INTERVIEW: Mondegreen — Music Musings & Such

INTERVIEW:

PHOTO CREDIT: Dave Nelson Photography

Mondegreen

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YOU can certainly not accuse Mondegreen of providing…

little value and depth when it comes to interviews! I have been speaking with Claire, Leanne and Laura about the upcoming E.P., Change (out on 18th May), and what inspired the songs. They discuss their beginnings and whether they have grown in confidence over the past year; which new artists we need to get involved with – they each select an album that means a lot to them.

I asked the trio whether any gigs were in the pipeline; which artists they are inspired by; what they do when they are not making and playing music; if there’s any advice they’d give to new artists – a few great songs are picked to end the interview.

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Hi, guys. How are you? How has your week been?

Claire: Hello! Our week has been okay. We've been busy shooting the photos for the new E.P. which is coming out this month - and we have been organising our E.P. launch gig too.

For those new to your music; can you introduce yourselves, please?

Leanne: We are Mondegreen; an Indie-Folk-tinged Acoustic-Pop band from Widnes (shout out to Widnes) based in Liverpool and Chester. We're big on harmonies and like things to sound pretty.

Tell me a bit about your upcoming E.P., Change. What sort of themes inspired the songs?

The last E.P. had a more traditional Folk style based around the theme of the small town: this one has a little more attitude; it's a bit more female power-driven and we've been able to experiment with a different sound and use some new instruments.

Laura: We were also inspired by the focus on women in the music industry recently as a result of the Time’s Up initiative. So, one night, we just sat down and wrote about those experiences we’d had ourselves; the times where we had felt as though we were treated differently to male musicians or belittled. This is us standing up to that.

Will there be a single from the E.P. before its release?

Claire: We previewed the first song from it on Record Store Day. It’s called Sometimes and was the first song we all sat down and wrote together as a trio. So, that was quite exciting because it is a slightly new sound for us and we were looking forward to sharing it and will be even more excited when the whole thing comes out.

You have had a pretty busy past year or so. Have you noticed a growth in confidence since this time last year?

Laura: Playing festivals like Folk on the Dock and at The Atkinson in Southport, which is a wonderful big venue for us, really helped us grow in confidence. It was probably because it was the first time that we had people coming up to us and wanting to buy our C.D.s, so that was really special.

Leanne: The loveliest part of Folk on the Dock was that there were little girls there who wanted to get their picture taken with us, so we were living our girl band dreams that day! I think we have also gone down new avenues in the way that we write. Recording the first E.P. last year was actually a turning point for us because we heard the songs how we wanted to hear them for the first time and that pushed us to go on and try new things and to make us sound better, particularly when playing live too.

That was the first time that we had ever gone to a recording studio and we were lucky enough to be able to go to Post Electric Blues in Edinburgh and record with Rod Jones, which was pretty cool…and we were so happy with the way the songs turned out and how they developed so much that we went back again to do this E.P.

PHOTO CREDIT: Mike Burns Photography

Mondegreen is based in the North West. Is there a pretty varied and buzzing music scene there right now? Do you think many of us ignore the area in favour of London?

Laura: I don't feel that we are ignored in favour of London and honestly, I’m not sure the Liverpool music scene (the closest to us) even cares about that because it’s kind of in its own little bubble. It’s definitely varied: there are festivals for pretty much any kind of music over here. For us, though, we play in Liverpool quite often; we've often found it hard to break into those circles whereas when we’ve gone somewhere like London, people have been very receptive.

But, it’s all about knowing the right people and places to go to get gigs and then it can be great - and there are some great venues/communities like The Atkinson, which hosts bands from all over the world and over in Chester - where there seems to be a regular audience who want to come and support the music scene.

How did you all get together? When did the band start to play?

Claire and I met at primary school and became best friends. Our teacher used to play the guitar during assembly and started putting on guitar lessons so we started learning to play the guitar together. We played as a duo for years (ten, to be exact!). Leanne is my sister and she has been playing by herself and in various bands but would always just hang out when we would practice and started singing along so two became three!

PHOTO CREDIT: Mike Burns Photography

Which musicians do you all count as favourites?

All: Idlewild…

Leanne: But, we also have to be honest and say we love Idlewild as much as the Spice Girls.

