“It’s something we’re not willing to complain about just yet,” laughs Aaron Smyth of Vann Music when asked about carrying out numerous interviews in succession. “If people want to talk and hear about our music then you can be guaranteed that one of us will sit down and talk.”
GoldenPlec caught up the Vann Music recently ahead of the highly anticipated release of their new EP ‘Running’ which is available on 6 March.
In the two years after the release of debut EP ‘Electro Shock Dreams’ things have progressed at an alarming rate. “We have been very fortunate,” says Smyth. “We’ve been able to play all the major Irish festivals and grow our fan base, and we had a number one on the Irish iTunes chart. It has been tough but we have all really grown and benefited from it.”
With the new EP finished the sound of Vann Music has matured, as has the writing process. “For this EP everyone was writing songs. We had almost thirty tracks to choose from so we are far more critical of our work now,” Smyth tells us. Focusing on their own reaction to a song may seem selfish to some but that is exactly what the band wanted on ‘Running’. “We wanted to impress ourselves with this record not just our fan base. It is selfish yes, but in a really positive way. It helped us to create something that we are incredibly proud of and excited by.”
With so many songs left unused on the recording studio floor the band have no intention of throwing them away indefinitely. “There are a few tracks that we might come back to and work on again. There are also a few that we will introduce into the live set. Some of those songs were written at a time in the writing process that we might not want to follow anymore so they will just be locked away in a vault until the time is right.”
With an ever-growing fan base and critical acclaim the pressure to release consistently high quality music is felt from time to time. “On certain days we feel like we will never write another good song. Those are tough,” Smyth says. “Then something will just click and feel right. We look around at what other musicians in Ireland are doing and set their albums as the benchmark that we need to surpass so in a way we put pressure on ourselves.”
Over the last few years music in Ireland has went through a renaissance of sorts with a host of musicians releasing acclaimed albums. This rebirth of Irish music has a lot to do with the ‘state of flux’ the Irish music industry finds itself in, according to Smyth. “If you look back to the nineties there were always amazing bands but not all of them had access to recording equipment. Nowadays the playing field has been levelled. You can write a song in the morning and have it online that afternoon. With more people doing this it was inevitable that more musicians would be recognised. Ireland has always had amazing talent and it is great to see it finally being recognised.”
Working with the phenomenal producer Stephen Hague on ‘Running’ has been an invaluable experience for the band. “People underestimate what a good producer can bring to a record. We compared it to driving a car. There are always blind spots and Stephen helped us see all the angles we couldn’t. His input of a melody change or something small really helped us to write and work more efficiently which will stand to us when writing for the album.”
Being in the studio is like a delicate relationship. On good days there is no better feeling, and on bad days the opposite is true. “It can be tough at times. But then these moments of clarity strike and that one piece you have been working on unsuccessfully for weeks just works and sounds right. On those days the feeling is indescribable. We get a buzz from it similar to what we get on stage.”
Being on stage and touring so much one would think that the band get to be tourists from time to time. Nothing could be further from the truth for an independent band. “Our days play out like this: We load in, set up, eat, work out a set list and try relax, perform, hang around a bit after the gig and then straight back onto the road. We see roads and that’s about it. Free time is eaten up due to something that invariably goes go wrong and needs fixing.”
Booking gigs as an independent band can be difficult, and while Vann Music are always appreciative of an opportunity to grow their fan base, things could be fairer. “Irish bands are underappreciated at times,” Smyth explains. “I’m not just speaking for us. We have had this conversation with many bands. At times we are taken for granted and underpaid. We try to be as professional as possible. We hire lighting guys, sound engineers and various other people to make things look and sound as good as possible so that the people paying in don’t feel cheated. All that costs a lot of money. For us to do a show we need to rehearse and put a lot of work in and that isn’t cheap. If venues were to look after bands more now then down the line when the fan base is bigger those bands will be willing to come back and pack out the venue and bring in money to the bar and fill cash registers.”
2015 looks as though it is going to be a whirlwind year for Vann Music. With the release of the EP on 6 March and a tour to follow, Vann Music will be doing far more than simply revisiting the Irish roads they have travelled in the past. “We have been invited to play at Canadian Music Week which is great for us. We are also looking at booking other gigs outside of Ireland. In between all the touring we are determined to take some time off and write for the album. Writing on the road is not easy and can be counterproductive at times, so we want to get it right.”
The opportunities to catch Vann Music live in Ireland may be more limited than in previous years, so their Irish Tour is not to be missed.
7 March - Button Factory - Dublin
12 March - Róisín Dubh – Galway
13 March - Shortt’s – Waterford
20 March - McHugh’s – Belfast
27 March - Cyprus Avenue – Cork
10 April - Dolan’s - Limerick