Q: Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how your childhood impacted your musical direction?
Adam: I’m not sure if it even did. I didn’t listen to much music as a child. It wasn’t until I was about 14 or 15 that I got into music and became kind of obsessed with it.
Dan: I come from a bit of a musical family. My grandad, Cowboy Tean, played bass in a country and western band called Lefty and the Dusty Valley Boys in the late 1950’s and 60’s. I have vague memories hanging out in bars watching him play when I was very young, but I didn’t really have any sort of musical leaning until I was maybe 13 or 14. Definitely the reason I went toward the electric bass. My folks were children of the 70’s so mom was into Bowie and dad listened to Slade and Blue Oyster Cult. That stuff definitely sunk in. I had a great bass teacher as well, a friend of my dad’s who played/plays in a punk band called Friction. I used to borrow records, The Clash, Sex Pistols, Elvis Costello, like they were homework.
Q: Can you describe the musical style of Snailgun in three words?
Adam: Just three words?
Dan: snap crackle pop
Q: How do you stay connected with your fans, and what role do they play in shaping your musical journey?
Adam: We have an intercontinental fan club and convention each year that’s very similar to the Kiss Army.
Dan: Personally, I play music and write songs that sound good to me and to Adam and to Sam. It’s gratifying that anyone else likes or is interested, but I don’t think about that when writing music.
Q: You have just released your new EP, ‘Reset Power Eject’. Is there a story behind it?
Adam: We were approached by a man with a briefcase after one of our early gigs who said that we had a big future ahead if we got into a recording studio and that he was willing to fund the entire endeavor. We booked one as soon as we could – Goatsound Studios in Preston – and spent a weekend recording our four strongest tracks. However, as soon as we got the invoice, the man with the briefcase stopped taking our calls and soon after his number was disconnected. Come to think of it, I’m still not sure what was even in that briefcase.
Dan: Behind the title? It’s right there on the cover.
Q: What is your favorite track from the EP and why?
Adam: “Old World” might be my favorite. It’s really fun to play live as it has some raw energy but a catchy hook comes out of nowhere in it.
Dan: My favourite track on the EP is “Old World.” Live, this song absolutely rips. This was one of the first songs that we wrote that really captured the power of our sound. Makes me want to start a fight.
Adam: And he starts fights, like a lot.
Q: Can you walk us through the creative process of producing the EP, “Reset Power Eject”?
Dan: We wrote these four songs before we met Sam. I had a demo of I Dreamt I Played bass from before the band started that had a totally different guitar. We shifted the key and Adam reworked all the guitar parts. One thing we kept was the messed up baritone vocal. For songs like Used and Old World, Adam sent me a guitar riff and I programmed some drums and wrote the bass and then we’d take the mostly complete song to the rehearsal room, adding lyrics later. After Sam joined, we reworked the bass and drums rhythm with some alterations that really make the song. There’s a kick drum change that Sam does and a little bass fill in the chorus that reminds me of Big Black that I like. The howl at the end of the bridge came out during a gig when we were really rocking. Sometimes you got to let it out. Back in Time came from a dream I had. I woke up with the first couple of lines pretty much fully formed and a vague memory of the sound of the song. Adam had these cool guitar riffs that came out while we jammed the song out. Sam took what was a pretty straightforward kick-snare beat and made it into something more than it was.
Q: What has been the most memorable concert or performance for Snailgun so far?
Adam: Our most recent single launch for the song “Labyrinth” was pretty cool. We played with a couple of awesome bands (Dolls and Waxman). The energy in the room was palpable. Even though it was a freezing cold day, we generated so much heat in that room that the windows were completely fogged up. By the end of the night, a lot of people had written their names on the windows. When we played the song “Labyrinth”, Dave from the band Gun Laws joined us on stage. He’s also on the recorded single which you can find on Bandcamp and Spotify – we were really proud of how it turned out.
Dan: It’s up on YouTube if you’re keen
Q: Reflecting on your body of work, each song holding its unique significance, could you share a particular track that stands out to you personally? What makes that specific tune special, and why does it hold a place of pride in your musical journey?
Adam: “I Dreamt I Played Bass” was an important one. It was written almost entirely by Dan (our bassist) before we started as a band together. He put together a demo of some songs he had written and recorded entirely by himself and that one stuck out to me as a great song. I think it helped motivate me to write some songs.
Dan: Right now, we’ve got a song called “Contract” that we play live but haven’t recorded yet. It’s the first song we wrote as a full band. It took us ages to get the timing right but Sam has this awesome right foot thing happening mixed in with this surf-rock chorus. It’s a killer song.
Q: Exploring the diverse creative processes within the music industry is always fascinating. Could you provide insight into Snailgun’s unique approach to crafting music? From the initial spark of an idea to the finished song, how do you navigate the creative journey and bring its musical concepts to life?
Adam: We write songs, bring them into the rehearsal studio, and then argue about them. If we can’t come to an agreement, we get into our cars and play chicken. The person that wins gets to put their ideas into the song.
Dan: We start with a note, sometimes an E, sometimes a B or Bb (risky) and play that over and over until the note submits to our will. Then we choose a new note and repeat the process. You put a few of those notes together and pretty soon you got yourself a song.
Q: As we wrap up our conversation, looking ahead, what aspirations or dreams do you have for you, and what message would you like to share with your fans as they continue to accompany you on this musical journey?
Adam: I would urge our fans to challenge and defeat the Kiss Army.
Dan: I’d be happy to continue playing music with these two for the next 30-40 years. That would be good enough for me.
