A little bit of soul…
Hailed as Irelands brightest hope since U2 and with single smoothie Rainbow Zephyr soon to come, thebuzz chats with frontman Ken Papenphus and bassist Darren Campbell to get a taste of Relish for themselves.
With classic debut album Wildflowers reaching an ever-growing audience and having recently completed a support slot with Wheatus on their UK tour, this Irish three piece are a relishing prospect, whether on stereo or onstage. Second single Rainbow Zephyr - released in February and gracing MTV as we speak - is sure to bring things to even more successful heights for the hotly tipped outfit.
With many in the press plugging Relish to follow in the footsteps of U2 as Ireland's next super-group, how does the group react to such compliments?
"I think they're a bit overblown to be honest! We just do our thing and have won a few fans - U2, Shinnad O Connor and the likes of the people back home. It's just nice that people have taken time out to listen to the album." Modesty and composure always in tow, their wonderfully approachable nature as interviewees directly identifies with their lavish musical output.
The band has attracted envious levels of attention from just about everyone that matters - the aforementioned artists and press, producers, record companies and, most essentially of all, the kids. Come the gig with U2 at Slane Castle in Ireland - the most significant moment in Relish's career to date - and they knew they had hit the mark. Ken is in full agreement:
"It was one of the best musical moments of our lives to date - playing to an absolutely massive audience of 50,000 friends. There was just a real good party vibe and everybody was up for it." Besides the daunting task of impressing the masses (which the band more than rose to the challenge), it was a very patriotic day for the group to:
"We'd done festivals in the UK (T-In The Park, etc) so big audiences weren't what we were nervous about. We were more nervous about the occasion - it was a very important day for Ireland and Irish bands. It was twenty years since U2 had played Slane (when they supported Thin Lizzy) so it was a real occasion."
What inspired the name Relish and the album title Wildflowers?
Ken - We felt the name Relish (Relish as in the emotional feeling as opposed to the mustard, ed.!) didn't give away any connotations to what type of band we were, and we could be any band we wanted to be with that name. With some names, people just think your heavy metal band if you pick the wrong name.
The name Wildflowers came from the fact that we visualized us as representing flowers coming up through the concrete and in an environment that was harsh, we were bringing something beautiful to a pretty depressing scenario. We were on the dole at that time - but we just believed in the songs. That's all we had to look forward to.
What record companies were involved in the bidding war? You must have been laughing to be so popular before you'd been even signed…
Ken - The likes of Sony, Warner Brothers, Virgin, Polydor, Phonogram etc, all those who have a history behind them and that mean something were there at our house, in our living room in County Down!
Darren - It was fantastic. We invited them over to the house - cup of tea, cup of coffee - then put them on a booby trap sofa that actually sank when you sit on it! We played them about a half-hour set and about 15 minutes into the set, the sofa would start to really get low on them.
Ken - These guys would be trying to re-adjust themselves and look cool, and we'd be playing, looking at them and laughing on the inside, thinking 'are you comfortable there? It was mutual entertainment really!
You have a wide variety of musical influences, from the Beatles and Curtis Mayfield to Thin Lizzy and AC-DC. Concerning your later influences, can we expect any harder edged tunes in the future?
Ken - Most definitely. On the next album we're going to go softer and harder - extreme in both directions if you like. If its gonna be funky its gonna be really funky, if it's gonna be rock, it'll really rock - the same applies to the blues, soul and r 'n' b stuff in there. We're just gonna go deeper and deeper. We're losing fear as we go along and I think the second album will have no fear on it whatsoever.
Will you ever perform any covers in the Live set or as B-Sides?
Ken - We're I really bad covers band I have to tell ya! The only cover we've done is when we were invited to a gig at the Royal Festival Hall and we were invited to do a Tim Buckley cover.
The only Tim Buckley song that we knew was this funk track. So, funky, groovy, and up-tempo, we figured it'd be a great number to do. Then we arrived at the venue and everything was like depressing, acoustic type of vibe and we were thinking if this was the same guy.
