We caught up with Ross and Watchy from Stitch Jones to have a chat before their set at Fibber Magees in Dublin, to talk about their new album ‘Echolalia’ and all things Stitch Jones.
You can get their new album ‘Echolalia’ here https://stitchjones.bandcamp.com/album/echolalia
Follow Stitch Jones on Facebook here https://www.facebook.com/stitchjonesmusic/
We caught up with Rob from Cassia following the release of their new single ‘Weekender’ to have a chat and see what makes them tick
Tell us a bit about Cassia?
We’re a three piece trop rock band from Macclesfield! Started properly around two years ago in Wetherspoons, we were all smashed so the old memory’s a bit hazy but I do remember asking Leff if he knew anyone who was alright at drumming. Me (Rob – guitar) and Lou (bass) were already doing stuff together and I think one of our mates ended up telling us he played drums or something.
After that we were gigging as much as we could locally, then Y Not Festival came up. I think we applied online and someone pulled out so we only found out a week before it. That was insane. It all kind of started moving from there really!
What do you guys do when you are not making music?
Different for all of us really, Lou’s always playing football, me and Leff run a studio. Do fancy a bit of tennis actually, when the weathers good. We all like watching other bands and musicians and stuff so we do that quite a bit. Love watching TV shows on Netflix. Always got a couple of those on the go.
What inspired you to make music?
Just enjoyed doing it really. I started at school writing and producing all kinds of stuff and it just went from there. Something I’ve always loved doing.
How did you decide what style/ genre of music you wanted to do?
I got interested in Afro/Caribbean music probably when I was around 18, after I bought an old West African cd down in Cornwall. As soon as I got back to home I just began to break down the guitar licks, shoving riffs into tunes I was writing at the time trying to make it all work. It changed the music I was making so dramatically; everything became really upbeat and feel good.
Could you briefly describe your music-making process?
So at the minute, it usually happens one of two ways. Either we’ll just
start messing around when we’re supposed to be rehearsing for something and a decent riff or beat or something will happen and we’ll build a song around that. Or I’ll write lyrics or a melody on my own with a riff I’ve got and then bring it to the guys and we’ll put it together there.
You have interesting infectious melodies did these melodies just come naturally or did they take time to craft and piece together?
It does take ages to get something that sounds happy/feel good without being annoying or cheesy, we’ve thought about it a lot. As you do it more and more, you do tend to naturally come up with things quicker but it still takes a fair amount of time!
There is a tropical element to your guitar and rhythms where did this influence come from and what sparked your interest in these sounds?
So yeah I just accidentally started listen to loads of old Afro Caribbean stuff and starting to play it. It began to influence all the music I was writing and it just went from there. Then Leff joined and I remember there was a time he had to play for some blues guy who wanted him to play the djembe and a kick drum and in practicing that he ended up coming up with all these cool afro rhythms and that.
The harmonies in your tracks are pretty sweet and tight was it difficult to achieve tones and vocal pitches that matched and blended perfectly?
Ah cheers mate. Well naturally for some reason our voices have always sounded pretty cool together, which was lucky. Having said that though, none of us were singers to begin with so we’ve all had to learn how to sing and that’s been an interesting and mildly painful experience at times. Leff has had to learn to do all this crazy African shit and sing at the same time which was funny to watch.
Any plans for an album?
Nothing on the immediate horizon but the word has started popping up a lot more frequently recently so we’ll see! I know we all can’t wait to make an album and have it out there. That will be mint!
What can fans expect from one of your live shows?
Loads of energy, a big beach party is what we want. We love it when everyone has a mint time and a good dance and all that.
So far which is your favourite song to perform live and why?
It changes quite often which is good because in our minds that means that we’re buzzing off all our songs and not just one or two. So hopefully everyone else will. At the minute ‘100 times over’ is going down really well, ‘Moana’ as well, the ones that people know are always going to be the maddest live so that’s another reason we want to get as much music out there!
Any plans to come to Ireland in the future?
Yeah there is actually, I don’t know if there is a set in stone date just
yet but we’re definitely coming over pretty soon. Next couple of months kind of thing!
What advice do you have for people who want to form their own band?
Go for it! Grab a couple of mates, have an awesome time. Spend your time writing great music. Get tight and good at what you do, but mainly enjoy it. If you’re lucky like we’re starting to get, you get to see loads of really sick places and play awesome gigs and meet mint people. Its ridiculously good really. I’m always just sat there like this is insane.
