What have been your musical epiphany moments?
I first wanted to learn to play guitar after seeing the video for ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’. That hook just grabbed my attention, & I was like “fuck yea I wanna play that”. I wrote & played guitar on a couple tracks for a producer & started shadowing him mixing it etc. That was another moment, where I knew I wanted to get more involved with the production side of things. I went & sat with Jon Astley when he mastered our album ‘Bullets & Blues’, & he was complimentary on the work I’d done which made me think “you know what, I can do this shit man”.
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?
I usually start with by noodling on an acoustic guitar. I use a lot of weird/open tunings & just jam shit out. Then I’ll put random words together to decide on a melody & it all falls from there really. Most of what I write, I have no idea what I’m writing about until I read it back & go “ah that’s clearly about.....” I can’t sit down & force myself to write about anything in particular. Nine out of ten times I just write & see what comes. A lot of them a made up stories, some about love, anger, whatever comes to fruition.
Who has influenced you the most?
My uncle was my biggest influence in music. I used to go to record shops with him as a kid. He used to make me tapes of all different music, The Clash, Curtis Mayfield, The Damned, Rage Against The Machine, Booker T & The MG’s. All sorts really.
Where do you look for continuing inspiration? New ideas, new motivation?
Everywhere & anywhere. Life events. Shit going on in the world. Reading old stories or listening to people tell their stories. As for ideas, old music is a good source. I use a lot of open & weird tunings so that quite often generates a new motivation or idea.
We're all a product of our environment. Tell us about the band's hometown and how that reflects in the music?
We’re all from Woking. I mean, there’s a fair musical heritage there I’d say haha. I don’t think there’s anything that really reflects where we are from in our music other than our accents. Maybe other people could see it more than we do.
Where'd the band name come from?
I’ve always struggled with naming bands. So I kind of give up trying & let the universe do its thing. I was in Vegas playing blackjack & some American bloke just kept shouting “Woo, yea, USA. I love blackjack”. I was hammered & thought it could be a cool name.
You have one chance, what movie are you going to write the soundtrack for?
Pulp Fiction. Not that I’m sure we could better it.
You now write for a music publication (The Ripple Effect?). You're going to write a 1,000 word essay on one song. Which would it be and why?
Inner City Blues by Marvin Gaye off of ‘What’s Going On?’ Like you can hear the pain, soul, longing in his voice. That was like his change from sex symbol to a man with a message & its fucking poetic man.
Come on, share with us a couple of your great, Spinal Tap, rock and roll moments?
Loads man. Too much to say. Power going out. People rumbling. Guitar being thrown off the stage into the crowd, & it being caught. That was pretty fierce actually. Got the name wrong of where we was playing once, along with then names of the other bands.
Tell us about playing live and the live experience for you and for your fans?
We’re rock n roll baby, it’s we do what we do. It’s loud, it’s proud & you’ll be moving & grooving with us.
What makes a great song?
Great hooks. Great lyrics. There’s got to be a groove or a vibe to it. Something that makes you tap your feet or hum along to it without you realising you do it.
Tell us about the first song you ever wrote?
It was in a band I was in back in school, & it was shit. Some might argue not a lot has changed.
What piece of your music are particularly proud of?
My favourite piece I’ve ever made is ‘Electric Light’. Everything about writing it, recording it, mixing it, the lot. The guitars were recorded in a pool house. Just everything about that track does it for me. It came out on record exactly how I heard it in my head.
Who today, writes great songs? Who just kicks your ass? Why?
I’d say Dave Grohl ain’t too bad at writing a killer track. Josh Homme. Alex Turner is probably the greatest lyricist out there at the moment. The way he fits words into his lines is nothing short of genius.
Vinyl, CD, or digital? What's your format of choice?
Vinyl all day long. It’s how music should be listened to.
Whiskey or beer? And defend your choice
Whiskey. Puts hairs on your chest. Warms the cockles. Keeps the weight down more. What’s not to love?
We, at the Ripple Effect, are constantly looking for new music. What's your home town, and when we get there, what's the best record store to lose ourselves in?
Woking is our roots. You know, I don’t think there’s a decent record store there anymore! There is however a great record shop in Camberley, called The Rock Box. Definitely check it out.
What's next for the band?
We have another single coming out in the foreseeable. So that will probably see out the year. Then once we can get back gigging you will hopefully see our name in the lights a lot more. Oh, & world domination of course.
Any final comments or thoughts you'd like to share with our readers, the waveriders?
Go check us out, on all the normal socials. Drop us a message. Say hi. Hopefully you all dig us, & thanks for taking the time to chat with us. Mucho amor x
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