Diving into the Irish Rock Scene with Ares Redemption

Brian (00:00:00) - Jack, you're very welcome to concerts that made us.

Jack (00:00:03) - Thank you very much. It's absolute delight to be here.

Brian (00:00:07) - I'm looking forward to diving into your music now over the next bit. So first things first. You guys have a gig coming up on the 1st of December. Tell us all the details.

Jack (00:00:16) - Right. So we are at LinkedIn with um, promotions and the Nutshell Collective. So nutshell was just a collective that was put together back at the start of the year and by Chris Scoggins of, um, Ritual Effect with the idea of bringing all of these kind of bands. And that wouldn't necessarily kind of be getting exposure in terms of the pub scene and stuff like that, and bringing them all together, giving them an umbrella and a kind of a link in them all in each other, sort of, and an opportunity then to, to play with each other and stuff like that. So there was. Uh, was not there on last Saturday in a pharmacy in Limerick, and it was an opportunity to kind of see some of the bands play.

Jack (00:01:10) - So I'd seen a lot of play a few times in motion sickness as well, a good few times as well. And Luna Skye were on the bill. I'd seen them play before as well. What was it? A great opportunity and to actually see Ritual Effect in In Action. They're absolutely brilliant band live. And then there was another band, two other bands that are Steiner and pretty limited to it. Never heard of for Elevenses before and they just they just blew me away, which are kind of energy and stuff like that. So to bring it into the gig coming up, it's it's that idea still of bringing, bringing all these bands together. So on in at 1st of December, we're heading down to Fred Zeppelins um, and with the chance to play with Steiner. Even Angels and Outside are also on the bill as well, so it should be good on.

Brian (00:01:59) - Uh. Sounds like a good night. It's a it's a great initiative kind of setting up their collective doors. And because I'd imagine it's very hard to get a band after all, especially when you're playing originals.

Jack (00:02:11) - Oh, it is I mean, like, um, like I've been I never really had any interest once I learned how to play the guitar. And I never really had too much interest in being on a cover band. Like I loved all the grunge stuff, Nirvana, Pearl jam and all that. But I always wanted to write. So from the very first band I was in would have been. I would have been writing originals. Now, I was in cover bands over the years as well, but I always try to sneak in a few originals into them as well, you know? Yeah, and but the music scene in Ireland, it doesn't seem to be, it doesn't seem to cater for original music. So it's great to have like initiatives like that, the Nutshell Collective, bringing band together and just just giving us a platform and getting a chance to meet with each other and connect to each other. Like since this is started and. The amount of bands that I've kind of discovered in Ireland alone that play and write your own music like it's it's unreal and there's so much talent here.

Jack (00:03:13) - It's just it's not being recognised or it's not getting the kind of recognition it deserves, so to speak.

Brian (00:03:18) - Yeah. One thing I noticed is, you know, from the podcast, I've great insights into the American scene too. So Africa scene, the Belgium scene even. But at the start, I didn't have too many insights into the Irish scene. And when I came across the group, I was like, Holy crap, there's actually like tons of Irish bands. And what was surprising is they're actually all really good, you know?

Jack (00:03:43) - Yeah, I know that's the amazing thing about it. They are actually really good. Like there's not really any filler within that collective. Like it's it's amazing how much talent is in it like, and the quality of the songs and the quality of the productions that are being put out. It's it's phenomenal really. Like, I mean, up until that Nutshell collective, the only other band that is kind of really aware of, would it be in Vendetta Love? They would be the only band that is kind of aware of what's in the collective.

Jack (00:04:13) - Like you just discovered so many other, so many other good bands like, and it's great to get the opportunity then to play with them then as well. Like, um, another band in there that we discovered as a string called puppets and from Derry, and they're absolutely amazing as well. And, and we just, just from listening through music and then helping them in all text. Well, that's, you know what I think your music's great and etcetera, etcetera. And now they're like, oh, do you want to play a gig? Was like, yeah, okay. You know, because yeah, it's, you know, it's them opportunities wouldn't have been there only for the collective, you know.

Brian (00:04:53) - Yeah. Yeah, exactly. And before the group, what was it like trying to get gigs? Was it like knocking on doors and being told, oh, you're an original. No, we want to cover band.

Jack (00:05:02) - And pretty much so they set up the band in 2020, and me and a friend of mine who was both sitting at home and bored over no, because of Covid.

