Having recently released the ‘Old Man Song’ EP, and having just been announced as the support for Paul Weller for dates both in Europe and the UK, Gramotones are set to become the name on everyone’s lips this summer. Gigslutz’ Bazza Mills caught up with Gramotone Jake to talk about the inspiration behind tracks, playing with Steve Cradock and Squeezy Jam!
Hi guys, how’s things with Gramotones?
All is great in Gramoland, ta Bazza!
Congratulations on your new ‘Old Man’ EP – what was the inspiration behind this one?
It’s mostly just an observation on people ageing and, with the recent politics over care for elderly people being hot topic on the news, I guess it just sparked something off. Not very rock n’ roll but none the less a very ‘real’ topic for a song.
Daltry Street is also a belter…what’s the story with this one?
This one is about a street in quite a deprived area of Oldham. The funny thing about this street is that it is only about 10 yards long and doesn’t lead to anything. This made me think that there must have been something there originally so I decided to dream something up about it. It’s based on a character who lives on the street and doesn’t seem to get the same chances as everyone else and when he has in the past; he’s wasted them. I imagined that he’d grown up in his family home on Daltry St. and seen lots of different things and now is living on his own there without any family but knows if he doesn’t move away, he will stay there forever.
Again, another very cheery topic! haha.
Since getting my hands on Soldier’s Kiss last year I have been craving more material from Gramotones. Is there an album on the way? If so what can you tell me about it?
Not an album, but a collection of EPs. This is for a number or reasons…
We have such a broad style musically. We may get pigeon holed by some people as a “mod band” because of who we’ve been associated with and because of some of our early material but we’re far from it really and we find it a bit of a cop out when people call us that. We have country songs, ballads, straight up pop tunes, rock n’ rollers, psychedelic stuff and a few weird droney-trippy-spaced out tunes too. By putting them on one album it may be too varied under the same roof, so to speak. By doing EPs it shows our different sides as if they were different chapters.
We plan on putting out a country EP and quite a commercial pop EP this year I think. It also gives our music to people in digestible chunks and keeps people wanting more. By doing that I suppose it means that nothing is wasted either.
We’ve always thought it’s a shame how some album tracks get skipped, so I think the EP is a better way of putting out music at the moment. It certainly seems it for us.
Last year Gramotones supported The Steve Cradock Band on tour. What were the highlights of this tour?
The tour was great! Steve is such an incredible character. He takes genuine interest in every aspect of music and isn’t afraid to get stuck in with anything. He’s a workaholic; he loves what he does and just has loads of enthusiasm. He’s given us some great advice about our songs – stage set up, all sorts really.
Jake, you also formed part of the Cradock band joining Steve and his band on stage every night, what was it like playing on stage with Steve?
We were at a little mini festival and we had just confirmed the support for the tour which was coming up in a couple of months time. Steve had just come off tour with Paul Weller in America but for some reason came to the festival we were at so we just asked him if he’d like to get up and have a play.
He was a bit worse for wear with coming straight off a plane from the states and also had had a few red wines by then and possibly an ‘aromatic cigarette’ but he certainly can play under absolutely any circumstances – if you put a guitar in his hands, he just sets off!
You also played ‘Riverboat Song’ alongside Cradock: did he give you any tips on how to play it?
No tips, no. It’s one of my favourite songs so i already knew it. It was a great honour playing it with him.
Gramotones are one of many bands to have performed in a Pretty Green store…how do these gigs come about and did you guys manage to score any free gear?
We got asked to do them from Pretty Green who seem quite pro active with young bands which is great. We got a couple of shirts out of it each yes!
Gramotones also appear to enjoy the odd cover here and there, notably for me ‘The Weight’ and ‘Heard It Through the Grapevine’…is there any selection process?
Not particularly, they’re just some of our favourite tunes. I think subliminally we probably choose them because they seem to show our vocals well.
Is there a song out there you would really like to cover?
We recently started playing one of our favourite tunes which is originally an Elvis tune but it was covered by Ry Cooder (which is the version we cover). It’s called ‘Little Sister’ and it’s a stonker. We prefer it to Elvis’ version (although that’s top too obviously. He was ‘The king’ for a reason).
I suppose if we were to cover anything else it’d probably be a song by The Band, as we just love everything they’ve done. If I was to give an answer it’d be ‘The Shape I’m In” or “Ophelia” by The Band. If you’ve not heard those tunes or The Band for that matter, check them out. Anyone with a heart will love them.
You recently played Flat 0/1 in Glasgow, what were your thoughts on your first Scottish gig of 2014?
