ForeignWolf are Old Crows Promotions illumni, playing their first ever supporting Paper Tigers at our single launch. The band showed no signs that it was their first show together that night. Now armed with a new drummer the band are set to go from strength to strength.
Enjoy!
Can you tell me what first inspired you to make music, what made you pick up a bass/drums and start writing songs?
Jay:
My dad and my granddad were both bass players so it's always been in my blood.
My mum is also big into music so we used to spend hours listening to old Duran Duran records and Tears for Fears. It really gave me a love for music
What bands posters did you have upon your bedroom wall and what was the first record you ever bought and why?
Mick:
I had mostly rappers or rap groups on my wall; Eminem, Wu Tang and The Roots (coincidentally, a hip hop band, live instruments and all etc) I was super into hip hop growing but got into heavier music about 15-16 so the inevitable Metallica “...And Justice For All” poster went up with some Nirvana and even a giant Distillers poster I stole from the Limelight one Halloween!
The first album I ever bought myself was Linkin Park’s Hybrid Theory; What drew me to it was the song writing and style of production, I thought it was cool that a hard rock outfit embraced electronic styles of production, like rock meshed with hip hop style drums or atmospherics via sampling, they wrote great impactful songs that in a genre pretty cluttered with distortion and wailing to make up for whatever lack of talent or agenda they had, LP put the music first.
Can you tell us a bit about how the band came together, what made you decide to go this direction and what’s the story behind the name?
Dave:
The band came together very much like a Jigsaw. Individually we had all been working on our own thing, Gerard and Dave just coming of the back of Car Chase City, Jay with Crisis and Sean with Pandora Ills and the Mad Dalton. The very first iteration saw dave and gerard writing a few of the initial tracks with a variety of drummers. It wasn't until Jay and Gerard got together that the band started to properly form. Dave came along and the three started really focusing. Through one way or another we all knew Sean and that completed the setup.
The name ForeignWolf just explains us a band. Each member was a foreign Wolf. All from their own prospective bands coming together to make a new band, or too pardon the hangover pun a new wolf pack.
'Tempered Hearts’ came out last year which is a great EP. Can you talk about making the record, the song writing process, lyrically what you cover in those songs and did it achieve what you set out to achieve?
Gerard:
Tempered Hearts came about quite organically. We worked very well with each other as musicians and there was always creative input. 'Charity' was the first track we had put together in an early iteration of the band. It focuses on how we are constantly prodded to support charities and relief worldwide while the rich get richer causing war and suffering. We as a society are then guilt tripped into giving out more of our money in and endless cycle.
'Breathe' and 'Hard to Bear' focus a lot on mental health which is a common theme throughout most of our tracks. Northern Ireland has seen so much suffering due to mental health issues and we try to show that there's ways to open up, whether through music or simply speaking with someone.
'These Tempered Hearts' was wrote in one session around a week before hitting the studio. It wasn't supposed to be recorded but we had the opportunity so we went ahead with it!
We recorded the ep with Josh at JSR Audio and it was a breeze. Josh is fantastic to work with and we bounced off each with ideas.
Photo Credit Bob Logan Media
What’s the plan for ForeignWolf in 2020, I notice you’ve just changed drummers. What led to the change and do you think that this change will influence future song writing?
Dave:
This year the band are focusing on writing as much as we can. We have a back log of music that we have been sitting on for over a year now. We will be getting back into the studio come this summer for our Follow up EP to Tempered Hearts. Along with one or two more music videos. We are currently in plans for a tour which should take place around October time with a few of our favourite local bands, as well as a few more local dates to be announced shortly.
Sean had to step down as our drummer due to work and time constrictions. We were sad to see him go but we only wanted what's best for him. He's a great guy and a fantastic drummer to work with.
We put up and advert for a new potential drummer and I have to say the response we got was very overwhelming. It was humbling to see just how many people actually dig our music and wanted to be a part of it.
Mick brought it all with his audition. Power, Style, Creativity and most importantly just a great guy who gets on well with us all. I am really excited to see the direction the band goes in now that we are once again a complete line up. And who knows what is next for us.
The scene both north and south seems to be stronger than ever, is there anyone you’d want to shout out to?
Jay:
I'd have to shout out Harley and the Wolf for them being great lads and Paper Tigers...for letting us steal their drummer!
Mick:
Witchkicker are a swell bunch! Worn Out, holding it down for Zool records in the South, hopefully get down to play with them soon! Sugarwolf have a special place in my heart, and Fagash McCann, because Conall Stott is the Conor Dennis to my Aaron Gillespie - Shout out my drum bros if you get that reference! Ha
And finally in the vein of Rob Gordon. What are your Top 5 favourite records.
Jay:
Alexisonfire - Crisis
Sirintip - Tribus
Reign Of Kindo - happy however after
Royal blood - royal blood
Alexisonfire - self titled
Mick:
Converge - Jane Doe
Deftones - White Pony
Meshuggah - Destroy Erase Improve
Metallica - ...And Justice For All
Nirvana - Nevermind
Gerard:
Green Day - American Idiot
Lower Than Atlantis - Changing Tune
Enter Shikari - Common Dreads
Twenty One Pilots - Blurryface
Alexisonfire - Old Crows/Young Cardinals
Dave:
The Frames - Setlist
Alter Bridge - Fortress
Dave Matthews Band - Live in Central Park
Thin Lizzy - Live and Dangerous
Steve Vai - Passion and Warfare
You can check out ForeignWolf here:
https://www.facebook.com/ForeignWolfMusic/
https://www.instagram.com/foreignwolf_music
Photo Credit:
https://www.facebook.com/bobloganmedia
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