The City Remains Interview
Q: Can you talk about the history of The City Remains?
A: The history of The City Remains I guess would have started back in the ’80s when Liam and I met in high school. We shared similar musical tastes and had a genuine desire to be part of a band and to make music. Early ventures included covering the Jam and New Order tunes ... as best we could! We both were keen to learn our instruments and craft … bass for Liam and drums for myself, everyone needed a basic trade (LOL), well at least back then you did. We have being playing, writing, arranging and recording music in one form or another for over 30 years in various bands …. Christ I sound old!!!. The City Remains as a musical entity has been in existence for about six years now and feels like a comfortable place for us both.
Q: What is your creative process like?
A: Liam writes the songs … and then I tell him if they're any good!! I tend to be more focused on helping to form the dynamic structure, feel and tempo of the songs. The creative process is one that we have always enjoyed. I think when you become more comfortable with your abilities the process becomes less of a chore and more of a real musical adventure. The songs can then start to take on a new life when you introduce addition musical components as you rehearse and shape the finished article. I guess we have become less precious about songs and more open to their unseen possibilities.
Q: You worked with a number of great engineers such as Frank McGing and Steve Rooke. What was that experience like and how did it shape the album?
A: We've known Frank for some years and he was a fantastic influence on this album. Over the years you work with lots of people in the industry, but you tend to gravitate towards the ones that help you achieve results that the songs deserve. A good producer/engineer tends to draw the best out of you and offer suggestion that serve the material. Recently technology in recording has come on in leaps and bounds. DAW software has the ability to allow artists to create broadcast quality material in their bedroom. That has allowed many bands and artists to get themselves out there faster and at a fraction of the cost compared to 15/20 years ago but there’s no software that can replace the skills and intuition of a good engineer. There will always be room for professionals with a creative ear and good insight. Steve Rooke mastered the album at Abbey Road Studios. He has a fantastic reputation having worked at Abbey Road with many artists including remastering some tracks from The Beatles. Mastering is a bit of a dark art, but the ability to give an album a cohesive feel is an important element that adds to the listening experience. So we have been lucky with the talented people we have worked with on this album.
Q: Can you talk about the history of The City Remains?
A: The history of The City Remains I guess would have started back in the ’80s when Liam and I met in high school. We shared similar musical tastes and had a genuine desire to be part of a band and to make music. Early ventures included covering the Jam and New Order tunes ... as best we could! We both were keen to learn our instruments and craft … bass for Liam and drums for myself, everyone needed a basic trade (LOL), well at least back then you did. We have being playing, writing, arranging and recording music in one form or another for over 30 years in various bands …. Christ I sound old!!!. The City Remains as a musical entity has been in existence for about six years now and feels like a comfortable place for us both.
Q: What is your creative process like?
A: Liam writes the songs … and then I tell him if they're any good!! I tend to be more focused on helping to form the dynamic structure, feel and tempo of the songs. The creative process is one that we have always enjoyed. I think when you become more comfortable with your abilities the process becomes less of a chore and more of a real musical adventure. The songs can then start to take on a new life when you introduce addition musical components as you rehearse and shape the finished article. I guess we have become less precious about songs and more open to their unseen possibilities.
Q: You worked with a number of great engineers such as Frank McGing and Steve Rooke. What was that experience like and how did it shape the album?
A: We've known Frank for some years and he was a fantastic influence on this album. Over the years you work with lots of people in the industry, but you tend to gravitate towards the ones that help you achieve results that the songs deserve. A good producer/engineer tends to draw the best out of you and offer suggestion that serve the material. Recently technology in recording has come on in leaps and bounds. DAW software has the ability to allow artists to create broadcast quality material in their bedroom. That has allowed many bands and artists to get themselves out there faster and at a fraction of the cost compared to 15/20 years ago but there’s no software that can replace the skills and intuition of a good engineer. There will always be room for professionals with a creative ear and good insight. Steve Rooke mastered the album at Abbey Road Studios. He has a fantastic reputation having worked at Abbey Road with many artists including remastering some tracks from The Beatles. Mastering is a bit of a dark art, but the ability to give an album a cohesive feel is an important element that adds to the listening experience. So we have been lucky with the talented people we have worked with on this album.
Q: It seems like the album revolves some themes like travel, being away from home and the feelings that go with that. Can you expand on those themes?
A: It wasn’t a deliberate ploy, when it came to choosing the songs we were more conscious about the overall feel and sonic attributes of the album. Travel can be a real catalyst to songwriting and storytelling in general, I guess the songs are self-contained stories in their own right. We recorded 13 songs initially, knowing that we would end up using only 10. It was important for us to give ourselves options as some times a song just doesn’t feel right once recorded, or a song that you felt would have worked just doesn’t make the grade when you take it into the studio regardless of how well you have rehearsed it.
Q: Have you played any of the material live or perhaps virtually?
A: We have played some of the older material at a couple of venues in Ireland in the past, but we haven’t taken on any live work at this point. We are currently working on the next album at the moment so perhaps after that is released, we will have a slightly deeper well to draw from for live work.
Q: What else should we know about your music?
A: I guess that we want listeners to take what we do at face value. We’re not trying to change the world or create a new trend, just make what we believe to be honest music that has integrity and a bit of a story to tell. Music is very subjective art, but any like any band or artist we want our audience to have a positive attitude and enjoy what we do.
A: It wasn’t a deliberate ploy, when it came to choosing the songs we were more conscious about the overall feel and sonic attributes of the album. Travel can be a real catalyst to songwriting and storytelling in general, I guess the songs are self-contained stories in their own right. We recorded 13 songs initially, knowing that we would end up using only 10. It was important for us to give ourselves options as some times a song just doesn’t feel right once recorded, or a song that you felt would have worked just doesn’t make the grade when you take it into the studio regardless of how well you have rehearsed it.
Q: Have you played any of the material live or perhaps virtually?
A: We have played some of the older material at a couple of venues in Ireland in the past, but we haven’t taken on any live work at this point. We are currently working on the next album at the moment so perhaps after that is released, we will have a slightly deeper well to draw from for live work.
Q: What else should we know about your music?
A: I guess that we want listeners to take what we do at face value. We’re not trying to change the world or create a new trend, just make what we believe to be honest music that has integrity and a bit of a story to tell. Music is very subjective art, but any like any band or artist we want our audience to have a positive attitude and enjoy what we do.