Wishbone Interview (Irish Band)

matthayward

Interview with Irish Music Scene
Wishbone Interview with Irish Music Scene - April 2009

(www.myspace.com/wishboneband)

1. I had an idea in my head of what I expected you to sound like based on your counterparts in the Irish music scene, then I listened and you are completely different, what do you think it is that makes you so different?

Ivan: I don't really know. We have a pretty wide range of influences that we draw upon, but at the end of the day, we don't try to sound like anyone - it's all pretty organic. When you get 2 or more people together, and they each bring a different set of influences to the table, and click the way we do, then you kind of reach a middle ground between your 2 starting points, and everything blends to create something new. And thats how we write a lot of the time - the songs just tends to write themselves.


Matt: We never limit ourselves to any particular format of song writing, so anything goes. I suppose the only rule we have is to keep it 'ballsy''.


2. Your label says 'indie'... this is a much debated term. Does it mean anything in particular to you?

Ivan: Independent, haha. I actually have a bit of a thing against major labels anyway; they're greedy, money-grabbing pirates. Indie labels are often struggling to get somewhere themselves, and that kind of affords them a certain amount of empathy with smaller bands.

Matt: Indie labels can dedicate much more time to their bands so you feel much more comfortable knowing what's happening to your music.

Niall: There are a lot of great bands that wouldn't get a chance to be heard were it not for Indie labels. They can be a great resource for upcoming artists too, because they're generally staffed by people who love the music and have been through it all before.

3. The band and various band members seem to have been through all kinds of changes already. Do you reckon this affected the current Wishbone-sound in any way?

Matt: Well before Wishbone, personally I always wrote alone but since Wishbone I've learned to open up with writing, when someone says 'well this would sound better like this yada yada...' I'd be open to it much more easily than I would have been.

Ivan: I think our experiences so far have moulded our views on Wishbone as a group of people, and the standards we set for ourselves as band members, but I don't know how much its changed our overall sound as yet. In many respects, we're still a very young band, who are still in a state of defining our sound. Myself and Matt have been the only 2 constant members, and I think that consistency shows in the songs, but I'm excited to see what the future holds, as regards our sound, and how it evolves as the 4 of us become more accustomed to playing and writing together.

4. How about your own music taste? Do all 4 members like the same bands or do you often fight what music is being listened to when you are together (and not making your own tunes, obviously!)

Ivan: Hehe. We have quite varied tastes, but they do overlap, so we usually listen to stuff we all like. Unless someone comes along and says "you GOTTA hear these guys", or "this album", or whatever. We're very open to each others tastes, and will generally give anything a listen once.

Matt: Yeah, we all listen to different bands, completely, but there is an underlining blues influence.

5. If you had 1 question to ask to anyone in the music business, who would you pick and what would you ask?

Joe: Chris Cornell....

Everyone: Where did your balls go? Haha!

Ivan: I think I'd ask David Bottrill if he'd like to work with us.

6. Your music has 1970s rock stamped all over it, where does your love for this period stem from?

Matt: Various bands from that period, Cream, The Doors, Black Sabbath, Zeppelin, King Crimson, Skynyrd etc., anything with balls. To me it seems the music industry got castrated around 2000...


7. After reading on your myspace about the funny home video's, I had a wee peek myself and I do concur! How do you guys maintain the cameraderie you obviously have?

Ivan: It's pretty natural. I guess that kind of shows in the organic nature of the music too. We're all pretty comfortable around each other, we share similar views and beliefs on life, and we have a very similar sense of humor.

Matt: The first thing we did when we met was found a dog up in the mountains and brought it home to keep... So we kind of bonded on weird situations to laugh at.

8. Who is the main songwriter, and where do you guys get the inspiration from?

Matt: Ivan and I usually write the music together, and then I'll usually dig out some lyrics. It's strange, we wrote the majority of the tracks from Butterfly on acoustics and jamming so it's odd how heavy most those tracks turned out, they really do write themselves in the studio. The lyrical concepts are very important, we try to aim for a vibe, if we don't feel it we wont use it.

9. What do you guys consider a 'good' gig, either playing yourself or from any other band.


Niall: I don't think there's a difference between playing a good gig and seeing one. A good gig has a mix of spontaneity, passion and musicianship. The band and the crowd play an equal part in making a good gig. If the band is bored or boring or sloppy, then the crowd won't be that interested. If the crowd is more interested in having getting to the bar, it's that bit harder for the band to blow the roof off. You should always be ready for a surprise, for something unexpected.

Matt: When the drum kit doesn't fall on the bass player or me and Ivan aren't so drunk we cant play, ha. We've had some bad experiences. But we've got our act together and now a good gig is just when you 'feel' it...

Ivan: Every good gig needs passion, and honesty.

Niall: A great gig takes you somewhere you've never been, somewhere unique, somewhere you can only revisit in your memories.

10. What are your hopes, dreams and expectations bandwise for the next, say, 5 years?


Ivan: To keep making music we love, which other people can connect with, and hopefully keep ourselves out of a job, haha.


Matt: And for people to 'get' our music. There's a lot of power to be held in melody and we try use it to full effect, we're very intense about our work, we get it all out when it comes to it, so in our personal lives we're pretty relaxed, it's very therputic, haha.





Interview conducted by Melissa Bauwens for Irish Music Scene, April 2009