Jack (00:05:13) - And then restrictions are starting to ease up a bit. So we got to go outside the house for once. So me and her decided to set up the band. But my idea from the start was. To try and keep a kind of a radio friendly kind of thing. That was my plan, and her vocal was more of a kind of a country vocal. And so it's more kind of going to be like a cue stick, kind of this idea that it won't be much heavier than Coldplay or Snow Patrol, that sort of thing. But, um, it just kind of when I got into the studio, it just kind of took on a life of its own and things went different. But in terms of trying to play down here. It wasn't going to happen. So I be doing myself down here, was trying to set up a kind of a a music scene, so to speak. Now, down and leash given bands from leash to opportunity, because there's in leash owners a phenomenal amount of acts down here.

Jack (00:06:12) - So I set up two gigs so far. I'm hoping to set up a third one in June. I'm not getting to set them up as often as I'd like because like, everything kind of money tends to be the the issue we've had. We've had two great gigs so far, and we're lucky enough that we we have the link in with, um, Forest Fest, the organizer of Forest Fest. So the first year we ran a, we were on a gig and I was able to source funding from Leech County Council, luckily enough. So I was able to pay all the bands, which was brilliant. I think we eight acts from leash came down and played eight bands. All phenomenal talents and we'd love down to the headliners and all of that. I think four of those acts were given slots at far as Fest, and then last year we ran a battle of the bands and we attend. We had ten bands down and I think again, four of those acts were given slots as far as Fest, and the prize was to Prize was an actor, was a slot of Forest Fest, but such was the quality that he just couldn't pick.

Jack (00:07:20) - So he ended up giving four acts slots. So there's like serious quality down here. It's just the issue in terms of like we have a venue, we just don't have the funding, if you know what I mean.

Brian (00:07:31) - Yeah, yeah. Like everything.

Jack (00:07:33) - Yeah. And it's trying to like. Most people just want to go and sing along to songs that they know. And which makes it very, very difficult because you're competing with cover bands all the time and you can't. It's like we're a pub, my shallow maybe 5 or €600 for a cover band. You tell them, oh, we're an original act. They don't want to pay you because they see it as a risk. Like, yeah, yeah. To the two shows that we put on. We packed the place over four times. So like that in itself is kind of the reward, if you know what I mean.

Brian (00:08:07) - Yeah, yeah. Gotcha, gotcha. It's kind of like, you know, you need to build a name, but how can you build a name if you're not even given the chance?

Jack (00:08:15) - That's it.

Jack (00:08:16) - And it's so hard. I mean, from like, we're in, we are playing pretty much everywhere except leash price, you know, and we even managed to get a gig and we had a played an awfully there a few weeks ago or this last month we did a good gig and hopefully and there's a pub over there, John Lees, who takes a chance on him, original music, and it gives him a Friday night slot every now and again. And he gave us a slot and people came in and they didn't leave.

Brian (00:08:49) - It was a good thing.

Jack (00:08:50) - Yeah, it was actually it was a little more, more successful gigs came in and we were talking to them afterwards or do a full compliment, say, no, we really liked your stuff and we're going to start following you now and stuff like that. But. It's so it's it's almost like it's rare that you would get a gig like that where you'd have. Especially around here were people who've never heard of you. Just walk in and go, oh, I like this band.

Jack (00:09:12) - They're not playing songs, I know, but I like them and I'm going to find out more about them.

Brian (00:09:16) - And what's the goal then? Is the goal kind of like to play a gig in Dublin or what way is it?

Jack (00:09:22) - And we actually were playing in February last night.

Brian (00:09:25) - Ah.

Jack (00:09:26) - And the goal was my. My mindset when I started this off was I wanted to have my music on the radio. That was my kind of my mindset. I don't want to play. I want to play to crowds and play to crowds. Are going to build a name. It's been a lot tougher than I thought it would be. Right. And we've been very lucky that in the sense that, like every song that we've put out, Radio Nova has picked it up for us with a rock show with Tony Ainscough there when he was doing the Rock show. He was a great supporter of ours. And now Flynn there on the Rock show, and it seems to be taking up where Tony left off, and he's given us he's given us a platform there on a Friday night, which is which is brilliant.

Jack (00:10:11) - It's been really, really great. In terms of gigs. We just want to play and we just want to get our name out there. There's no I can't say like, you know, I suppose everyone kind of wants world domination. You know, you always have to set your sights like as high as you can, and if you fall short, well, then, you know, it wouldn't be too bad. But I like the idea of being able to. Go to a venue and have people come to see you. That's. That's what I like. You know, like, I'm not saying that it needs to be thousands of people there, but you'd like if you had some sort of a following that, you know, people showed up when when you were playing. People knew about you. People wanted to listen to your music. That would be. That would be nice.

