Q: Hey, can you tell us a bit about where you come from, and what made you want to start a career in music?
A: Gaz – We both come from God’s own country – West Yorkshire. We’ve done a bit of travelling about though. I ended up coming back home and Joe ended up buggering off to that Ireland!
Joe – Yeah, I’m from a town in Yorkshire called Castleford but have been living in County Tipperary, Ireland for the past 5 years. I’ve loved music as long as I can remember and just always been drawn to it. I love how music can evoke emotions in you or even make your body do an unconscious physical reaction, like the hair standing up on the back of your neck or lump in your throat or tear in your eye. Thats like magic man.
Gaz – I don’t think I could pinpoint a single moment when I decided to embark on a musical journey; mi dad was massively into (proper) rock n roll and folk. Dad was always playing guitar and he played in a band doing covers of Buddy Holly, Elvis, Eddie Cochran etc and also a Celidh band. Mum was a massive Beatles an Steeley Span fan and she was the caller in the ceilidh band. Music was always hugely important in our house. I can remember being very young and bouncing round the living room to mums Steeley Span records.
Q: Did you have any formal training, or are you self-taught?
A: Joe – Nah no way haha, I can’t read music or any of that stuff. My Dad got me a guitar when I was about 8 but I couldn’t do it and plus I wanted to be a drummer, then when I was about 12 I picked his guitar up and taught myself by listening to songs and figuring them out and then writing my own.
Gaz – I picked up the fiddle when I was about 6 and played until I was about 12ish when I discovered the Stone Roses, I immediately acquired a bass and started a band! Spent the following 30 odd years adding new instruments to my repertoire, learning to record, gigging and living the dream. I only had lessons on the fiddle. I made the rest up myself.
Q: Who were your first and strongest musical influences?
A: Joe – Oh man there’s so many. Music was always in the house when I was growing up. I’m named after Joe Strummer so obviously I heard The Clash a lot. But one moment I’ll always remember was when my Dad took me to see Metallica when I was 11 and that had a massive impact on me. I remember being stood outside waiting to get in and they were sound checking the drums and when they did the bass drum I could feel it in my chest and I just thought it was so cool how loud it was. Johnny Cash too has been a big influence on me, I’ve always loved his story telling in his songs.
Nirvana were a big part of my life musically, I just loved the whole sound and vibe of them. And I remember being about 9 and my uncle got me The Beatles anthology on tape and I used to listen to that before I went to sleep every night for quite a while. I’m also a big fan of Josh Homme. I love how all the QOTSA album are different but you still know its them as soon as you hear them. I basically enjoy anything that has got a bit of soul in it or attitude to it.
Gaz – Same as Joe said, I could give you a varied list of massive influences: Buddy Holly, Johnny Cash, Iron Maiden, Ralph McTell, Stone Roses, the Beatles, Carter the unstoppable sex machine, Nirvana, dinosaur Jr, The Levellers, Bellowhead, The Fureys, Kyuss, Queen’s of the Stoneage, Mastodon and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. I’ve been in love with music for a long time but really I’d say my biggest and of course earliest influence was Mum n Dad. They were the ones who showed me how much fun it was!
Q: You have just released your new single, ‘Without Love’ Is there a story behind it?
A: Gaz – The words and chords came from out of Joe’s massive brain so I can’t talk about the official meaning but to me it resonates with my love for my family.
Joe – I suppose there’s a story behind every song but this one kinda wrote itself once I had the first line. Basically this song is about realising that whatever we have, or think we need, be it material possessions, clothes, cars, a house … none of that really means anything if we haven’t got love and happiness in our lives and I think sometimes we can all forget that and this song is meant to be a reminder I guess. This album we’ve just made has kinda turned into a story of a man on a journey of self reflection and coming out of the otherside a better person for it and ‘Without Love’ is the final track.
Gaz – Additionally, I lost my Dad a couple of years ago. Everytime I listen to this song I can feel his hand on my shoulder. I know he’d have loved this song!
Q: Can we expect a new EP or even an album from you in the near future?
A: Gaz – Currently beavering away, adding the finishing touches to the album. I’ll let Joe fill you in on that.
Joe – Absolutely! The album is called ‘The Wayseeker’ and will be released before the end of the year.
Q: What do you feel are the key elements in your music that should resonate with listeners, and how would you personally describe your sound?
A: Joe – I like to write songs as openly and honestly as I can and try to do them in a way where people can take whatever they want from them. If I can ever make anyone relate to anything I’m singing about and make them feel like they’re not alone in feeling that way then that’s amazing and if someone just likes a song because of the melody or chorus then that’s amazing too.
The sound we’ve gone for in this album is kind of old but modern. We wanted it to have that 60s/70s vibe because we both totally dig that sound and a lot of the music from that era and the sounds they used to get with the recording techniques and equipment. But having said that I can almost guarantee the next record will have a different sound to this one. The song writing process will be the same I imagine but me and Gaz don’t wanna just do the same thing and same sound every record.
Gaz – On this album it’s very much a hybrid. Since it started as an acoustic ‘man and guitar vibe’ the folk element is very strong. However, since I got my hands on it I’ve tried to inject a bit of 60s pop/rock and a bit of hip hop in equal measures. People should listen and make their own minds up though. We really don’t do genres. Or we do them all? Not sure … You could say we’re “genre neutral”. Who knows? We’re already planning the next album it’s gonna be a synthwave/mathrock crossover!
Q: Do you feel that your music is giving you back just as much fulfillment as the amount of work you are putting into it, or are you expecting something more?
A: Joe – Writing music is just what I do and it’s part of me. Every time I write a song I feel fulfillment, it’s good for my soul. Writing music or making an album isn’t “work” to me either, it’s exciting and just something I’ll always do and enjoy and I’m lucky enough to be able to do with one of my closest friends. I never expect anything, that’s how you cause yourself suffering. I just enjoy what I do and keep myself in the moment.
Gaz – The more music I make, the more I love it, the more I love it the more music I make … I wouldn’t mind being a little less skint though.
Q: Could you describe your creative processes? How do usually start, and go about shaping ideas into a completed song?
A: Joe – I’ll either get a guitar melody in my head or a lyric while I’m out walking with the dogs or driving the car and then come home and get the guitar out and see what happens. I don’t write lyrics down either until I’ve come up with the full song off the top of my head because I feel like if I can’t remember them without writing them down then they’re probably no good.
For this album I wrote some lyrics n guitar parts and sent them to Gaz and he added other instruments and made them into what you hear now and it’s worked really well.
Gaz – I usually start with a guitar riff or a drum beat and build it from there. Once everything is recorded I do about 7 million different mixes, add things, take things away, redo stuff and once it’s finished it’s finished. You can’t rush me though.
Q: What has been the most difficult thing you’ve had to endure in your life or music career so far?
A: Joe – I’ve had a few difficult moments in life like I’m sure everyone has but I don’t dwell on things like that anymore though because it serves me no purpose.
G – Being into music, playing music, performing; none of these things are difficult if you have love for what you’re doing. I’ve never had to “endure” in that respect. I have however learned to cope with being short of money. Life itself has thrown me quite a few curveballs and my fair share of misery but I’ve always come through the other side a better person and found my happy place (usually in music and in more recent years with my wife n kids). I have no regrets or “bad memories” . It all brought me to where I am now, and for that I’m grateful.
