HITS THE SKY: An interview with The Theme!

 

Below is an exclusive interview with The Theme just after the release of their brand new 'Hits The Sky' EP!

 

To stay up to date with future interviews like our facebook page at the following link - https://www.facebook.com/aldorabritainrecords

 

 

PART 1 - THE INTERVIEW

 

What is your earliest musical memory and what pushed you towards pursuing a career in the music business?

 

Paul: "Music has always been a part of my life. One of my earliest memories of music is going to working men’s clubs as a child and watching covers bands, but it wasn't until the early 1990s that I decided to play the guitar with the emergence of the britpop era and bands like Ocean Colour Scene that not only sounded like the bands of the sixties that I loved but also looked the part."

 

Pete: "My earliest musical memory was my dad coming home from the pub, getting his Hofner acoustic guitar out and singing Elvis songs. There was always a guitar and music in the house so it was always something I was interested in, not necessarily as a career but as something to enjoy."

 

What kind of records were on around the house when you were younger and would you say that these records still influence your music today?

 

Paul: "My dad is into music just as much as me and his collection of 45s were always being played as I was growing up. Mainly bands from the 1960s like the Beatles but also The Who, Status Quo, skiffle and soul music. Hopefully all of those sounds influenced my song writing."

 

Pete: "Lots of early rock and roll, blues, country music. I was brought up on a council estate in Finsbury Park so I had lots of mates and neighbours playing reggae, ska, soul, funk so I had a bit of everything fortunately, and I definitely bring all of those to my playing whether it works and the other lads like it or not!"

 

Had you been involved in any other bands or musical ventures before The Theme?

 

Paul: "Yes from picking up the guitar in the nineties I’ve always been in bands from The Chase to Heybulldog. As soon as I learnt my first three chords I was writing songs – ‘Everything’s Fine’ on the latest EP was written around this time but never recorded until I could get the sound right which I think we did on the recording."

 

Pete: "I'd played in a blues/rock band for a while and started out in a punk/grunge type band a long time ago but I didn't play at all for a few years, so when the opportunity came along to play again I jumped at it."

 

How did The Theme begin?

 

Pete: "Paul and Gary got together to play a few songs, just to see how it sounded. By all accounts it was pretty good (it's lies, I’ve seen the video!) so they decided to get a band together with Mart 'The Mod' Gamby on drums, Reece Wiggett on guitar and Antony Morgan on bass. I was friends with Gary for a number of years and used to go to watch their early gigs which were phenomenal, and because I played guitar and harmonica I was lucky enough to join them for a few gigs before Antony left and I stepped in on the bass, initially just to fill in but they couldn’t get rid of me so I stayed! Selina Lumber joined and plays live occasionally and records, but unfortunately Reece had to leave with Darren Cade stepping in on guitar at the start of this year. The core of the band has been settled for a couple of years so with the introduction of Darren this is how we'll remain for the foreseeable future and we're sounding better than ever."

 

Can you introduce us to the band and tell us what you play?

 

"Paul Bassom - guitar/songwriter, Gary Davis - vocals, Pete Sim - bass, harmonica, guitar, Martin Gamby – drums, percussion, ukulele, Darren Cade - guitar and Selina Lumber - saxophone, keys, backing vocals."

 

Where did the name The Theme come from?

 

Pete: "You know what, no one actually knows? It’s just always been there, but we love it."

 

How would you describe the sound of The Theme?

 

Pete: "The first album was definitely more full on and in your face (we still play gigs that way) and there are a lot of different sounds on the album from quite heavy rock songs, a bit of ska, an acoustic song and some lighter moments. Definitely sixties/seventies influenced! The EP is a bit more melodic and soulful but as Paul mentions later the follow up EP will be quite different - I think as a band we'll always explore different styles and sounds which will make things interesting for us and hopefully our listeners."

 

You recently released the ‘Hits the Sky’ EP. The EP is extremely high quality with plenty of catchy tunes. Why did you choose ‘Hits the Sky’ as the title track?

 

Paul: "Well personally I saw this EP as a traditional ‘a-b’ side with 'Hits the Sky' being the lead track and the other four songs being the b-sides, as it was when bands released one a-side backed up by three or more b-sides. But it was only when we started the process of recording that I found all five songs were as strong as each other. The EP name had already stuck by then but I’m still glad we chose it because we have had really good reviews and it works great with the artwork."

 

The artwork for the EP stands out. Who designed it and what is the concept behind it?

