Interview with Stereophonics

Stereophonics, who celebrated a UK number one single with Dakota, the first single to be taken from their fifth album Language. Sex. Violence. Other? have announced their first UK tour for 2 years. Following on from their third consecutive no 1 album ‘You Gotta Go There To Come Back’, The Stereophonics have just finished supporting David Bowie on tour in America and are ready to set the stage alight once again in the UK. We caught up with the guys at the launch of their hugely anticipated fifth album ‘Language. Sex. Violence. Other?’.

Kelly Jones:

Hello this is Kelly from the Stereophonics and its Monday 28th February. And it’s a particularly interesting day for us because it’s the day of the release of our new single, Dakota. This is Javier

Javier Weyler:

Hello!

Kelly Jones:

He’s the one wearing the Tank top. Richard’s the one wearing the hat.

Richard Jones:

Yes, Hello!

Interviewer:

Well let’s start with the single then.

Kelly Jones:

Go on then.

Interviewer:

If you can take me back where it first came from and how it’s mutated and become what it is.

Kelly Jones:

The song Dakota was first written in Paris. I was doing a promo trip for You Got to Go There to Come Back. It was snowing and the hotel room was really cold and boring and for some reason I just had a go of the guitar and the song came pretty quick. I kind of knew it was a strong melody and really strong hook.

I put it away and finished the lyrics on an America tour a month and a half later in Vermillion, and it was one of those kind of songs that was very reflective, kind of dreamy and nostalgic but quite uplifting at the same time. The words sounded very much like the music so it was a pretty fast song really in the sense of how it kind of became what it became. It came together very quickly.

Interviewer:

And Javier, for you, I presume it’s going to be a very important song in retrospect because it will be the first song that you have been involved in. [to Javier] Your first Single.

Javier:

Well yeah, for me it’s quite important. It’s the first one so I suppose it is going to be good. Ha, ha, ha.

Interviewer:

Good to drum?

Javier:

Yeah, it’s one of the best ones actually to drum to. I mean the album does vary drumming wise but it’s one of the most fun to play live actually.

Interviewer:

So while we’re at it let’s get the million dollar question out of the way. Tell us how you became involved with this motley crew?

Javier:

Well that’s complicated man. I was working in a recording studio and I happened to work with them a couple of times so we’ve known each other for over three years now. Actually the moment we thought about working together was when Kelly came down last time to do the demos for this album and they worked on Dakota and Superman.

Just a drum machine kind of approach and then from that point on Kelly and Jim were a little bit stuck with the programming [of the drum machine] and I happened to have my drum kit there, quite conveniently, and basically I just played the drums for him [Kelly] to have an idea of the songs and all of that.

Just to give proper ideas and we just clicked. We did fifteen songs in eight days and they went off to finish touring the States and all of that, and when it was time to actually do the album they called me. Up until that point we never discussed me being part of the project or me being part of the band, or anything like that. That came up later when the album was being mixed at the end of the year.

We never really thought about it too much. We just felt it was right to play together and then when we saw the results of it and also evaluated the vibe between us, it was just right.

Interviewer:

Agree Rich?

Richard:

Yes [laughs] definitely, the whole process from start to finish with Javier just felt really natural. From when Kelly did the demos, when we went back on tour Kelly was saying how good Javier’s feel is and how energetic it is to play with somebody like that.

It just felt like we were teenagers again and I was just really excited to get back in the studio again and start recording with Javier and then just take it from there. We did our first live shows last month and that was a really good laugh. Playing all the old stuff, Loads of energy, sweaty rooms… Yeah it was cool.

Interviewer:

We said at the time that there was very much a gang mentality around that tour. Did you feel that it was back to basics in a whole number of ways?

Richard:

Yeah, Just the whole feel of it. Being a three piece [band]. Doing three piece gigs. The whole attitude and the attitude of everybody towards us as well… It feels a lot more youthful as in that’s how we used to feel when we started doing it professionally. I think has gone back to that which is really good.

