Lucem Fero | Interviews | The Fluffy Jackets (Part Two)

“Crossroads” - Mainman Helge Rognstad sheds light on the rocketing fortunes of The Fluffy Jackets (Part Two)

By Anthony Morgan

Whenever the hallowed Blues becomes a topic of debate, historians form a circle and share regurgitated tales as regards the mythical exploits of Robert Johnson and the rumours surrounding why he was so talented. Slide guitarists trace back their roots to the influential work of Mississippi native Elmore James, dubbed “The King of the Slide Guitar”. And which self respecting blues enthusiast would be without the gravelly towns of Howlin' Wolf, or Chicago's Muddy Waters who inspired a generation of sixties groups? The overtly Blues based Hard Rock found within the musical elements of such renowned groups as Cream and Lynyrd Skynyrd bear witness to that testament. The list is numerous, and goes on eternally. One such budding group adores the Blues, and bear the tools to carve a successful career in the music industry. They happen to hail from London, and go by the name of The Fluffy Jackets.

Spawning in the autumn of 2006, The Fluffy Jackets comprise the duo of guitarist / vocalist Helge Rognstad and drummer Ian Robinson. Both had spent time in Kingston based covers group Random, although musical differences meant that the two felt their fortunes would likely prosper elsewhere. Notching up live London shows to great acclaim, promoters began requesting a demo recording. The problem was that despite a number of bassists auditioning, none quite fit the bill. Wanting a great bass player to contribute towards the demo, the group began thinking of the ultimate bassists that have garnered a hefty reputation over the years. One such man was Neil Murray, having built a massive CV that boasted stints with the likes of Whitesnake, Black Sabbath, Brian May and a host of others. Receiving the request via a MySpace message, Murray heard their music and promptly agreed.

North London's Cowshed Studio played host to recording in June 2007 via analogue, and Teo Miller (who had produced the likes of Blur and Happy Mondays) oversaw production duties on the three track effort. Murray suggested the demo should be recorded live in the studio, and that's how things transpired. First track “Salty Salty” was a Nazareth cover culled from 1986's Cinema, and it got nailed in the first take. Another Nazareth track called “Whiskey Drinkin' Woman” and a self penned southern Blues Rock tune called “Beale Street” rounded out the effort. In this second discussion of a two part feature, guitarist Helge Rognstad divulges hefty amounts of factual information as concerns the group's inaugural demo; the atmosphere in Cowshed Studio, how producer Teo Miller came aboard the project, and how Neil Murray came to accept his guest invitation to record. Also, his thoughts and feelings about that debut outing get equally warranted time to air. Rognstad also shares his opinions on how he feels one should approach recording within a studio setting, and how some bands concentrate too much on production. The impact Neil Murray's involvement has had on the group is delved into, and also the angle the media has decided to adopt in that regard. Rognstad reminisces about how he discovered Scottish act Nazareth, and why he feels their music wields something truly special. The Fluffy Jackets in the future also gets a fair hearing as last time, with the future of the bassist position and a possible recording deal being touched upon once more. With aspirations to record a full length debut growing ever stronger, as each day passes the prospect seems as though it's becoming more and more of a reality.

Hello?
Hello, Anthony. Yeah, it's Helge here.
How are you? Ok?
Yeah. Are you good?
Yeah, I'm alright. Is it ok if I continue where we left off?
Yeah, that'd be good. Cool.
What was it like recording at Cowshed Studio?
Yeah. It's funny because it's all analogue equipment, but it's actually really good equipment. It was just a little studio, so it was very informal. They had two rooms; one for the drums, and one for me and Neil. It was really like a live session, and that's how we recorded it.
Did the fact it was analogue and not digital have any drawbacks?
No, I don't think so. For example, you still go in and edit things. To be honest with you though, I don't know much about recording technology myself. Teo is very experienced, and all we said to him was “We're playing very tight already, so just record what we're already doing and make it sound alright.” He's a great sound engineer. It takes a lot of time to just set up all the mikes, and to make sure that the sound is ok. A lot of time was spent on just making sure that the drums sound alright throughout the studio, so we waited around for that to be set up correctly. In terms of the playing, that was pretty straightforward. We just played through the songs two or three times. The first take of “Salty Salty” was just perfect for example, so we just ended up using the first take.
Prior to The Fluffy Jackets demo, had you done studio demos before?
We haven't actually. What we've done is just recorded live in the rehearsal studios that we rehearse in, and that's something we do ourselves with mini-recorder type equipment. They're very rough recordings that we use for our own reference, though this was the first time that we were properly recorded.
So this was your first professional studio session?
Exactly.
Did you learn anything from this experience?
Yeah. Neil Murray is so experienced in the studio, so he brought us to the attention of all the details that he knows about. It's not things you just know about. You're in safe hands, and he's always thinking thoughts such as “Let's try and do this”. For example, I was placed in one corner when we set up. I couldn't actually see the drummer, so he said “Let's move things to where we can all see each other”. It was simple things like that. Me and Ian could probably play the songs without looking at each other, and that's because we do that at gigs. Having said that, seeing each other play gives that extra vibe that you're playing with a group of people. You can feel the song much more when you record that way, so that's an example of how we learnt a lot. We're definitely going to follow that in the future. We did a recording in the previous band Random, and that was done the other way. The drums were recorded first, and then the bass, then the keyboards, then guitars, and then the vocals. It was a very impersonal way of doing things, and we ended up sounding different in many ways to what we did live. Obviously, if I'm playing on top of a song it's easier to experiment. When you play in a live situation though, you stick to what you know. You don't deviate much from that, yet you have the groove. Even though you're playing something slightly different, it still fits into the overall song. I definitely like that live recording style, and I much prefer that to recording one instrument at a time.