Whats next for Cassia?
Got loads of shows coming up all over the UK as well some in Europe later in the year I think. We might even be going further than that too but not sure! Releasing as much music as we can! Think a couple of festivals too this year which is always well fun. Just keeping on making it better and bigger.
Stream ‘Weekender’ below
We sat down to have a chat with Ed from Long Tail before his set supporting Fangclub at Whelan’s Dublin.
Watch the interview below
You can also follow Long Tail here
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/longtailofficial/
Twitter https://twitter.com/longtailband
Bandcamp https://longtail.bandcamp.com/album/your-time-ep
We sat down to have a chat with Steven King, Kevin Keane and
Dara Coleman from Fangclub before the release of their new EP “COMA HAPPY” OUT NOW!
You can buy ‘Coma Happy’ here https://itunes.apple.com/ie/album/coma-happy-ep/id1153625769?app=itunes&ign-mpt=uo%3D4
Watch our Interview Below
With the release of Gideon’s Army’s new album ‘King of the League’ today we decided to have a chat with Robert Bray to get to know him and his band better.
When did you form your band?
It’s come together over time, but we started gigging in 2014. Our first gig was in March 2014 at Mexicali Live in Teaneck, NJ.
How did you decide what style/ Genre of music you wanted to do?
The songs come from my guitar or when I’m singing on my own or when I’m jamming with bandmates. Certain sounds will inspire me to sing, and once in a while it hits a deep nerve and the music wants to travel. And then a song appears.
What inspired you to make music?
The singers and songwriters of my youth that moved me in a profound way. Eddie Vedder, Bruce Springsteen, Scott Weiland, Mick Jagger, Elvis, the Beatles, Johnny Cash, Kings of Leon, Tom Petty, the Black Crowes… Those are my biggest influences , but I’ve taken inspiration from many people across all genres of music. I fell in love with the guitar sounds on those records too.
What are the main themes or topics for most of your songs?
My love relationships show up again and again in my songwriting. My songs are also filled with my love of music, and my professional, artistic, social, and financial struggles. I tend to write about my most noble of emotions, my greatest joys, and my deepest pain.
Could you briefly describe you music-making process?
Most of the time my guitar playing will inspire the song. I’ll catch something that makes me want to sing. And like I mentioned before every once in a while you hit something deep, and you get possessed with a desire to express yourself. To articulate a profound sentiment in songful verse. It’s unexplainable, but once you’re possessed you have to write that song. Sometimes the song starts from something I’m singing to myself and then I go sit down with my guitar and find the groove. And sometimes it comes from singing along to something that one of my bandmates is playing when we get together to rehearse or jam.
What has been your biggest challenge as a band and have you been able to overcome that challenge? If so, how?
Thanks to the marvels of the internet we’ve been able to attract devoted fans all over the world, but it’s been a challenge to get the word out in our own home city, although it is still the city where we have the largest following. It’s been a challenge and it’s still a challenge to fill out a sizable venue. Our fans are scattered around the world and not concentrated in select cities or regions. Although we do know we have the most fans in NYC and Brazil.
What is your Favourite song to perform live and why?
That changes based on my and our mood, but In the Summertime or One Kiss are always fun to play.
Whats your favourite venue that you have played at so far?
I’m tremendously excited about our June 1st album release show at the Cutting Room in New York City. It is one of the best sounding rooms in the city, and it’s got a real rock ‘n roll vibe. I also love playing at Mexicali Live in New Jersey. it’s not far from where I grew up and it’s close to my family and some of our biggest fans.
What’s the most bizarre thing to happen while you were on stage?
Strings pop sometimes mid song, and you’ve got to change up your chord shapes to keep the song going and avoid sounding out of tune.
Who has been your favourite support act so far?
I’m psyched to share a bill with Marco With Love at the Cutting Room on June 1st, they’re an exciting NYC based rock ‘n roll band.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
Spend time with my girlfriend, close friends and family. I like to take in live music, go to the movies and the theatre, and I love to travel and discover great tastes and sights.
Any Plans to come to Ireland in the future?
I have been to Ireland, Dublin and Belfast, and I love it. I cannot wait to go back. My last name Bray, is a town in Ireland, and it’s the ancestral homeland of my father’s side of the family. Would be a dream to go back and play the great venues there.
What advice do you have for people who want to form their own bands?
