to

Mum

ford

& S

ons 2

009’

s de

but a

lbum

Sig

h N

o M

ore,

who

se a

lbum

title

was

take

n fr

om

Shak

espe

are’

s ren

owne

d M

uch

Ado

Abou

t Not

hing

, and

was

aw

arde

d Al

bum

of t

he Y

ear.

Yet B

abel

smas

hed

this

reco

rd,

beco

min

g th

e to

p se

lling

of a

lbum

in 2

012

and

selli

ng o

ver

600,

000

copi

es in

its f

irst

wee

k in

Am

eric

a. T

he st

ar o

f the

alb

um

is si

ngle

I W

ill W

ait,

whi

ch is

una

sham

edly

catc

hy; y

et th

e ly

rics

ar

e fa

r fro

m im

pres

sive

. “W

ell I

cam

e ho

me

like

a st

one,

and

I fel

l he

avy

like

a st

one

into

you

r arm

s.” T

he m

elod

y is

infe

ctio

us, b

ut th

e ly

rics

com

e as

a so

rt o

f afte

rtho

ught

.

S

inge

r son

gwri

ter J

ake

Mor

ley

adm

its to

enj

oyin

g th

e ba

nd’s

de

but a

lbum

, but

was

left

disa

ppoi

nted

by

Babe

l. “I

was

real

ly

hopi

ng th

at th

eir s

econ

d re

cord

wou

ld d

evel

op th

eir s

tyle

fu

rthe

r… B

ut I

didn

’t ge

t the

ir se

cond

alb

um a

t all,

” he

says

. The

bi

gges

t dis

appo

intm

ent w

as in

fact

the

lead

sing

le. “

To h

ave

a bi

g hi

t cal

led

I Will

Wai

t, I j

ust f

ind

noth

ing

in th

at,”

Jake

stat

es. “

I will

w

ait f

or y

ou is

so g

ener

ic, i

t’s a

pro

blem

I ha

ve w

ith so

me

mus

ic. I

t tr

ies t

o be

so a

ll en

com

pass

ing

and

so d

eep

that

it a

ctua

lly re

veal

s no

thin

g. ‘I

will

wai

t for

you

’ cou

ld b

e th

e m

ost b

eaut

iful,

deep

ly

mea

nt p

hras

e th

at so

meo

ne co

uld

say

to y

ou, b

ut in

a so

ng

like

that

it’s

just

so g

ener

ic it

mea

ns n

othi

ng.”

“H

ow m

any

reco

rd la

bels

and

radi

o st

atio

ns st

arte

d ta

king

m

ore

notic

e of

folk

mus

ic th

at a

lrea

dy e

xist

ed a

nd la

belle

d it

as n

ew si

nce

Mum

ford

hit

it bi

g,” a

rgue

s Jam

es W

illar

d,

guita

rist

for B

roth

er &

Bon

es. “

I don

’t th

ink

it’s g

ot a

nyth

ing

to d

o w

ith M

umfo

rd &

Son

s, it’

s the

reco

rd in

dust

ry. T

hey

are

all t

oo sc

ared

to ta

ke ri

sks a

nym

ore.

If th

ey w

eren

’t th

en

we

wou

ldn’

t stil

l be

hear

ing

of ‘f

olk

band

s’, w

e’d

be li

sten

ing

to th

e ne

xt b

ig th

ing.”

Man

y pe

ople

are

furi

ous,

beca

use

a ba

nd w

ith e

xces

sive

ban

jo p

layi

ng a

nd d

ull m

usic

is a

llow

ing

incr

edib

le ta

lent

s to

rem

ain

unno

ticed

so th

at th

e m

unda

ne

can

thri

ve.

T

here

is p

rais

e fo

r the

ban

d th

ough

. “W

hen

they

firs

t st

arte

d w

orki

ng to

geth

er a

nd m

akin

g m

usic

toge

ther

they

w

ere

just

doi

ng it

out

of a

gen

uine

exc

item

ent a

nd lo

ve o

f wha

t th

ey’re

doi

ng a

nd it

was

infe

ctio

us, i

t was

bri

llian

t. Th

ere’

s a

reas

on w

hy th

ey b

ecam

e st

agge

ring

ly p

opul

ar a

nd it

was

bec

ause

w

hat t

hey

wer

e do

ing

was

kin

d of

exc

iting

,” ad

mits

Jake

.