It seems like a trend amongst bands nowadays to record one instrument at one studio, and then another instrument at another studio and so on.
Yeah, exactly. I think there's a lot of issues with that. I know bands that go into the studio, record one thing and then move onto another. They lay down lots of different takes, and choose the best one for them. For example, all the vocal tracks that I did were done in a maximum of two takes. The idea was that we really wanted to go in the studio, and just have some fun. Instead of adopting a “Let's get this perfect” attitude, we went along with the approach of getting the sound right yet recording it off the cuff somewhat. I definitely think it's the way that most professionals do it as well. Interestingly I read a music magazine just the other day, and they ran an interview with Nanci Griffith the country singer. She obviously has recorded lots of material, and said the same thing. What she said was that you can spend a lot of time in the studio trying to get things right, but at the end of the day you're not going to change a song drastically if it's good song. If you play it well, you might be able to improve it by ten percent. More often than not though, the more time you spend on it the more you end up chasing a silver bullet. You go that extra step, and you sound overproduced. Again you have the danger of reproducing that live, which is next to impossible
So you feel it's easy to get wrapped up in doing special production techniques and all the other things they can do nowadays?
Yeah, exactly. Even with home studios, you can actually use Pro Tools and everything. Obviously, many of the musicians who do it are not sound engineers. They are good musicians yes, but they haven't got lots of experience in mixing and getting the sound right. As a result, you end up with an average quality in whatever you do. You can spend all of your time on making sure that the drums come in on exactly the microsecond that they should be. If you measure the drums on our demo for example, I'm sure they're not always in synch. The sound was good at the time though, and they sound like they're recorded live. That's what we like about it.
Do you feel the fact that you were all in the same studio at the same time improved communication?
Yeah, exactly. The whole thing changed then. If you know as a band that you're having the studio for a certain time, then you go up there, talk through it, and then do the session. For everybody involved, it feels as though they've done their part. When all the band members are in that studio during that time, it feels as though they have an equal input in the recording. What happens on many occasions is a band goes into the studio, and they record it. One or two people are then left with the actual master tapes, and they start doing the following; post production, cleaning it up, possibly increasing volume here, and maybe adding a chorus vocal there. People don't get that same ownership of it.
You hear about that a lot, especially when a certain group member records something. He then listens to the finished tape, and thinks “Bloody hell! Why does that sound like that?! That is not what I meant to do.”
Yeah, that's right. I feel like that as well at times. On the takes, a song for me is like a painting. If you're a painter, you always can see things to improve. You feel from your heart that you should've added a bit of guitar here, or you should've done a slightly different vocal there. You always see it like that. Even if you spend ten days trying to improve it after you've recorded it, you're still going to think about what you could've done. I think it's the artists mental dilemma; with a painting or recording, you have to put a line under it. I'm definitely a big fan of that. You should go into the studio, have fun recording, do a maximum of four takes and then put a line under it. That's the best you could do on that day so it's ok as long as; you feel that you had fun, that you recorded as best as you could, and you think “That's good, and better than constantly rehearsing.” That's the band we are.
So you rate passion over perfection?
Yeah, definitely. Neil said that if you go to a top studio, get the best producer and get the best of everything, then it doesn't automatically translate into success. If you make all the musicians feel comfortable, they'll feel that they're free and won't feel bad when they make a mistake. If you have that easy going vibe, that's often the time when things start to happen. I definitely agree with that statement.
You mentioned what Neil said as concerns people getting hotshot producers and so on. A hotshot producer might be really good for one band, but there might not be the chemistry there with another band.
Yeah, that's right. I would say that we didn't use Teo as a producer. He definitely had some input, we drove in terms of the production; what it should sound like, how loud we wanted the bass and how we should mix. The engineering aspects were done by Teo, and all that sounded great. I think producers have different ways of working, and so do all professionals. Some people like to get the songs sounding very clean and very nice, and then there's other people like Rick Rubin who's currently producing Metallica.
Yeah, I was thinking Rick Rubin. He strips down the music, which can be seen in his work with Johnny Cash.
He has a different theory. When you go in, you all play together. I think Metallica used to do record one instrument first and then another, which was how they recorded music with one producer (Bob Rock). With another producer, they'll change that and Metallica will be like a different band almost.
Do you like Rick Rubin's stripped down approach?
Yeah, definitely. I think you have producers who you can't really fault - they've done things, and they've been successful with different people. For example, there's Mutt Lange who produced material by AC/DC and Def Leppard. He obviously has a good ear for music, and the right sound for a band. That's whether he's producing Shania Twain, or AC/DC. It sounds like a band, but it sounds like a damn good version of a band. That's as opposed to a producer like Jeff Baxter; he's much more of a perfectionist, and makes all the people that he works with sound the same pretty much (laughs).
You said that Jeff Baxter makes bands sound the same, so wouldn't that be a bad thing? I would've thought so.