 

Pete: "I’ve worked in graphic design for a long time and through a colleague came across a great local painter, Peter Reeds, who’s artwork really seemed to fit with the sound and feel of the songs. The first line of the song is ‘She gets frustrated when she hits the sky, and can’t come down again’ – the painting really captured that image and we were delighted Peter let us use his work. As a band we’ve met some really talented people so expect some more collaborations in the future. Music, art and imagery go hand in hand."

 

‘Twisted Little Soul’ is one of the highlights on the EP. What is this song about and what influenced it?

 

Paul: "The song is about having ambition and drive to achieve what’s important to you in life and to not let people knock you down or try and stop you from doing the things you love. The ‘twisted souls’ are the jealous people you come across in life who try and stop you from success and happiness."

 

You recently played an in-store at Pretty Green. How did this go?

Pete: "Where were you?! It was an incredible experience as it was an acoustic gig, and it made us a better, tighter band, we really had to nail it and put on a show - there was no hiding place as it was so intimate. We absolutely smashed it fortunately, and that's kind of our motto, we always give 100% no matter what. It was absolutely packed with fans and friends, and outside people were 5 deep, a really great day."

 

Do you have any 'rituals' before you go on stage?

 

Pete: "Not particularly a ritual but I check my equipment, cables, batteries, amp, strings, pedals, pretty much everything, over and over and over again until just before we start, then usually something stops working! Everyone normally has a drink or two to settle any nerves, but we can’t tell you what our drummer Mart does!"

 

Any live dates coming up?

 

Paul: "Our next shows are in Belfast on 29th June and Norwich on 19th July. Just come, we guarantee you'll want to see us again, and even if for some reason you don't you'll have the best time afterwards with us..."

 

Any new songs in the pipeline?

 

Paul: "As we speak I’m just in the process of putting some demos together for our next EP or single. They’re sounding very different to anything we’ve done previously and we’re really looking forward to getting the recording started around August time this year with Ollie Thomas, the producer of ‘Hits The Sky’."

 

When can fans expect the next official release?

 

Paul: "With recording starting in August, depending on the amount of songs and budget, we are looking at October for the next release and we will also need to find the right record label to release the tracks for us."

 

Who would be your dream collaboration?

 

Paul: "Small Faces."

 

Pete: "The Clash."

 

Who would be in your dream super group?

 

Paul: "Keith Moon on drums, Ronnie Lane on bass and songwriting, Jimmy Page lead guitar, Pete Townshend rhythm guitar, Booker T Jones on hammond and Steve Winwood on vocals."

 

Pete: "Mitch Mitchell drums, Joe Strummer on vocals, Peter Green, Jimi Hendrix and Rory Gallagher on guitar, Little Walter on harmonica, John Entwistle on bass, Neil Young on acoustic guitar, Gregg Allman on keys and the Sweet Inspirations on backing vocals."

 

 

PART 2 - THE QUICKFIRE ROUND

 

Favourite Beatle?

 

Paul: "George."

 

Pete: "George."

 

Favourite band?

 

Paul: "Small Faces."

 

Pete: "Anything with Johnny Thunders in."

 

Favourite new band?

 

Paul: "Miles Kane."

 

Pete: "Erm..."

 

Favourite song?

 

Paul: "All Or Nothing by the Small Faces."

 

Pete: "He Ain't Heavy by The Hollies, makes me cry every time I hear it. I blame Cilla Black."

 

Favourite album?

 

Paul: "Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake by the Small Faces."

 

Pete: "Kid A by Radiohead, I listened to it everyday for a year."

 

Vinyl, CD or download?

 

Paul: "Vinyl."

 

Pete: "Vinyl."

 

When you press shuffle on your iPod, what is this first song that comes on?

 

Paul: "First Time I Saw You by The Theme!"

 

Pete: "I just tried it and it was Night Of 1,000 Beards by the London Sewage Company."

 

Style icon?

 

Paul: "Steve Marriott."

 

Pete: "The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers."

 

Favourite film?

 

Paul: "Saving Private Ryan."

 

Pete: "American Werewolf In London."

 

Favourite TV show?

 

Paul: "Only Fools And Horses."

 

Pete: "Oz Aerobics."

 

Who would play you in a film of your life?

 

Paul: "Michael Caine."

 

Pete: "Ross Noble."

 

Favourite food?

 

Paul: "Indian."

 

Pete: "Indian."

 

Football team?

 

Paul: "Crystal Palace."

 

Pete: "The mighty Tottenham Hotspur."

 

 

Hope you enjoyed this feature on The Theme!

 

Be sure to check out our previous feature on The Royal Hangmen!

 

You can check out The Theme here - http://thethemeuk.com/

 

You can also like our facebook page to keep up to date with all future interviews and reviews at the following link - https://www.facebook.com/aldorabritainrecords

 

AB RECORDS

 

TURN ME ON: An interview with Vasco of Swiss garage/beat band The Royal Hangmen!

