Interview: Kodaline

Interview: Kodaline
05.09.15

Before Irish alt-rockers took the stage for their sold out show at the Neptune Theatre, Seattle Music News had the pleasure of wrangling three-fourths of the band into a back room of the theatre to chat. Lead vocalist Steve Garrigan, guitarist Mark Prendergast and drummer Vinny May sat down for a few minutes squeezed between sound check, sandwiches and meet-and-greets. Here’s what we got.

SMN: Without revisiting too many things that I’m sure you’ve been asked a million times… You’ve worked some with Jacknife Lee – how do you think that specifically affected your sound from the first album to now?
Steve: I think he just introduced us to new sounds. Like the first album is very much based around piano and acoustic guitar and he just introduced us to different ways of recording songs. Like using synthesizers and electronic stuff. And I think that was the main thing that he did for us. He didn’t really affect our songwriting at all. The songwriting on this album is very much the same, he just made us look at different sounds.

SMN: I recall reading something about some new instruments you were playing around with. Did that actually make it onto the album?
Steve: Yeah well I mean it’s just like [he begins tapping a pen on the nearest surface] banging around on stuff.
Vinny: It was out of necessity, recording demos in hotel rooms and dressing rooms and such.
Steve: We did some of that on the last album as well. I remember being in America and we’d be recording banging coins off the wall just because it was in the studio. Which was quite stupid actually because there’s instruments everywhere.

SMN: Is there anything that’s been your favorite alternative instrument?
Vinny: A half empty Coke can with a Sharpie sounds pretty good.
Mark: A wicker basket also.

SMN: Did Jacknife have any specific crazy bits of wisdom you walked away with?
Mark: He had loads. I couldn’t relay any of them right off but he’s very articulate and very intelligent and he knows his stuff. And he introduced us to a lot of different types of music.

SMN: What kind of music was he introducing you to?
Vinny: Anything and everything.
Mark: He was raving about that “Chandelier” song. That was when it had just come out.
Steve: Yeah when he showed us that and I heard that singer, that vocal just blew my mind. I know it’s been played everywhere now, maybe overplayed.
SMN: Maybe, but that doesn’t make it a bad song!
Steve: No, but when I first heard it I was like, “oh, shit.”
Vinny: And he would show us new stuff because he would say well “why not.” Like if we were afraid to try something. He’s like a musical encyclopedia. And he’d just go oh – well here’s five songs where that is in it. So he’s got an incredible memory for music.
SMN: A good reference.
Vinny: Yeah, yeah. He’s incredible.

SMN: You’ve also been in the studio with Harry Styles and Johnny McDaid. Anyone else off the top of your heads that you would love to get in the studio with?
Steve: We’ve never really written with other people. Like Harry was actually the first person and that was just us hanging out, we both had the day off and we just went into the studio
Vinny: If we could work with anybody it would probably be Daft Punk.
Mark: Jay-Z or somebody like that would probably be pretty awesome. Just someone completely different to what we do. Like we’re not going to say no if someone like Chris Martin wanted to write with us.

SMN: Did you know about Ellie Goulding covering your song before she did it [on BBC Radio One]?
Steve: No, she just put it up online and we were as surprised as anybody.
Mark: We were in Australia and she just put it up on SoundCloud or something.
Steve: We ended up, she did this charity event in London and she invited us along and we performed our song “All I Want” and she joined us on stage.
Mark: Her voice is amazing.

SMN: Okay – so here’s the big one – if you were stuck on a desert island and you had to bring one book, one movie and one album what would you choose?
Mark: Well I think I’d bring a really, really good cook book.
Mark: You’re assuming there’s food on this island. 100 recipes made from trees.
Vinny: So a movie and an album. We’re assuming there’s electricity?
SMN: You can assume whatever you want.
Vinny: I’d bring Morning View, the Incubus album. I’d bring Superbad the movie.
Mark: Oh yeah. That’s a good one.
Vinny: And Jamie Oliver’s 30-Minute Meals.
Steve: Well you can’t eat…
Vinny: There’s fucking electricity if you can have a CD player and a DVD player!
Steve: Okay well then I’d probably go with Superbad as well. Album, probably the Gorillaz Plastic Beach.
Mark: That would really suit you.
Steve: What was the last one.
SMN: A book.
Steve: A book as well… Mitch Albom The Five People You Meet in Heaven.
Mark: Movie…
Vinny: You could do a cooking movie!
Mark: Nah, Castaway! Album, this is Jay’s [bassist Jason Boland was absent from the interview session] favorite album, it’s become my favorite album. Astral Weeks by Van Morrison.
SMN: Nice. Well I think you guys have a good assortment there. You can share.
Kodaline: Laughter.