An EXCLUSIVE Q&A with TWO DOOR CINEMA CLUB

It’s Showtime:

An EXCLUSIVE Q & A with

TWO DOOR CINEMA CLUB

 

By Stephen SPAZ Schnee

     Since the early ‘60s when The Beatles kicked open the doors, there’s been a constant flow of bands making their way from the UK, Scotland and Ireland to America. Every 10 years or so, there will be chatter and hype about a ‘new British Invasion’, but music fans are well aware that great music has been landing on these shores for decades, and there doesn’t seem to be any signs of it stopping, thank goodness.

     For every big band that scales the top of the charts or becomes press darlings (Beatles, The Clash, Depeche Mode, Blur, Oasis), there are dozens of other bands that are just as worthy of your attention and hard earned dollars. Some of the newer bands that are revving their engines and are poised to do big things in the U.S. include One Night Only, The Wombats and Ireland’s very own Two Door Cinema Club.

     When TDCC released their debut album, Tourist History, in 2010, music fans instantly fell in love with their Pop smarts and Post-Punk influences. This wasn’t a band playing jagged, angular and experimental music for a select few: TDCC play big, glorious Pop that instantly grabs the listener and takes them on a trip filled with soaring choruses, delectable guitar riffs and melodies that stick in your head and heart.

     Unlike some of their contemporaries, the band’s popularity continues to rise. Their debut album has just been released on vinyl in the U.S.; the band put in a roaring live set at Coachella in April of 2011 and is planning to make another trek across the U.S. in September.

     Stephen SPAZ Schnee managed to catch up with the band and was able to slide a few questions their way. TDCC member Alex Trimble was gracious and patient enough to spend a few moments answering them…

SPAZ: The album has been out a year and the excitement and interest in the band continues to grow. How are you feeling about things up to this point?

ALEX TRIMBLE: We feel great. It’s incredible to have so many people liking what we do.

SPAZ: Have you been surprised about the universally positive reaction to the album? Everybody I know that has heard it seems to love it, including myself…

ALEX: Yes, of course. When you set out to write some music, you never really think how people will react to it, you just do it for your own pleasure… Anybody liking it it’s a massive plus.

SPAZ: The album is a brilliant mix of Pop hooks and Post-Punk intelligence. Did you all share similar influences growing up or is the band’s unique sound just a happy accident?

ALEX: Well, we all grew up together; all our influences are shared influences. But we all are very individual, and the way we play our instruments reflects that.

SPAZ: What’s the normal songwriting process for the band?

ALEX: There isn’t one. It’s pretty random.

SPAZ: Do you feel that your surroundings in Ireland have a distinct effect on your songwriting?

ALEX: Where you grow up, your roots, will always influence what you do, whatever you do.

SPAZ: It’s always been said that you have a lifetime to write your debut album and only a matter of months to write your sophomore album. Did you have any songs from the Tourist History sessions that you are holding over for the 2nd album, or are you going to start with a clean slate?

ALEX: We have loads of songs and we write all the time. It’s not going to be a clean slate; it will be a progression… we hope.

SPAZ: Have you had any input on what singles get pulled from the album or do you leave that up to the label? There seems to be a large percentage of bands these days that let the label choose them….

ALEX: We have a close relationship with everyone around us. The choice of singles is generally dictated by what the fans want to hear on radio. We hope that, all together, we made the right choices.

SPAZ: In regards to your contemporaries in the charts, do you feel a kinship or competition with many of them?

ALEX: We feel kinship with the bands and artist we respect; massive competition with the ones we think are fucking rubbish.

SPAZ: You’ve toured in many different countries, in different sized venues, even recently playing Coachella in Southern California. Is it a bit surreal to go from playing to a few hundred people in a club, then go play a festival gig to thousands and then back to a club again?

ALEX: Well yes , but that is the beauty of it. You still have people really getting to know you, you get a buzz out of it. You get a bigger buzz when you see 20-30-40,000 that actually do know you and love what you do.

SPAZ: A year on, the vinyl edition of the album is being released in the States. Are any of the band members avid vinyl collectors?

ALEX: We all are. We love limited editions and rare stuff... We love the fact that artwork has got a bigger canvas on 12” than CD or a digital packshot. Lots of young people are getting into it and I love that.