Brian (00:10:58) - Yeah, yeah. Do you think the whole world domination thing, though, is off the table these days? Like, is there any bands that actually do make it to that level where they can, you know, earn a living, a good living after music? Because I speak to, you know, from bands just after starting to bands that are established like 30 years and they all say the same thing these days, it is incredibly hard to have music as your main career.

Jack (00:11:25) - Yeah, I see that as well because like, I grew up, like listening to bands like therapy was massive therapy fan growing up. And what I loved about therapy was the fact that they were Irish. They were just up the road. This is a band from just up the road, and they're playing sell out like concerts and festivals all over the world. Their songs are on MTV, like, you know what I mean? There's such a big band and they're just from up the road. And then you look at them now and they're like, they're struggling to feel Dolan's, you know what I mean? Yeah, it's it's crazy. But like the quality of their music hasn't dropped off. They're still they're still a really, really good band. It's just. I don't know. Is this just the world's kind of gone towards pop music or.

Brian (00:12:11) - Yeah, that's what I feel anyway.

Jack (00:12:14) - Yeah, it's it's hard because, like, like I said, like, even if you look within the collective, like I fail to see what's the difference between some of the bands in the collective and yet some of the bigger rock bands that everyone knows about does not mean in terms of quality, in terms of sound production, in terms of songwriting.

Jack (00:12:33) - I don't see the difference. Like, you know what I mean? It's is it look what what is the difference like?

Brian (00:12:38) - Yeah, it's I don't know, I think it's like 20% right place, right time, 20% look. And the rest is who you know. You know, you need to have someone behind you pushing you.

Jack (00:12:50) - Yeah, yeah. That's it. It's almost like you have to, like, spend money to try and make money, but, like, who can afford to do that in this day and age? Like.

Brian (00:12:57) - Yeah, exactly. Exactly. And is it still a thing like I remember years ago when you start a band in Ireland, it was like, right, as soon as we get some traction, we have to leave Ireland and head to like London or Los Angeles. Is it still like that? Um.

Jack (00:13:12) - Honestly, I couldn't tell you, but, um, I would imagine that if you were in Britain right now, you'd have more opportunity in terms of, um, venues and gigs than you would then you do here.

Jack (00:13:27) - It's just it's almost like we're not we're not, we're not we're not set up for it. We don't cater for. I don't understand. Like people will shell out like say, you know, green. They're coming. €107 to take. Your people have no hassle sharing the output like you asked them to pay a fiver to come down five minutes walk down the road to see a local band like oh man, fuck that. Yeah, well like, how are you going to discover these bands if you don't?

Brian (00:13:57) - Take the chance. Yeah. If you don't. This. Yeah. And when it comes to redemption, then how do you guys approach making music? You know, where do you get your inspiration from? What does the whole process look like?

Jack (00:14:11) - Oh, I would say I'm just a fucking morbidly depressed fucker. That's where it comes from.

Brian (00:14:16) - Like all great rock stars. Yeah. Um.

Jack (00:14:19) - I, I started writing songs. It was about, well, I've written songs since as a kid.

Jack (00:14:26) - Like, was that, like, the only thing I ever wanted to do since I was a kid was write songs and play music, and and it's kind of. Oh, yeah, so to speak. It's like, no, you have to have a backup plan. You can't do that. You can't do this. It's not realistic career opportunity. But that's all I wanted to do was write songs and. I think I joined the band years ago with a mate of mine, because I was drumming in a because I just wanted to play in the band, and I'd been on the guitar for years. Wasn't probably a good enough guitarist to compete with some of the young guys that were coming up and get myself into a good covers band, if you know what I mean. Right. And so I decided to take up the drums and soak up the drums. And we were covered band and and we had a few original songs in that band as well. Well, I was I was right in the ensemble.

Jack (00:15:19) - Because you're the drummer. No one wants to learn the drummer songs. You tell me this. And guitar. And it was just too much fucking hassle. So the band kind of petered out a bit and I left. And I've been in the band five years from when I picked to start picking up the guitar. I think it's around 2016 or so, and it just started writing songs and then I didn't fucking stop. So and then it was around 2016, around 2016, I was probably depressed, only fucking mind, but didn't actually realize at the time. And I was just writing writing songs every week, I think. And I kind of snapped out of that with around 2017, or I was like, you know what? I'm going to put a band together. And because I had about 30, 30 odd songs at that stage, so went down, set it out to me and I'll start playing together. And then there was a. A woman from town and is after getting friendly with true coaching.