We thought he'd be really funky - or so we'd heard. So we ended up going on stage doing a funked up version of his funk track.
Darren - I think we heard the only funky Tim Buckley song in existence and decided to do it! Everything was so down beat - it was obviously good material and all the artists that were there played it well - but I think people were relived to see us doing something more lively. Tim had a good time…
Darren - Tim was a naughty boy…
Ken - So we decided to celebrate that and bring some funk in! We get away with that cover - we haven't tried any others yet!
Your sound is full of hefty chunks of blues, rock, funk and soul, all moulded into a pop context. Was the focus from the beginning to (beside's wearing your influences on your sleeves) develop that authentic sound that is Relish's own? Ken - It wasn't intentional - but we felt it happened organically and the last thing we were going to do was to stop it happening. We knew from the offset as a three- piece that we were never going to be the next Thearpy or Ash, as good and influential as those bands have being in Ireland. We had to realize what we were good at, what we felt comfortable with and what was always going to entertain us -its just what we do. Some people like it, some people hate it but we're not out to please anybody. What you see is what you get!
While still contemporary, the record's ambience takes you back to the 70's. How did you rate the 70's as an era for music on the whole?
Ken - I'm sure there was some bad stuff! But there was such an amount of good stuff its overwhelming. And certainly the social situations of these periods in time - more vibrant, political eras. There was a lot going on, there was a lot of movement in terms of things being left wing - I think the World wanted a left wing. So I think it was a good positive time - a time of change, a time of development and creativity and I think hopefully we've tapped into that spirit on our Wildflowers album. There's also definitely a sense of the immediate. I think around that time there were bands you could believe in, and I don't believe in to many at the minute! I think we feel comfortable with that time period as well because our parents record collection is comprised of all that stuff - its our roots. Darren - Its part of our childhood and that's the music we listen to so it's a comfortable thing with us a sits well.
What can you tell us about the exceptional hidden track, that's "Dreaming about aeroplanes to take us far away"? Ken - That actually was the first Relish track and to be honest we weren't really sure if we should have that on the album because we've moved on from there so much. It really was a statement for us - the first song that allowed us to be who we were - and we thought we'd just keep it for that as a momentum.
Darren - At the time of signing with EMI in Ireland, that was actually one of the tracks in demo form - one of the tracks off the basis from which we actually got signed. It was also originally lined up as our first single. All our first promo interviews and TV and Radio at the time was done with that track…
Similarly, you have guitar hero influences such as Angus Young and Rory Gallagher, but with the exception of the bluesy solo on Heart Shape Box or the acoustic prominence on Little Flame, you tend to shy away from solos. Do you see yourself more as a songwriter / rhythm guitarist?
Ken - No, not at all - I see myself as a solo guitar player as well and take full advantage of that at live gigs. I think tastes are growing towards a bit more indulgence, particularly live. I think if you can deliver the solo as part that represents the songs - as a meaningful moment - then it has a place. If its just there to represent so kind of ego break then it shouldn't be there. I think our music expresses what we're about and what we're feeling at the time. There's certainly going to be a lot more guitar on the next album. I think a lot of the way the album was recorded was to do with the time period. The Irish market's very pop-driven. We were very much a rock band who had to wind down and get a bit more polite with our delivery. We needed to get on the radio, we needed to make a living. That's part of the reason why we're still here today is the fact that we've been able to change with the times. So the next album represents a sense of freedom - Wildflowers 1 is the introduction and the next album's going to be more of a liberating affair musically.
Darren - I think audiences change as well. Audiences like to see guitar being played well and I think if you can do that type of thing, why not do it? I think the time has come where audiences are bored with going to see bands where the songs aren't there and the musicianship's average. I think people want to see good songwriting and bands that can really play, so as Ken says (in regard to solos)… Ken - When I get the chance, when the guys will let me! I also think its essential to see the importance of the song. The solos nothing without coming over a good track - and if we don't have a good track we're not going to have a solo either - so we've got a priorities in the right order!