SPAZ: Although you were playing Coachella on Record Store Day and probably couldn’t partake in this music-oriented ‘holiday’, has the record/CD shopping experience been an important one in the band members’ lives? Do you try to collect a lot of music while you are out on tour?

ALEX: Always!!! Far too much!!

SPAZ: What’s next for Two Door Cinema Club?

ALEX: Summer festivals. We are looking forward to playing Lollapalooza, a U.S. September tour, a second album, marriage , kids , death, and........

SPAZ: What do you currently have playing on your record, CD and DVD players?

ALEX: On DVD is Curb Your Enthusiasm. On CD… far too many to mention.

Thanks to Alex Trimble

Special thanks to Kevin Farrell, YiPei Chen-Josephson and Michelle Gayhart

An EXCLUSIVE Interview with DONNY & MARIE OSMOND!

A LITTLE BIT DONNY,

A LITTLE BIT MARIE:

An EXCLUSIVE Interview with

DONNY & MARIE OSMOND

By Stephen SPAZ Schnee

     For decades now, the Pop/Rock landscape has been littered with one-hit wonders, disposable popstars and manufactured teen idols that come and go at an alarming rate. While the names and faces have constantly changed over the years, very few of these artists have broken the mold and had a lasting effect on the music scene. The Osmonds are one of those rare acts that have transcended genres, time and space and have become true Pop icons.

     From their pre-Donny days as a quartet known as The Osmond Brothers in the ‘60s to their massive success throughout the ‘70s, The Osmonds came in many shapes and sizes. There was The Osmonds (Donny, Merrill, Wayne, Jay and Alan) plus Donny’s enormously popular solo career, followed by sister Marie with little brother Jimmy getting in on the act, too. But perhaps the most popular Osmond act was the collaboration between Donny and Marie.

     From their first appearance on vinyl to their hit TV show, Donny and Marie became the most popular brother/sister duo in music history. (OK, so The Carpenters may have sold more records, but their names and faces are not as instantly recognizable.) The brothers Osmond may have set the stage so many years before, but Donny and Marie brought the Osmond family name into more households than any AM radio was capable of doing. Donny and Marie became the faces of a generation.

     Now, 30 years since they last entered a recording studio, Donny and Marie Osmond are back with a live show in Las Vegas and a new album, simply titled Donny & Marie. Stephen SPAZ Schnee caught up with the duo and found them both to be as humorous and down-to-earth as ever…

SPAZ: Your new album is just about ready to hit the streets. How are you feeling about things at this point?

MARIE OSMOND: Happy that it’s finally available to the tons of fans who have asked for a new Donny & Marie album….since, well…1980, when I was three years old!

DONNY OSMOND: I am very excited about this album. It is one of the most important albums of my career as Marie and I make a comeback.

SPAZ: It’s been roughly 30 years since you last recorded an album together. What took you so long and why did you feel that now was the right time?

DONNY: It took 30 years for our lawyers to come to an agreement! Marie wanted top billing, but its Donny & Marie - hello!

MARIE: After my older brother’s did their 50th Anniversary Celebration tour, which all of us performed at, Donny and I were given the opportunity to do a show for six weeks in Las Vegas. We both agreed to it, thinking that it would be a one-time only type of show. The tickets flew out of the box office and we got an offer to extend for a year, and then another year. Many of the audience members started requesting that we do another album together, so this is for all of them.

SPAZ: The album features a slew of great songwriters including a track written by Carol King, Babyface and Carole Bayer Sager. How did you go about choosing the songs for the album?

DONNY: We chose the songs based on the fact that they were great songs written by great songwriters.

MARIE: Donny & I both put in our two-cents about the songs we’d love to record. There was no shortage of great music to choose from, so we picked the songs we thought went best with that unique sound that is a “sibling” thing, kind of like The Carpenters… you have a more natural blending on the harmonies.

SPAZ: There’s a great version of the Country and Pop chestnut, “I Swear”, written by Frank Myers and Gary Baker. You also do a handful of other tracks co-written by them. How did that come about?