You are right; although I wouldn't know all of Jeff Baxter's work, I think he produced some bands and then tried to obviously translate that into the style he used with different bands. Some bands are more free with what they allow producers to do. If one producer says “Guys, you really really need a female backing vocalist on one of the tracks”, then some bands would say “You think so? Yeah, let's do that. Let's get a female backing singer”. If somebody said that to us at the recording studios though, I would've replied “I'll think about it”. That also plays a part in how much freedom the artist gives the producer. From my perspective, I had much more respect for Neil Murray's input. If he had suggested A and the producer suggested B, then I would've definitely went with his suggestion.
As he probably knows where you're coming from.
Yeah, exactly. He really understood us as a band, and what we're doing. I think that's the same dilemma for a lot of bands. If the producer is not really familiar with a certain type of music, I'm sure that producer can still make the instrument sound great. Despite that, he wouldn't be the best person to say “Well, let's try a bit of the guitar here” and things like that.
Going back to Rick Rubin, you mentioned that he's currently producing Metallica. I know that when Metallica recorded with Bob Rock, he used to be in the studio every day with the band. On the other, Rick Rubin tends to leave the artist on their own and do what they want whilst popping in now and then. Do you prefer the idea of being left to your own devices, and then the producer pops in and makes a few suggestions?
For us, I think it was really really great that Teo was there. That's not due to the fact he had lots of great suggestions, but purely because the guy is awesome as a sound engineer. Again, it was simple things. If you're doing a solo in the recording studio, make a mistake and need to record the solo again, then that producer can say within a millisecond “Yeah, go again”. You don't have to wait around for that to happen, and lose the passion. That's the main thing for me. Lots of musicians get involved with technology, and I think lots of musicians aren't good sound engineers by definition. If you give Pro Tools to a musician, I wouldn't be comfortable with that musician doing great work. It's the same thing as asking a window cleaner to go on your computer, and telling them to work out a certain spreadsheet. I think lots of musicians do that wrong; they stick around for hours trying to figure out Pro Tools, and they end up getting fifty percent proficient with it. As a result, you end up with a fifty percent proficient recording. If you have an engineer on the other hand who can do that for you, then the recording cam turn out great.
Are you going to work in Cowshed Studio again?
Yeah, I would definitely work there again. There would be no worries about it, and that's because it's a very informal place to be. I couldn't fault it, and they have good people. Yeah, it's a nice studio.
You mentioned things concerning production, though a lot of musicians seem to think that they're going to produce their own material.
Yeah, though I think it's hard to generalize obviously. Some bands are great at it, and then there's the other side of the coin. Today is the anniversary of Elvis Presley's death for example. At the start of his career, he didn't produce. By the end of his career though, he had everything in place. He knew how certain aspects were important, and produced his own material. As a musician, I think you learn over time. If we do our tenth studio album, we'll probably have a much better idea of how to produce ourselves than we do at the moment. As with anything, you live and learn.
What was it like working with Teo Miller?
Yeah, he was a very laid back person. The reason why we ended up choosing him was due to the fact he had the same approach, and that approach was; “I'll set up all the equipment, and make the guitar, bass, and drums sound good”. He did the best recording that he could, and then mixed it all together afterwards. That approach was exactly what we wanted, so it was definitely a good experience.
How did you approach getting him onboard then?
He's working for a company called Stephen Budd Management, and is actually associated with Cowshed Studio as well. When we explained what we were trying to do in terms of musical style and so on, they suggested Teo Miller. So, we ended up with him.
Are you going to work with him again?
Yeah, I think it was definitely a good experience. It's hard to predict who we will do the record with, and it somewhat depends on the label as well. I would feel very comfortable doing it at Cowshed with Teo though, so why not?
You mentioned hopefully recording a debut, full length album. Would he be a part of that, or not?
Yeah, I would hope so; if we get the agreement to go ahead that is. It somewhat depends on the label too, but I would definitely hope that Teo is there.
I know we've spoken about Neil a lot, though I never asked how you managed to get him aboard? How did that come about?
As I mentioned before, we basically sat down and said “Well, who would be the ultimate bassist to play on this record?”. We needed a bass player, and the number one choice was Neil Murray. We found Neil Murray on MySpace, and basically asked him if he wanted to do it. His reply was “Yeah, cool. I'll do it, but as long as you're not crap. Send me a demo.” After that, he was onboard.
Were you shocked?
Oh yeah. We were hoping to get him involved obviously, and we knew that he was based in London. We didn't have any premonition that he was going to reply to us, and that's because we didn't know the guy. He turned out to be a really down to earth guy, and he's not one of those guys that goes around bragging about what he's been doing. he's very down to earth about it, and just wants to play good music. He couldn't be a nicer guy to be honest with you, and he's such a gentle person.
When you think “I'd love this person to play on my music”, you wouldn't think that would be possible considering The Fluffy Jackets are not that known at the moment.
Yeah, exactly. We just said “This is the music we play, and it's melodic Rock.” One of the best performances of melodic bass from Neil Murray, in my view, is his work with Whitesnake. He's great, and we thought that would work really well with our music. I'll always remember it. When we stood in the recording studio and in fact did the first track, just seeing Neil Murray play bass with us was awesome. When he plays, sometimes you stop yourself playing. You watch Neil, and that's because his playing is that good.
Considering it's Neil Murray and he's a well known man, he must've had tons of bands trying to get him onboard for their own projects. It probably felt special when he said “Yeah, you're good. I'll work with you”.
Yeah, exactly. It's an especially flattering thing. For a guy who's done all the projects that he has, I think it's really commendable that he's giving things back to the music community by helping people like us who are starting out. In doing that, he definitely sets a great example for us. When we've been around for a long time, I certainly feel that it'd be great for us to help out other musicians as well. If you like what you're doing, then you should give them a helping hand.
