|
Today we
catch up with the lead singer of one of the hardest working bands in the
North East today. Ladies and gentlemen we give you Scott Cavagan
from Laconia.
MM - Hi Scott, thanks for agreeing to
take part in this interview with us we really appreciate it.
Scott - That's no
bother at all. Thank you.
MM - Would you like to give us a brief
history on the band, how it all came about, how it’s evolved and where
you call home etc?
Scott - All 4 of
us are from Chester-le-Street which is in Co. Durham, and myself Martin
and Henry were in a band together before this one for 3 years.
That was kinda falling apart and I think at the time the 3 of us wanted
to start a band that was a little more heavier sounding. So
basically from that we started Laconia. We had two different bassists
before Chris joined in early 2006. We'd known him for a good few
years and when we needed a replacement we tracked him down and we asked
him to join. It's been a real mixture of highs and lows especially
this year but I don't think as a band we have ever felt so driven
and love for what we're doing at the moment.
MM - How do you feel the bands sound has
developed since you originally started and who do you see as your target
audience?
Scott - The sound
is definitely something that's developed a lot over the years we've been
together but I think that's something that's been a good thing for us.
As I mentioned before we are really happy with the way things are at the
moment especially sound wise. I felt for a long time we always
knew the sound we wanted to capture but never quite got it right, we
spent very little time rehearsing in the beginning. Chris joining
the band without doubt was the final piece of the jigsaw sound wise.
Audience wise we've been lucky enough to get positive feedback from all
ages, the venues we play locally are very much ranged from 17-40 and we
try and do all age shows now which has helped a lot.
|
|
MM
- There are countless numbers of rock/metal bands trying to get
their names out there. How do you avoid being another band that
someone listens to once and forgets? What do you do to stay
unique and remembered?
Scott - I
just think what I like about this band is we have always made
music to please ourselves first and foremost. I'm just a
fan of big sounding songs with huge choruses. I've seen
loads of metal bands who wanna be the heaviest or the fastest or
whatever and there's just no melody. We would be lying if
we said we were something original, that's the danger a lot of
bands put themselves in when they claim to be something 'new' or
'original.' Laconia just adore the music we play we might
not be doing anything new but we hope people respect the fact
that this is our take on a genre of music we love. I think
its about getting that
fine line between aggression and melody.
MM
- Some people sit around and wish for things but nothing
happens; however, you guys are a motivated band. What do you
really think you will be doing in 5 years time?
Scott - A
lot of bands seem to mellow with age and their music kinda loses
its balls but we seem to keep getting heavier so in five years
time Laconia will probably sound like fucking Cannibal Corpse if
Martin has anything to do with it ha ha ha.
|
MM
- At what age did you become interested in being a performer and
what/who inspired you to join a band?
Scott - That's a
tricky one, cliché as it sounds just since forever really. I've
always sung throughout school or at home but I first formed a band in
1998 and that band had Martin and Henry in it. So the 3 of us have
been making a noise for nearly 10 years together. Inspiration wise
I can't think of any band that really made me want to be in a band but
countless bands that have inspired me along the way. I think the
main band that's influenced me since then would be without doubt the
Manic Street Preachers. I can hand on heart say without that band
there would be no Laconia.
MM - Your sound and lyrics have a strong
identity to them. Is this something you've strived to achieve or
something more organic?
Scott - Well
thank you! Lyrically I just try and write about what's going on around
me and by that I mean personally. I went through a phase about 2
years ago where I didn't want to write anything too personal like
relationships and shit like that but when I looked back to the lyrics
I'd wrote before they just seemed a lot more organic and natural and the
fact that there important to me meant that live it was easy to be
passionate about the words I was singing. It's the old cliché of
writing about being pissed off or broken relationships but at the end of
the day everyone's had those feelings and hopefully people can relate to
them. The words I write reflect very much how I feel most of the time.
The band as a whole have a really strong sense of melody, that is really
important to us. It's as important to see people singing words
back to you as it is too see them going apeshit in the venue.
MM - Where did the bands name come from
and what does it represent to you? Can you remember any of the
other names that were considered at the time?
Scott - Ha ha I
can't remember anything else that we could have been called. It's
funny because we knew the line-up of the band and we knew the name of
the bad before we actually did anything for a long time. Our old
bassist came up with it years and years ago when his dad was watching a
programme about a ship called The Laconia. I think we maybe should
have changed the name when we eventually found our feet but its just
stuck ever since. The fact that the ship got bombed and sunk in
world war 2 means it's probably best not to look too much into it.