Jack (00:16:23) - So she came in and played bass. So we set up a band. We we got a few original songs off and we were going out and we're trying to play them and that was great. And then she couldn't commit and my cousin came in. And we took about 12 songs off and we we're going around doing um, and that we could kind of get. So there used to be a heyday festival on Christmas in. So we used to go we get a half hour a slot at that, or we'd be down to open mic nights and stuff like that, and we play there. We weren't really getting too many gigs, we were getting a couple. Or I felt the songs were good. But. The problem I felt was me on the vocals. I didn't think I was a good enough singer. I thought it was like I wasn't doing the songs justice because I couldn't sing them well. What happened was around Christmas, my cousin got too busy and he couldn't commit anymore. So kind of like that just kind of didn't fall apart.

Jack (00:17:18) - It was just like we always just kind of left it at that, if you know what I mean. It wasn't massive. We didn't have massive weren't getting massive gigs and stuff like that. And I start working in a. The hospital was a girl that was working in the hospital and she sang. She used to go back to her house there once a week we practice and I was like, yeah, female singer. This really suits my songs. It really kind of it brings them to life in terms of the emotion that I wanted from the songs and. You know that. And not only the motion to harmony and the melody as well. Like, I can probably put emotion into the songs, but Jesus Christ, it sounds fucking rough as fuck. Like.

Brian (00:17:58) - Right?

Jack (00:18:00) - So. That that was work. So for about a month or so. Me and her practice. And then we go, we got an open mic and then she headed off to India. But that was kind of for me that was kind of like, oh yeah, this is what I want to do now.

Jack (00:18:17) - Direction. We want to go, I'm going to put a band together. I'm going to get a female singer verbally, one who can play the guitar or play the piano as well. And I'll go from there because I figured the songs were good. That was right. And I was writing good songs and I wasn't stopping right now. I just kept writing and writing and writing. And so I knew at this stage, like out of all the songs I had written, I could pull 20 those songs together and they'd be 20 good songs, if you know what I mean. Yeah, I.

Brian (00:18:44) - Gotcha.

Jack (00:18:45) - And and it was just a matter of that. So then the opportunity came around. This was to try and form a band. That's what I did. But in terms of I've gone off on a tangent and the writing process is I sit in my room. And I get an idea in my head and I write it down. I used to record demos on a on a mac. That's what I used to do.

Jack (00:19:08) - So I'd write a guitar riff or a guitar thing, and then I'd put the whole song over it and make a whole demo. So I put the drums, or I put the bass, or I'd start adding in strings, piano, things like that, and, and it would just become like a whole song. And then when I have the song in my head, I bring it down to the band and it was like, all right, this is how the song going. And then just feels like there's a lot of songs kind of been floating around since 2016, 2017, and, and the song that our next single that we're going to release is called Black Spider. I wrote it back in 2017 on the acoustic guitar. And then I got a piano a few years ago, and when I got a piano, I started trying to turn the songs from the guitar onto a piano, and Black Spider became. I tried to mimic what I was doing on the guitar, on the piano, but it sounded so much better on the piano.

Jack (00:20:04) - So it became a piano song, and the whole acoustic version kind of went out the window. And then when I brought up the practice and brought it down to. That's just I was going to go. So we played it a few times. Then problem came back to the next practice and he's like, it needs something. And I'm very protective of my sons.

Brian (00:20:23) - Right?

Jack (00:20:25) - I was like, how dare you? And is there no need something that needs a bridge or something nice or not doesn't need that. So he came up with this funky little bassline, this really kind of cool kind of. Uh. It's almost like a jazz bassline or something. It's really, really. It's kind of like, how are you going to fit that into the song?

Brian (00:20:46) - It's like.

Jack (00:20:47) - No. He was adamant that this was going into the song and it's like, how, where why so? He bought in and he was insistent and he said, no, we're going to put it in before the second class.

