CAPTAIN ACCIDENT INTERVIEW
Words: Caroline Pawson

Captain Accident is one of Cardiff’s best kept secrets. The brainchild of Adam Parsons, formerly of ska heroes Chemical Reaction, and metal rockers My Little Murder, Captain Accident’s sweet reggae rhythms have been blessing South Wales’ live scene, and it’s airwaves for the last twelve months.

With credit due to Captain Accident’s great songs, catchy rhythms, and also to his relentless hard work, 2010 is already shaping up to be his year.

Listen to ‘Fire, Fire, Fire’.
www.myspace.com/captainaccident

Can you give us a brief history of what you do, and how you got into the music industry?

I am a singer-songwriter & producer and have been spending the last few years writing & recording reggae & ska music. It started off as a hobby – something I would do when I felt a burst of inspiration, but as time went on, the catalogue of music grew and it seemed I was starting to develop a fairly distinctive sound. Once I had a full set worth of music, a friend suggested I take the music live rather than keeping it simply as a bedroom project. By this point (although I was unaware myself!) the songs were gaining a fair bit of popularity online to the point where I was shocked on the first gig when so many people turned up, already knowing the songs and singing along!

2009 was spent playing regularly in Cardiff, to increasingly large & receptive audiences. By mid- late 2009 it was gaining interest from various independent labels and after playing a show at the Toucan Club in Cardiff, organised by Sam Holland of SYWP Records (now Go-Steady Records) Sam & I arranged a meeting to discuss a potential release.Once both parties were happy, we moved forward and arranged for the debut single to come out in February this year.

Do you see yourself being able to carry on with the project into the future, and benefiting from carrying it on?

I will certainly carry on writing/recording & producing reggae/ska into the future and will benefit from the enjoyment I get out of it! As far as other benefits go, only time will tell!

What influenced you to go into Ska rather than any other genre?

I have always had a love for reggae & ska music. I was brought up listening to a lot of bands/artists such as Toots & the Maytals, U-Roy, Bob Marley, King Tubby and early UB40. I love the fact that the music is soulful & energetic and has a groove that gets your body moving, even if you’re unaware at the time! I guess i was influenced by the fact that I wanted to write & play the type of music I enjoy listening to most myself! That way I can keep it real!

What’s the best part of being apart of the music industry in your opinion?

Without a doubt, it’s the opportunity to spread the music far and wide and meet some amazing people!

You released your new single ‘Fire, Fire, Fire’ on 15th February, what’s the response been like from fans and press?

Although it’s early days, the response has been great so far. The launch show was the most buzzing atmosphere to date and since the single tour began the response in shows around the UK has been brilliant.

How do you get your ideas for your songs? How long does it take you to get all of your ideas down, and to be able to put them all into a song?

like to write songs that people can relate to. A lot of them come from my own personal feelings, or are inspired by other people’s situations. Sometimes a song can take a few nights to write/record; sometimes it can be completed in one evening. Often those songs that come together the quickest are the best as they naturally unfold without over-thinking them!

I understand there’s a full-length album planned for this summer, what can we expect from that?

The full-length album will contain a blend of reggae & ska with dub, rock & soul influences throughout. Expect catchy melodies, soulful vocal harmonies, soaring guitar solos and an overall groove that’ll get your bones moving!

Why did you decide to get other people involved with the live performances? How did you meet them?

I wrote and recorded all songs with a range of instruments to get the sound I was looking for, therefore the only way to possibly recreate it live is to get people in to play the shows. The live band (which are now dubbed ‘The Disasters’) are all very good friends of mine. 2 of the disasters also played in previous projects with me.

How would you describe your live performance, for those people who are thinking about going to see you live?

The live shows take you on a journey through slower ‘dubby’ sounding soul/reggae to more upbeat ska songs. There is an ever-changing pace throughout the set which is sure to keep people on their feet. As the audience you will be unable to stop yourself dancing, and the infectious chorus lines will hopefully have you singing along by the end of the show! The line up for the live shows often varies and has included steel pans & guest rappers in the past!

When will you be coming to other parts of the UK on tour?

Below are the tour dates for the single launch tour. Also looking to get around many other parts of the UK over the next few months as well as arranging a bigger tour in conjunction with the album release in the summer.

