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The Immaculate Crows, welcome to VENTS! We loved your spellbinding single, Van Gogh, what initially inspired you to write about the tortured artist?
I am no stranger to experiencing loneliness, alienation and depression. I was a chronic asthmatic from a young age which prevented me from playing sports and damaged my self-esteem and confidence. It literally took me years to overcome this and build self-esteem. I went through a phase where I read about the lives of famous artists (composers and painters) and a common theme in many of their lives (including Van Gogh) was battling against the odds for their art. Because I was so miserable at the time I identified with many of these people, started writing very personal poetry and felt a strong sense of being different to others.
When I wrote Van Gogh the starting point was an image of the tortured artist wrestling with his inner demons and trying to motivate himself to carry on. Apart from that, the song became a personal rant against the negative players in the music industry, who are always trying to rip off vulnerable musicians and references to seeing and feeling again in the ‘wilderness’ among others which is open to personal interpretation.
The song lyrically evolved as it was being written, what made Van Gogh a fitting parable for the emotional themes explored in the single?
I am sure Van Gogh was ripped off, felt let down by people he called friends and probably wondered why he carried on doing what he was doing. He experienced very little success in his own lifetime, had a history of mental illness and eventually killed himself. However, since his death his paintings are among the most expensive ever sold. I certainly don’t condone his self-destructive tendencies, but I admire his dedication to his art.
The Echo and the Bunnymen, Sioxsie and the Banshees and Jefferson Airplane influence pulls through strongly while never overshadowing your sonic signature; how do you achieve the equilibrium of originality and influence?
I have too many influences to name just one or a few, and I listen to a huge range of genres and musicians. Different people say different songs remind them of artists as diverse as Stone Roses, Pink Floyd, Paul Kelly and The Smiths. All these artists are completely different to each other which shows if anything how difficult it is to categorize or label what I do. I am confident enough in my writing, composition and arrangements so I do not collaborate with others in these areas. However, The Immaculate Crows vocalists sound very different to each other and other musicians all add to the unique nature of the music also.
Your guitar work becomes an alchemic catalyst in the single, how did you hone such a distinctive playing style?
To be fair I played little guitar on Van Gogh. When I first started recording again in 2020, I had a brief partnership with a former band mate Mark Hocknell which lasted until February 2021. Mark co-produced fifteen of the first 16 releases with Carolyn Neilsen, and Mark also shared guitar duties on most of them with me. Since his departure I have played all the guitar parts except for a brief time where I arranged to have Wayne Harvey over. He plays and sings in a cover band, and I thought it would be nice to have someone playing with a contrasting sound and approach. I hadn’t heard him before this session but once he started playing, I didn’t need to add much more. I play the open string intro which I also used in the ending. Wayne played a melody against this. He plays the first solo. He also played the second solo originally, but I felt it needed more so ended up playing a solo using a wah wah effect along with Wayne’s second solo. Wayne also doubles up in the chorus section of ‘No Turning Back’. I do have a distinctive style of playing which I achieved by not copying anyone. I go to great pains to provide credits on Bandcamp of who plays what on all releases, but I would recommend listening to ‘Valley Of Tears’ to hear me stretching out.
In your experience and opinion, what are the biggest differences between the music industry in the 80s and how it stands today?
This is a difficult one to answer as I only performed live in the eighties. Covid was a defining element in seriously affecting the careers of musicians who relied on live touring/performances. On the positive side it also contributed to the burgeoning home recording scene which gave recording artists more independence in producing their own music. Reliance on computers was not a real factor in music making in the 80s but as computers became more sophisticated music software also became a growing factor in music making and recording as well as associated areas such as podcasts etc. The advent of streaming has been a great thing for listeners but not so great for most musicians who release songs to streaming platforms due to the pittance paid for Royalties. The very nature of recording has changed dramatically to the extent that AI is now a reality in music production and composition.
Van Gogh features on your sophomore LP, Zombie World; does the album have a defining concept?
Zombie World is not a concept album. It deals with a few controversial issues such as Cancel Culture, Conspiracy Theorists and Anti-Vaxxers (Anti-Vaxxer and Don’t Preach To Me) as well as Domestic Violence (For Hannah). It also deals with trying to find meaning in one’s life (Van Gogh), alienation (Zombie World) and personal loss in relationships (Broken Heart, Too Much Time) among others. The album does have many dark themes, but the melodies organically grew in a way that uplifts the listener in contrast with what the world around us presents.
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