When I was a kid,
growing up in a house with Cat Stevens, Neil Diamond, and Simon and Garfunkel,
the first time I ever heard Kiss's "Detroit Rock City," it was a
moment of musical epiphany. It was just so vicious, aggressive and mean. It
changed the way I listened to music. I've had a few minor epiphany's since
then, when you come across a band that just brings something new and
revolutionary to your ears.
What have been your
musical epiphany moments?
As a bit I was very into early stiff like Hendrix, The Who,
Floyd etc but a real turning point for me was hearing Kyuss. I came late to the
party on that one and found them via Queens of
the stone age but that really changed my life and musical direction. To have
John Garcia sing on our album Slab
City was something else.
Talk to us about the song-writing
process for you. What comes first, the idea? A riff? The lyrics? How does it
all fall into place?
With us normally we work on the riffs 1st, we take down
loads of guitar ideas even recorded on my phone and gradually develop the idea
with the band in the rehearsal room. Kip will jump in with vocals when suits
and sometimes it flows super easy or he will take the track away and really
refine the vocal over time. We have a cool space to work on stuff and get
pretty decent demos and it helps a lot.
Who has influenced
you the most?
Between the band there have been a lot of influences and
from my point of view it changes depending on what I’ve been listening to at
the time. I was a huge Pink Floyd fan so I’m open to some more atmospheric
stuff but we like to have a song driven hard by the riff also. I guess a great
song for us is the perfect balance between to two things.
Where do you look for
continuing inspiration? New ideas, new motivation?
I try not to consciously look for inspiration from other bands
because I think that happens naturally in your subconscious. We have been
likened to various bands from the past but we have never tried to do that on
purpose and I think we have a kind of unique sound. Motivation for us comes
from playing Live I would say, sometimes you can get in a lull when your not
recording or playing shows so it’s always a nice way to get back in your flow
by smashing a great gig.
We're all a product
of our environment. Tell us about the band's hometown and how that reflects in
the music?
Being a London
band we are in the heart of the action so the social side of playing live music
has been very important to us. Having fun is very high on our list because we
ain't doing this for the money! London
has such a strong underground music scene and there is a lot of support from
promoters, venues and the fans. We like to make an occasion of a London show so we will
party to the last man every time.
Where'd the band name
come from?
It’s all about meaty riffs, T bone steaks and dirty jokes
You have one chance,
what movie are you going to write the soundtrack for?
Mad Max for sure, desert wasteland and survival of the
fittest. I think that collaboration would be rad.
Come on, share with
us a couple of your great, Spinal Tap, rock and roll moments?
Never! The moment there is one we need a new career choice.
Tell us about playing
live and the live experience for you and for your fans?
We give a lot in our live performances, we try to give the
people watching as much energy as we can in the hope that they respond the same
way. Like a lot of bands we feed from the crowd and it’s a beautiful thing when
the crowd feed off us the circle is complete, everyone has lost their
inhibitions and and we are all at the point of enjoying the experience.
What makes a great
song?
If only it was as easy to formulate, a great song to one
person isn’t always a great song to another so it’s a tricky question. For me
there needs to be a riff that sticks in the mind, something that people can’t
get out of their head, for Steak we try to make sure the riff through and not
to many layered guitars playing different things. This then gives room for a
killer vocal and if that magic ingredient turns up on the day and the creative
stars align then you may be lucky enough to come up with a banger.
Tell us about the
first song you ever wrote?
I believe it was called last exit. It actually was pretty
good for an 1st attempt and we played it live in our 1st band a few times. We
actually found it recently and listened to it again its funny as hell to listen
to. Maybe a bit cringe but we all start somewhere.
What piece of your
music are particularly proud of?
I love the track Overthrow on the new album ‘No God To
Save’. I think it shows what progression we have made as a band in creating
something that has all the drive and riffs of a Steak song but has a great
balance and flow.
Who today, writes
great songs? Who just kicks your ass? Why?
For me the band of the moment are Elder, talented musicians,
cool guys and song writing to a new level. They are on their way to being
absolutely huge.
Vinyl, CD, or
digital? What's your format of choice?
It’s all about vinyl and digital now. I haven’t purchased
cd’s in quite a few years and I had a big collection. I think all vinyl sales
should have a free download code with them so you get both. At the met I’m
buying 2 copies, one digital for the phone and the vinyl for home.
Whiskey or beer? And defend your choice.
I’m a beer man, nothing like an ice cold one on a hot day
and some banging tunes. Plus Whisky gets me too drunk!
What's next for the
band?
We are looking forward to touring this album, we have some
great options for euro touring and hopefully get to the US for early
2018. We also have a couple of really cool videos to shoot for the new album so
we are pretty excited about that as the director is a very talented guy and
things always get a bit crazy...
Any final comments or
thoughts you'd like to share with our readers, the waveriders?
Big love to all from the Steaks, hope to see some of you on
the road and enjoy the new tunes. We will be at the bar after the gig so come
party.
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