MUM LOCKED IN CASTLE
Questions asked by Jon Wilde, added to Rock Realms 30th August 2010.
Scarborough, UK, band Mum Locked In Castle have a new EP "Lions Led" on the way out.
We caught up with guitarist Dan to find out more about the EP and about the band.
Hi Guys, thanks for taking a moment to answer these questions. Hope you are well?
Dan: We’re good thanks, bit tired, just come of a little tour.
Can you give us a brief history of Mum Locked in Castle – who you are, how you formed etc...?
Dan: I play guitar, then there’s Ben on vocals, Andy on bass and Joe on drums. We all formed up at Uni in Scarborough a few years back whilst studying music, and all sharing a love of metal and jazz thought we’d give things a bash.
Your band name comes from a newspaper headline... Why did that inspire you enough to use it?
Dan: It just seemed to sum up things a bit. None of us are from Scarborough and on arriving it seemed like it was a little sleepy seaside town, the fact that it could make headline on the town's paper just amused us.
Did you know what sort of music the band was going to play right from the start, or has your sound altered over time?
Dan: I hope we’re developing, we all just bring in riffs, lyrics, beats and fuse them together. There wasn’t any guideline, we all just respected each other's taste in music.
How would you actually describe the sound of the band to someone who hadn’t heard you before?
Dan: I think we used to say we have big stoner riffs, soulful vocals and jazzy interludes and I think that’s about right!
What bands would you list as influences? Are you all into the same sort of music?
Dan: We all share some common ground but then we all have our favourites. For instance Andy loves NIN, Ben likes Jamie Lidell, whilst Joe and me are really into The Mars Volta. We all love Reuben though, they are our darlings along with Incubus and Blakfish.
How is the music scene in Scarborough, and how has it affected the development of the band?
Dan: As the Uni runs music degree’s there are loads of really talented musicians, but until now there hasn’t really been a decent sized venue to play originals in. There are a couple of clubs but they’re too big really for bands. But some nice people have opened up The New Tavern and are doing music there, which is going pretty well. Along with the guys running the Scarborageddon nights and a few gigs up at the uni it’s not too bad for its size. Scarborough has a massive folk scene though!
When did you start work on the new “Lions Led” EP, and how easily did it all come together?
Dan: We actually started writing it early 2009 but as our uni workload started getting larger we had less time to write. I think it came together quite easily. We’d played loads of shows together since the release of Vultures, and we were all living in the same house so we had all really gelled together and knew what everyone wanted. It was good fun!
Was there a concept behind the creation of the album, or is it simply a bunch of standalone tracks that work well together?
Dan: I don’t think there was a concept as such. Its just generally angst, and then lets just have a boogie sort of thing.
Where did the EP name come from?
Dan: It came from the well used line ‘lions led by donkeys’ and we got Sonny Kay to do us a lion with a lead missing its owner, just roaming about for the artwork.
How does the writing process in Mum Locked in Castle work? How would a typical song be created?
Dan: Either myself or Andy will have a riff, we’ll teach it to Joe, he’ll mess around with different beats and grooves behind it, then start again with another riff, then Ben normally sits while this is all happening and writes some lyrics or comes up with some melodies.
What special techniques do you employ in the studio to get your sound?
Dan: We’ve recorded both EPs ourselves, with Lions Led being mixed and produced by Jason Wilcock. We were all students of recording, and I don’t think you cannot be, there’s always different ways of doing things and messing about that I don’t think you could ever know everything. So we just messed about and tried to make it sound good.
What’s your favourite track on the EP, and why?
Dan: I don’t have a personal favourite really, I like the ending of Lions Led as it's really fun to play live!
How does this EP compare to your debut EP “Vultures”?
Dan: I think the songs are a bit more progressive and play smoother. Its also quite a lot heavier in places such as the beginning of Wired, but then also it has more jazz hooks in it such as the verses in Soft As Thorns.
Do you enjoy the whole studio/creative experience, or do you prefer getting up on the live stage?
Dan: I think we’d all agree getting on the stage and giving it a boogie is the best part of the band. The studio is fun but hard work, and you can just let it go on stage and reap the benefits of your hard work in the studio as everything’s so much louder!
What is one of your live shows like? What should fans expect from one of your performances?
Dan: We try and go skits really. I’ve dislocated my knee twice now onstage probably boogying a bit too much so I’m a bit more subdued nowadays, but we just try and give the music a strong visual.
Do you have plans for a full length album sometime soon?
Dan: We’re currently collecting up riffs and ideas, I have a couple of songs that need messing about and so have the guys, and we’re all looking forward to making a full length. Probably around spring next year.
Any question you love being asked that I’ve missed? If so, what’s the answer?
Dan: It's all good.
What are you up to once you’ve finished answering these questions?
Dan: Going to London to boogie.
Anything else you would like to mention?
Dan: Lions Led is out 25th October via our very own Medium Rare Records! Cheers dude!
Thanks again to Dan for his time. As the man says, keep an eye out for the new Mum Locked In Castle EP "Lions Led"
http://www.myspace.com/mumlockedincastle
