Words by Simon Hadley.
Photo by Emile Lopez.
Jaws of a Giant is a post-punk rock band from Bristol consisting of: Jack Hudson (bass and vocals) George Atherton (guitar and backing vocals) Sophie Lawrence (synth and backing vocals) and Owen Gatley (drums and backing vocals).
Their influences range from: At The Drive In, Hot Snakes and Them Crooked Vultures, to name a few. I recently spoke to Sophie Lawrence to find out about their plans for the future.
Who are the Jaws of a Giant and how long have you been together?
Jaws of a Giant are a post-punk/rock band from Bristol. We have been practicing together for around a year and a half now so quite a while! We practiced for quite a while initially before putting ourselves ‘out there’, as we felt we wanted to be musically tight and mentally ready for live shows and recording.
Whose idea was it to put the band together and how did you first meet?
At first, Owen, Sophie and Jack practiced with a friend – Ben Welch on guitar. Sophie and Ben were at Bristol Uni together and Owen and Jack both went to UWE. In late 2008, George (also at UWE) replaced Ben as he needed to give time to other commitments. Really, it has been a mutual affair…we all really enjoy playing music and playing music together, and so it was not really a dream of just one person, but four people.
Who are your main musical influences?
Main influences…all our tastes put together make for quite an eclectic mix really. However, the main ones we all agree on would be At The Drive In, Future Of The Left, Them Crooked Vultures, Hot Snakes, Pulled Apart By Horses and Monotonix…amongst others!
What do you like best about the band’s sound and music and what things are you still working on to improve or what things aren’t fully conveyed yet?
I think the best thing about our sound is that the songs are quite diverse…each song has something different about it but we still seem to keep an over-arching post-punk style. Some tracks are more experimental whereas others are just plain crazy! We still feel like some songs need work…we are a fairly new band so we definitely can improve. Also…we really want to make sure we convey our energy in our live shows…we feel this will be what really draws people in to the music that we love playing so much.
How did the first gig nerves hold up?
We were all pretty nervous for the first gig…quite a few of our friends came and that is almost worse than playing to strangers! However…we had a band huddle, did some shouting, did some jumping around…did some more shouting when we got on stage…and then we felt ok haha! The sound check went really well though and that always helps.
What do like about playing live? What’s the best part about it? What’s difficult?
The best thing about playing live…well speaking personally – there’s 2 things for me. The first is where you are really nervous before you start…but as soon as you hit that first note, the nerves turn into adrenaline and then you just enjoy it from then on. The second thing is to see the crowd enjoying your music – it’s one thing for you to enjoy what you have created, but when others really get into it, it’s an amazing feeling.
What sort of responses have you been getting after playing live in and around Bristol?
We have only played 2 gigs so far but have quite a few lined up…from the 2 gigs we have done – people seem to really enjoy the music, and the live show. It’s really nice to hear good feedback from friends, but even better to get a positive response from people we don’t know and those putting on the shows.
What are Jaws of a Giant’s hopes for the future?
We don’t necessarily want the whole ‘fame and fortune’ thing…we just enjoy creating and playing music. We hope to get more gigs in Bristol, and across the UK. We will carry on to creating new songs and hope to keep up the energetic live shows to keep people entertained! Ultimately, it is about the music for us – so if we don’t make it to the charts, we don’t see that as a failure necessarily!
http://www.myspace.com/jawsofagiant
Words by Simon Hadley.
Photos: Doors To No Where.
Doors To No Where, hailing from Santa Cruz, California consists of guitarist and vocalist Marc Lewis, drummer Alex Ross and bass player Sean Sandford.
They are members of the RRise family and count hardcore punk legend’s Bl’ast as friends. Doors To No Where is a band that is ready to take the world by storm.
I caught up with guitarist Marc Lewis to find out more.
How did the formation of the band come about and how did you guys meet?
Everything kind of fell into place. I had just moved back to the area of Santa Cruz. I knew I wanted to play music again. I thought about getting my old band Live Wire back together for a show or two, but really I wanted something brand new.
I really love writing my own music. I learned how to play the guitar being in a band so I knew in order for me to be happy I needed to be in a band. I thought about getting my old band Live Wire back together for a show or two and there was even talk of a Fire Sermon reunion, but I really wanted something that was brand new. I had done some work with drummer Alex Ross in a project called ‘King Nothing’. In my time away from Santa Cruz I kinda got lost and fell of the map. I had not talked to Alex for about year.
He probably thought I was crazy cause I just called out of the blue and said let’s play some music. The direct quote was: “You’re alive?” classic Alex, but it worked out perfectly.