Great! Lovely place! We really liked the set up of the place. The only thing they need to do is get themselves some stage lights rather than have “the big light” on. It just doesn’t feel like a gig enough without a bit of nice lighting. It’s also makes it really hard to get decent photos from the place too without them as we experienced. We did well with what we had though. As far as a gig goes though, we really enjoyed it. Scottish crowds are always guaranteed to be decent. Maybe it’s all those E numbers in the Irn bru 🙂
Do you have any venues you would really love to play?
Our favourite venue to date would probably be The Ritz in Manchester, which is an old dance hall. We played there with Reverend and The Makers.
There’s loads though. Main Stage at Kendal Calling was amazing last year. Band On The Wall in Manchester supporting Tim Burgess was great too.
For us, if we get a great sound onstage where we can crank up a bit, that’s when we really enjoy it. Although we do love the hot and sweaty, little scrotty clubs where you’ll have punters right up in your face while you’re singing. There’s something great about those types of gigs that you just don’t get on bigger stages. Maybe it’s the smell of cheap Lynx and B.O washed down with a pint of bitter – I’m not sure but I think you just feel more connected with the audience.
Some fast and furious questions for you now:
What was the first single that you bought?
I think it was either “Earth Song”- Michael Jackson or “Meat Pie Sausage Roll” by Grandad Roberts and His Son (the original Oldham Athletic version not the rubbish England version).
Last album?
It was a bulk buy:
Dixie Chicken- Little Feat
Rufus Wainright- Want One
Neil Finn- Dizzy Heights
Faces- A Nod Is As Good As A Wink…. To A Blind Horse
Artist that has inspired you the most?
I don’t know if i could give just one.
I’d say for songwriting and lyrics it’d be Squeeze and XTC.
Collectively as a band we’d definitely say The Band.
Complete the sentence…The Artist I would most like to work with would be….
Andy Partridge of XTC because he is a loveable lunatic and surely they’re the best types of people in the world.
Who is the best dresser in the band?
Me. Not really. I’m the daftest one when it comes to clothes but that doesn’t make the best. Sid and Ryan are usually the smartest where as James hates clothes. I’m pretty sure if it were socially acceptable he’d happily walk around with a laurel leaf around his John Thomas. In fact i don’t think he’d care if it was socially acceptable. If there was no chance of him being arrested i’m sure it’d be his idea of clothing heaven.
Who is the best dancer?
Me. Not really again… I reckon Sid because he used to go to lots of soul nights. I think with a few bevvies inside him we’d see him pull some lovely shapes.
Who gets the girls?
NOT ME. I think we repel women if anything (or is the better word ‘repulse’?).
Who cannae hold their curry?
I think we’re all OK when it comes to that. I love a spicy curry.
Ok, High-Noon Shoot Out
Stone Roses or Happy Mondays?
Stone Roses
Blur or Oasis?
Blur for me but definitely Oasis for Ryan and Sid.
Beatles or Stones?
Bones. Surely Ringo’s solo stuff out-shadows both bands anyway? 😛
The Who or the Kinks?
The Who for consistency, The Kinks for lovely English eccentricity.
The Jam or Squeeze?…soz had to ask that one!
EEEEK! ermmm Squeezy Jam.
So what do you guys get up to when are you when you are not writing/playing?
Hard to say really as we play pretty much all the time. We play together and for fun have other mates we play stuff with to keep us on our toes. I think Sid is quite into his films (he seems to know a lot more about them than me anyway).
James and Ryan get up to all sorts of weird stuff. Long boarding, photography, a love hate relationship with Irish music, general dicking around and drunken nights out that if I mentioned anything on here it could get them arrested…. Seriously, haha.
With the festival season just round the corner, are there any festivals on the cards for Gramotones this summer?
Kendal Calling again (which we did last year) and Ramsbottom Fest (yes, that is a real place) with Levellers and British Sea Power.
Finally, what would you like 2014 to deliver for the Gramotones?
0.0007% of Bill Gates’ fortune and stupid bloody spotify to change their royalty rates to anything bigger than 0.0007p per play (but I guess that’s a whole new topic of discussion we could get into which would last forever, I imagine).
Bazza Mills.
Latest posts by Bazza Mills (see all)
- LISTEN: Refuge Island – ‘Above Board’ - May 9, 2018
- GALLERY: The View @ Caird Hall, Dundee, 01.12.17 - December 4, 2017
- LISTEN: Tijuana Bibles give away new single ‘Catacomb’ ahead of St Luke’s gig - December 1, 2017