Your voice is very smooth and soulful, and has being compared to the likes of Stevie Wonder and Phil Lynott, seemingly fair comparisons by the sounds of Let It Fly and You I'm Thinking Of. Who else has being a vocal influence upon you? Ken - I'm very influenced by particularly black female artists as opposed to male artists - although Prince tends to cover both areas quite well. People like Aretha Franklin, Sinnad O Connar… I prefer female vocalists more because they seem to be able to express themselves a lot better than men. They just throw in every ounce of blood they have. Men have a harder time doing that - women are more honest when it comes to singing in terms of delivery. That'll get me a few female fans won't it? !
Your parents have a strong love of music - is Wildflowers their cup of tea?
Ken - It is in the sense that they understand the history of where we're coming from musically and the fact that they have to tolerate it on a daily basis - our rehearsal room is in our parents house! Obviously they've been very critical about it - hearing the end result I think they're very proud of us all and the fact that we've been able to make a living out of this.
Darren - Ken's mum loves some of the tracks on the album… Ken - It's an honour for us to please our parents. I know its not very rock 'n' roll but when you respect your parents and the tradition of music that runs through both families its an achievement in itself.
In the song All Is Forgiven, you sing "God Is Love" and seemed to have penned a set of lyrics that are very faith inspired. Is your faith an important part of the songwriting process - lyric and mood wise? Ken - Yes - faith in terms of faith of people and humankind as opposed to religion being the answer to our saving. I think the idea behind that track was that I haven't altogether been a very good boy in the past. The fact that I found some kind of refuge in music and being in a band allowed me to discover through that that there was a God and a plan for me.
The track celebrates the fact I didn't feel alone and felt like I had a purpose in life - and I was able to be forgiven. Once I could forgive myself for what I've done and my friends could, I believed there was a God - and that's what it symbolizes.
The track also features a very unique quality in the fact that the guitar melody combines with the vocal melody identically. Ken - I don't know why I did that - and if the situation arises on the next album I may use that technique again.
Was the decision to bring in Al Clay and John Lekkie to produce the record the decision of your own or the record companies? How did you find working with them?
Ken - John Lekkie was one of the top guys on the list for us to produce the album. What surprised us (and the record company more so) was the fact that every producer we wanted to work with us wanted to work with us! It was a case of us choosing who then we would go with. Having the history he had at EMI John kept us politically in very good stead with the record label.
He's produced for some of the best new bands of the last 15 years as well as some of the greatest old musicians as well - (the late) George Harrison and John Lennon, Pink Floyd etc, so he was a natural choice. There was a sort of flavour with John and we always wanted to go in more than one direction on the album anyway, and Al definitely delivered the more up tempo vibe that we needed to finish the album and make it complete. It's been a privilege for us to work with both. Darren - The record company said make a wish list of who we wanted to work with. We made the list, they laughed at it, thinking John Lekkie, yeah right, sure! Demo tapes were sent to John, John gets back in touch with us and says he wants to produce the album and the record company shuts up!
With Al Clay having produced for Reef in the past, you hear shades of their sound on album classics Everything's Precious or Heart Shape Box - is this merely the producers stamp on things or are Reef a modern day influence? Ken - Those are the two tracks that we would say sound most like Reef as well but I think those tracks came from the same place that Reef got there stuff originally. Our history kind of met at those two points but it's just co-incidental that Al was involved in those tracks.
There's a lot positive, colourful vibes in your songs - say latest single Rainbow Zephyr. Do you prefer writing in the major or minor key?
Ken - I think we like to mix and match. Say on the likes of All Is Forgiven - the verses are in minors and the chorus in majors and I think its generally a pattern we have because the chorus has to lift. There's no better way to lift it than coming out of a minor key and really sending your chorus to town! I don't know on the next album if the choruses will be as obvious but we wanted to emphasize the positive mindset that we had throughout the album - and that was one way of doing it.
