Indie Brit band Elmor is a band you should love. The boys of Elmor intertwine delighful pop vocals with driving insturmentation to produce fun, “dance-y” and romantically charged rock n’ roll. I had the pleasure of interviewing the group before they embarked from England to LA to tour. Unfortunately this interview took place via Facebook chat due to the band’s location across the pond, but imagining the boys saying everything in a British accent made up for it.
Liv: Where’d you get your name? I’m sure you know there’s an Elmore band and an Elmore D Band?
Andy: It’s our lead singer Luke’s mother’s maiden name (she’s Scottish) and a street he used to live on. Elmore band…? There’s one in London but we’re bigger than them so doesn’t matter! Although myself and Rich here are big jazz fans and love Elmore James [of the Elmore D Band]! Don’t forget we’re Elmor though!
Liv: How did the band form? Where are you all from?
Andy: Luke and I have been mates for about five years. After living in Vancouver I moved back here [London] and hooked up with him for some drinks. Luke said he had written some songs and wanted to get a band together. We started with a five piece line-up then. However things weren’t working and our original guitarist had to be fired after a year, so Tristan joined who we knew from the muso circle around here! We went through three other drummers before getting Richard who we found on the net….so 21st century!!
Liv: What is muso?
Andy: People in England who are musicians basically…! But it’s like more of a cool term for rockers.
Liv: Ah, I like!
Andy: As a band we all have different influences though and so the sound we have is different than what it was when we began. The songs we did when it started three years ago? We don’t play any of them now!
Liv: Describe Elmor’s sound to someone who has never heard your music before
Andy: Melodic rock; energetic rock sound with a commercial vibe…hang on we once had a review from a national paper which describes us well: “A face-off between the west coast of America indebted soaring melodies of the Thrills and the day-glo pop of the hirsute Magic Numbers, with a dash of stadium rock U2 and even industrial Editors-esque riffs” THE FLY “A lot of scope and expansiveness to the music, a certain kind of wind-swept romanticism” THE INDEPENDENT ”
Liv: If you weren’t in the band, what would you be doing?
Andy: Working in the industry; I’d probably go into management. I was doing that before the band. Luke would probably carry on – writing, doing solo stuff – and start a gardening business.
John: I’d be song writing and producing.
Richard: Playing drums?! Typical drummer! Playing jazz though…
Liv: I’m glad you all would still be doing music stuff!! That’s refreshing.
Andy: The thing is we’ve never discuss that! We are part of the project and team and we don’t consider anything else.
Liv: What’s the song writing process? Song writing inspirations? Lyrical inspiration? Do you ever find it difficult to write a song?
Andy: When we wrote our current single it happened within an hour. Other songs have taken weeks! Sometimes the lyrics and melody are written first, sometimes another part is the basis. The songs can take weeks to tailor. “The Wedding Song” – which you won’t have heard; that shall be our next single – took about two months to get it how we wanted. Luke uses a lot of influences in his life for inspiration.
Liv: Yes, writing about what you know is always good! Do you have a favorite song to perform?
Andy: A track called “Use It”. This was originally called “Everything and Everyone” but we’ve changed the latter to the album name. Because it’s the first song we wrote we wanted to incorporate it into the album title. John’s and Luke’s favorite is “One Step”
Richard: “Seven Years”
Tristan: “Little Bit”
Liv: Why these songs?
Andy: They are all different. Each one has its own elements. How we play them physically is different too. We get a different reaction to each one. I think our main basis is every song should be unique but encompassing our signature sound! There are too many bands – especially in this country – who have an album of “samey” songs…..also bands we’ve met touring. But then there are a couple who are special…
Liv: Like you?
Andy: We have been told we are! Haha!
Liv: What song do you wish you had written?
Andy: “Be my baby”, The Ronettes. “Don’t Worry Baby”, The Beach Boys. Uum………. I know Luke would say Radiohead’s “Ok Computer”. For me: every album Muse has done!
Liv: Me too! I love Muse. Have you seen them live?
Andy: yeah last year!
Liv: Their keyboard player is fucking incredible.
Andy: Such a massive inspiration for me…
Liv: What’s your favorite thing about being on tour?
Andy: Making bets on how long it takes for Richard to fall asleep on the dance floor when we’re out! Oh, and tickling Tristan. He hates it!
Liv: Couldn’t you tickle him anytime?
Andy: Yes, but in a vehicle, he can’t escape! Meeting other bands is always fun. We come away from a tour having met loads of lovely people. Of course there are the obvious perks like trying different venues and crowds. England even though it’s small to you, you go an hour away and people/accents can be very different!
Listen to Elmor on their MYSPACE
Summer always needs a good band that brings the best out of the season; Foreign Born does it for me. Just when you think you may possibly die of heatstroke and if you live in California you know the intensity that I am talking about, you turn to a Foreign Born track and it all seemingly becomes cooler. The group came together in the Bay Area circa 2003 and soon after, ventured into the underground music scene of Los Angeles where they now reside. When I think of Foreign Born, I think “tropical.” I don’t mean that they’re fruity but that their music conveys a global influence. The group is quite fond of incorporating global music genres into their music such as African rhythms and Latin folk. They use anything from bongos to banjos to maracas. The combination of all the different flavors results in something so irrevocably tasteful. Their newest album ‘Person To Person’ is the greatest example and measure of this group’s ability. Being that I live under the blistering hot sun, I have the album on constant replay. The clash of singer/guitarist Mark Noseworthy and the instrumentals transports you to a much breezier coastal region that can bring you sanity during wicked times as these. If their sound appeases you and you want to travel father outside of the U.S. borders, then check out the group’s other band, Fool’s Gold. This group heavily emphasizes the diversity of their instruments as they produce Kenya and island inspired songs. Foreign Born is definitely a group you can’t ignore; they bring so much to the musical table. Recommended tracks: “Early Warnings” “That Old Sun” “Winter Games”
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