 

Below is our exclusive interview with Vasco from The Royal Hangmen, enjoy!

 

To stay up to date with future interviews like our facebook page at the following link - https://www.facebook.com/aldorabritainrecords

 

 

PART 1 - THE INTERVIEW

 

What is your earliest musical memory and what pushed you towards pursuing a career in the music business?

 

"I can recall receiving my first portable tape recorder at the age of six, together with a tape from Elvis Presley and another one with some hillbilly country and western music on it. From then on the fire was lit and it never stopped since. By watching those early seventies television shows, with chart-acts doing lip-sync, I became impressed with the idea of performing in front of people. This, and the music of the Beatles finally made me pick-up guitar lessons."

 

What kind of records were on around the house when you were younger and would you say that these records still influence your music today?

 

"Luckily, my parents had a good collection of sixties beat and rock records, and I was amazed not only by the music but also by the beautiful cover artwork. I remember hearing lots and lots of Beatles. There were also LP’s by The Who, Janis Joplin and The Rolling Stones. Apart from that they had 45’s from Jimi Hendrix ('Hey Joe'), Arthur Brown ('Fire') and some Pretty Things. This musical education definitely put me in a certain direction and has still a great impact on the music I do today."

 

Had you been involved in any other bands or musical ventures before The Royal Hangmen?

 

"I’ve played in a few bands before starting the Hangmen. The first being a Sisters Of Mercy-influenced gothic trio, then at the end the 80’s, as I was digging more and more into 60’s garage, I played guitar in The Vertical Drops, one of the few 80’s garage bands in Switzerland. But we’ve only released two tapes and never made it much further. Some years later I’ve started my first own band The Vicious Circle. With them I started singing and writing all the material for the first time. Despite releasing an album on CD, this group also didn’t make much of an impression and disbanded soon after the release. Then I took a very long break until the idea of forming a garage band came around..."

 

How did The Royal Hangmen begin?

 

 

"In the first place there was Roger (bass) and me. We had worked together as DJ’s for quite some time, and on one of those nights we thought it may be a good idea to play some of this stuff by our own. Our intention was just to fool around a bit, playing 60’s garage covers with no more than three chords, and having a good time. But a guitar and bass is not much of a band, so we watched out for a drummer and an organ player. Very quickly we found Christopher for the banging and completed the line up with Patrick on the organ. We spent quite a lot of time and money until we collected the right equipment together. It was clear for us that we need to have vintage gear to achieve the right sound. After our first gig, we were approached by some guys to record a demo. Strangely, when we put up that demo on MySpace, there were people from France and Greece becoming interested in our band which led to our first releases on compilations, playing abroad in France and finally to our first 7” on Greek label Lost In Tyme records."

 

Can you introduce us to the band and tell us what you play?

 

"The actual line up consists of Roger on bass, Patrick on the organ, Daniel on harmonica and percussion, Luca on drums, and me handling the vocal and guitar duties. Daniel was added to line up in 2009 after Christopher, our first drummer, left in the summer of 2011 to become our booking agent."

 

Where did the name The Royal Hangmen come from?

 

"When the British beat boom caused a stir in the USA, lots of these bands pretended to be English, just to survive. We liked the idea of being this Swiss band, doing their 'English thing'. As you know, we’ve never had it much with royals in our country but for us as a band the British music culture is, and always will be the main influence. And to have hangmen at your service, was a necessity at certain times in the past...wasn't it?"

 

How would you describe the sound of The Royal Hangmen?

 

"As I mentioned before, we are very strongly influenced by all kinds of British bands. We all love The Who, The Small Faces, The Kinks, The Troggs, The Beatles and The Stones and so on. And off course we dig The Jam, Oasis and many others. Then, there’s all the American garage stuff from the sixties, that draws us in, and we all have a strong addiction for R&B and soul, too. So, that’s all the elements you can hear to some degree in our music."

 

You have released one eponymous LP to date. The cover has quite a retro look to it harking back to the fifties and sixties. Was this the concept behind the artwork and why did you choose this particular shot?

 

"A record cover should in some way express what can be expected on the inside. And of course, we can be seen as a 'retro band', but I think we also have a contemporary element in our music. The photo of the band was meant to look like the early cover shots of those sixties beat bands."

 

The CD version of the LP features one cover track entitled ‘Bird Doggin’’. Where did you first hear this track and what pushed you into recording your own version?

