Mark McClelland, ex bassist of Snow Patrol speaks to Feast about `Rock, Riot, Soul´ the debut album of his new band Little Doses.
When you listen to Little Doses for the first time you could feel your soul touched. The band was formed in Edinburgh two years ago by Mark McClelland songwriter, ex bassist of Snow Patrol. Mark is joined by Kristen Ross (vocals); Chris Alderson, Mike Skinner (guitar) and Michael Branagh (Drums, percussion and vocals). The band has been compared by the critics to a diverse range of bands including Arcade Fire, The Raconteurs, The Eagles, Blondie, of Fleetwood Mac, among others. Feast Records caught up with Mark McClelland to talk about his band, the debut Album and their music.
Why did you decide to start Little Doses?
M. M : I love making music, playing live and recording. I had a set of songs written and demoed in my flat which I was proud of and wanted to take further so I started looking for members for a new band.
How would you describe your new album, Rock Riot Soul?
M.M: The record is very varied; many of the band’s influences are touched upon. Definitely based in heavy rock territory tempered with alt country influences, Kirsten’s awesome soulful voice throws another curveball at the mix, no one has been able to summarise what we sound like and I think that is a good thing!
Was it difficult for you to find the right musicians for this band?
M.M: I had just moved to Edinburgh from Glasgow so I didn’t know that many people here, especially the local scene and bands, so yes it was hard to find the right people. I ended up just asking the guys I did know to recommend some good musicians and started there.
When can people see Little Doses playing live in Edinburgh next?
M.M: We just launched our new album in Edinburgh at the start of March and we are back in the Voodoo Rooms on the 21st April headlining the We Luv Musik night.
Are Little Doses planning a tour for this Summer?
M.M: We are hoping to play bigger gigs and farther afield this year and are currently looking for great gigs to play.
Could you speak about the recording process of Rock Riot Rock?
M.M: The decision to self-record Rock Riot Soul came about through organic channels, I hadn’t enjoyed two recording sessions even though they were in great local studios. They felt too rushed, too disjointed, all over the place, there was too much time pressure and too little exploration.
I felt a lot of the charm and interest from my home demos had been lost. I have always loved the production role in recording and was heavily involved in every album I played on, but had never been solely responsible for all aspects of recording before, I had a lot to learn.
So as an experiment, I went to the DIY store and made some acoustic treatment for my walls and windows and bought some secondhand recording equipment from America and created a tiny version of a studio in my flat.
Recording just felt so much more enjoyable there, there was little time pressure (which was good as I had so much to learn) and the first tracks we produced felt a lot more Little Doses, whatever that means. So we decided to stick with this approach.
Before the release of Rock Riot Soul, Little Doses recorded in Jewel and Esk college three acoustic versions of your album track. Why do you decided to record these tracks there? How was the experience recording there?
M.M: Our singer’s brother is doing an audio engineering course at Jewel & Esk and he wanted us to come in and record something to give him more experience. At the same time we realised we needed some video to accompany the album release so a cunning plan began to form.
Originally we planned just to be in the studio and take video of the process and the band playing live, but Ross (Kirsten’s brother) arranged the auditorium for us which looked great with the black background and stage and is still linked to a recording studio in the complex, so we could get great sounding audio and a good looking video too.
It was slightly difficult recording like that as we couldn’t have any headphones and so had difficulty hearing each other, but the end result was great. The songs sounded awesome, modern albums don’t get recorded like this that often, instruments are normally isolated as much as possible. So the sound of everything happening together, it sounded retro, really warm and with an awesome vibe.
I think the college should do this more, it’s a great opportunity for all involved, the audio and video students and the band who can get a great video at the end of it. You learn so much more by actually doing what you’ve been taught instead of reading about it.
What is your opinion of learning music at a college?
M.M: There are so many people wanting to work in the music industry and yet so few jobs that people can’t get apprenticed as a tape op or tea boy at studios anymore. So college can supply those basic skills, the studios in the college are great, much more advanced than my home set up, I was jealous of this cracking opportunity to learn on great gear. The students should grab this opportunity and record as much as possible.
However, you also need to be making contacts for jobs and start working with bands from your first day in college, there is so much competition for jobs you need to be first in the queue, have met every soundman in the city and get your foot in any door.
No soundman I have worked with professionally went to audio college, they are just talented, hard working and driven and knew / met the right person at the right time.