Interviewer:

So Kelly, talk us through from the beginning of the entire process. Where did this album kick off and just talk us through the varying stages.

Kelly:

I think it started similarly to every other record. We finish one album and we go on tour. That tour generally lasts 18 months and during that time whatever songs I write I stick on a Dictaphone and assess when I get to the end.

I don’t really listen to it until I know I’m going to go into the studio next. I don’t really know what I have got until that time and I kind of kept doing that right up until January or February 2004.

I decided I had two cassettes worth of ideas and I had a ten day break before the David Bowie tour so I thought it would be a good time to see what was on there so went into the studio with Jim and played him the ideas.

I edited down to the fifteen, sixteen I wanted to work on… started on Dakota, did that demo in a day and the next day moved studios to where Javier worked. I did the demo for Superman and that came together in three hours which kind of blew me away really and pretty much all of what is on the record is the demo apart from Richard and Javier playing the parts that we roughly played on the day.

Then I carried on doing the rest of the demos with Javier. We came up with about 15 songs and for the next three months it was me kind of making notes mentally on how to produce those songs, how to put them together, because there was songs like Doorman and Brother which were quite rough and scruffy and then there was Superman, Rewind and Dakota which were much more polished, bigger band sounding. My main challenge for the record was to join those two styles together but funnily enough, when we started recording them they kind of just became that and each song dictated itself which made the record really.

We didn’t want to make a record that was over 45 minutes long. We wanted something that when it finished you wanted to listen to it again. We wanted it to be high energy from beginning to end.

We ditched the acoustic guitar, didn’t do any writing on the acoustic [guitar]. I did a lot of writing on Jaguars and Mustangs, Fender guitars instead of Gibsons and even a lot of writing on the bass.

I just experimented on some electronic noises with Jim really and it was a very natural process. A big bunch of happy accidents and to us finding a sound that we have never really done before. So we didn’t really think about it. The motto at the time making the demos in March was “don’t think, just draw” and that’s how I think Superman came back in three hours.

Try this, try that, try this, try that and then listen back after. By doing that you’re not frightened of going for it. I think that when you make an album and the red light is on you get a bit “well let’s not do this” and that’s why I love demos because they kind of capture a lot more soul than sometimes a record does.

I think because you feel a bit intimidated by making an album sometimes.

Interviewer:

And the whole idea to give each of the tracks just one word titles and the eventual title of the album. Talk me through that.

Kelly:

The one word song titles came from that same period. I had a bunch of ideas that were incomplete. I didn’t really know what the song titles would be. ‘Doorman’ was a one word title; ‘Superman’ was a one word title. ‘Dakota’ was then called Vermillion and I quite liked the fact that one word titles were very, to me, reminiscent of Pearl Jam 10 album.

Then it also sparked in my head that people’s attention spans were short now. No one really remembers song titles anyway and when we do set lists everybody always puts one word down so it just kind of stuck really. We even had a song called ‘Coffee’. Jim would just pick out a random word.

He picked out one called ‘Cherokko’, after his car. Lolita was after the Kubric cover of the film that was hanging around. Some of them stuck and some of them didn’t. But we just liked the fact that they were very, very snappy and we wanted initially to have one word for the album title like Jeep or Pump by Areosmith.

We couldn’t find one so when we stumbled across Language, Sex, Violence, Other? on a classification chart on a DVD case that kind of felt right because it was four individual words. And I quite liked the play on words on that title, which kind of asked the question “is that it?” all people are interested in is language, sex and violence or is there something else? It just had very multiple meanings, whether it was body language, bad language, foreign language or if it was sex. Male or female sex.

It just had all these, for the interpreter, many ways you could read into that, and I’ve always liked that in titles.

Interviewer:

So when you took these songs out for the first time, Javier, tell me about the club tour from your own experience. How will you write that in your own mind?

Javier:

It was probably the most natural, possible way I could think of. Kelly had ideas about the riffs and stuff and obviously he hadn’t even thought about doing the drum parts. So some songs he recommended something he had in his head or some songs he just said go along with it and then we’ll take it from there and see how it pans out.

