Introducing Interview: Tanners Pool

Having just released their debut EP, Oxford band Tanners Pool consist of songwriting duo Matt and Jess Ashdale, along with bassist Seth Roberts and drummer Shoji Maeno.

Taken from the EP, new single ‘Bad Advice’ is filled with slick riffs, pounding beats and the distinctive deep drawl of Matt Ashdale; it’s a racing, energy-fuelled blast of funk-rock.

We caught up with Tanners Pool to find out more…

Hi Tanners Pool! How are you today?
Hello Gigslutz!! We’re good thanks – the sun is shining and we’re feeling fired up to write some new tunes.

You’ve just released your debut EP Out of Line – are you pleased with the end product?
Yeah, we’re proud of it. The tracks have come out really crisp and punchy, which is really true to the vibe we’ve got going on at the moment.

What’s the EP all about?
We called it ‘Out of Line’ because all the tracks are about going against the grain to follow your own path in life, in one way or another – for example, having the courage to move past destructive opinions, or moving on from a reality that didn’t match the dream.

The EP ranges from classic rock vibes to funk rock – how did that come about?
We wanted to explore a raw, gritty sound for these tracks – they’re underpinned by pretty developed guitar and drum parts, so we’ve kept the effects quite bare to let them shine through. It’s created a punchy, upfront feel that defines the EP. Classic rock and funk rock are great places to get inspiration for that kind of sound because of the way they showcase the instruments, but we’ve also drawn on some more modern influences to keep things fresh.

What are your plans now that the EP is out in the world?
There are so many things we want to do! We’re working on a new single, which we’re really excited about. It draws on some new influences and it’s going to be great – watch this space!

Who would you say are your biggest influences?
As a song-writing duo we both have different influences that we bring to our material. You can probably hear the influences of bands we grew up loving, like those our parents introduced us to; for Matt that was bands like Led Zep and Deep Purple, and for Jess – Fleetwood Mac and Hendrix (thanks guys!). Since then we’ve just played and absorbed all the music we can get our hands on, from jazz and folk to indie rock and EDM. Our influences are constantly evolving, so we find it pretty hard to single people out.

Where do you see yourselves in 5 years time?
You mean apart from touring the globe and bringing world peace?! 🙂 I think we’ll have evolved quite a lot. But wherever we are you’ll find us playing our stuff to whoever will listen. Music’s in our souls…

Huge thanks to Tanners Pool for answering our questions!

Out Of Line, the debut EP from Tanners Pool, is out now via Alt/Logic. Find out more about Tanners Pool on their Facebook page.