Jack (00:20:59) - And I was like, no, that makes zero sense. He's not. No, we're going to do it right. So we're doing it. And I still wasn't really going for it. I was kind of like, oh, maybe we'll have it after a second course. But you know, he said no after the second verse is going in. So we don't know. We had to practice. We just brought home, listen to the practice and then went, sat down at the piano again and never came up with piano. Like all right. Yeah, maybe it does work. And then when we went to record in the studio, Chloe came in and Chloe started doing it. Start riffing over. And when to listen to a podcast like, do you know what? You're fucking right. Put it in. It just it just works. Mostly the songs is just me being fucking dictator. And it's like, this is a song. This is what it sounds like. Um, but then when you go into the studio, things change as well.

Jack (00:21:49) - You go into the studio with the first producer that we worked with, Steven Houston. He was absolutely phenomenal in terms of. While he brings to the song and what he gets out. You're almost like. It's like he gets into your head and knows what's in your head, and you start home and so on, and you go next to no, start playing whatever is going on the guitar, or he'll throw in the back of the melody, though. You got a fuck yeah, that works. And. Yeah. So I think like the in terms of the songs that we wrote. The structure and structure for. The letter. Didn't change, but the guitar on it did a little bit for. When we went into the studio, so I still had to kind of again, it's another song that I wrote on the acoustic guitar. And I translated onto piano, so it became piano. But I still wanted to keep that old acoustic guitar sound in the background. Steven's like, no love. Just strum single notes and work with distortion works so much better.

Jack (00:22:53) - He was right. It did like, yeah. And then he actually put in a little riff himself then as well. He notes that he, he picked up a guitar and started playing some harmonics, and he put that into it as well and like, oh fuck, that's really, really cool. That's really, really badly. Right now I've learned how to fucking play. Thanks very much for that. But yeah, it's. I like going into the studios for that reason, because when you're listening to a back. Through those big speakers and that. And you've got all this time because, you know, the drums are just doing their best. It's just being done. Back to the click track or the ghost track. You start just writing riffs to go on top of riffs, on top of riffs and songs kind of take on a kind of life of their own in the studio. So I like that.

Brian (00:23:40) - Yeah, yeah, kind of just proves the song is never entirely finished as well, you know?

Jack (00:23:46) - No it's not.

Jack (00:23:47) - I mean, the letter, both the letter on Black Spider, I think I wrote back in in 2017, and I'm glad that I didn't record them back in 2017.

Brian (00:23:56) - Yeah, yeah.

Jack (00:23:57) - You know, I recorded demos of when listen to the demos. Of them. Now and what the finished product is. They're completely different, almost, you know.

Brian (00:24:08) - Yeah. Like night and day. Almost.

Jack (00:24:10) - Yeah. Well, the vocal melody in the letter never changes. It's the exact same. And and the structure is the exact same book. It's an acoustic guitar. There's no piano in it. You know, so that's completely changed. And the version that we put out with Steve and I absolutely love I love that version. So happy. But yeah.

Brian (00:24:30) - Yeah. Gotcha. And I suppose we may talk about concerts. It's called concerts that made us so as a concertgoer. What concerts the Tank have made you?

Jack (00:24:42) - Oh. Um, there's a few of them, actually. And. I think it spells like.

Jack (00:24:50) - As a young lad growing up and being big into grunge and stuff like that, the kind of grunge bands were good. There's a few things I liked. Some of the things that kind of inspired me as well. We're not just going to like big concerts, just seeing local bands playing kind of, you know, Nirvana covers and Pearl jam covers, which kind of inspired me to pick up the guitar. And stuff, but the concerts that I remember as a kid are a teenager kid, and some of the first ones I've seen the Foo Fighters, the first time they ever played in Dublin, I was at that gig.

Brian (00:25:26) - Oh man.

Jack (00:25:27) - And that was absolutely phenomenal. The energy that he had. And I still remember like fucking Dave Grohl and Pat smear, like doing the. Fumbles on the stage while playing the guitar. I was like, oh my God, this is like unbelievable. And I was like, yeah, I really, really want to. This is what I really want to do.

Jack (00:25:52) - And then. Another gig, I suppose, seeing therapy for the first time. I think therapy is divine, that I've seen more times than any other band. Seen them as well. The. I am declared just after in front of love. Had been released and he came down and played that, and that was just absolutely phenomenal gig as well. Just like. I just I just absolutely love that Nick. Like, I just thought it was so fucking the songs that he was writing at the time and. The vocal. I just it's just how it was. His attitude on stage, just, you know, I just, I just absolutely loved therapy so that that that gig were. Just after Infernal Love was released. That was that was a big one for me. Again, we were in boundary in teenage years. It was a. We enter into a battle of the bands and Raven and the band after coming down from the canyon and were heavy metal. I'd never really been into heavy metal before, and I just seen these people just playing heavy metal was like.