People who are interested in buy or listen to your album could do it through your website http://www.littledoses.com
Do you think that the traditional ways of music distribution are dying? From your own point of view how is the music industry going to change in the next 10 years?
M.M: It’s up to consumers, you decide how every pound in your pocket gets spent. If you want to save your local record store, then buy your records from there. It’s the same with these Xfactor Xmas number ones, everyone hates them but someone keeps buying them and so our music business sees that as a carte blanche to manufacture more inane aural chewing gum. If you buy independant music, more independant music will be commissioned.
I don’t have a problem with downloads, from my point of view, having set up a record company Black Ditto Recordings to release the Little Doses record, we can now provide our music worldwide for very little cost. There are no variable costs per extra download and we can even supply cd quality instead of mp3 from our own site www.littledoses.com
The main issue is, everyone can do that, so there is a glut of music to choose from and only the major labels have the financial muscle to advertise their acts effectively, because of this the media and radio (who only want to back winners) choose to deal with the major labels, closing off the only free advertising available. That’s why having people share your music or videos on places like facebook is so important, it’s a level playing field, its a great way to spread the news about a small band you’ve found that push your buttons.
I think the future of music is the middle men. We need cool radio websites, magazines, blogs who stray from the beaten track and introduce new music, have a strong editorial policy so you can trust their recommendations and keep going back to discover your new music.
Another worrying trend is that despite this well advertised increase in people going to see live music, resulting in massive ticket prices for the Murrayfield stadium gigs and of course T in the Park, less people are interested in seeing live music at the grass roots level. More money for the big companies and once again a tougher enviroment for the outsiders. You could probably see 3 local gigs every month for a year for the same price as entry to a festival will cost you, that´s 100 possible awesome new bands out there!
What do you think about piracy?
M.M: Piracy is a real issue, small bands need every penny they can to pay for rehearsals, travel to gigs, recording, maybe advertising. Buying a cd from them at a gig is probably the biggest help you can give them, especially if you play it to your friends.
On a bigger scale, the recording industry needs reinvestment to find and nurture the bands of the future, to advertise them. That approach seems old fashioned now, most acts aren’t given the chance, because of piracy, money is tight so the mantra is, make money or be dropped. And the acts that guaranteed make you the money is the Xfactor, so that’s what we get. They’ve been on TV for 3 months already, do most people question how many millions (billions?) of pounds three months of primetime TV advertising would cost for a band. These guys have a huge advantage, no wonder they go straight to number one and sell more than the Beatles! And instead of paying for it they actually get you to phone in at a pound a time every week, more profit. It’s an incredible business model, I wish I had thought of it, but its a slow death for the music industry!
How could you describe the musical landscape in Scotland?
M.M: Edinburgh has a good scene but for some reason hiring venues is really expensive here (perhaps because of the festival?). Some of the really good ones are now closing or moving their focus as it feels like less people go out to local gigs to get their kicks these days. When the venue is expensive, you can make big losses on gigs when starting off and there is hardly any profit to share amongst the bands and promoter, even when you’ve had a busy night. So less money to pay for rehearsals and to plan gigs further afield, it puts Edinburgh bands at a disadvantage from the off.
The Glasgow scene attracts bands from all over Scotland so it is always strong, has great gigs on pretty much every night and has a strong base of gig goers. However it feels like things are getting a bit too big over there, too many venues, too many gigs happening and the scene is getting diluted. But I definetely feel there is a big advantage starting a band over there, I just don’t like the rain!
Outside of the cities there is still a lot of music, however I don’t have enough experience of it to talk it up. It’s common for emerging bands to tour smaller towns and can have really great gigs there. I’m up for it, if you want to book us get in touch!
From your own experience as bassist of Snow Patrol what is the best and the worst of being part of a successful band?
M.M: The best thing is playing awesome shows round the world and the sheer buzz you get from people loving your music. The first time you hear your track on a big radio station is a big buzz too! A career in music is a rollercoaster ride, an amazing sold out gig in one town, then an empty one the night after, its nice not to have those disappointments once you are becoming successful.
The worst part of being successful is all the people trying to advise you and pull you in the direction they want you to go. Suddenly you have tons of conflicting advice, brand new temporary friends, people wanting you to do them favours and it’s cuthroat at the top.
What advice would you like to give to a person who is thinking of devoting his/her life to music?
M.M: Be awesome, follow your heart, work hard, work harder it’s not what you know, it’s who you know and make sure you enjoy every minute.
Posted by Celia