You wanted a Blues influenced bass player, so how important was that?
We audition a few bass players all the time, but we've never gelled with any of them to be honest with you. It either seems to be the wrong mix of personality, or the wrong mix of styles. With me and Ian, it's easy playing together because we know each other. What we're trying to do is bring in a third person, though sometimes it ends up being hard work finding that player. If you have a really understanding person, then that's what you need. I think it's difficult for us to find a Blues influenced bass player.
How difficult is it to find someone who's influenced by the Blues?
It's hard. You find lots of guitarists, yet drummers and bass players are very hard to come by. Sometimes though, drummers are harder to find than bassists. I think a good bass player is definitely hard to find, which has certainly been the case for us. After Neil's involvement, we've definitely found that people are interested in filling his shoes. For example, one guy from Los Angeles enquired about handling the bass parts. They obviously need to be a bit more local than that in order to join the band. It's definitely gotten attention in the media and amongst bass players as well, so it's hopefully going to make it easier for us to find that person.
As you've had that extra publicity with Neil being onboard and so on, is there the extra danger of someone reading about The Fluffy Jackets and thinking “They're going to be big, so I'll jump on their bandwagon”?
As long as they sound good, know their material and play well, I wouldn't care what they think. That's it really. Obviously, their personality needs to mix in with the band too. There's a lot of things which make a group. Turning up to rehearsals is one example; if you don't rehearse, then you're probably not going to play well no matter how good you are.
What would you say The Fluffy Jackets is looking for in a potential bass player? The right candidate?
We're looking for a player with a steady rhythm, and someone who is Blues influenced. We need a person who is laid back, and a bassist we can get on with. Those are the type of qualities we're looking for.
I got a difficult question now. Could you tell me what the Blues means to you as a person, and as a musician?
It's a good question. Blues covers such a wide scope as well; you have the Acoustic Blues, the Electric Blues and also the Delta Blues. When I define the Blues and think about it in layman terms, I feel that it refers back to the Chicago Electric Blues. When I talk about Blues, sometimes I don't really mean the Mid (South), Deep Blues. We did some Nazareth covers; they're a really Blues influenced band, and so is Free. Many people class bands such as Nazareth and Free as Heavy Metal or Hard Rock groups, but I would say they're Blues bands as much as they're Hard Rock bands. I could place different meanings on the Blues, and so could all people. When I think about the Blues, it's probably heavier, Blues based Rock.
Like Lynyrd Skynyrd and those bands you mentioned previously?
Yeah, exactly. Actually, I think about even heavier groups than that. You're right; the groups I think about play the Blues in a heavier way.
You mentioned that Neil Murray's one of the ultimate bass players, so I'm assuming you're really familiar with his work. With that in mind, do you have a favourite album which Neil was a part of during his career?
Yeah. I thought that Lovehunter (1979), one of the early Whitesnake records, was a really good album. I love all the tracks on it. In fact, the first three or four albums that Whitesnake issued were all great in my opinion. Neil also played with Gary Moore as well in the eighties, and I thought their album Corridors of Power (1982) was awesome.
Are you afraid of Neil's involvement detracting from the group, and the media focusing more on that as opposed to The Fluffy Jackets itself?
No. I think it's just an angle, and people can have whatever angle they want. As long as they listen to the material, I'm not bothered. If a Black Sabbath fan stumbles across us and happens to listen to us for example, I think that's good if they actually like the material. We're very different than Black Sabbath, or Whitesnake, or any of the other groups that Neil has played with in the past. If they listen to us and like it, then that's great.
Neil's obviously into the Blues, and he said that it was really nice to find a Blues band that he could play with.
Yeah, that's right. Neil's currently playing in the Queen musical. It's hard to say, but maybe if you're playing the same thing night after night then it's possibly great to break things up. You can then work on new material now and then, and with a new band. That's as opposed to going onstage night after night, and doing the same old numbers. It's a good change, and I definitely think that's maybe one reason why Neil wanted to work with us. For all involved, it was a different thing.
Have you popped down to see him in the Queen musical?
I haven't actually as yet. One of my friends went awhile ago, and said it was great. I haven't seen it myself though.
Last time we spoke, you mentioned that this famous singer may join the band. Obviously, you've also got Neil Murray involved in The Fluffy Jackets. Apart from those two people, will you be using other guest musicians in the future?
We are open to it. Discussions are in their early days with this vocalist. After we spoke yesterday, I thought that I possibly shouldn't have mentioned that. It might not come through at all, and we just don't want to disappoint people. So, maybe you should be careful using that in the interview. In answer to your question though, I think me and Ian are now definitely feeling that we are a band. Due to Neil's schedule though, he can't join us for regular rehearsals. This is why we need a bass player who can play with us regularly. It was great and fantastic experience to work with Neil, and he helped us out a lot in getting our name out there. Playing with him was also a real honour. From here though, we're standing on our own feet. We would like to make it by ourselves. We are definitely going to do our own original material as well, and that'll show people what we are really about.
You mentioned that discussions with this possible singer are at an early stage. Would there be an announcement about this in a few weeks, a few months, or... ?
It depends on two things; A, the record deal...
Is that where you're speaking with the two labels that you mentioned before?