Fri 05 Mar – HOOTANANNY, BRIXTON
Sat 06 Mar – RED LION, GRAVESEND
Fri 12 Mar – RUDE BAR, TORQUAY
Sat 13 Mar – TJ’S NEWPORT
Wed 17th Mar – DB’S, WESTON SUPER MARE
Fri 19 Mar – CELLAR BAR, CARDIGAN
Sat 20 Mar – BUFFALO, CARDIFF

SHABBY ROGUE INTERVIEW

Words: Caroline Pawson

Hailing from London, Shabby Rogue are a 4-piece Indie/Acoustic act. They’ll be releasing their second album ‘By Hook and By Crook’ on 1st March 2010.

Listen to new track: My Life As A Secret Agent
www.myspace.com/shabbyrogue

Questions answered by drummer – Terry Green

Can you describe the band in 3 words?

Good gooder goodest, would normally take a bit longer than 3 words but that kinda describes bits of us, {have deliberately missed out the bad words from the three as noone needs to know about that} OK, ugly, bad, nasty.

How did you all get into music?

From my personal view, it was through listening to it. Lets face it, it’s everywhere, you can’t get into a lift nowadays without some bloody music playing, my family used to play it a lot on vinyl records, this was before the dinosaurs, I like to keep that tradition going and, whenever possible, I just buy vinyl, aaaah Can on vinyl!!!!

What makes Shabby Rogue different to other bands in the same genre?

Beards, hatred of each other, love of each other, indifference to each other. I don’t think we’re massively different to be honest, but I do think we’re good. We have a very open minded way of writing, whoever has come up with something will normally have vocals to accompany it, this might mean they don’t feel as comfortable playing their chosen instrument so instead of pouring scorn on that person, we just change instruments, this normally gives a completely different angle on a song if you know what I mean. I also think its massively important to have a deep love for what you’re doing, no matter how bad it all gets!

You’re mainly based in London at the moment, when do you plan on spreading out to other parts of the UK?

Good question, we really want to spread our wings further, its just getting it all kicked off, we’re all pensioners now so being in the back of a van for long distances plays havoc with my colostomy bag {joke}, I think we’ll get out there pretty soon, we’ve contacted millions of festivals and now we just sit and wait and hope. We defo hope to get up North a bit more this year.

You’re releasing your second album ‘By Hook and By Crook’ next month (1st March), how does it feel to be able to put a full length CD out there? Where are fans able to buy it?

Well, to be honest, this is about the 5th album that I’ve been involved in and it never changes, each one you make is always not quite good enough, as the release date approaches, all the little things come crawling back that you know you could have done better, it’ll never change. On a plus note, there’s been some top reviews and that always boosts your ego a bit. Its actually incredibly hard this band business oh woe is me etc. etc. It’s available everywhere, Itunes, CDbaby etc. Nowhere else, ignore the free downloads….pleeaaassseeeee!!!!!!!!!

You’ve had some radio play recently, what’s it like knowing that a wider audience are able to listen to your music?

Its a good feeling, makes taking over the world that bit easier.

Who has been your favourite band to play alongside and why?

Ooooh, good question, I’d say for me of all time would be Trumans Water, this was many years ago but they’re just such an awesome band that I’ll never forget them, there still going, went to see them a couple of years ago, GOOD MEN!! Of more modern times its not actually a band as such [although he'll kill me for saying that] Thomas Truax, a one man band who constructs his own instruments from scratch, bike wheels, tumble dryer tubes, his newest band member is an ariel. He has the ability to produce fantastic sounds from the quaintest of angles, a bit like Jean Tinguely meeting Kraftwerk on a full moon!!!

You’re playing the Surface Unsigned festival this year, how’d it feel finding out you were in the line up?

Its always good to be considered for a gig, Glastonbury would blow my mind [literally!!!]

What can we expect from a live performance?

Hopefully, lots of good music, played with heart and soul, lots of jumping around, a possible attack on the drums by Tom [He's partial to that kinda thing], some banter and we normally round it all off with a sacrifice :-}

Have you got any parting words?

That last line was a joke!!!!!!!

THE DANDIES INTERVIEW

Words: Emma Bowdidge

Seductive, firebrand rock n roll band The Dandies were formed deep in the heart of Lucerne, Switzerland, by talented brothers Adrian Weber (Vocals / Guitar) & Eric Weber (Lead Guitar / Vocals) whose roots are in Baltimore, USA and their two Swiss friends Fabian Voirol (Drums) and Adi Schröter (Bass).

With a new single, new album, SXSW 2010 appearance and tour slated for next year, you won’t be able to keep your eyes and ears off The Dandies’ in 2010!