Your lyrics are very sincere and intrinsic - will you consider writing any dafter, more trivial lyrics in future? Ken - Probably not. I don't consider myself a comedian in any sense - I don't think I'm funny even normally. If I feel passion about the music I can only remain serious. There's one particular track we've been working on recently that's quite humorous, but it has a darker edge to it.
I may be a bit more satirical on the next album and I don't feel like I have to spill any blood on this album. Wildflowers was an introduction to who we are. Once people have shaken our hands and become our friends, I can let myself be myself lyrically.
Melody and tunefulness are natural qualities in your tunes. What influence do you think you have developed these qualities from most?
Ken - A lot of our influences musically and in terms of the spirit of the time come from the earlier 90's - particularly the LA scene. Jane's Addiction, Fishbone, Rage Against The Machine, Red Hot Chill Peppers etc - bands that we felt was part of the new generation - the new hippy movement if you like. They were part of the alternative nation. America came out of the 80's - a disgusting period where everyone was covering up all the issues, then the LA riots happened and suddenly people were able to speak the truth. These bands spoke the truth. The record companies picked up on that vibe - we did to. A lot of the energy in our music comes from that time period. Most of our melodic influence comes from the likes of Kings X, the Beatles and Stevie Wonder - we just have a wide range of influences and blend that all into our music.
Your sound is instantly memorable, the kind of you've loved them all your life but you've never heard them before' sound. Is this part of the desire to be as influential as your influences? Ken - The only desire we had at the time was to write an album we believed in. We knew we had to believe in it for a few years because we knew it was going to be difficult for us to break out of Ireland and get the opportunity to play. A lot of bands were getting dropped from labels. We didn't think that we'd have any influence. We were just overwhelmed that we had the opportunity to write an album - it was a smaller situation than it has become put another way. The desire for people to believe that we're honest and have some integrity in what we were doing was more important than being influential to us. Through time we can focus on whether or not we've done the right thing with our albums and how we've presented ourselves as people. If we can look back with good admiration then we could then hopefully foresee some kind of influence in that respect
Relish started work on their second album in January.
Andy Law
With classic debut album Wildflowers reaching an ever-growing audience and having recently completed a support slot with Wheatus on their UK tour, this Irish three piece are a relishing prospect, whether on stereo or onstage. Second single Rainbow Zephyr - released in February and gracing MTV as we speak - is sure to bring things to even more successful heights for the hotly tipped outfit.
With many in the press plugging Relish to follow in the footsteps of U2 as Ireland's next super-group, how does the group react to such compliments?
"I think they're a bit overblown to be honest! We just do our thing and have won a few fans - U2, Shinnad O Connor and the likes of the people back home. It's just nice that people have taken time out to listen to the album." Modesty and composure always in tow, their wonderfully approachable nature as interviewees directly identifies with their lavish musical output.
The band has attracted envious levels of attention from just about everyone that matters - the aforementioned artists and press, producers, record companies and, most essentially of all, the kids. Come the gig with U2 at Slane Castle in Ireland - the most significant moment in Relish's career to date - and they knew they had hit the mark. Ken is in full agreement:
"It was one of the best musical moments of our lives to date - playing to an absolutely massive audience of 50,000 friends. There was just a real good party vibe and everybody was up for it." Besides the daunting task of impressing the masses (which the band more than rose to the challenge), it was a very patriotic day for the group to:
"We'd done festivals in the UK (T-In The Park, etc) so big audiences weren't what we were nervous about. We were more nervous about the occasion - it was a very important day for Ireland and Irish bands. It was twenty years since U2 had played Slane (when they supported Thin Lizzy) so it was a real occasion."
What inspired the name Relish and the album title Wildflowers?
Ken - We felt the name Relish (Relish as in the emotional feeling as opposed to the mustard, ed.!) didn't give away any connotations to what type of band we were, and we could be any band we wanted to be with that name. With some names, people just think your heavy metal band if you pick the wrong name.