And also it depends on the guy's schedule. Obviously, he's a very busy boy. If it happens, then that'd be great. If it doesn't, then we don't see that as a “live or die” situation. If it happens, then that'd be great as I said. If it doesn't, then that's also great. We're just having fun at the moment going along our merry way (laughs). As long as we have fun and people to join us, then it'll be alright. I think any band, to do anything, has to make choices. Sometimes you have the choice to record in one studio for example, or to record in another one. It's about making the right choices.
Does this singer's voice suit the Blues?
Yeah, yeah. For me, it would be like a dream; it would be like when Neil decided to play with us. For me personally, he's definitely one of the top five singers of all time (laughs).
So this guy is really really good then?
Really good, yeah. That's right.
I got a few names rattling around my head, but I don't want to ask you as obviously you want to keep it under wraps. Obviously I'm a journalist, and I like to know things. Then again though, it's best to keep it under wraps at the end of the day. I don't want to mess it up for you.
No, that's cool. I would tell you, but I know that it's at such an early stage.
That's what I mean. I don't want this specific singer reading this interview, you mentioning his name, and then him thinking “What the hell is this all about?”.
Yeah, that's one thing. Just even mentioning who you're thinking of... As I said, it's really early days. Obviously, we're very friendly with the guy.
So you're speaking to this singer face to face? It's not through intermediaries or anything like that?
No, no. We're speaking personally. What I'll say is that he's a true professional, and if we can do it then we'll do it. It's so early though. Should it happen, I'll definitely be the first one to call you with the news. I wouldn't be comfortable in announcing it now though.
That's fair enough, and I can understand that. Obviously, you have to agree things with him first and you wish to keep him on the same page. I hope things with that singer go well for you anyway.
Thank you. I'm hoping that it turns out great, but he's with a band right now. It's also important to do our own thing as well. I'm in two minds about it, but I would just love to work with this guy to be honest with you. If it comes true, then it'd be a bonus.
Would guest musicians be more possible for the odd live show? Blues musicians like to invite their friends along for a jam and so on.
Yeah, that's right. Certainly for us, we would never dream about doing material live which hasn't been rehearsed well. Even if Neil Murray was to play with us live, I would be very careful of that. I would know that he'd be limited in terms of rehearsing with us, which is because he's such a busy guy. If we were to play live, I wouldn't be comfortable with that. I like to be very sharp on stage, and very well rehearsed.
If Neil did play the odd song with The Fluffy Jackets, it'd more than likely be a song like “Salty Salty” or one of those Nazareth songs.
Exactly, and he would know them.
Why did you choose to cover “Salty Salty”?
I always liked the song. At one of the first rehearsals we did as The Fluffy Jackets, we actually played that song and “Whiskey Drinkin' Woman”. We then did them live. We really love playing them, and we also feel that we do those songs justice. They're really really different than the originals, and that's because we strip them down to the bare bones. Over time, they got heavier and heavier. We added something to them. I think it was a mixture of us liking the originals, and also our feeling that we could contribute something to the remakes. That's as opposed to just copying someone else's style.
Were those songs very bluesy in their original form? Personally, I haven't heard the originals.
They are a bit softer I think, and the vocals on the original ones are much more powerful. It's a funny thing, as we definitely feel that we've transformed the songs. In one way, we made “Salty Salty” heavier. It's literally a Marshall cranked up, and me rocking out. It's a different song altogether.
I'm not really familiar with Nazareth, so when I first heard The Fluffy Jackets performing “Salty Salty” I just assumed it was yours to be honest.
Yeah, that's right. I think lots of people do that with a lot of the songs we play, and everybody has always generally assumed such things. If you hear somebody covering a song for example, then you usually assume it's their song. You then find out later that it's actually another person's song, and sometimes the original version can sound like a cover of the actual cover.
Sometimes covers can sound a little different than what the artist's usual tracks do. Those two Nazareth songs sounded very natural though, and just mixed in. I just naturally assumed they were your songs.
Exactly, yeah. I'm really really familiar with the material as well, so I think I can play them slightly different every time I perform them.
Would you ever get one of the guys from Nazareth to work with The Fluffy Jackets on some kind of collaboration?
I'd love to, but I don't think it's going to happen. It's a dream to want to work with your heroes, isn't it?
I know. You worked with one of your heroes in Neil though, so why not Nazareth?
Yeah, yeah. That's a good point. I think realistically though that those guys are busy as well, and they're touring across the world all the time. Just knowing the history of that band, I think they'll probably never work with anybody else ever. I'm struggling to think of a project any of the Nazareth members has been involved with. I think they got asked to sing at the wedding of Axl Rose from Guns N' Roses, yet they turned it down because they didn't have the time. If they turned down Axl Rose, then they would be too busy to play with The Fluffy Jackets (laughs).
You mentioned that they turned down Axl Rose, so was that something to do with “Hair of the Dog”? I know that Guns N' Roses covered Nazareth on their covers album The Spaghetti Incident?.
That's right, yes. I think Guns N' Roses were really big fans of Nazareth, and lots of other groups such as Thunder, and even The Darkness, are big Nazareth fans. The story I heard was that Axl Rose invited Nazareth to sing at his wedding, and obviously it would've been a big PR success if Nazareth had done it. They had other commitments though; they're literally touring non stop, and are always somewhere doing a gig.
No offence, but this is Axl Rose we're talking about. Inviting a band like a Nazareth to perform at his wedding sounds a bit cheeky to me, in all honesty.
Oh yeah, yeah.