Jack (00:27:02) - That was that was a game changer for me as well in terms of like, oh, I think I actually like having met that one, I started looking at looking for bands like Pantera and stuff like that, and, you know, Korn and start getting into them were and that was kind of like was it would have been a big kind of influence on my right. And then as well, in terms of what I wanted to do.

Brian (00:27:26) - Please, man, you sound like a just a big sponge. Yeah.

Jack (00:27:31) - Like I kind of like all sorts of music, but like, heavy heavy metal would probably be like my heavy metal rockers. Probably my my my preference. Probably more metal now. And and that's.

Brian (00:27:41) - When it comes to your own gigs then is there one that sticks out in your mind is maybe the best gig experience you've had?

Jack (00:27:48) - Oh, fuck. Um. Let me see. I am so critical of ourselves. I'm so critical of my own performance as well, and I'm always analyzing it.

Jack (00:28:01) - And she's always good. All you have? We don't know. I can remember games from when I was younger. That were good and. I. We played a couple of festivals there that we played livestock there two years in a row. Livestock, it's just it's as festivals go, it's so just unique and chilled and laid back and it's just it's savage crack. And I think probably the first year that we played. Uh, far as first. Was absolutely deadly because it's probably one of the biggest crowds that we played to, and there could have been maybe 5 or 600 people there, spread out intent and and the way we were treated as well, like they just looked after us like we were royalty. There's a VIP kind of a backstage area and it was free drinks and free crisps. And so it was just like, we felt like we were like rockstars, you know?

Brian (00:29:02) - I've made it.

Jack (00:29:04) - Yeah, pretty much. It was like, yeah, it was just because it was when you're younger and you start picking up instruments and stuff like that, and you start dream though, so like, you know, you want to play at festivals and you want to play to big crowds.

Jack (00:29:19) - And I think that first festival and the first year, that was probably the closest thing that we've that I've got to experience anyway. But then they into a big crowd.

Brian (00:29:32) - Well, a gig like that. And how do you deal with the whole thing? That it's not going to happen every week or every month? Because I would imagine something like that is highly addictive. And then the next day you're kind of like, right, it's back to normal. That's not going to happen any time soon again.

Jack (00:29:48) - Yeah, yeah. It's do you know what it. It's hard to deal with that as a musician when you go and you play a gig for me anyway. You want people to be there. You just like you just want a crowd and and like or to look like there's a crowd. So like, some venues are max capacity. Could be 40 people. So if you've got 40 people there. It looks like it's jammed. You know, you got 6 or 7 people there. It looks empty in the same like that far as first.

Jack (00:30:23) - Probably could be 500 people there because the tent was so big. It didn't look like that. And. Yeah. It's. It's it's hard, but it's easy. Everyone seems to be in the kind of the same boat. Of like it's hard to get people to come to your shows.

Brian (00:30:45) - Yeah, true.

Jack (00:30:47) - It's hard to get, um. People are going to stay there. Last night we played there and. For the first three songs. I think it was two people looking at us because every everyone's having a cigarette, you know?

Brian (00:31:03) - Yeah.

Jack (00:31:03) - And and it's. Yeah. But then, you know, 7 or 8 people come in and they start popping their heads and, you know, head and they're like, all right.

Brian (00:31:13) - They like to multiply. Yeah.

Jack (00:31:15) - You know, that's that's good. And I was like the same when we played John Lewis there and told them more. And because we're, we're local enough like we've been asking everyone fucking no one showed up to see us and. Well, like the people that did that were there.

Jack (00:31:33) - And people came in mostly maybe 30 or 40 people there to see us. And the feedback that we got after we really, really good. So it's the little things like that are kind of like, oh yeah, this is great. Like, you know, these are strangers that we don't know when they like us. So, you know, we must be doing something right, you know?

Brian (00:31:48) - Even better. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And you know, when you think of your gigs then to flip it around. Is there an experience you'd say was the worst and how did you overcome it?

Jack (00:31:59) - Oh. Yeah. There probably is, I think, with us as well. Like where every gig that we play, we always like. Record videos. And like I said to me, it's almost like I just analyze everything. It's like it's like a fucking occupational hazard. I just analyze everything. And so I listen back and I listen back to everything and go, right, okay. X, Y, and z needs to be fixed.