Folk

mus

ic is

a ce

lebr

ator

y w

ay o

f bri

ngin

g pe

ople

toge

ther

. W

hen

Mum

ford

& S

ons p

laye

d at

Rea

ding

fest

ival

in 2

010,

the

atm

osph

ere

was

triu

mph

ant,

ever

ybod

y w

as h

avin

g fu

n an

d en

joyi

ng th

emse

lves

. Whe

n pi

anis

t Ben

Lov

ett a

sks t

he e

ager

cr

owd,

at t

he N

ME

stag

e “D

o yo

u w

ant t

o da

nce

toni

ght?

” the

re

spon

se w

as n

ear d

eafe

ning

. Dur

ing

Roll

Away

You

r St

one

the

rapi

d gu

itar s

trum

min

g ca

uses

roar

s of d

elig

ht a

mon

gst

the

exte

nsiv

e cr

owd.

The

ir la

st li

ve fe

stiv

al p

erfo

rman

ce a

t Gl

asto

nbur

y 20

13 w

as si

mila

rly su

cces

sful

with

fans

dec

lari

ng

thei

r lov

e fo

r the

mus

icia

ns in

the

brea

k be

twee

n so

ngs.

Th

e ba

nd m

ay b

e la

ckin

g in

subs

tanc

e bu

t the

re is

a ch

arm

in

kno

win

g ex

actly

wha

t you

are

get

ting

whe

n yo

u lis

ten

to

som

ethi

ng. “

Let t

he p

eopl

e th

at lo

ve it

carr

y on

lovi

ng it

and

they

’ll

carr

y on

mak

ing

thei

r mus

ic re

gard

less

of a

nyon

e’s o

pini

on,”

says

Ja

mes

. Yet

the

band

dec

ided

to g

o on

hia

tus i

n la

te 2

013,

telli

ng

Rolli

ng S

tone

, “Th

ere

won

’t be

any

Mum

ford

& S

ons a

ctiv

ities

for

the

fore

seea

ble

futu

re.”

The

futu

re o

f the

ban

d is

still

unc

erta

in,

but t

hat d

oesn

’t st

op sp

ecul

atio

n. M

arcu

s adm

itted

to e

njoy

ing

the

band

bei

ng o

n in

defin

ite h

iatu

s. H

e jo

kes,

“Eve

ryon

e ke

eps a

skin

g if

we’

ve b

roke

n up

as a

ban

d, w

hich

I lo

ve. S

o I k

eep

sayi

ng y

es,

and

then

we

can

have

a b

ig co

me

back

tour

nex

t yea

r.” H

owev

er,

ther

e m

ay b

e an

ele

men

t of a

pla

n in

wha

t he

says

, as b

ands

hav

e m

ade

a lo

t of m

oney

with

com

ebac

k to

urs,

whi

ch a

re b

ecom

ing

mor

e ex

pect

ed. W

ith th

e cr

itici

sm th

at th

e ba

nd h

as fa

ced,

they

m

ay h

ave

deci

ded

to d

isap

pear

for a

shor

t whi

le to

ens

ure

a w

elco

me

retu

rn w

ith a

new

alb

um, o

r per

haps

they

too

have

be

com

e tir

ed o

f the

exc

essi

ve b

anjo

pla

ying

. Hav

e M

umfo

rd &

Son

s ex

haus

ted

thei

r pot

entia

l, co

nsid

erin

g al

l of t

heir

mat

eria

l sou

nds

dist

inct

ly si

mila

r? W

ith M

umfo

rd &

Son

s off

the

rada

r for

now

, it’s

tim

e fo

r oth

er b

ands

to sh

ine,

who

hol

d da

ring

am

bitio

ns, h

arne

ss

raw

tale

nt a

nd p

rodu

ce o

rigi

nal m

usic

wor

th g

ettin

g ex

cite

d ab

out.