The name Wildflowers came from the fact that we visualized us as representing flowers coming up through the concrete and in an environment that was harsh, we were bringing something beautiful to a pretty depressing scenario. We were on the dole at that time - but we just believed in the songs. That's all we had to look forward to.
What record companies were involved in the bidding war? You must have been laughing to be so popular before you'd been even signed…
Ken - The likes of Sony, Warner Brothers, Virgin, Polydor, Phonogram etc, all those who have a history behind them and that mean something were there at our house, in our living room in County Down!
Darren - It was fantastic. We invited them over to the house - cup of tea, cup of coffee - then put them on a booby trap sofa that actually sank when you sit on it! We played them about a half-hour set and about 15 minutes into the set, the sofa would start to really get low on them.
Ken - These guys would be trying to re-adjust themselves and look cool, and we'd be playing, looking at them and laughing on the inside, thinking 'are you comfortable there? It was mutual entertainment really!
You have a wide variety of musical influences, from the Beatles and Curtis Mayfield to Thin Lizzy and AC-DC. Concerning your later influences, can we expect any harder edged tunes in the future?
Ken - Most definitely. On the next album we're going to go softer and harder - extreme in both directions if you like. If its gonna be funky its gonna be really funky, if it's gonna be rock, it'll really rock - the same applies to the blues, soul and r 'n' b stuff in there. We're just gonna go deeper and deeper. We're losing fear as we go along and I think the second album will have no fear on it whatsoever.
Will you ever perform any covers in the Live set or as B-Sides?
Ken - We're I really bad covers band I have to tell ya! The only cover we've done is when we were invited to a gig at the Royal Festival Hall and we were invited to do a Tim Buckley cover.
The only Tim Buckley song that we knew was this funk track. So, funky, groovy, and up-tempo, we figured it'd be a great number to do. Then we arrived at the venue and everything was like depressing, acoustic type of vibe and we were thinking if this was the same guy.
We thought he'd be really funky - or so we'd heard. So we ended up going on stage doing a funked up version of his funk track.
Darren - I think we heard the only funky Tim Buckley song in existence and decided to do it! Everything was so down beat - it was obviously good material and all the artists that were there played it well - but I think people were relived to see us doing something more lively. Tim had a good time…
Darren - Tim was a naughty boy…
Ken - So we decided to celebrate that and bring some funk in! We get away with that cover - we haven't tried any others yet!
Your sound is full of hefty chunks of blues, rock, funk and soul, all moulded into a pop context. Was the focus from the beginning to (beside's wearing your influences on your sleeves) develop that authentic sound that is Relish's own? Ken - It wasn't intentional - but we felt it happened organically and the last thing we were going to do was to stop it happening. We knew from the offset as a three- piece that we were never going to be the next Thearpy or Ash, as good and influential as those bands have being in Ireland. We had to realize what we were good at, what we felt comfortable with and what was always going to entertain us -its just what we do. Some people like it, some people hate it but we're not out to please anybody. What you see is what you get!
While still contemporary, the record's ambience takes you back to the 70's. How did you rate the 70's as an era for music on the whole?
Ken - I'm sure there was some bad stuff! But there was such an amount of good stuff its overwhelming. And certainly the social situations of these periods in time - more vibrant, political eras. There was a lot going on, there was a lot of movement in terms of things being left wing - I think the World wanted a left wing. So I think it was a good positive time - a time of change, a time of development and creativity and I think hopefully we've tapped into that spirit on our Wildflowers album. There's also definitely a sense of the immediate. I think around that time there were bands you could believe in, and I don't believe in to many at the minute! I think we feel comfortable with that time period as well because our parents record collection is comprised of all that stuff - its our roots. Darren - Its part of our childhood and that's the music we listen to so it's a comfortable thing with us a sits well.
What can you tell us about the exceptional hidden track, that's "Dreaming about aeroplanes to take us far away"? Ken - That actually was the first Relish track and to be honest we weren't really sure if we should have that on the album because we've moved on from there so much. It really was a statement for us - the first song that allowed us to be who we were - and we thought we'd just keep it for that as a momentum.