So it was actually more like jamming to the songs rather than anything else and depending upon the result we were kind of shaping things up. Yeah it was really quite an organic way to do it. Just like any other band would probably do it, when you’re like fifteen or something and you jam with your mates on some songs. It was the same kind of feeling.

Interviewer:

So Rich, how do you feel now at this stage, a couple of weeks away from the release of the album? Where does this fit in from your own perspective in the catalogue of work that you have produced to date?

Richard:

The album I think we’re all really, really pleased with the outcome, the recording and the whole process. The feedback we’ve had so far has been really, really positive and we haven’t had that for a while.

It’s just really encouraging when you see people and it feels as if they are actually genuine about what they are saying and it is all good stuff that they are saying. So with the release of the album being a couple of weeks away, I don’t really tend to think about it up until about five days before. That’s when it is really intense, all the work leading up to the album launch. The day of the release, it is like a big relief, it’s like.

That’s it; you can’t do anymore for it now. Everybody else has got to just make a decision, make their own minds up and the following week, the Sunday, that’s when you start biting your nails when you wake up. Ha, ha, ha

Interviewer:

Do you feel a sense of pressure around these? Especially given the success of the earlier albums, if not, all of the albums. They’ve all sold a healthy number.

Kelly:

Yes. I’m very honest when I say that when I’m in the studio making the records I don’t feel any pressure at all. I don’t feel ever as free really about what we do for a living. I don’t care what anybody thinks about it.

I’m really just having a good time making music and you don’t really care about how it’ll sell because at the moment your doing it you’re so passionate about it that you think, we’ll what I’m doing is as good as I can possibly do and I’m giving all I’ve got so I don’t really care. But when it comes to a day like today and the single is released and you start going “well I wonder if anyone’s going to fucking buy it?”.

It’s only then that you start getting a little bit paranoid about it. And like you said, all the records have sold over a million records and the last few have gone to number one so we are kind of due for a fall really. I think that fall has been a gradual fall over the last couple of records. From a perspective point of view you get most of the attention from your first two records anyway.

That’s when they put you on the front cover. That’s when they try to hail you and that’s when they try to break you. Then after that you’ve just got to keep your head down and keep going forward really. You’re going to gain fans and loose fans along the way by just being true to what you do musically.

That’s just the way it is. I don’t think I feel a major amount of pressure. I’m probably more excited than anything. We’ve had such a good, positive reaction so far, critically and industry wise, which we haven’t had for a while so I’m hoping this time that we could get both the critics and the fans like it as well. I’d fucking hate it if the industry and the critics like it and the fans don’t.

Ha, ha, ha

Interviewer:

So Javier, at a moment like this. What do you look forward to now? You’re about to embark on quite a large adventure I would think?

Javier:

Yeah, definitely. The bit I look forward to the most really is the touring. Doing all the songs live. Not only the songs from this album but from the previous albums as well. That’s the fun part.

Interviewer:

So Richard how are we going to balance this new life that everyone has?

Richard:

I think it’s going to be really good. With the attitude that everybody has the new things happening around us and all the people that have come on board, it’s just got a really strong positive feeling and if everyone can keep that up it’s going to move in the right direction. Whatever, whenever and whoever wants us, that’s where we’re going to be.

Interviewer:

In terms of travel, what lies ahead? What springs to mind that you are looking forward to?

Kelly:

I’m looking forward to touring. The main thing we’re trying to do is shows in every country, around like a radio or T.V thing. So everything we do, everything we hit, we try to get the most out of and that’s up until June. So that’s almost like doing promo gigs. Like what we did in the UK with The Garage and King Tuts and stuff. To me that’s the best part because it means we can actually play three piece shows up until July and I love the simplicity of doing a three piece gig because there’s no room for anything else to get in the way and complicate things. It’s very straight forward. The three of us have a job to do and if one of us goes down then it goes down, as you’ve seen in Manchester. So that’s what’s great about it, that’s what is edgy about it. That’s what’s exciting about it and then when we come back to the big arena shows, which I think we are going to put on sale in the next couple of weeks, then we’ll introduce the five piece band. We’re still trying to incorporate how edgy the show has become within that. As you know, it can quite easily get to a ‘greatest hits’ set round about this time in a bands career. I think we are very well aware of that and we don’t really want to do that. We want to show people how good our catalogue of music is but we still want to make it exciting, edgy and unpredictable. That’s the challenge to us. To keep it relevant to what’s going on today.

