Eleven:XI
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Eleven:XI
From Left to right - Carly Green, Ben Cornish, Mo Knott, Wally Wallis, Chris Skerman and Paul Read.
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It's that time again...
With summer around the corner and festival season in
sight new band Eleven:XI have started the year in style with an exciting new
album 'Look at the Time'.
After a busy 2013 of gigging [Rubber Soul/TONEFEST] and
radio {Hope FM} the six piece have teamed up with world class mastering
engineer Pete Maher [U2/The Killers] to bring you their first album. Inspired
from a range of influences this pop fuelled record is set to help make 2014 a
year to remember.
Playing exciting originals, mixing a blend of Rock, Pop,
Reggae, Funk and more. 'Look at the Time' is available now to stream and buy
via the bands website and all good online providers.
I caught up with the band recently at rehearsal and asked
them some questions for the music Monday feature, here are the thoughts of
Wally Wallis, Carly Green, Paul Read, Chris Skerman, Mo Knott and Ben Cornish,
collectively known as, Eleven:XI.
Ten questions with Eleven:XI
1 – Where did the band name come from?
W.W: It came out of going through lots of suggestions and
bouncing ideas backwards and forwards and I think the whole Eleven:XI thing was
a mutual decision after feeling the 11:11 moments with the clocks and phones
and things. That’s what seemed to work at the time and everyone agreed and felt
the same.
C.G: I think we all kept looking at the time at 11:11 and
it was a common theme.
P.R: It’s been happening to me for about seven years, its
11:11 every time I look at the clock, (All agree) then you read about it and
it's supposed to be a good thing, you know, positive.
W.W: I think that’s mainly it really, the positivity
about it.
P.R: And then most of your double numbers, like 12:12 are
good as well you know? I’m into numerology, but don’t put that down. (Laughs)
2 – Was the mix of styles within the album, which makes
it hard to pigeonhole in one genre, done purposely or purely due to a mix of
the different creative inputs and influences?
P.R: In one word, both. Yeah we definitely did it on
purpose because that’s what we like, all different kinds of stuff. I couldn’t
just play one style, I just couldn’t do it, I’d get really bored.
C.S: We just wanted to keep it interesting, keep it
diverse.
P.R: Yeah that’s what I think, especially as we were
doing an album. I didn’t want it to be just one thing all the way through and
then just arrange the songs around that one sound.
W.W: There’s also an element of surprise, I mean the
difference between the tracks, giving that surprise as well, switching it up so
you don’t know what to expect next.
P.R: There are different ones we’re going to do now too,
you know, we might stop at country though. (Laughs)
3 – With regards
the song writing itself, is it a joint effort or more the product of one person
in particular?
M.K: Paul writes the songs on his guitar, so basically he
writes the lyrics and none of us have any impact on that, yet anyway.
P.R: You do though, weirdly. Some things you might’ve
said have gone in. ideas you’ve given me, I’m always sucking them up.
M.K: As far as bits and pieces of arrangements and stuff,
I think we’ve all got a say in that though.
C.S: Yeah, Paul does the lyrics and calls me up to put
layers over it.
P.R: They can play what they want over it really, it
comes originally on an acoustic guitar so we don’t really know where we might
go with it, it’s a blank canvass and that’s what makes it interesting, the
colour we put on it.
4 – A lot of
musicians and bands opt for crowd funding these days, was this something you
considered in order to get your album out there, or is it something you would
consider in the future for releases or to fund tours etc…?
W.W: I had mentioned it but we didn’t opt for it. I definitely
don’t think it’s something we would rule out but it’s more for us further down
the road.
C.G: It’s not something we really thought about at this
point in time.
W.W: I think once an act is more established, then there
is more want to fund the project. At the minute there would be a limited amount
of people we could target who would be interested, but like I say when things
progress, who knows!
P.R: Once Guy Garvey plays ‘Fast train’, you never know!
I sent him a copy of it!
M.K: Did you?
P.R: Yeah, he was asking for train songs, saying anyone
who has train songs then send them in.
M.K: He does like themes!
P.R: Yeah, so I sent it in! So who knows!
5 – A few of the
tracks on the album are very atmospheric, particularly the first track ‘Heaven
and back’, do you find some of the songs relate differently when played live
and if so, in what way?
P.R: I don’t know, good question innit!
C.G: I think they’re different live.
M.K: It depends what the venue is to be honest, a couple
have surprised me where they’ve gone down well and others have gone down better
at other venues.