DONNY: The songs were chosen by three people, Marie, (producer) Buddy Cannon, and myself. We narrowed the list down from 200 songs and "I Swear" made the cut.

MARIE: We wanted to record a couple of the big classics, like “I Swear.” Gary Baker played bass and Frank Myers played guitar for years with me when I toured with Country music. In fact, they wrote “I Swear” when they were on the road with my show. I remember when they played it for me, backstage one evening. I said, “That’s a fantastic song.” I tease them now by saying “If touring with me was your muse for that song, then you should have let me record it first!” They are both really good friends of mine. Friends of Donny’s, too, I guess, but they like me a whole heck of a lot more!

SPAZ: The album is a true collaboration between the two of you, yet there are moments that are purely Donny and purely Marie. Were there songs that one of you felt strongly about that didn’t make the album because it didn’t musically fit in with the rest of the tracks?

MARIE: No, we both got to have our favorites on the album. I was thrilled to be able to record a song that my son, Stephen James, wrote: “I Can’t Wait to Love You.” Buddy Cannon brought us the best possible selections.

DONNY: Marie wanted more Marie songs and I of course, wanted more Donny songs. Thank goodness Buddy Cannon was there to be the arbitrator.

SPAZ: You both sound great on the album, perhaps the best you’ve ever sounded. Do you still try to challenge yourself, vocally, when you record and perform?

MARIE: All of our earlier recordings together were done when we were teenagers. Our voices have definitely matured over the years. We’ve also both done extended-run Broadway shows and tours. We’ve had to stay vocally in shape to keep performing and that’s been a great blessing to me.

DONNY: Every album is challenging in its own way, but recording with Marie was a pleasure because our voices blend so well. It's almost like we're related.

SPAZ: While the album definitely leans towards a modern Country sound, there are elements of Rock, Pop and Soul on the album as well. What was your mindset when you went into record the album?

DONNY: A little bit Country, a little bit Rock and Roll. Wait...that sounds familiar!

SPAZ: You have an enormously popular show in Las Vegas. Were you tempted to do a glitzy, Vegasy album before settling on the idea of a Country Pop album?

DONNY: You never know how an album is going to turn out until you start making it. The concept, right from the beginning, was to make a record that appeals to a large audience.

SPAZ: There’s talk of you taking your show on the road. Will it be doing essentially the same show you do in Vegas or will you be shaking things up a bit?

DONNY: The show we perform on the road this year will be a variation of the Vegas show, but from a big picture view, our show at the Flamingo is still the flagship.

MARIE: We decided that the new album was a good way to offer something new to the many fans who couldn’t make it to Vegas to see the show. We did a Christmas version of the show on Broadway last December and will take a new holiday version of the show to the Oriental Theater in Chicago this December, as well as New Year’s in Detroit. This summer, the Vegas show tours to Toronto in July for two weeks.

SPAZ: How much of the new album are you incorporating into the live show?

DONNY: The live show has a way of evolving over time, so more and more of the album will be put into the show as time goes on. Right now we are opening the show with "Vegas Love."

MARIE: We just added in two songs from the album: “Vegas Love” and “Good Life.”

SPAZ: While both of you have made albums over the past three decades, how do you feel about the modern recording process? Does it seem easier than 10, 20, 30+ years ago?

DONNY: The recording process can change as much as it wants to but at the end of the day, it's the song that matters. As the old saying goes, "If it's' not in the grooves, you don't have a hit record."

MARIE: There’s no doubt that new technology has made recording more cost effective. If you have to, you can lay down the tracks instrument by instrument. However, I miss the feeling that there was when you were all together in the studio and recorded live. It’s hard to match the feeling of singing along with the strings, horns, percussion and the musicians all there next to you. It was a more emotion-filled way to record. So now an artist has to be mindful of keeping the true intention of the song when it is produced with modern technology.

SPAZ: Most of your chart contemporaries from the early ‘70s have faded from public consciousness. What do you attribute your longevity to?

MARIE: Donny and I are both hard workers and I think we understood, early on, right after the ABC variety show, that to have longevity in a career an entertainer needs to be flexible and reinvent themselves and grow. If I do anything that’s unique, it’s that I sing many styles of music: from Pop to Country, Rock to Broadway, inspirational to operatic, which is my latest passion.

