Listen to the live interview Episode #472: A.V.A Live Radio Behind The Music with Jacqueline Jax : http://tobtr.com/10012425

Jacqueline Jax logo photoGETTING TO KNOW EMOTIONAL PARK VANDALS
by Jacqueline Jax host of A.V.A Live Radio

Interviewing: Richard Newell

The unexpected death of our Bass player spurred an an unbelievable period of creativity.  It’s been both a sad and trying time for us, but we keep his memory in everything we do.

 

New album..
The title of the album alludes to the fact that I was made redundant from my day job (I used to have a really good job). I decided that this was a really good opportunity to take time out and I spent the next two months writing the songs that are on the album. It was one of the most creative phases I have ever had and the songs just poured out of me. I wrote about 15 songs and there are still a couple of songs that we recorded that didn’t end up getting used. There are some songs that a straight out heart felt songs and others where I set myself a challenge to write a song on a particular topic or style.

 
Song name: Captains Torch
Music Genre/ category : Indie/Folk/Rock
This is a song about our old bass player. We had been playing music together for 10 years. He was a quiet kid of guy who influenced the direction the band has gone, not by pushing us but by the encouragement that he gave our experimentation and his whole hearted love of music. But he died unexpectedly and his influence is all through the current album in the writing and the performing.

Link:: http://itunes.apple.com/album/id1221336446?ls=1&app=itunes

 

Music business…
There is no mistaking that the music industry is no place for people who can’t handle the odd knock back. I the early day I had a development deal with a record company I don’t know if I should mention the name but it was Sony) and I recorded a whole bunch of demos, had the guys come in and listen to them only for one of them to say, “I can’t hear any singles here” and that was pretty much the last I heard from them. But times have changed and with Soundcloud, Bandcamp and Facebook it is easier to get your music out into the work. But there is a still a lot of work building a fan base, which we are trying to do!

 

I would love to have 5 minutes alone with….
I think as a songwriter you should try and learn from all the great songwriters that came before you. Dylan studied Woody Guthrie and other Folk great and used what he found to develop his own style. Instead of 5 minutes with one person I wouldn’t mind 2 and a half minutes with Neil Young and 2 and a half minutes with Prince (if he was still alive). Neil Young was never afraid to write the way he felt and wrote some great albums which at the time where bagged as rubbish but in time but became know as classic records over time. Prince just had a sense of style and musicality and productivity that was second to none. To be so productive and to have such a high quality collection of work is amazing!

Website and social media links:
emotionalparkvandals.com
https://www.facebook.com/Emotional-Park-Vandals-114690997804/

 

 

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