We got in a room and just jammed. I booked us a show at a local club. We had no songs, no bass player and no name, but it was a total kick start, it kind of helped create a local buzz about the band, like it was some sort of secret project.
That’s when Sean came into the picture. I grew up with the guy and I knew he played bass. I got his number and gave him a call. He showed up plugged in, cracked a beer open and just started ripping. Five weeks later we were on stage.
Who are you main influences?
I have so many its not even funny. I grew up loving punk rock, bands like: Bl’ast, The Germs, Black Flag, but I also love Led Zeppelin and AC/DC. I also listen to a lot of Kyuss and Megadeth i am really all over the map as far as my main influences are concerned.
I originally started out as a drummer, but I have always loved the guitar. There is a Chili Peppers song called I Could Have Lied on the album ‘Blood Sugar Sex Magic’. The solo on that song just pushed me over the edge. I wanted to do that. Just be able to melt faces with a guitar solo. John Frusciante is one of my favourite guitar players. I love bands and players that separate themselves from the pack.
You’ve described yourself as: ‘Party Rock’ on your Facebook page, how do you feel about people drawing comparisons with yourselves and other ‘desert rock’ Californian bands (I use the ‘desert rock’ term lightly!).
The party rock thing is really just an inside joke with the band. We all love to party and have a good time. It’s funny as I am such a joker and laid a back guy. People who know me trip out a little on my music and lyrics. I’m not surprised we get lumped into the desert rock scene. I listen to that stuff and we are friends with a lot of those bands. It’s not a bad category to be put in, I mean any time you can be lumped with a giant like Kyuss, it’s got to be a good thing.
How does it feel to be part of the RRise family, alongside bands such as Bl’ast and Fu Manchu?
RRise is our home. It’s by far the best merchandise company I have ever been involved with. It’s more like a family, plus they are legit, that company knows how to do it and having Fu Manchu and Bl’ast on the roster is great. I love both of those bands. We are planning on doing a lot more with RRise in the very near future.
What kind of reaction have you been getting in and around California?
We have had some great shows. The crowds have not let us down and I hope we have not let them down. I take playing live very seriously. Music needs to be in the moment, live energy. Too many bands are worried about how cool they look that I think they forget what music is about.
How useful have websites such as Facebook and Myspace been in getting Doors To No Where to a wider audience?
Social sites make the world go round. It has been a great way to get our name out there and reach the fans, but I don’t want to be just another Myspace band. In a way it takes away some of the magic.
I mean there is magic in getting in a crappy van with your bro’s with no money and hitting the road with nothing but your music to back you. The whole digital world can make this happen for a lot of bands. Your connections can be clicks away, but that can also help spread a lot of crap.
California has always seemed to have been a hot bed for rock and metal bands. What do you think the reasons for this are?
I think it probably has a lot to do with L.A. and San Francisco. California is a very open state, very excepting of all sorts of art and music. It’s full of culture and personality, not to mention it’s the centre of the entertainment world.
Are there bands locally that you guys are currently influenced by or could recommend for us to check out?
Vincent’s Ear just put out an album entitled: ‘Earth to Space’. It was produced by Kyuss bass player Scott Reeder and was recorded in Reeder’s studio, it’s a must have.
Dusted Angel is a force, my buddy Jared Hajduk, formally of the band Del Rio, has a yet to be-named project coming out soon that will be mind blowing. Jared is such an exciting and dangerous guitar player, you never know what you’re gonna get.
Are there any plans to tour the rest of the US in the future? Personally, I think a joint tour with Gusto would be awesome!
I’m with you on that one! Mike from Gusto and I will be playing together real soon. That’s a killer band, and I’m sure that when our next album comes out we will be doing some heavy support for it. I’m a huge believer in bringing it live; there are so many bands that can’t perform live, that is just not right to me.
I really think music has gotten so far away from its roots. It should be about the music and my idea would be to have Gusto and us hit the road and a film crew to record it all and see what comes of it.
Also, on the subject of touring, are you guys eventually looking to one day bring Doors To No Where to the UK and the rest of Europe?
I would love to and when the time comes we will be bringing are party any where we can. If we make it over there you better be ready to have a beer! It seems like the UK and Europe are way ahead of the U.S when it comes to rock music. Orange Goblin and us, let’s do this!
You’ve released an EP entitled ‘I’m Alive’, are there any plans to release a full length album in the future?
We sure did. We actually recorded ‘I’m Alive’ about six months into the bands life. The title track ‘I’m Alive’ was the first song written. For the most part that whole disc is about getting back on the horse in a way. The past four years or so we were kind of lost in translation for me, but I’m back and I’m feeling good. I’m in a great place and surrounded by great people.