DONNY: I would like to think that we give our audiences a lot of variety. Many people have told me after seeing our show in Vegas that it's more that what they expected.

SPAZ: Much of the Osmonds legacy seems rooted in strong family ties plus the fact that you two, as well as your brothers, have remained very honest, open and down to earth. Would you agree?

DONNY: Family is so important. In this business it is necessary to stay down to earth and grounded.

MARIE: Our parents gave us a strong work ethic and mutual respect was always a part of that. Donny and I can work with each other five nights a week because of that respect. Our mother demonstrated that love and compassion for your family, friends and fans was top priority and our Dad was a perfect role-model on delivering what you promise to your co-workers and to your audience.

SPAZ: How do you feel about the crop of young talent that has come in your wake including everyone from Hanson and the Jonas Brothers to Miley Cyrus and Justin Bieber? The entire Osmond clan set the bar pretty high all those years ago…

DONNY: Enjoy the roller coaster ride. It's going to get bumpy!

MARIE: There are a lot of very talented people in the world who never get a national/international platform. So, for anyone to get their shot, I hope they consider themselves blessed. Sometimes, you don’t realize it until you can look back a bit. Donny and I consider ourselves so fortunate to have shared the stage with the most incredible performers of their time: Andy Williams, Frank Sinatra, Lucille Ball, Paul Lynde, Tina Turner, on and on.”

SPAZ: What’s next for Donny & Marie?

MARIE: You can find us in Vegas for this summer and fall, and then on to Chicago for our holiday show at the Oriental Theater in December.

SPAZ: What is currently spinning on your CD and DVD players?

MARIE: I have a playlist on my iPod of my favorite songs and they encompass a variety of styles from the 60’s through today. Some of the greats like: “Killing Me Softly,” by Roberta Flack, “Sailing,” by Christopher Cross, Judy Garland, The Bee Gees, Gladys Knight, Barbra Streisand, Garth Brooks, Christina Aguilera, Lady Antebellum, Adele. The stage songs of Kandor & Ebb. Music brings back great memories.

Thanks to Donny & Marie Osmond

Special thanks to Kevin Farrell, Michelle Gayhart and Dana House

DONNY & MARIE OSMOND

DONNY & MARIE

5.3.11

An EXCLUSIVE interview with CHRISSIE HYNDE and JP JONES

Hi, Fidelity!

JP, Chrissie and The Fairground Boys are coming to town

An EXCLUSIVE Interview with Chrissie Hynde and JP Jones

By Stephen SPAZ Schnee

If you are even remotely interested in Rock music’s history over the past few decades, you’re already familiar with Chrissie Hynde. As leader of The Pretenders, she’s had her fair share of hits dating back three decades. There’s also hit collaborations with UB40 and Moodswings that introduced her unique and glorious voice to new audiences. Hynde is not just a music icon, she’s a role model for hundreds (if not thousands) of self-reliant successful female rockers that have followed in her wake. She may not have been the first female rocker, but she continues to inspire and influence legions of fans, male and female.

Since The Pretenders’ 2008 album, Breaking Up The Concrete, was released, a lot has happened in Chrissie’s world. It all started when she met JP Jones, a talented Welsh singer/songwriter, in a London bar. JP recognized her, started up a conversation and the next thing they knew, they were involved as a couple, in and out of the spotlight. Although JP was born the same year The Pretenders released their debut single, the age difference meant nothing to them.

If there are two constants in life that should never be measured by age or time, they are love and music. And both of them are here in great abundance on Chrissie and JP’s debut collaboration, the glorious and timeless musical love letter called Fidelity! Now that she has a strong musical foil to work off of again, Chrissie has not sounded this fresh and invigorated since 1984’s Learning To Crawl. In fact, this might be the best full length she’s put her name on since Pretenders II and that is saying a lot.

While JP Jones may not be a household name yet, his talents shine bright on Fidelity!, sometimes overshadowing Hynde’s undeniable talents. Most of the time, though, they compliment each other splendidly. On Fidelity!, Chrissie graciously takes second billing in the band’s name and splits the spotlight with JP throughout the album. If there is one dominant force on this platter, it is their chemistry. With guitars in hand, this Rock ‘n’ Roll couple have created a passionate musical child that they have named Fidelity!