Don’t just form a group with any bunch of assholes who want to form a band. Work on your craft, work on your instrument, work on your song writing, wait until you can legitimately attract others of top quality. You can flounder for years in a project that is going nowhere. Better to take your time, have patience and then hit it hard with the best musicians in town.
Strong honest advise to end on, lets hope Gideon’s Army return to Ireland soon!
5 Dollar Shakes are an alternative rock band from Gorey, Co. Wexford. The band consists of Jack McEvoy (Vocals), Colin Doran (Lead guitar), Caleb Dowdall (Rhythm guitar), Richard Deering (Bass guitar) and Ciaran O’Doherty (Drums). They have released their new single ‘Auxiliary Love’ ‘from their recently released second EP ‘Come and See Enough To Stay’ . We did a feature on ‘Auxillary love’ earlier this month and caught up with the band to get to know them a little better.
When did you form your band?
We formed the band in 2012, after auditioning for a school talent show. A few members came and left during that first year but by 2013 we had the line up that we were happy with! We’ve remained the same since!
How did you decide what Style/ Genre of music you wanted to do?
We have a quite a diverse approach to our music. We all have different musical interests and try to incorporate as many different influences into our songs as possible. As such, we’re a bit of a Jack of all trades type of band! If you had to label us under a genre though, it would probably be indie rock.
What inspired you to make music?
We’re inspired to make our music as it is a unique outlet for expressing ourselves. We’re musicians and we love what we do, and playing in a group as opposed to on your own is an incredible way to tell our stories.
What are the main themes or topics for most of your songs?
We’re all still very young, so our songs tend to convey a coming of age of sorts. We make mistakes, and have regrets, and these usually translate into great themes for our songs.
Could you briefly describe your music-making process?
It’s loose. Our creative process is a bit of a chaotic mish mash. We like to just get together and start jamming until the bones of a song starts to develop. Then Jack will take the music and throw a draft of lyrics on top. We spend a while refining the song after that until it becomes something we’re happy with. We never try force it though, if a song isn’t working we scrap it.
What has been your biggest challenge as a band? Have you been able to overcome that challenge? If so, how?
Financial issues have been our biggest challenge. Unfortunately there’s not a lot of money in the industry for young, independent bands. As a result, there have been gigs that we’d love to do that we simply couldn’t, due to not being able to take time of work and such. A lot of money also goes into making a record, between paying for the studio time, artwork ect. It can be tough but we’re getting to a stage now where we’re starting to see a return on our investment. The goal is to make a full time living from doing what we love, so fingers crossed we’ll make it there.
What is your Favourite song to perform live and why?
Our favourite song to preform live is definitely ‘Arthouse’. It’s a bit of a crowd favourite, and there’s no better feeling than seeing a crowd chant back lyrics that you’ve written. It’s very humbling and it justifies all the sacrifices and dedication we’ve put into our music.
So far what are your favourite and least favourite venues that you have played ?
Our favourite venue is the RDS. We played the BT Young Scientist Exhibition there and playing in such a large room to so many people was simply incredible. Our least favourite is a tough one, we enjoy all our gigs! But we did play at the Golden Shears Sheep Shearing competition and got shut down for being too loud! So I suppose that would probably be our least favourite.
What’s the most bizarre thing to happen while you were on stage?
We were playing a festival last year but had to stop after only 5 minutes as a storm started to literally take the stage apart! It was a shame as it was a gig we were really looking forward to, but these things happen!
Who has been your favourite support act so far?
We got the fantastic Sam Ali to support us for our EP launch in the Opium Rooms. He’s been our favourite. He’s incredible and you should definitely check him out.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
Drinking, FIFA, chicken wings.
What advice do you have for people who want to form their own bands?
Our advice would be don’t do it. There’s enough bands out there for us to be competing against…. Only kidding, yeah if you want to start a band make sure it’s with people you really enjoy playing with. If it’s not fun there’s not much point and you’ll more than likely break up very quickly.
Whats Next for 5 Dollar Shakes?
We’d love to start playing outside of Ireland, so we’re hoping to play some gigs in and around Europe during the coming year! Other than that, we’re gonna keep writing and playing, getting our name out there as much as possible!
No doubt 5 Dollar Shakes will be playing festivals and shows all round Europe soon if their EP ‘Come and See Enough to stay’ is anything to go by. If you haven’t heard the EP stream it below, trust me you are going to want to hear it!