I thought that the reason why they didn't work with him would've been more to do with his attitude. I'm going by press reports. I don't know him personally, so he might be a nice guy. Going by press reports though, he seems to be quite a volatile person.
Yeah, exactly. Like you said, I think he definitely gets people's backs up. I don't know what happened though, to be honest.
I could understand if he asked them to record a song for some kind of collaboration, but asking them to play at his wedding took the piss a bit.
That's right, yeah. We could always ask them, and see what they say.
If I was you, I'd ask them anyway.. the worst they can do is not reply.
Yeah, you're possibly right.
Anyway.. you said that “Salty Salty” was recorded in the first take?
Yeah, and that was the way we tried to make our record. We just went into the studio, and Neil basically nailed it in the first take. It was that crazy.
Is it normal to nail a song in the first take?
It's very rare, to be honest with you. Me and Ian obviously know that song very well; we do it at all our gigs, and we do it at rehearsals. We can make that song sound great in one take, and without any problems. Neil came in, not having played with us before, and we ran through it once. We thought “that's bloody great!” (laughs). It was just surreal, and I would never have dreamt that that was going to happen. He literally walked through the door, plugged it in his bass and nailed it in one take. That was how we did the track.
Was it harder nailing “Whiskey Drinkin' Woman”?
No. I don't think we had more than three takes per song, to be honest with you.
You mentioned that you recorded other songs with Neil, so were any of them covers as well?
No; those are originals.
And Neil played on them?
Neil played on them as well, yeah. Afterwards, we all collectively agreed to release the three songs found on the demo. Probably, the other ones will just continue being in the vaults. The gentleman's agreement, between us as a band and Neil, was to do a three track demo and release that. Depending on how things go, they might find their way onto a compilation album or as B-sides at some point in the future. It will only happen if Neil agrees though.
When did you first discover Nazareth?
My brother bought a record by them, and I was probably around nine years old. The first ever song I heard was “Just To Get Into It”, and it was from their No Mean City (1979) album. I think it's one of their best albums personally. I've loved them from day one, and they sounded like nothing else I had ever heard. Their guitarist Manny Charlton is just something else to me.
What have you learnt as a musician from Nazareth?
The main thing I think I get inspired by is the fact that they concentrate on the feeling, as opposed to concentrating on technique. That's the main thing, and I think they are living proof of that theory.
Why would you say that No Mean City is your favourite Nazareth album?
First of all, the guitar playing there is just amazing. Dan McCafferty's vocals on that album are menacing; it just sounds like he means what he says in every single song, and it also sounds different. I think that's typical of their career output.
Do you think that's an underrated album?
Oh yeah. Everybody goes on about Hair of the Dog (1975), and I think it's definitely a good album. There's no doubt about it. For me though, every single aspect of No Mean City is just amazing and that's even down to the cover. The cover is astounding, and it speaks for the content of the album. It's just an amazing painting, and the music is amazing; the guitars, vocals etc. Just amazing.
Do you have a favourite song by Nazareth then?
It's really really hard to pick one out. “Just To Get Into It” is still one of the best, and is an amazing song.
So you're more or less a fan of Nazareth's back catalogue then?
Yeah, I think you could definitely say that about Nazareth.
Will The Fluffy Jackets incorporate more Nazareth covers in the future?
Possibly, yeah. We would never be a Nazareth covers band, and that's because it's not what we're doing. We're doing some just for fun at rehearsals; we do play around, and do kick about some songs. Of course we know their material, but they're just some songs that we play around with. We might incorporate another song into our live setlist in the future though.
Is the band's current setlist mostly comprised of original material, or is it mostly comprised of covers?
At the moment, it's fifty fifty. The only reason it's fifty fifty is because we started out, as many bands do, just playing the music that inspired us. That's mainly covers. We've written a lot of material since then, but we don't include original material just for the sake of including original material. We only do that when we feel that the original material really stands out, and it is as good as the material we're taking out. We have somewhat high standards; for example, we have “Salty Salty” in the set. In order to replace that with one of our original compositions, it would have to be a really really good song. We probably will take it out, but only with a song that is equally as good.
Can you name any of the other cover songs which are currently in The Fluffy Jackets' setlist?
Alright, yeah. This probably sounds like a mix, but we do “Hey Porter” which was originally recorded by Johnny Cash. His version is probably more of a Country song, whereas we are totally rocking out in a Heavy Rock fashion during our version. Another song we do is “Mean Old Frisco”, and that is an Eric Clapton song (originally composed by Arthur Crudup). We also do “Sunshine of Your Love” by Cream.
Yeah, I've heard that one. It's good.
Yeah; those heavy, early seventies songs. I can't think of anything else that we do.
Would those songs possibly end up being recorded as B-sides, or for a tribute album, or something of that nature?
Yeah, possibly. I know for a fact that some people in the audience have recorded us live, but God knows where those recordings end up (laughs). Yeah, for sure. Probably (laughs). It's almost like you're on a rollercoaster, so you never know where you're going to end up (laughs).
Could you tell me about “Beale Street”?
Basically, “Beale Street” was written about my visit. I actually went visiting, and I walked down Beale Street the first time I went to Memphis. That's where John Lee Hooker started out, where Elvis started out and where a lot of famous people who've played the Blues started out. It was an amazing feeling just going down the street, and hearing all the amazing riffs just coming out of the various bars. One night, I actually got invited up and did a solo slide number. It was about that experience.
So you're The Fluffy Jackets' lyricist?