P.R: Definitely works outside, in the summer!
C.G: Do you not think they sound different live?
P.R: They’re bound to really, but yeah absolutely, with
the amount of work that went into that album.
W.W: I think the energy when it’s live, because of the
support and the excitement, it’s got a lot of energy live.
M.K: And also we haven’t done that many gigs to be
honest, I think if we were gigging regularly we’d have a better answer to be
honest.
C.S: I think Ben, who plays the keyboards, has only
recently come in, so before where it was mainly just the guitar there is extra
now. When you listen to the album there’s a lot of keyboard on it, so it does
sound different.
W.W: I’d like to hear it live now, to hear our band with
the keyboards. I’d like to stand there and listen to it live, like someone in
the audience, that’d be interesting.
6 – How did you
find the recording process of the album, were there changes from how you
envisioned the album to be originally or did it all end up coming together
pretty much as planned?
P.R: I sort of planned to mix it, but then I gave it to
the guy in here (Absolute Music), to get it more professional and then that
worked out coz we met the mastering guy Pete Maher and then it got the full
treatment and that’s why it sounds so good.
C.G: I think it all came together though, the way it was
planned.
P.R: Yeah most of it, bar a few mishaps.
C.S: A few little surprises came up whilst recording it
as well, a few licks and things that changed while we were recording it.
P.R: Oh yeah, like I say, you’re still working while you’re
recording it. Chris will come in and just work his bits out and play them until
they’re f*****g blinding. That’s how it works.
7 – There has been
a lot of good feedback on your album and your live shows too, how important to
you as a band is it to know what impact you have on people that listen to your
music and come to your shows?
P.R: Too right it is.
W.W: Massive, especially now as it’s just the beginning of
things.
P.R: One of the gigs we were playing in like an empty
cellar bar and then about twenty students came downstairs, looked up and went
f*****g crazy, for like the last five songs.
M.K: I think the thing as well is there’d be no point,
even though you’re enjoying playing music, if nobody liked it.
P.R: It’d be f*****g s**t.
M.K: Yeah, totally, even if you love doing it yourself.
P.R: Too right, it doesn’t matter. You might as well be
doing it to yourself in the mirror.
B.C: I think having the feedback now, with Facebook and
YouTube etc.. is as important as anything else.
C.G: Yeah definitely, the social media, it’s a very big
part of getting the work out there.
W.W: That’s the one thing so far, it has all been
positive. We haven’t had negatives from anyone who’s seen us live, saying that
it was average or anything. Everyone’s support has been lovely.
8 – If you could
perform with any other act, living or dead, who would it be and why?
M.K: The Beatles
W.W: The Beatles
B.C: The Beatles
P.R: I’d have a jam with John Lennon in about 1965, round
that era. When he could really rip it and that throaty voice came out.
C.S: The Beatles
C.G: I’ve gone Fleetwood Mac, all the way.
9 – What would be
a necessity for you on your dream tour bus?
C.S: A spare tyre.
P.R: (Pauses) It’d have to be my guitar.
M.K: A mattress, or sleeping tablets.
C.G: A pillow
W.W: On a tour, it’d have to be my camera.
B.C: My cat
C.S: (Looks at B.C), I’m thinking a litter box now! (All
laugh)
10 – So with your debut album to buy on I-tunes now, what
is next for the band?
P.R: We’re gonna start recording again. Probably going to
put out a single or an EP or something.
M.K: We’ve got about three or four new ones now, so we
were thinking a single or EP would work well.
W.W: And like I said before, just to play this album this
summer and get it out to as many people as possible.
P.R: The album was done to get gigs you know, and
festivals. It’s already happened, we’ve got three lined up but just want more
and more.
W.W: Also it’d be nice to get travelling around a little
bit too and spread the word. Get it out of purely local venues, and look
further afield.
P.R: And there’s
always Guy Garvey who might play ‘Fast train’ (Laughs).
Overall, it’s hard to take life too seriously when
chatting to Eleven:XI and their laid back nature is infective. One thing is for
sure though, they are serious when it comes to their music, and if you like
yours varied but with roots in both 70’s California sound and The Beatles, then
these guys are definitely for you!
Thanks to Eleven:XI for letting me interrupt their rehearsal for this interview and I look forward to hearing more from them in the future!
Thanks to Eleven:XI for letting me interrupt their rehearsal for this interview and I look forward to hearing more from them in the future!
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