Listen to new tracks: Bootstraps and Battle Cry
www.myspace.com/thedandies

First of all can you give us a brief history of the band for the people who have never heard of you?

Well, we’re a Swiss/American Rock band. We got together in 2006, primarily just covering songs. That quickly got boring though. Then we started writing our own songs and started playing gigs as The Dandies. The Dandies are my brother Eric and I, who are fortunate enough to be Americans also, and we’re completed by our long-time Swiss buddies Fizzie Voirol and Adi Schroeter.

How does it feel to be confirmed to play SXSW 2010?

Amazing! It’s like some of our favourite bands had their big breakthrough there and some bands we really like are playing this year as well. It’s a major honour. We’ve never played outside of Switzerland and being both Swiss and American citizens it’s amazing to be playing SXSW. We feel really blessed and just can’t wait.

You’ve recently finished recording your debut album. What can we expect from it? And roughly when will it be released?

It’s a real rock album. We wanted to be a real riffy, raw rock album. Chris “Frenchie” Smith, (Our Producer) really helped us to do so and find our own sound, he’s a genius and really mentored us. He’s taught us how to really rock. As to when it’s going to be released, we don’t know yet really. Keep checking out our facebook and MySpace (myspace.com/thedandies) for updates.

You’ve uploaded a couple of tracks from the album on your MySpace, what’s the response been like to those songs?

It’s been great. It took some people by surprise, how rocky raw the tracks actually sound. People who hadn’t seen us play or heard our songs in a while were under the impression that our sound got somewhat “harder”, more rock.

What are the main themes or topics for most of your songs?

Well, we’re young guys in our early 20s. We write a lot about girls and good times out, I guess. Some of our tracks give you the space to let your imagination take over, so to a certain extent you’ll have to find out yourselves. All the songs are mostly based on our own experiences though, not made up stuff.

Do you think these topics will change over time?

Probably… I guess as we get older our ideas of life, our experiences and what we choose to do on a daily basis and all will change. We won’t be partying 21 year olds forever, will we? If we manage to stick around for a few years, I’m sure our focus will change and our experiences as a band will be reflected in our music.

What inspired you to make music together?

Our love of music, and to be honest some major bands have inspired us, like The Strokes and Kings of Leon. When those two bands surfaced, we were like wow, that’s cool, we wanna do something like that. Those bands made rock and roll cool again, it was cool to be in a band. We wished we’d have a band someday! So after first convincing my younger brother, it was a matter of time to find guys who were like minded. It was the right decision…

Who is the main songwriter? Do you all have an input on what the lyrics are?

I guess you could say we are all the songwriters. Musically we each write our own parts most of the time. Lyrics get pitched to the band by me (Adrian) and discussed, then get altered to the point that everyone is satisfied I guess.

What is the most memorable gig you have played so far and why?

Haha, good question. We’ve had a few really good ones in our hometown of Lucerne. The most memorable one, though, is a bad one I think haha. It was in 2007 and like our 2nd gig or something and we all had a bit to drink. One of our friends video-taped it and the next day we were astonished by our “show”. We were shocked and couldn’t believe it. It was funny in a bad way. It’s memorable because we learned not to drink too much before a gig.

If you could play with any band past or present, who would it be and why?

That’s a tricky one. It would have to be The Strokes or Kings of Leon for me and I think the band agrees. Just because those are the bands who made me pick up a guitar and write songs and ultimately gave us the spark we needed to form a band. That would be crazy, haha! I was going to say The Beatles but then think about all the screams and anticipating fans. I’d be too scared to open up for the fab 4 I think. Plus I’d wanna be in the audience to see ‘em play.

What do you have planned for 2010?

We hope 2010 will be a big year for us. We’ve got SXSW lined up and a few more gigs are confirmed so far. We hope to get signed but every band hopes for that. Maybe go experience the band life abroad?

Thank you for your time..have you got any parting words?

Thank you for the interview, it’s been the first we’ve given “in” the UK. Thanks! Time to crack open a bottle of champagne, haha! Happy New Year and hope to see y’all soon! Much Love, The Dandies.

UNSIGNED BAND INTERVIEWS

If you’re in a band and fall under the catergory of being unsigned and are looking for a little press for yourselves then why not get in touch with us at Noise Addiction.

One of our dedicated writers will take the time out to interview you via e-mail or phone.

Contact us – noiseaddictionzine@googlemail.com

We’d love to hear from you.