Jack (00:32:32) - And let's make sure that we don't do that again. I think in, in fairness, like with this kind of version of the band has only been together since April. It's Chloe's first ever band. So I think in fairness, she's doing a phenomenal job. And after stepping in after after Bunny left, which was a massive kind of blow. So it's a learning curve. And I think, I think we are a decent band. But like. My attitude to everything is always, you're only ever as good as your last performance.

Brian (00:33:06) - It's a good way to look at it, you know?

Jack (00:33:08) - And. So you can't really you can't really ever rest. And I never rest. And I'm always trying to get that into the rest of the band as well as like, you can never really rest. You have to go home. You have to practice by yourself. You have to know the songs. You know, it's can't really take breaks. Like we don't get to practice as often as I like because, I mean, everyone's got their own commitments and stuff like that.

Jack (00:33:33) - It's hard to get four people in a room once a week, never mind twice a week. Well for me. Like I'll sit home and analyze my own performance and I'll go, okay, Jack, you fucked up here. You fucked up there. And you need to correct that. And you need to. Practice, practice, practice and make sure you have a sort of before the next gig, like. So you always want to strike because especially when like, like I said, going down, watching pharmacy at our last week and looking at the quality of the acts and how good they are and they're like. I'm going to be on a bill with honeybees. Acts like I don't want to be. I don't want to come off and feel inferior, if you know what, because they're just they're so good. Like, it's like every time I go see a new Irish band, I almost feel like a fucking fraud. Like.

Brian (00:34:23) - You're right.

Jack (00:34:24) - It's like the quality that's out there. It's just it's phenomenal.

Brian (00:34:29) - You kind of strike me as a guy who does overanalyze and is probably too hard on yourself. Like, I feel like if your gig went perfect, you'd still be picking at yourself and everyone else would be like, no, man, that was actually fine. Like you blew him off the stage.

Jack (00:34:45) - Yeah, no, you know I am, but I'm like that in every aspect in my life. I am not the sort of person that likes give himself credit for anything really. And this is probably something that I need to fucking change. Well, it's just, um. Yeah. It's just it's it's an inferiority complex. It's all.

Brian (00:35:06) - Yeah, yeah. Although I think we all have a kind of a touch of that at times.

Jack (00:35:11) - Yeah, well that's true. Yeah. But you think after years of playing like you'd have overcome it so much, I always say I never consider I always consider myself as a. I consider myself a good songwriter and average musician.

Brian (00:35:25) - Right.

Jack (00:35:26) - That would mean my.

Jack (00:35:28) - I had taken.

Brian (00:35:29) - Not a bad thing. I feel like that's something that some really famous person has said about themselves as well.

Jack (00:35:36) - Oh no, I'm plagiarizing someone great.

Brian (00:35:41) - And when you think of the future, then, you know, say five years time. How would you like the band to evolve?

Jack (00:35:48) - Oh. Like I said, like my my ambition is like world domination. Like, that's kind of like I would I would love to be able to. Do tours even in Britain. Do you know what I mean? In five years time, we were able to go over to Britain, you know, for maybe two months or three more tours and make money off it. You know. Yeah. You know, I would love if, you know, we were getting, you know, regular streams, if you know what I mean. People were listening to music, like. And your music, that's thing kind of like. Yeah, I, I don't know, I just, I don't know, I just have this thing that I just want people to listen to my music.

Jack (00:36:27) - And if if I could get a, you know, you could build up a big enough fan base. I think I'm happy with that. You know, I don't necessarily care for all the like, you know, the money or fancy houses, right? And I just want people to listen to my music.

Brian (00:36:43) - A true musician. So yes.

Jack (00:36:46) - That's it. Like, you know, we're always going to be broke, aren't we?

Brian (00:36:50) - Although, you know what? I feel like I'm Chris Martin. I feel like he sits in one of his, like, ten mansions and says, you know, I just want people to listen to my music. Yeah.

Jack (00:37:03) - Baby.

Brian (00:37:04) - Yeah. And before we dive into the last couple of questions, then future plans, I know you have the gig on the 1st of December in Fred Zeppelin's. Anything else you want to tell us about or plug?

Jack (00:37:16) - Yeah, actually, we're we're next week. Next Saturday we're heading up to Derry. So this is going to be our first time heading up north and we're supporting string of puppets.

Brian (00:37:28) - Oh cool.

