POWERLINE A.D.
Q&A
EXCLUSIVE Q&A:
Juanita Stein of Howling Bells
Howling Bells released their self-titled debut album in 2006. The album, produced by Coldplay producer Ken Nelson, featured quite a few standout tracks, including “Low Happening,” “Setting Sun,” and “Broken Bones.” Work has begun on the follow-up, which is slated for release later this year.
The band, pictured above in a photo by Ian Whent, includes (left to right) bassist Brendan Picchio, drummer Glenn Moule, lead guitarist Joel Stein, and Joel’s sister, lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Juanita Stein. The Steins and Moule had played together in a band called Waikiki in their native Sydney, Australia. Waikiki issued an album titled I’m Already Home in Australia in 2003. They then met Picchio, formed Howling Bells, and relocated to London in 2005. Howling Bells have toured America as the opennig act for The Killers.
Howling Bells’ beautiful and talented frontwoman, the incomparable Juanita Stein, has very kindly agreed to do an e-mail Q&A with Powerline A.D. Among the topics discussed in the Q&A are musical influences, the band’s past and present, America, and the bats of Sydney, Australia! The results of the Q&A follow:
POWERLINE A.D.: Were your parents a big influence on you and Joel getting into music or was it something that you both did on your own?
Juanita Stein: My father, in particular, was a major musical influence in our lives. He himself is a wonderful songwriter/musician and brought us up on a very healthy diet of relevant music.
POWERLINE A.D.: An early version of Howling Bells was called Waikiki. Could you describe the sound of Waikiki and how it differed from the sound of Howling Bells?
J.S.: Waikiki was a previous band, kinda relevant, kinda not. Just like a fond memory or an old dress you used to love.
POWERLINE A.D.: You, Joel, and Glenn played together in Waikiki and then met Brendan and relocated to the UK. How did Brendan joining the band change the sound?
J.S.: Brendan added a kind of confidence and brashness that were previously not evident. He’s a wonderfully melodic player. Clever fella!
POWERLINE A.D.: Why did the band decide to relocate from Australia to the UK?
J.S.: We heard the pea mash was grand.
POWERLINE A.D.: Does living in the UK influence your songwriting in a different way than did living in Australia?
J.S.: Totally. Just like any environment affects your state of mind. Our experience of living there is a very positive one—it’s a right brilliant scene for bands. Only inspired us.
POWERLINE A.D.: What do you miss most about your hometown of Sydney?
J.S.: The bats.
POWERLINE A.D.: At one point after relocating to the UK, the band shared an apartment. Did that experience help the band bond and become determined to succeed?
J.S.: Nah, man, we shared a fucking BEDROOM!!! Can you imagine that?!? We lasted a couple of months, if you could believe it. We probably hated each other for that time, but yeah, in retrospect, it made us stronger.
POWERLINE A.D.: Terms that have been used in the music press to describe the band’s sound include “Goth,” “moody,” “dark,” “dreamy,” and “ethereal.” How would you describe the band’s sound?
J.S.: Our first record was definitely filled with a whole lotta longing and lusting and wanting and needing. It feels like that with the new songs, only a little faster.;)
POWERLINE A.D.: How does the band’s songwriting process work? Is there a main songwriter in the band or are your songs crafted through a completely collaborative process?
J.S.: For the first record, it was about me bringing a lot of the songs to the band and them completing the sound. This album writing process has been a way more collaborative process.
POWERLINE A.D.: Films have apparently been an influence on the band’s sound. Are there any films in particular that have inspired your music?
J.S.: For me....Leon, Frankie and Johnny, Jaws, Edward Scissorhands, Chinatown, Vivre Sa Vie.
POWERLINE A.D.: Are there any bands or artists that you look to for inspiration? If so, who are they? And what is it about their work that inspires you?
J.S.: Early Bjork, Kate Bush, AIR, Siouxsie Sioux, The Slits, Magazine, Radiohead. They all mean what they say.
POWERLINE A.D.: You worked with Coldplay’s producer, Ken Nelson, on your self-titled debut album. Was he a big influence on the sound and feel of the album?
J.S.: Yeah, Ken was influential in the sense that he kept it sparse and organic. Also, it’s as important to him as it is to us that, above all, the melody shines through.
POWERLINE A.D.: How is work coming along on the second album?
J.S.: New songs are very exciting, I think. Brash, bold, and inspiring. Hoping to start recording in a few weeks!
POWERLINE A.D.: Will you be touring America this year in support of the new album?
J.S.: I should absolutely think so!!!!
POWERLINE A.D.: Is breaking the American market vitally important to the band?
J.S.: Sure, it’s crucial to us that we connect with as many a market we can. It’s our life!
POWERLINE A.D.: Is the band playing the South by Southwest Festival in Austin, Texas this March?
J.S.: Nope. Will probably still be recording!
POWERLINE A.D.: You’ve played many gigs in many places and had a high-profile support slot with The Killers. What is your favorite city in which to play and why?
J.S.: On The Killers’ tour, I really loved being in Phoenix, Arizona. I dreamed of being there my whole life, so it was brilliant to be there finally.
POWERLINE A.D.: What was the highlight of 2007 for the band?
J.S.: Selling out my favorite venue in London, Koko!
POWERLINE A.D.: Final question: What would you like to see the band accomplish in 2008?
J.S.: A fucking brilliant album and a wonderfully successful year! Thank you.