I was able to catch up with Chrissie and JP and discuss a bit about the album and their music in general…

SPAZ: How did you two meet?

CHRISSIE HYNDE: Drunk in a London bar.

SPAZ: Instead of just having JP open for a Pretenders tour or maybe collaborating on a song or two, what inspired you to form a full fledged band?

CH: We wrote a bunch of songs inspired by each other which had nothing to do with our previous music endeavors.

SPAZ: When writing the songs for Fidelity!, were you wanting to write songs that were different from your full-time careers?

CH: We had no idea we were writing an album at the time. The songs were just pouring out of us. They weren't planned so there was no musical style decisions made.

SPAZ: Is there a certain commonality between your songwriting styles that you each fed off of or did you have to purposely change the way you worked for the good of the whole project?

CH: No. We both love melody, hooks and choruses and are pretty traditional really. We both feel that songs need to come from a very personal place, from the heart. We are on the same page with everything.

SPAZ: There are so many different styles integrated into your sound (Pop, Gospel, Folk, Country, Rock ‘n’ Roll). Did you purposely try to touch on all of these influences, or was it all done by instinct?

CH: Completely by instinct. We have different musical backgrounds and tastes and constantly surprise each other with (things) the other one hadn't thought of, hence the album sounding so diverse.

SPAZ: Press for the band compares JP’s voice to “Ian Dury swallowing sandpaper”, yet there is so much more emotion in his delivery than that description will lead people to believe. Do you think that Dury comparison is a fair assessment?

CH: A fair comparison but one which only touches on a small part of JP's uniquely versatile voice. I think he is still discovering how much variety he has. His voice and delivery amazes me every time he steps up to the microphone.

SPAZ: Chrissie’s voice is one of the most distinctive in Rock ‘n’ Roll. JP, do you ever have any of those “Christ, I’m in a band with THE Chrissie Hynde!” moments?

JP JONES: Yes. Every day! I think Chrissie's voice is the most distinctive voice on radio. Every time you hear her sing, you know exactly who it is and it melts my heart.

SPAZ: JP is a relatively new voice on the music scene, commercially. Chrissie, do you feel pride in introducing his talents to the public at large?

CH: I'm thrilled beyond words to introduce him to a new public. I feel its my chance to redeem myself for any previous crimes against rock I may have committed.

SPAZ: Both of you are strong singer/songwriters and performers in your own right. Is it difficult to share the spotlight with someone else?

CH: Not at all. It’s a joy to be able to look at each other on stage and sing these songs to each other every night. Our voices are so different. One male, one female. But people tell us how well our voices blend together. Its almost like one voice completes the other.

SPAZ: Both of you sound invigorated by this collaboration. Are you happy with the way it turned out?

CH: I think its the best stuff I have ever done and its come like a bolt out of the blue. Makes me feel like I am just starting.

JP: Its the most honest and most rocking music I have made. I feel like I have found myself with Chrissie.

SPAZ: You’ve avoided all the trappings of ‘modern’ production (i.e.: auto-tune) and created a timeless sounding album. Was this your intention?

CH: Yes it was. We recorded it as live and raw as possible. It’s not about perfection. It’s about personality.

SPAZ: Do you see JP, Chrissie & The Fairground Boys as a one-off, part-time or full-time project?

CH: We're living and breathing this. We have a lot more music in us together. If we had the time we'd go in and record another album tomorrow. But first things first......

SPAZ: What’s next for JP and Chrissie?

CH: LA for West Coast acoustic shows with Lucinda Williams and a show at The Grammy Museum. Then the rest of The Fairground Boys will join us in early/mid September for a full national tour of the States.

SPAZ: What do you have currently spinning on your CD and DVD players?

JP: Kate Bush, Bon Iver, Peter Gabriel.

CH: Moby Grape, American Bang, and a little known English artist, Kunt And The Gang. Would like to hear what music Viggo Mortenson, Paddy Consadine and Johnny Depp are making.

Thanks to Chrissie Hynde and JP Jones.

Special thanks to Michelle Gayhart, Kevin Farrell and Paul Reitz