Yeah, so far. Actually, Ian has written loads of lyrics. At the moment, we are rehearsing quite a lot of material that Ian has written as well. I think both of us are writing material which is pretty good, so I would probably say it's fifty fifty to be honest with you.
So “Beale Street” is more or less about how you felt when you walked down that street?
Yeah, that was what inspired the composition.
It obviously inspired the song lyrically, but did it inspire the song musically as well?
Yeah, it's definitely a Blues based song. I definitely tried to make the slide that I have on it sound as though it's Delta Blues inspired.
Does Neil play on “Beale Street”, or not?
Yeah; Neil plays on all the three songs.
Was it difficult nailing that song as its an original track? Or did you know it pretty well by then?
Yeah. By then, me and Ian knew those three songs from heart. It was all about mixing in the bass. Neil, obviously being a professional, did it very quickly.
As Neil had the opportunity to work on an original song, would you say that possibly more of his style is on it?
He's just basically so good that he can judge how tight you're playing, and can then adapt his playing to that. If the drums are a bit out of synch for example, then he can play a certain way. If he knows the drums are ok on the number on the other hand, then he can just flow more freely. I think the material that we play is like second nature to Neil, and he can play it in his sleep. It's so easy for him, which is because he's been playing material which is technically ten million times more difficult to play. I could pick out a German band called Empire, who he is playing with at the moment. There's lots of really fast five string ... I think it wasn't difficult for him. If you asked Neil, then he would probably say to you that he doesn't do anything that's difficult for him.
He's a bit like you then, is he? He likes to adopt a natural approach?
Yeah, I would definitely think so. Well I couldn't speak for him, but I certainly feel so from what I felt. It may be hard to judge, but my feeling was definitely that. It flowed so naturally that I would be amazed if he wasn't a natural player, and because of that I wouldn't imagine Neil spending weeks and weeks rehearsing.
So he nailed it down pretty smoothly then did he?
Oh yeah, yeah. I have played with lots of musicians, but that guy is a natural born talent.
You said that you've played with a lot of musicians, so I'm assuming you have a fair flavour of what musicians are like. Could you immediately tell that Neil was in another league so to speak?
To just record with some people that you've never seen before, walk into the room, and then just be able to nail it so quickly, is just incredible. Neil is a true professional working in the studio, and I think everybody knows when they're working with a professional musician. They just know it's different.
So Neil is very quick on his feet then?
Oh, yeah yeah. When he's playing, he can definitely lead the fret playing on the guitar, and what comes next. He's definitely very good.
Would you say you also found a friend?
Yeah, definitely. He's a very likeable guy, but we haven't had a chance to speak much outside the recording environment. He's very busy as I said, and flying around to do gigs. We definitely like each other though, and we got on well in the studio.
Are there any plans to record in the future? Is there anything set in stone?
Not in terms of recording. We are writing, so that will happen. It's not set in stone at present though.
Alright. Are you definitely set upon this (a full length album) being released through a proper record label, or would you self-release it?
Yeah. I think the way we look at it is that the recordings we done are for everyone to listen to for free, so I wouldn't...
I don't mean like that. I'm referring to when you come to record a proper, full length debut album.
Ok, yeah. I think... it's hard to say, but it's a good question. If a record deal comes through, then we'll definitely do it and that'd be great. If it doesn't though, then we'll probably do it anyway. It'd probably going to take longer to materialise that way, but it will happen eventually.
Would you say you're more set on it being released through a proper record deal?
I don't want to be too sure about the future, and that's because you never know. The interest we have so far in the music is definitely positive though. It looks very possible, at the moment anyway, that something will happen on the back of this.
If someone who happens to read this interview has heard The Fluffy Jackets via MySpace, enjoys the band's music and would also like to obtain the three track demo, then how would they go about that?
They can just contact us through our MySpace page, and ask for the demo. Once they send us their address, we can actually send it out for free. Alternatively, they can email us at thefluffyjackets@hotmail.co.uk.
Would they have to pay for the postage and packaging?
We'll cover all the costs.
If they like it, then it's totally for free?
It's totally for free, and we'll send it out. That's while stocks last.
Does it cost a few quid to do that though?
Oh no. It's free, and we'll happily do it just for our fans. That's the intention of this demo; just to literally give others a flavour of what we sound like, and create an interest in us.
Other than “Beale Street”, could you tell me about some of the other songs you've written thus far?
Yeah, they're heavier somewhat. By the way that we write and play music in the rehearsal studio, you can tell we're a fan of guitar based music; guitar and drums. It tends to be very heavy, Blues based material. If you listen to The White Stripes, then you'll notice it's a very similar setup. We don't sound at all like them, yet we have that raw, Blues based sound.
Are there some quicker numbers?
Yeah, definitely. “Salty Salty” is good, and we do a few numbers like that which are very quick. We love that type of material, and love to rock out.
Do any of these songs have working titles?
Yeah, we do have working titles.
Are you able to reveal those working titles, or do they have to remain under wraps?
Let's keep them under wraps for now, though I’ll definitively let you know closer to the release date.
Oh yeah, that's fair enough.
Some of the songs are Ian's material.
Yeah, I'm with you. You know journalists; they got to ask these questions anyway.
Yeah, I know. That's cool. I'll just check with Ian, and send you the eventual list.
“Beale Street” is about your personal experience, so is this other material along the same lines? Is it about personal experiences?