Jack (00:37:28) - So that's in Branigan's in Derry City next Saturday. And they've they're releasing their debut album. No, I'm not forgetting a sneak peak. I was listening to it there today. Fucking brilliant. Really it is. Oh, it's got such a 90s vibe to it. Like it's so it's it's so Seattle grunge. It's it's and you can kind of put pinpoint over which one particular band sounds like. It's just like you got all the bands that were in Seattle in the 90s, put them together and made one super band, and that's kaput.

Brian (00:38:04) - Right? Right. Yeah.

Jack (00:38:06) - And they're definitely worth checking out in your mind. Uh, Mark the lead singer, his voice is just absolutely phenomenal. It's just like. It's like, yeah, I wish I could sing like that. So we've got that, and I think we've got another one in Fred's next year and then February as well. And we're hoping to release a new single on the 14th of February next year. Black spider.

Brian (00:38:29) - Valentine's day.

Jack (00:38:31) - Valentine's Day. Yes, it's my own version of a very twisted, dark love song, so it'll be quite fitting.

Brian (00:38:38) - I like it, I like it. And we'll dive in to the last few. So these are a couple of random odd music questions, but I'm looking forward to hearing your answers. Okay, so if you could see any performer from history in concert for one night only, who would it be?

Jack (00:38:55) - Oh, can I have 1 or 2?

Brian (00:38:58) - I'll be nice. I'm feeling generous. You can have two, right?

Jack (00:39:01) - Parker and Freddie Mercury.

Brian (00:39:03) - I like it, I like it 100%. Yeah, maybe some gig. And here's where the odd part comes in. So if you had to spend 24 hours locked inside a room with any musician from history, who would it be?

Jack (00:39:19) - Oh, fuck.

Brian (00:39:21) - I like that reaction.

Jack (00:39:24) - Locked in a room?

Brian (00:39:26) - Yeah.

Jack (00:39:29) - It is, it is. It lit up? Is it dark.

Brian (00:39:32) - Like? Yeah, like there's light. There's even food if you're hungry.

Brian (00:39:37) - It's not like so, you know, you don't have to cut off any limbs. Right. Okay. Right.

Jack (00:39:41) - So there's food and drink. So someone that could sit in and get drunk with.

Jack (00:39:45) - Buck and. I don't know.

Jack (00:39:50) - If really Bowie would probably be interested to sit in with him. The last.

Jack (00:39:56) - I don't know who's a bit of crack.

Jack (00:39:59) - Who is the musician? World is a bit of crack. Ed Sheeran.

Brian (00:40:04) - Really?

Jack (00:40:05) - Yeah. I'm not. I'm not really a fan of Ed Sheeran, right? It was music, but I just reckon it's a bit of crack.

Brian (00:40:11) - Rise. You know, I can safely say I think I'm like 170 episodes deep at this point. And that is the first time anyone has said they wanted to be locked in a room with Ed Sheeran. Oh, no. It was bound to come up at some stage, I suppose if you look at the level of averages.

Jack (00:40:32) - No, I just reckon you'd be a bit of crack. I just reckon like.

Jack (00:40:36) - This is not.

Jack (00:40:37) - Allowed. You could sit there. I reckon you start like you're going to fucking bear with and have great fucking time.

Brian (00:40:42) - Yeah. There's no airs and graces about him. Like just normal guy.

Jack (00:40:45) - Yeah, just normal guy. Yeah.

Brian (00:40:49) - Good one, good one and the final one. So this is near impossible to answer. But what song would appear on the soundtrack to your life?

Jack (00:40:58) - Oh.

Jack (00:41:00) - Show must go on.

Brian (00:41:01) - Right? Right. What is it about that one that speaks to you?

Jack (00:41:05) - I don't know. I think it was. I think it was just the kind of like the.

Jack (00:41:12) - Uh.

Jack (00:41:14) - Just the kind of acceptance in the finality of it because they always pictured, like Freddy wrote that, like, about the fact that he knew he was going to die.

Jack (00:41:23) - And.

Jack (00:41:25) - And I just I absolutely love that song. I just think it's I think that's one of the songs that I want playing at my funeral.

Brian (00:41:32) - Right, right. Has to be that one. So nice one.

Brian (00:41:36) - Listen, Jack, it's been a blast and I've really enjoyed chatting with you over the last hour. Thanks a million. Right.

Jack (00:41:42) - Thanks very much. That was a pleasure being on.

Jack (00:41:44) - Thanks for having me.