 

"I discovered this track while searching for new stuff to play as a DJ. It amazed from the first listening, especially not knowing that Gene Vincent did such terrific stuff in the mid-sixties. I just knew his 50’s tunes until then. As a band, we started with just doing cover versions. There was no intention to write our own stuff. This has changed over the years, and we now play mostly our own songs. But we never stopped doing other peoples songs, because it’s fun and it is also a good exercise. When it came to choosing tracks for the album, we were working on 'Bird Doggin'', liked the way it sounded, then decided to include it."

 

The album also featured the two tracks from your double A-sided single, ‘Mary Jane’ / ‘You Better Tell That Girl’. What is ‘Mary Jane’ about and what influenced it?

 

"Musically, I wanted to do an up tempo garage rocker with a garage punk feel. The lyrics have a double meaning. You can think that it is about a wrecked love affair, or something else that has more to do with plants..."

 

What about ‘You Better Tell That Girl’?

 

"This one’s also about a love affair, which is about to end. But this time there’s a ray of hope. The guy in the song needs to be convinced to make up his mind and forgive her for being so cruel. I’m very happy with the twelve string jingle-jangle sound of this song, influenced by The Byrds and The Chesterfield Kings."

 

Your style of music has quite a retro edge to it but what are your views on the current music scene?

 

"As there is not much music in the last few years that can actually be called 'new', it seems like almost everything these days is in some ways sort of retro. Generally, everything with a good hook, nice guitars and decent songwriting turns me on. And occasionally there pops up a band here and there, that I really like."

 

Do you have any 'rituals' before you go on stage?

 

"No, we don’t. We just go out and play and beat the shit out of it."

 

Any live dates coming up?

 

"We are going to play with US-psych band The Warlocks in March, and we will come over to England for the very first time. So far, we are booked for the Trip Out Festival in Bedfordshire in September, and are now looking for other shows over there to make it a proper tour."

 

Any new songs in the pipeline?

 

"We are working on new songs, but nothing is finished yet. Since the release of the album, we’ve been playing a lot and did not have enough time to concentrate on the new stuff. Our plan is to finish the new songs in the summer, and then try them out live and eventually record them at the end of the year. We are a very slow working band and it always takes a lot of time until we have a song ready."

 

When can fans expect the next official release?

 

"The next project is already in the pipeline. We are doing an EP with cover versions of our favourite garage revival band’s of the 80’s. Recording is scheduled for March, the release will hopefully be before summer."

 

Who would be your dream collaboration?

 

"I would love to play some tunes with Noel Gallagher, one of the greatest songwriters alive."

 

Who would be in your dream super group?

 

"Otis Redding on vocals, Lou Reed on guitar, Steve Marriott on guitar and vocals, Paul McCartney on bass, Kenny Jones on drums and Booker T. Jones on the organ." 

 

 

PART 2 - THE QUICKFIRE ROUND

 

Favourite Beatle?

 

"Paul."

 

Favourite band?

 

"Velvet Underground."

 

Favourite new band?

 

"Jake Bugg."

 

Favourite song?

 

"Pale Blue Eyes, Velvet Underground."

 

Favourite album?

 

"There are so many favourite albums, I can't decide on one."

 

Vinyl, CD or download?

 

"Vinyl."

 

When you press shuffle on your iPod, what is this first song that comes on?

 

"I don't have an iPod..."

 

Style icon?

 

"Mick Jagger."

 

Favourite film?

 

"The Big Lebowski."

 

Favourite TV show?

 

"Mad Men."

 

Who would play you in a film of your life?

 

"Robert de Niro."

 

Favourite food?

 

"Italian pasta."

 

Football team?

 

"No sports, please!"

 

 

Photography by RabbitRiot.net, taken from The Royal Hangmen facebook page!

 

 

Hope you enjoyed this feature on The Royal Hangmen!

 

Be sure to check out our previous feature on the Stone Thieves!

 

You can check out The Royal Hangmen here - http://theroyalhangmen.ch/wp/

 

You can also like our facebook page to keep up to date with all future interviews and reviews at the following link - https://www.facebook.com/aldorabritainrecords

 

AB RECORDS

SHINE ON: An interview with Stone Thieves frontman Aaron Gardner ahead of the release of their second EP!

 

The Stone Thieves have returned!  The band released the critically acclaimed debut EP, 'New Mexico', last year, now their back with their follow up effort, 'Brush off the Rust'! AB Records catches up with frontman Aaron Gardner to find out the ins and outs of the brand new EP! Enjoy and share!

 

 

AB: "Hi Aaron, it’s been a while since we last spoke.  What’s been happening with the Stone Thieves?"