As for the future of the band, we just started tracking and writing new tunes. I’m so excited for the future. We will be hitting the studio in June and will be working on a full length album.
The band is ready and the band is pumped. The new songs seem to have a new energy and a life of their own. I’m not sure I have ever have been so excited about my own music. I’m always my worst critic, but with these new songs I’m just feeling like it’s the best stuff I’ve ever written.
To check out the bands ‘I’m Alive’ EP, visit their Myspace page at: http://www.myspace.com/doorstonowheremusic
Words by Simon Hadley.
Photos: Girlfriends.
Formed from the ashes of local garage bands in the Boston, Massachusetts area, lo-fi indie band, Girlfriends have been making waves both in America and on message boards across the UK.
I recently spoke with Andy, Ben and Jenny to find out what has been behind their current success.
How did the formation of the band come about?
Jenny: Well we all knew each other through mutual friends and we all knew that we all played different instruments and none of us were playing in band at the time really… so we decided to play together and now we have a band!
Andy: Ben and my band competed for the high school battle of the bands and we both lost but we were both neck and neck.
Ben: I didn’t really meet Andrew though until 2008 in The Holiday Band, he played drums and I played acoustic guitar and we covered Spiral Staircase.
What kind of feedback have you been receiving in the United States?
Andy: Well… good feedback, lots of love, blogs like us, local weeklies…
Jenny: Shows have been pretty well attended and have been really fun.
How did it feel to be featured on the Boston Herald’s 10 Bands to Watch List for 2010?
Ben: I was really surprised because we’d only been around for like a few months.
Andrew: We had only played a handful of shows.
Jenny: But we had a tape out. It was surprising but it felt good, the only thing is that they said we destining to break up.
Andy: I didn’t understand that comment.
What are you favourite types of venues to play live?
Jenny: Basement shows, definitely because you get to stand really close to your friends and play music for them and it’s really fun. It’s comfortable as it’s almost like you’re in a practise space.
Andy: The sound normalises and everything goes at the same level.
Any plans to release a debut album within the next year or so, either digitally or on vinyl?
Jenny: Yeah, there’s a 7-inch coming out in late spring and hopefully another one. We have a bunch of songs recorded; I think we’re going to release a couple of 7-inchs.
How successful have website such as Last FM and MySpace been in getting the band across to a wider audience?
Ben: Last FM has a really terrible interface, where if you have the same name as another band you have to share your name with them.
Jenny: There are other bands that share our name, there’s like a competition to see whose picture pops up when you type in Girlfriends.
Ben: But MySpace is useful for having streaming audio up and a centralised location. People know to look for MySpace, but it’s definitely like the lowest common denominator for websites.
Jenny: It’s weird though, as I feel that MySpace has failed in comparison to Facebook recently as a social networking website, but as far as the music goes it’s not bad.
Ben: It’s really ease to get stuff on there (MySpace) and that definitely a benefit. In the DIY punk community, people want to avoid it because of who owns it, but then people want to use it because it’s the easiest thing to use if you’re doing it yourself.
You guys are building up quite an underground fan base on message boards across the UK, are there any plans to tour the UK in the future?
All: Yes! Yes! Yes! If you’ll have us!
Jenny: Hopefully within a year, we’ll be there (UK) and Europe in general, but there will be a US tour in the summer.
Where did the idea come from to release a lot of your early songs on cassettes and what sort of reaction have you been getting from fans at shows and online?
Jenny: I’d say it’s a mixed reaction. A lot of people are like: “Cassette… WHAT?” but then a lot of people are excited about it too, because they’re neat to have.
Ben: I think generally that people who listen to music like that we’re releasing stuff on cassettes because people who are fans of music are fans of different ways in which music comes out, some people like vinyl, some people like compact disks, but a lot of us in this age bracket (mid 20’s) grew up with cassettes. They’re really fun and make me feel good, but people tend to ask us questions about them a lot.
They seem to be pointed questions sometimes, there sort of insinuating like its pretentious or something…
Andy: Yeah, like: “I hate your cassette?”
Ben: We’re been asked if we think it’s pretentious or wilfully like we it’s dead media and we shouldn’t be doing it, which I think is silly. I think the format can fit what type of music you’re doing; I think pop songs sound good on cassettes also, their cheap to make and cheap to sell.
It says on your MySpace page that you are more or less influenced by everything (apart from rap!) Are there any particular bands that you’ve been influenced by more than others?
Ben: The Hollies, The Beatles, we cover The Vaselines and The Modern Lovers because we like those bands.
Andy: I think we’re very inspired by a lot of bands around here that are doing things, I mean you’re very inspired by what’s going on around you.
A lot of 60’s pop, surf bands.
http://www.myspace.com/girlfriendsus