Interviewer:

Just explain to me, for those people listening that wouldn’t know what happened in Manchester, what went on and tell me have you now got a back catalogue of gags lined up just in case?

Richard:

It wasn’t what went on, it was more fucking went off that was the case. Ha, ha, ha

Kelly:

I’m just glad it was free because I could have used that line for the whole tour “It’s a good job you haven’t paid really”. I walked on; it was Javier’s first gig. We were really into it in the dressing room. We had on some old albums we hadn’t heard for ages. We had a couple of bottles of corona, a little vodka. Everybody is in a good frame of mind.

A bunch of Man United players in the balcony bar, just a proper club gig… Sweaty. It was going to be great. We walk on and do the guitar ready for ‘it looks like Chaplin’ , hit the wah wah pedal and the whole thing goes down. I’m thinking carry on, the whole thing will come back, Simon will fix it.

We get to the chorus and it still isn’t fixed. I say “stop the song”. Have a laugh with the crowd, a bit of banter. It happened four times. We went off, came back on it did it again. We went off, came back on, it did it again. We started having a bit of a stand off with the crowd and we think we’re alright and Javier goes “shall we just fuck off the first song and go straight to the second one?”

That works, so we did that. We changed every lead in our whole system and to this day we still don’t really know why it did it. Simon’s holding his hand up going “my fault” but we did have two new leads sent to us that day by somebody and they didn’t have any protective covering over the solder. So we think wires were touching and faulting.

That was it really, but it didn’t make it any easier for me on the night.

Interviewer:

Well listen I know you’ve go to run off to the airport so one very final question. Equally, if not more, terrifying walking out on to the stage at the millennium stadium alone?

Kelly:

Well that was scarey. I’m glad the guitar didn’t go down then. The first time I had seen that was yesterday. The Millennium Stadium thing was for the Tsunami concert.

It was a thing that I think every band in the country would have liked to be a part of at the time that it happened. The show got organised very quickly and we couldn’t do it as a full band. We were on tour in Europe and it was one of those things I agreed to over the phone.

Saying “Alright I’ll do a few songs and I’ll just do it on my own with a guitar but I won’t do acoustic, I’ll do electric” and I walked on. Before I walked on my arse was going big time because I looked out and there was 60,000 mad welsh people and I didn’t really think I could pull it off. So I had a little vodka and cranberry and watched Goldie Looking Chain which made me laugh and on I went. And I watched it yesterday and I was quite pleased with it. It was good.

Richard:

The best of the day.

Kelly:

I looked like the loneliest man in the world with just one amp and a guitar on there.

Richard:

I know I’m probably being biased but I thought he was the best of the day to be honest, brutally frank.

Kelly:

I have to agree. Ha, ha, ha

Interviewer:

On that note, good on you guys

Kelly:

Thank you Daniel

Kelly Jones

(Answers via Email)

Q:

How was it coming from stadium shows like the Tsunami gig to playing these intimate shows on your recent secret tour? What are the best and the worst aspects of these differing types of shows and why?

A:

Big shows are more like events and small shows are more like traditional gigs… One is not better than the other, but going back to the small club gigs as a 3 piece was very suited to the material from the new album.

Q:

Are there any stories behind any of the songs on the new album? What are they?

A:

The story behind every song is individual to itself… Lyrically, I think, it’s better for the listener to interpret their own meanings to the music. All the songs on this album were mainly written during the ‘You Gotta Go There To Come Back’ world tour.