Darren - At the time of signing with EMI in Ireland, that was actually one of the tracks in demo form - one of the tracks off the basis from which we actually got signed. It was also originally lined up as our first single. All our first promo interviews and TV and Radio at the time was done with that track…
Similarly, you have guitar hero influences such as Angus Young and Rory Gallagher, but with the exception of the bluesy solo on Heart Shape Box or the acoustic prominence on Little Flame, you tend to shy away from solos. Do you see yourself more as a songwriter / rhythm guitarist?
Ken - No, not at all - I see myself as a solo guitar player as well and take full advantage of that at live gigs. I think tastes are growing towards a bit more indulgence, particularly live. I think if you can deliver the solo as part that represents the songs - as a meaningful moment - then it has a place. If its just there to represent so kind of ego break then it shouldn't be there. I think our music expresses what we're about and what we're feeling at the time. There's certainly going to be a lot more guitar on the next album. I think a lot of the way the album was recorded was to do with the time period. The Irish market's very pop-driven. We were very much a rock band who had to wind down and get a bit more polite with our delivery. We needed to get on the radio, we needed to make a living. That's part of the reason why we're still here today is the fact that we've been able to change with the times. So the next album represents a sense of freedom - Wildflowers 1 is the introduction and the next album's going to be more of a liberating affair musically.
Darren - I think audiences change as well. Audiences like to see guitar being played well and I think if you can do that type of thing, why not do it? I think the time has come where audiences are bored with going to see bands where the songs aren't there and the musicianship's average. I think people want to see good songwriting and bands that can really play, so as Ken says (in regard to solos)… Ken - When I get the chance, when the guys will let me! I also think its essential to see the importance of the song. The solos nothing without coming over a good track - and if we don't have a good track we're not going to have a solo either - so we've got a priorities in the right order!
Your voice is very smooth and soulful, and has being compared to the likes of Stevie Wonder and Phil Lynott, seemingly fair comparisons by the sounds of Let It Fly and You I'm Thinking Of. Who else has being a vocal influence upon you? Ken - I'm very influenced by particularly black female artists as opposed to male artists - although Prince tends to cover both areas quite well. People like Aretha Franklin, Sinnad O Connar… I prefer female vocalists more because they seem to be able to express themselves a lot better than men. They just throw in every ounce of blood they have. Men have a harder time doing that - women are more honest when it comes to singing in terms of delivery. That'll get me a few female fans won't it? !
Your parents have a strong love of music - is Wildflowers their cup of tea?
Ken - It is in the sense that they understand the history of where we're coming from musically and the fact that they have to tolerate it on a daily basis - our rehearsal room is in our parents house! Obviously they've been very critical about it - hearing the end result I think they're very proud of us all and the fact that we've been able to make a living out of this.
Darren - Ken's mum loves some of the tracks on the album… Ken - It's an honour for us to please our parents. I know its not very rock 'n' roll but when you respect your parents and the tradition of music that runs through both families its an achievement in itself.
In the song All Is Forgiven, you sing "God Is Love" and seemed to have penned a set of lyrics that are very faith inspired. Is your faith an important part of the songwriting process - lyric and mood wise? Ken - Yes - faith in terms of faith of people and humankind as opposed to religion being the answer to our saving. I think the idea behind that track was that I haven't altogether been a very good boy in the past. The fact that I found some kind of refuge in music and being in a band allowed me to discover through that that there was a God and a plan for me.
The track celebrates the fact I didn't feel alone and felt like I had a purpose in life - and I was able to be forgiven. Once I could forgive myself for what I've done and my friends could, I believed there was a God - and that's what it symbolizes.
The track also features a very unique quality in the fact that the guitar melody combines with the vocal melody identically. Ken - I don't know why I did that - and if the situation arises on the next album I may use that technique again.