Claire: For me, it's Jason Isbell. Sheryl Crow is a favourite amongst us, too. Leanne's a fan of No Doubt and Sunny Day Real Estate and Laura would like to actually be Kacey Musgraves.

Laura: We've all grown up in very musical households. Leanne and I would always have our mum and dad’s music on in the car or in the kitchen; whether it was Elton John, ELO or the War of the Worlds’ soundtrack.

Claire: There was always a bit of Shania Twain or the Bee Gees going on in the Smith Household.

Leanne: We've all got quite varied music tastes, but it's quite similar at the same time. Like, Claire used to play Cher’s Believe on-repeat through her PlayStation 1, whereas I used to dress in leopard print and dance to it on my cassette player!

PHOTO CREDIT: Mike Burns Photography

If you each had to select the one album that means the most to you; which would they be and why?

Laura: This is a difficult one because the list always grows. I could listen to The Remote Part on-repeat forever. Idlewild is the band that really got me into music because it was the first band I was introduced as a teenager.

Claire: I'm going to have to say Anastacia’s Freak of Nature, because that was the one that I used to always listen to in my old loft bedroom at the top of my voice - and is probably the thing that made me want to do all this!

Leanne: 100 Broken Windows. I probably heard this album quite late having discovered Idlewild in the same way as Laura and Claire, but the first time I heard it I just thought that this was on its own level of good.

Do you have any gigs lined up? Where are you heading?

Laura: Yes, we do! So; we have our E.P. launch coming up on 18th May at The Studio in Widnes and that's part of their monthly Authentic Acoustic night. We're quite lucky because we have The Studio in Widnes which is a great venue and everyone who works there is friendly and willing to try new things; there is (just) such a good community there and the audience are always very willing to listen.

Leanne: I think, if you have something like that on your doorstep, you should make use of it. There was the worry, recently, that they may have to cancel one of their monthly nights because not enough people were coming and it's a shame because they are always great nights, but the word probably just doesn't spread far enough.

Claire: We're also playing a few places in Chester including Chester Live, Telford’s Warehouse and, also, in Liverpool. Then, we're back in Widnes again at The Snig, so we have should have a nice little summer of gigs lined up!

PHOTO CREDIT: Mike Burns Photography

What do you hope to achieve in 2018?

All: Glastonbury for the following year! Ha.

Laura: Honestly; we would really love to be able to play some festivals that maybe we've not had the chance to before and to build on from last year. Last year was the first year that we really felt like we gave the band thing a proper go - and we're just really trying to do that again but ten times more.

Leanne: We just hope that people like these songs and they reach people who've not heard of us before. It would be really nice to think that someone stumbles upon our C.D. and then hears something in it that they like…

Claire: ...and, of course, to (just) get some more songs written for the next E.P.!

Have you each got a favourite memory from your time in music – the one that sticks in the mind?

Laura: Definitely, playing Folk on the Dock last year. It was a big show for us anyway but when we got off the stage there was a line of people waiting to speak to us and buy C.D.s, which was something that had never happened to us before. So, that blew us away slightly and still makes us feel excited when we look back on it.

What advice would you give to new artists coming through?

Leanne: The most important thing I would say is to make friends with people who are doing the same thing as you. If you're just going out to an open mic then go out with the intention of having a good time and playing is just the bonus, because it can be easy to forget that and just think that you're only there to play and go home. Because, it's not just playing, it's everything. It's the people who are there and the place you're in. I think, if you play like you mean it too, then people will listen.

IN THIS PHOTO: Dawn and the Embers

Are there any new artists you recommend we check out?

Laura: Yes. Strangers. We have played a few gigs with them and they're great. Dawn and the Embers because they are also a female trio and have really great songs (and are just lovely ladies).

Claire: White Little Lies. We played with them recently and their harmonies were, again, just lovely.

Leanne: Also, for no particular reason, we must also give praise to Gary Maginnis & the Like, Catherine Hardman and Careering.

IN THIS PHOTO: White Little Lies

Do you get much time to chill away from music? How do you unwind?

Leanne: Honestly, this is how we unwind. We're all quite busy people anyway and this is what we have to sandwich in because we love doing it - and Laura is far too obsessive about it to ever take a step back. Claire is an avid baker and the only other thing I enjoy doing is Arrowwords.

Finally, and for being good sports; you can each choose a song and I’ll play it here (not any of your music - I will do that).

Claire: Jason Isbell – Speed Trap Town