lyrics often place extremely colourful images into our minds, which is what makes them so memorable. SONGS ARE GENERALLY SUNG ABOUT PERSONAL EXPERIENCES, WHICH ARE OFTEN RELATABLE TO LISTENERS. this collection of photographs are inspired by a song, entitled ‘Farmer and his gun’ from charlie simpson’s debut solo album young pilgrim.masks are used to crudely cover the protagonists identity to show that its not just relavent to the couple in the photograph, but rather it can encompass a whole range of people and things.

Song

insp

irat

ion:

Far

mer

& H

is G

un -

Char

lie S

imps

on

(Yo

ung

Pilg

rim

- 20

11)


Then I realizeThat I will dream of you tonightShadows fold out likeBlankets on the ground

Run, run, rabbit runJust don’t get caught outBy the farmer and his gunWell, hide, hide, rabbit hide

It’s best to lose yourselfBefore you ever lose your pride


Spoken like a true manTrying to make his way through the fieldsMy back is heavyAnd my heart is feeling empty but stillI’m so far away from you

There’s no use complaining to myselfI made these shoes to walk inAnd they’ll walk until the end

Spoken like a true manTrying to make his way through the fields

My back is heavyAnd my heart is feeling empty but still

I’m so far away from you

There’s no use complaining to myselfI made these shoes to walk inAnd they’ll walk until the end

Then I realizeThat I will dream of you tonight

Shadows fold out likeBlankets on the ground


How are were you when you first picked up a guitar?I was about 14, I learnt a few chords from a friend at school then self-taught for a couple of years before I started taking it really serious.

What is your first musical memory?I remember seeing my dad play drums with a band at a local festival out the side of one of those covered lorries, hardly glamorous, but to me it was mesmerising. I remember holding my mum’s hand watching him, and looked up and said, “That’s what I want to do.”

What was your first song obsession?I remember having Now 42 and I had to play it in my older brother’s room as I didn’t have a CD player. Just Looking was on there by the

and Tender by Blur, which I remember waiting for on the Top Twenty and taping onto a cassette player, trying to time it right so not the have the DJ talking first.

What song do you wish you’d written?There are so many. In a business sense Happy Birthday, as I would be f*cking minted! I have always loved The Scientist by Coldplay. I think just how that song all comes together is pretty amazing, great melodies and simple. There’s 100s.

Which song are you most proud of?I guess from a guitar point-of-view, I See Red, (from the For All We Know EP) mainly as that style is my favourite to play, and I can really

change it up loads live. I also really like how we have changed To Be Alive, I think that song has become more us and more original now.

What is your karaoke song of choice?Bittersweet Symphony. I’ve sung that song for years, still love it. Plus you never want to do karaoke unless you can do a half good job on it, do you!

What is the last song you purchased?Georgia by Emily King.

james

willard BROTHER + BONES

Q+A with....

of


Worth Watching

... Head over to YouTube and watch “Balcony Sessions” with Ralph Pelleymounter and To Kill A King. A series of live sessions of the bands own songs and some incredibly compelling covers, they enlist the help of some very specials guests to create an array of wonderfully executed songs that are a pleasure to listen to whilst watching the magic unfold on singer Ralph’s balcony. Everybody who takes part in these sessions are clearly having a blast and that’s not the best bit - collated into an album available for your listening convenience and pleasure, the proceeds of the sales were given to Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital. You can still purchase online over at: tokillaking.bandcamp.com If you have an ear for soaring melodies, breathtaking harmonies and intricate strings then you will not be disappointed. These sessions are a refreshing way for an exceptionally capable band to get recognition whilst displaying other talented musicians.Following a recent trip across the states, the Balcony Sessions were reignited, with covers including Smashing Pumpkins ‘Tonight, Tonight’ fittingly filmed in picturesque Chicago, IL.

YouTube: ‘To Kill A King Balcony Sessions’

Rock, Salt & Nails.

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