Was the decision to bring in Al Clay and John Lekkie to produce the record the decision of your own or the record companies? How did you find working with them?
Ken - John Lekkie was one of the top guys on the list for us to produce the album. What surprised us (and the record company more so) was the fact that every producer we wanted to work with us wanted to work with us! It was a case of us choosing who then we would go with. Having the history he had at EMI John kept us politically in very good stead with the record label.
He's produced for some of the best new bands of the last 15 years as well as some of the greatest old musicians as well - (the late) George Harrison and John Lennon, Pink Floyd etc, so he was a natural choice. There was a sort of flavour with John and we always wanted to go in more than one direction on the album anyway, and Al definitely delivered the more up tempo vibe that we needed to finish the album and make it complete. It's been a privilege for us to work with both. Darren - The record company said make a wish list of who we wanted to work with. We made the list, they laughed at it, thinking John Lekkie, yeah right, sure! Demo tapes were sent to John, John gets back in touch with us and says he wants to produce the album and the record company shuts up!
With Al Clay having produced for Reef in the past, you hear shades of their sound on album classics Everything's Precious or Heart Shape Box - is this merely the producers stamp on things or are Reef a modern day influence? Ken - Those are the two tracks that we would say sound most like Reef as well but I think those tracks came from the same place that Reef got there stuff originally. Our history kind of met at those two points but it's just co-incidental that Al was involved in those tracks.
There's a lot positive, colourful vibes in your songs - say latest single Rainbow Zephyr. Do you prefer writing in the major or minor key?
Ken - I think we like to mix and match. Say on the likes of All Is Forgiven - the verses are in minors and the chorus in majors and I think its generally a pattern we have because the chorus has to lift. There's no better way to lift it than coming out of a minor key and really sending your chorus to town! I don't know on the next album if the choruses will be as obvious but we wanted to emphasize the positive mindset that we had throughout the album - and that was one way of doing it.
Your lyrics are very sincere and intrinsic - will you consider writing any dafter, more trivial lyrics in future? Ken - Probably not. I don't consider myself a comedian in any sense - I don't think I'm funny even normally. If I feel passion about the music I can only remain serious. There's one particular track we've been working on recently that's quite humorous, but it has a darker edge to it.
I may be a bit more satirical on the next album and I don't feel like I have to spill any blood on this album. Wildflowers was an introduction to who we are. Once people have shaken our hands and become our friends, I can let myself be myself lyrically.
Melody and tunefulness are natural qualities in your tunes. What influence do you think you have developed these qualities from most?
Ken - A lot of our influences musically and in terms of the spirit of the time come from the earlier 90's - particularly the LA scene. Jane's Addiction, Fishbone, Rage Against The Machine, Red Hot Chill Peppers etc - bands that we felt was part of the new generation - the new hippy movement if you like. They were part of the alternative nation. America came out of the 80's - a disgusting period where everyone was covering up all the issues, then the LA riots happened and suddenly people were able to speak the truth. These bands spoke the truth. The record companies picked up on that vibe - we did to. A lot of the energy in our music comes from that time period. Most of our melodic influence comes from the likes of Kings X, the Beatles and Stevie Wonder - we just have a wide range of influences and blend that all into our music.
Your sound is instantly memorable, the kind of you've loved them all your life but you've never heard them before' sound. Is this part of the desire to be as influential as your influences? Ken - The only desire we had at the time was to write an album we believed in. We knew we had to believe in it for a few years because we knew it was going to be difficult for us to break out of Ireland and get the opportunity to play. A lot of bands were getting dropped from labels. We didn't think that we'd have any influence. We were just overwhelmed that we had the opportunity to write an album - it was a smaller situation than it has become put another way. The desire for people to believe that we're honest and have some integrity in what we were doing was more important than being influential to us. Through time we can focus on whether or not we've done the right thing with our albums and how we've presented ourselves as people. If we can look back with good admiration then we could then hopefully foresee some kind of influence in that respect
Relish started work on their second album in January.
Andy Law