Q:

The artwork for your new CD is somewhat unusual compared to your previous artwork. It looks like a psychedelic bar code! Were you involved in this process and how would you describe this work of art?

A:

We always get involved in our artwork. For this particular album we wanted to find somebody that wasn’t as close to the band to be involved (we went outside the V2 building this time!). We found Graham Rounthwaite after seeing some of his work illustrated in a magazine and it turned out that he was a fan of the band! He came to the studio when we were recording, listened to the album twice and then went away and illustrated what he felt the music sounded like. Each album cover for our 5 albums, we feel suits the music on that album.

Q:

Although you’ve been amazingly successful in terms of record sales, you have not always had a great relationship with certain areas of the music press. Do you think that the comments in certain areas of the press have driven you on to make better and better albums?

A:

Like all bands the first two albums are always the ones which are most written about, and the most covered, when a band gets to their third of fourth album, the story of the band has already been told which basically means that there is less to say resulting in less coverage! To remain relevant though, I think making great records is the key… Press will naturally come and go as it has done with all artists, from David Bowie to Neil Young to U2. We’ve always been a band which has just concentrated on making great music,

Q:

The new album is great, much rockier and you’ve hailed it as a new beginning. Where do you see the Stereophonics heading musically? What does the long term future hold for the band? Musically I think that the sound of this record, has excited us and the next album, no doubt will lead off from Language.Sex.Violence.Other? in its direction.

Q:

You recently provided music for the fantastic Long Way Round documentary. How did you get involved? Was this requested by Ewan McGregor himself? Was the song written before or after the band had seen the documentary?

A:

Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman came to see our show at the Royal Albert Hall in March 2004. We all had a drink before they set off on their travels and during their tour round the world, we were on tour in America and we kept in touch. Ewan asked me to write the title theme to the documentary and Long Way Round was a simple song which I felt was suitable for what they wanted. Ewan was happy with it, so I was happy!

Q:

What has surprised you most about the music business?

A:

That it is constantly surprising!!!

Q:

What current bands do you like and why? Who would you tip for greatness in the coming year?

A:

I heard the Bloc Party record Japan before it came out in the UK as they are on the V2 record label. I think it has a great vibe and has great songs. I also think the Kings of Leon are right up my street…..

Q:

Who would you top for greatness in the coming year…

A:

I’m not a betting man….!

Q:

If you could be rulers of the country for 1 day what would you do or change?

A:

I would support Jamie Oliver and give kids better school dinners…. No turkey twizzlers…..!!!

Q:

When was the last time you laughed as in a big genuine belly laugh and what was it about?

A:

Watching Richard fall off the side of the stage on tour was pretty funny !!!! I ended up laughing so much I had to leave the stage!

Q:

What are your thoughts on Leeds United and Ken Bates?

A:

Just that they need as much help as they can get!

Richard Jones

(Answers via Email)

Q:

Obviously in any band a tight rhythm section is so important. When you met Javier how did you know he was the one to fill Stuarts boots?

A:

When we recorded the first couple of tracks in July, we just knew Javier was the one. It felt totally natural and we all gelled really well.

Q:

With Javier joining the band last year, has he brought any new influences we can hear on the new album? Does his style differ from Stuart’s in any way?

A:

Javier has bought a different feel to the band. He’s got a great style of playing and has got brilliant energy!

Q:

Why did you decide to do the recent secret intimate shows rather than the usual big venues?

A:

The smaller gigs were so that we could play the new songs from the album as a 3-piece band in more intimate venues for the fans.

Q:

People have been saying very nice things about the new album describing is as a return to your old energy, enthusiasm and form. Do you agree with this sentiment?

A:

It’s been very encouraging to hear what people have been saying. We do feel that this album has a differing energy compared to the last 2 albums but saying that we are still very proud of our last 2 albums !!!

Q:

Any festival plans in the UK or Europe in the summer?

A:

We aren’t playing any festivals in the UK this year although we may play some in Europe.

Q:

You’ve been a support act for David Bowie in the States. How enthusiastically did his somewhat older audience appeal to your band?