For additional information on Howling Bells, go to:
http://www.howlingbells.com
http://www.myspace.com/howlingbells
Interview by John Curley
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I have seen The Hedrons perform four times in New York City (I wrote about those performances here), and I can say without hesitation that the rave reviews they have received are well deserved. They are a fantastic live band. Soup said of The Hedrons’ onstage, “For four girls, we make one hell of a noise.” That wonderful “noise” will be on display at several upcoming gigs in Scotland, including a recently announced Christmas show on December 23rd at their home base, King Tut’s in Glasgow. If you have the opportunity to see The Hedrons play live, definitely take advantage of it. You’ll walk away from the gig as a fan for life.
I recently had the very good fortune to conduct an e-mail question-and-answer session with The Hedrons. Quite a few topics were discussed, including the band’s origins, plans for the future (including their upcoming second album), and their work with the Nordoff-Robbins music-therapy charity. We even discover which of Glasgow’s two Scottish Premier League soccer clubs Rosie supports. Here’s how it went:
POWERLINE A.D.: How did the band come together?
Soup: We were all playing in different bands but using the same rehearsal studio in Glasgow. We knew each other just from hanging around at the studios as we spent a lot of time there. It was good to see other girls who played so that was how we got talking initially. After a while we decided to jam together for fun and when we did, it worked out brilliantly and we decided we should form a band. The rest, as they say, is history!
Soup: The first gig was in the Barfly, in Glasgow. I think it was June 2005 and we were trying to keep it low key as we’d only been rehearsing songs since March 2005 and wanted time to get ourselves tight. Word got out that an all-girl punk rock band would be playing at the Barfly that night and when we went on stage the place was mobbed, and there was a great review in the paper two days later!
Soup: We were all playing in bands based in Glasgow, playing gigs constantly. For example, Tippi was in a 60s garage band playing everything from John Lee Hooker and Bo Diddley to Alex Harvey and obscure Kinks B-sides. It was all good training for the Hedrons that was yet to come since those steady blues beats are needed in punk too!
Soup: Ahh…if we tell you, your computer will self destruct. Tippi’s name is Tippi that much is true!
Soup: Our original bass player hurt her neck badly in a car accident just as we were about to embark on our third UK tour, so we had to get a new member in immediately. We had seen Gill playing really well at a couple Glasgow venues with various bands and were really impressed, so we contacted her via My Space (something we are very active with). She managed to learn the songs in a week and hit the road the following week! It’s all been a whirlwind for her and life as a Hedron suits her down to a ‘t’!
Tippi: All of our influences range from Led Zeppelin to Muse, the Foo Fighters to the Rolling Stones. We’re all into different bands and I believe that's what makes us click musically. If we all liked the same bands, we would end up wanting to sound like them. Our musical tastes influence us in every way, from grooves to riffs, to how we perform live, and how we write our songs.
Tippi: We all take ideas into the rehearsal room and work on them. We give everyone’s ideas a chance and every band member adds their own personality to the song we’re working on.
Tippi: Looking back now, I suppose it was. We didn’t want our photograph on the cover, because it is all about the music. The graffiti-tagged brick wall is somewhere in a Glasgow back alley and could definitely represent the fondness we have for our native city.
Tippi: We recorded the album over the space of eight days in Parklane studios in Glasgow. We decided to record the album live—all of us set up in the same room playing the songs at the same time. We decided to do this as we wanted to create a ‘live and energetic’ sound and didn’t want the record to sound flawless, we wanted to capture the essence of what we are—a live band.
Tippi: For us, it’s all about playing live, that’s why we’re in a band. Touring is the only solid way to build a relationship with your audience, and there is nothing better than being on tour and playing a gig every night! If one person comes to see us and likes it, next time round, we hope that they will tell their friends and bring them along.
Gill: Nordoff-Robbins is a charity which uses music therapy to stimulate and teach children and adults with a wide range of needs such as mental and physical illness, learning difficulties, physical and sexual abuse, stress and terminal illness. We feel it is extremely important to support this cause as everyone, no matter how ill or disabled, can respond and communicate with music, without any background or training.
Gill: America is the largest music market in the world and from visiting twice, it is apparent how vast the country is and how varied music tastes are in different places. We do hope to gain recognition in America and would absolutely love to ‘make it’ there.
Gill: At the moment, there are no dates finalized. We all really hope to get over there soon, if not by the end of this year, then hopefully the next.
Gill: Internet Web sites and online social communities are extremely important for any band nowadays. The likes of My Space has seen many bands go from unknown to massive in such a short space of time, the reason being these sites are so accessible and user-friendly. It is also an easy way for fans to communicate with their favorite band, which keeps them eager to check up on new releases and gigs. As a fan of many bands myself, I use the Internet regularly as a source of information. Thus, I feel the Internet is a great tool for bands in this day and age.
Gill: Currently, we are writing and putting together tracks for a second album. In the future, it really depends how the sales market is doing before we can make any decisions but we would be stupid to not understand that we are in an ever-changing industry and that there is constantly the need for more ways to be innovative in finding alternative ways for fans to consume our music.
Rosie: Either T In The Park or the American tour, which I think was very successful. The best gig by far was the Quebec festival where we played in front of about 15,000 people, definitely the biggest gig we’ve ever done.
Rosie: We’re hoping to start work on our second album fairly soon, and start gigging some new songs. And also hoping to get back to the US before the end of the year.
Rosie: Hopefully, if we’re not all in rehab, we’ll still be gigging our wee guts out!
Rosie: Oohhhhh...............RANGERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
For further information on The Hedrons, see:
http://www.thehedrons.com/
http://www.myspace.com/thehedrons
http://www.bebo.com/thehedrons
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