TWO CHOICES
Questions asked by Jon Wilde, added to Rock Realms 30th March 2010.
Two Choices hail from Brighton on the UK's South Coast. They've just released a new EP, Have You Heard?, that impressed us with its fun sound and quality writing.
Guitarist Tom Clarke joins us to answer questions on behalf of the band.
Could you tell us how the band originally got together?
Tom: We were all 14 at school. Boyce already played the drums a little bit, so we all delegated tasks and started playing together in music class.
Who inspired your style and sound?
Tom: Every one of us has a different favourite band. I grew up loving Blink182, Ash loves singer songwriters like Elton John as well as the Beatles, Boyce has only ever listened to the Foo Fighters and The Stereophonics as far as I can gather, and Tim is our classic rock guy, AC/DC and Guns 'n' Roses all the way!
Did you start off as a covers band, or have you always performed original compositions?
Tom: At first we only played covers, then one by one our own songs started to creep into our sets.
You play a lot of pub gigs. Do the originals go down well with the average drinking audience, or do you tend to put a load of covers in the set to appease the masses?
Tom: Through playing at pubs/clubs for so long, you tend to find out what works and what doesn't. Turning up to a pub and playing all of your own songs tends not to be the best way to grab an audience's attention! Each person in that pub is a potential fan so you've got to lure them in with covers that they'll love, then keep them bopping and clapping to your own stuff. Trying to keep the audience included in the gig I think is the best way to get them on your side!
How would you describe your style to somebody who hadn’t heard you before?
Tom: I always used to say to people that we're somewhere in between Green Day, The Killers and even McFly, although since the release of Have You Heard? it seems that we've got a little 80's vibe going on so maybe I'll need to change what I say!?!?
How quickly did the latest EP come together?
Tom: Quite quickly actually! Some of the songs we originally planned on recording didn't make the cut and it went right down to the last few weeks before recording that we decided on and finished all 4 songs!
Do you sit down with the deliberate intention of writing, or do you have to take advantage of inspiration when it strikes?
Tom: Yeah, there's times when we need to rehearse for a gig or tour, times when we might want to learn a new cover or part of a set and other times when we sit down with the specific intention of writing.
Does the band write as a whole, or is there one main contributor?
Tom: It usually starts with Tim and Boyce playing something together, I say that it's rubbish, Ash sits in the corner, we argue for a while, then I might decide to join in and after 20 minutes, the idea I declared was rubbish is slowly turning into a song!... usually the more one of us hates it the better it is in the end!
How does the EP compare to your previous work in terms of style and quality?
Tom: I think it's a lot more mature sounding than Longest Journey. Ash's vocals have a depth to them now and we've added a little more synth, it wasn't really ever our intention to change our sound at all, it's just been a progression.. and one that we're all very happy with!
Did you use any special techniques or instruments during the recording process?
Tom: Well, there's a guitar, an amp, a bass, some drums and Ash uses some whizzy keyboard thing that Albert Einstein would have trouble figuring out. That's about it really, our producers Mat and Ville at The Animal Farm are awesome. They even let me and Tim use this very expensive instrument they have called 'Auto-Tune'... still not sure what it does.....
Are there already plans for a full length album?
Tom: The main problem with doing this is simple: cost. At our stage now, it's important to keep it fresh (as they say) and keep the releases coming so people are always hearing new things. That said, if there are any lovely record company execs reading this we would VERY much love to record a full-length album!!
If so, do you think your style will continue in the same vein as the EP, or do you think you’ll head off at a tangent and explore other areas of music?
Tom: I think you'll always be able to recognise it as Two Choices no matter what we do. We're not into writing really complex deep and diverse music. We make songs that we can imagine someone signing along to on the radio or screaming out loud at a gig. Whatever tweaks we make, it'll always still be rock and roll!
Do you enjoy the writing and recording process, or do you prefer being up on stage playing live?
Tom: The writing can be really tough, it's always interesting seeing how a song evolves but it definitely isn't plain sailing! The guys and I always love playing live, it's what we want to do! I'm also personally a huge fan of recording. There's almost nothing better than sitting in one seat for two weeks, working hard at playing a guitar part right and hearing a song slowly turn into a record. It's brilliant!
Have you played any gigs that really stand out...or are they all great?
Tom: In 2007 we were lucky enough to be asked to support The Who in our hometown of Brighton. Until we hit the real bigtime (*prays*) nothing will ever come close to the feeling we all got in the moments before we stepped onto that stage and played to 3000 people. It was unbelievable.
Are you looking forward to playing over in America? Is this the first time over there?
Tom: It's our first time as a band yes. It's going to be great! We've got some really great venues booked and the response we've been getting from the States has been really encouraging! I'm itching to get on that plane!
What should a punter expect from a Two Choices gig?
Tom: Fun. Simple, we have fun when we play. You'll be able to see that we've been together for 10 years that's for sure! I tell you what, if you're reading this, you come to a Two Choices gig and you're disappointed, I'll buy you a drink!
Are you a band that likes to continue the party once you finish the set?
Tom: We're the least rock and roll band in the history of mankind. It's a joke. We're a disgrace. Ash will probably have a cup of Tea, Tim will fall asleep and by the time Boyce's packed up his drums we're all ready for bed! Although occasionally if we don't have to drive anywhere we might have a cheeky Jack Daniels... or 10.
What’s the craziest thing any of you has done whilst drunk?
Tom: Boyce woke up on someone's front garden wall in Portsmouth once, not having any recollection of how or why he was there. And if you mention snakebite and black to Ash, he still feels sick.
Are there any other bands you are really into at the moment?
Tom: I'll talk from a personal point of view on this one as the lads aren't here! I'm really into an american band called Motion City Soundtrack at the moment, they're such good fun! I must also confess to having a good old bit of Bon Jovi on my iPod recently as well... Gotta love New Jersey! what an album!
Any question you love being asked that I’ve missed? If so, what’s the answer?
Tom: Is a banana a herb? Yes it is. Not a lot of people know that.
What are you up to once you’ve finished answering these questions?
Tom: Indoor 5 a side football, then pub, then bed!
Anything else you would like to mention?
Tom: Just that you can buy 'Have You Heard?' from iTunes, Amazon or a physical copy on our MySpace page (link below). We're also on facebook!
Thanks so much for featuring us! Glad you liked what you heard!!! Cheers, Tom
Thanks again to Tom for his time. You can check out the Rock Realms review of Two Choices' latest EP Have You Heard here.
http://www.myspace.com/twochoices