Yeah. I think you just write about what's been happening to you, or about experiences that you've had. It comes from all different types of inspiration; for example, sometimes a great song can be inspired by something that happened at the gig. So, you end up writing about that.
Do you have a date pencilled in for the release of a debut album? Do you hope to release it in 2008, for example?
We haven't talked about dates and all this, so we'll take it as it comes. I would definitely expect things to happen within six to twelve months though.
You mentioned in our first interview that you're in discussions with two labels, but would you say it's early days or are talks at a more advanced stage?
I would say they're at an advanced stage, but again they might fall through as that's how things go. Our fingers are crossed, but you never know with these things. All I would say is that until things are in writing and on paper, they're never concrete.
Judging by the discussions you've had with these two prospective record labels, would you say things are looking positive at the moment?
Yeah, definitely. Even though it's our first record, and we've never been through this before, for me they're very positive. They seem like they're genuinely interested in working, and doing things, with us. I definitely think they've been very positive, and complimentary, about what we're trying to do.
Could you tell me about the moment you thought that you wanted to be a musician?
The way I look at music is that it's a great hobby at the moment. As long as I have fun, I don't care. It doesn't really matter whether I call myself a musician, or a hobby musician; as long as I have fun with what I'm doing.
You mentioned your job is in marketing, but would you consider yourself as a musician first and foremost or as someone who's in marketing?
Today, I think that I'm probably a marketing person first and foremost. That's my education, that's my profession and that's what I do for a living. That's where I earn my money from, and that's my first priority. That's always what I look after first; everyone looks after what puts food on their table somewhat. Then again though, music is a great hobby. I think it's good for everybody to have different interests, and to do different things. If you do just one thing, then you get narrow minded. Also, it doesn't open up your mind to other things.
Would you say that it's more about the fact that it helps you to pay the rent?
I really enjoy it, to be honest with you. What I do is really interesting in terms of trying to grow a business or a product portfolio, so I really enjoy it as I said. One thing which is similar in both job and hobby is that I feel I can do the task, and I can see the results of what I am doing. That's very rewarding to any person, and I'm lucky in that I like both my day job and my hobby. The part about marketing and growing things is similar with the music, although music is obviously very different in other respects. What I like about music, as opposed to work, is that it is more creative. Also, it's a bit scary as you put a personal song out there and people have the option to shoot it down. It's much more of a risky thing to do than my day job, but definitely very rewarding as well.
What I'm trying to establish is that if you had the opportunity to make a living from music, would you prefer making a living from music as opposed to making a living from marketing?
Yeah. I definitely think everyone, to me anyway, would say and choose music. If you had the opportunity to be a rock star, then yes you'd choose that. Yeah, definitely. Any day. At the same time though, I think life is about enjoying yourself and being happy. I'm definitely a happy person, and a happy guy. I wouldn't complain about what I have; I'm very grateful for it.
Do you have a wife and kids then, or anything of that nature?
Yeah, actually. I'm getting married next year, and we've just had a baby. Privately, things are going well (laughs).
Alright, that sounds nice. When you consider music of course, obviously you have to financially consider your family as well now haven't you?
Yeah, that's it. That's the thing. I think everybody has these considerations to take into account, and goes through different cycles in life.
Why did you decide that you wanted to be a musician? What about music appealed to you personally?
It's just playing the guitar, to be honest with you. Whenever I picked up a guitar, I just played the Blues. Also, I think playing along with people is just great.
Were your family and friends supportive when you started getting into the guitar and so on?
Oh yeah, yeah. Everybody's been supportive. We're very lucky to have that support as well.
Did you grow up in Norway then?
I grew up in Norway, and moved to England roughly twelve to thirteen years ago. I've been in London, and around England, ever since.
Are you going to stay in the UK, or are you going to possibly move back to Norway?
It's hard to plot the future, but I'm still very fond of England. I think I'm probably going to stay in England for the unforeseeable future.
What would you say the music scene is like in Norway?
It's very different. London is really the hub of the European music scene I think; you have so many bands to take into account, and the record industry is there.
Where would you like to take your career in the coming years?
In terms of music, you mean? Well, we'll literally take one step at a time. I just enjoy playing live, enjoy rehearsing and enjoy writing new material. Hopefully whatever could possibly come out of that, actually does so. I really accept whatever comes; if it happens, then great, but if not, then that's also great. As long as we enjoy it.
Do you have a message for the people who've attended the live shows and enjoyed themselves, and the people who've heard the demo and also enjoyed themselves? The fans, of course?
Thanks a lot for your support. What really makes it all worth it for us is to obviously go out there, and meet the array of people that we go out and do gigs for. That's really the reason why we do it, so thanks for being there. For people who want to listen to us, just send us an email. We'll then add you to our database, and keep you posted.
Alright. Well, thanks for the interview. I'm really appreciative.
Yeah, and thanks a lot Anthony; thanks for taking the time to do this interview. That's great.
Thanks very much. I'll probably message you through MySpace soon anyway.
Yeah, that's it. Just let me know when it's finished.
Yeah, I'll let you know. Keep me posted on what The Fluffy Jackets are up to and so on.
Definitely, we'll do that. Once it's up, I'll definitely send it to our people on MySpace and everything. It might even put some people in your direction.
Alright, thanks very much. You're a really top notch guy, fair play.
Yeah, thanks for that Anthony. Thank you, and all the best.
Take care. Goodbye.
Yeah, Anthony. Definitely.
And have a good evening.
Thank you my friend.
Ok, bye.
Bye bye.