MM - How does the song writing process
work within the band? Is it down to one particular person or do
you all get involved?
Scott - Mostly
we'll base a song round a riff that Martin plays and the rest of the
band kinda jam around it until we have a structure. Me and Martin
have a pretty scary way of knowing when each other are going to change
chords. So from an initial jam around a riff the four of us put
our own stamp on the track.
MM - Laconia are an impressive band to
watch perform live, but who was the first band you saw in concert?
Scott - I really
wish Chris or Martin could answer this one. All I'm saying is
think of It's Alright, Steam and Let It Rain.
MM - What song is your personal
favourite to play live and which one(s) really get the crowds going
wild?
Scott - There's
probably about 2/3 favourites I have but two of the new ones definitely
I love playing live which are 'Sink Or Swim' and 'They Tried To Break
Me' and definitely an older song called 'Lookin For Answers'.
MM - What kind of emotions and ideas do
you want to create to the listener through your music?
Scott - I've seen
so many bands do shows and I just haven't believed a word the singers
sung or a note the band has played. I hope when people see us that
obviously they like us but I hope they can see from our performance that
it means everything to us. Again lyrically I think we write stuff
that people can relate too. I love it when I see a band and they
make me just think "fucking hell."
MM - What one ingredient is the most
important and vital of them all when making good music according to you?
Scott - Passion.
MM - Who, in your opinion, is the
greatest genius of all time in the music business and why?
Scott - I've been
a huge Beatles fan since I can remember so I'd have to say for timeless
pop/rock songs alone then them. I don't think there will ever be a
band who has influenced so many people year after year after year and
when you think about how long ago it was since there last album then
that's pretty fucking special.
MM
- To date what’s been the most rock n’ roll moment the band
have had so far?
Scott - I
could not possibly even comment on that I value my life far too
much to answer ha ha. A few other things stick out.
Being literally mobbed at a show in Lincoln University and
seeing the smashed bass guitar disappearing into the crowd. |
|
MM
- Name your favourite all time album and what it means to you
personally.
Scott - My
favourites change with my mood. But my all time favourite album
would be Gold Against The Soul by the Manic Street Preachers which
although is hated by the band themselves and a lot of there fans I just
think its a really great rock record. Although its been criticized a lot
for being very polished and American friendly I love the melodies and I
especially love the guitars. I think its quite an aggressive
record but has great songs. I still think James Dean Bradfield is
one of the most underrated guitarists in the last 12 years. Lately
I can't stop listening to Alexisonfire and Killswitch Engage.
MM - How has the internet helped spread the word about the band and do
you feel downloading is harming the scene, or helping to keep it alive?
Scott - Oh it's
helped us loads. It's given us a chance to be heard on a larger
scale definitely. But I think people forget that things like
Myspace can find a lot of good bands but it can also make you get lost
in a lot of the shit. It's great that people can hear you online
straight away in the comfort of their own home but if it makes them come
and see you live when it matters then that's even better. Free
downloading probably doesn't affect us in the same way which it would a
major artist. But the ability to reach out to an audience you
wouldn't normally be able to reach is sweet.
MM - OK, a two part fun question now. (A) If you could have anyone
locked in a room so that you could torture them for a day, whom would
you choose, and how would you torture them? (B) Now turn the
tables. Who would you most like to be locked in a room with for a day
and how would you like them to torture you?
Scott - Probably
the entire North East's population of chavs and I'd tie them up and bray
the shit out of them.
Oh well I'm not so sure about this one. There's a model called Vicki
Blows, and yes that is her real name. She's amazing and the torture
she'd receive I'm sure she could take ha ha.
MM - Tell us something that most people don't know, never have known,
and probably never would know about you if they don't read this.
Scott - I am shit
fucking scared of thunder and lightening and the thought of being
electrocuted!
MM - Now’s the time to sell yourselves, what can our readers expect
from a live Laconia show and why should they come along to one of your
shows and check you out?
Scott - We
actually give a shit what we do. We don't follow any trends it's
all about the tunes and if your lucky enough to catch us when our
drummers wearing his black vest then that alone will be worth your
entry fee.
MM - Finally is there anything we haven’t covered in the interview
that you would like to share with our readers, or any final messages
you’d like to pass to all our readers out there?
Scott - Don't
forget to check us out at www.myspace.com/laconia
.
MM - We'd
like to thank Scott for taking the time to chat with us today and look
forward to catching the band again soon. |