 

AG: "Afternoon sir!  Yeah it has, maybe a year or so!  A fair bit.  We picked up a new member on the road somewhere!  There are now two guitars in the band.  Played a shed load of gigs and worked on the new material.  We've been doing the groundwork as they say, building the foundation."

 

AB: "You’ve recently finished recording a brand new EP.  The tracks seem to have a different feel to them than the ‘New Mexico’ EP.  Was this intentional?"

 

AG: "Not neccesarily, although we don't play any of them songs live anymore, except the title track.  Having another guitarist who is more than capable of lead parts or rhythm parts has helped it develop.  You start to write with the other player in mind or he'll throw his own spin on it sometimes.  'New Mexico' was us finding our feet after forming.  The good stuff has stayed, the lessons were learnt and the bad stuff has gone.  Different inspirations this time around as well."

 

AB: "The new sound seems to be routed in a more bluesy, rootsy sound.  Would you say this is an accurate assessment and what influenced this new sound?"

 

AG: "We're all into the same kind of music, we have just narrowed it down to what influences work when we bring them together as a band.  I've always been interested in blues playing and roots style guitar, it just didn't fit in to the old three piece line up.  Our new guitarist, Mike, has a style that compliments mine.  He's into his John Fogerty, Duane Allman, Neil Young style of playing.  I've also been playing in open tunings a lot which is new to all of us."

 

AB: "The EP is to be entitled ‘Brush Off The Rust’.  Where did this title come from?"

 

AG: "It's kind of an answer to the idea of the first EP title 'New Mexico', which was a reference to us testing new ground, all of us at the time hadn't worked in a band like we created.  So 'Brush Off The Rust' is my way of saying that this again is something new, but underneath we are still the same people, still write about the same things, it's just been freshened up.  We're never going to reinvent the wheel, we're just doing what we know.  It may be me saying that we've ditched old habits and taken it back to roots... But rust never sleeps, so who knows where it will go next!"

 

AB: "The EP is a top class record. The final tune, 'Shine On', stands out for us at AB Records however – especially with the nice wee reference to the Stones’ 'You Got the Silver' in the lyrics.  It seems to be a very uplifting tune with a chorus that you could tunelessly scream along to all day at gigs!  Where did the concept of this song come from and what inspired the tune?"

 

AG: "Thanks man, appreciate the kind words.  I had the chorus in my head for a long time, just the main hook like, but it took a while to refine it.  I knew I didn't want to complicate the chorus so maybe I do intend for it to be screamed all day long!  The concepts usually come after for me.  But it's basically the idea that two people can be on the same page of a different book, and that eventually is accepted.  It's somebody saying to somebody else... I wanted that, you didn't, so don't worry about, chin up, you shine through the shadows. Somebody recently suggested that I had wrote the song in awe of another band or as an appreciation to another band.  I can see that, but it's definitely not true..."

 

AB: "How have the new tunes gone down at gigs?"

 

AG: "Yeah real good.  'Shine On' is a crowd pleaser.  Nice to play as well.  We've got a couple of heavier blues numbers that go down well."

 

AB: "There are a number of Stone Thieves song which have references to American places.  For example, 'New Mexico' on the first EP and 'Red River' on ‘Brush Off The Rust’.  Your sound is also heavily influenced by American groups and musical styles.  What is it about the culture that attracts you as a lyricist and musician?"

 

AG: "Red River is about getting drunk!  There's a bottle called Red River Bourbon.  You should give it a try man!  You're right though.  It's also a ski resort in New Mexico believe it or not.  Didn't know that at the time of writing.  Can't put my finger on it really.  I loved western films as a kid.  The romanticising of a story or a place, the imagery as well.  I've never been one for writing about politics or a night out down the local working mans club.  The ideas are probably rooted the same way, I just like dressing it up a bit.  In all honesty it's not too intentional.  I listen to a lot of American roots music though.  I think it's the honesty in the heart of country music and blues that I like but more contemporary southern rock acts seem to dress it up a bit."

 

AB: "You’ve sent some press shots over to me and the band seem to have a certain edge about them and you always seem to be looking pretty cool as a unit.  Is the look as important to the Stone Thieves as the music?"

 

AG: "The music comes first, but we're all into our clothes.  Having a brand is important, I think too many people judge a book by the cover nowadays."

 

 

Hope you enjoyed this feature on the Stone Thieves!

 

Be sure to check out our previous feature on Merrymouth and Pete MacLeod!

 

You can check out the Stone Thieves here - https://www.facebook.com/stonethieves

 

You can also like our facebook page to keep up to date with all future interviews and reviews at the following link - https://www.facebook.com/aldorabritainrecords

 

AB RECORDS