A:

The audience on the Bowie tour was excellent. It’s really cool to play in front of people who wouldn’t necessarily get to see the band otherwise.

Q:

Last year the Birmingham band Casino supported you in Edinburgh and I’ve heard that they might be joining you again on tour this year. What is it that you like about them? How far can they go?

A:

Casino are a great band live and a great laugh on tour. We love taking bands with us who have a strong performance on their side.

Q:

Apart from the guitar and a change of clothes, what tour essentials do you never leave home / go on tour without?

A:

I always take a watch, I-pod and a credit card… one which works!!!

Q:

You recently provided music for the fantastic Long Way Round Documentary. How did you get involved? Was this requested by Ewan McGregor himself? Was the song written before or after the band had seen the documentary? Richard – as a renowned bike fan, how envious did you feel?

A:

Ewan came along to the Teenage Cancer Trust gig at the Royal Albert Hall in March 2004 just before they went away on their trip. While Ewan was away he asked us if we could come up with some music, so when we went in to record the new album we recorded this one first (it was also the first track that we all played live together as a band with Javier)…. I would have loved to have gone on a trip like theirs!

Q:

What advice would you give to young musicians wanting to follow in your footsteps?

A:

Keep on playing as much as possible. Always keep your tastes wide open and be true to yourself.

Q:

What/where was the strangest gig that you have ever played? Would you go back there?

A:

The strangest gig ever was when we played at John Peel’s birthday party back in 1997. It was strange because went onstage at 7.00pm but the doors didn’t open until 8.00pm so the audience wasn’t there!!!

Q:

If you could be rulers of the country for one day what would you do/change?

A:

Sack all the MP’s and the House of Lords and start from scratch!!!

Q:

What makes you angry?

A:

Angry people!

Q:

Any plans for new tattoos?

A:

I am just getting my left arm finished and then that’s it! All done!

Q:

When was the last time that you laughed as in a big genuine belly laugh?

A:

When me and my mate did an advanced driving course at Silverstone - we had a right laugh there!!

Javier Weyler

(Answers via Email)

Q:

Where did you grow up and what was it like?

A:

I was born in Argentina and in the late 70’s and thanks to the military process, my family moved to Venezuela looking for better options. I grew up in Caracas, Venezuela’s capital. Lots of sun, fun, good weather, amazing beaches & beautiful women! I started playing drums when I was 13 and by the age of 15, I was playing in clubs, thanks to my brother ID! Next morning….back to school. I don’t know what I’d have become if it wasn’t for the music…..maybe a chubby baseball player, hahaha!

Q:

Javier – it must be quite odd for you to come from working in a studio to being one third of one of the biggest bands in the country. Following the intimate shows, how are you settling in? Have you ever played to the kind of huge crowds you’ll soon no doubt be facing with the Stereophonics? How do you feel about it?

A:

It is odd, but it feels good, I don’t think too much about it really, or try not to! Haha……. I’ve always played in 3-piece bands. I’ve never felt like I had to ‘settle in’ as the whole process has been very natural. I’ve played some huge crowds in the past but every gig you do is different so I am really looking forward to it!!! Every thing we do is a new experience for me…..so, you could say I’m having the time of my life!

Q:

What makes you angry?

A:

At this point, I try not to be angry. Hahaha.

Q:

When was the last time you laughed as in a big genuine belly laugh and what was it about?

A:

About 5 minutes ago, everything we do is for a laugh!

Q:

What is the River Plate / Boca Juniors Derby like?

A:

It’s amazing!!!! (of course if Boca is winning). Both hinchadas (hard core supporters) are really into it.

Q:

Have you ever seen Argentina play?

A:

Yeah, I saw them play in 1997 at the River Plate Stadium a year after the World Cup. It was a friendly match between Argentina and Germany and Argentina won 1-0…!! I saw Maradonna play that day. I’ll never forget it.

Q:

Do you agree that Maradona is the greatest player ever?

A:

Yeah man! It was amazing seeing him play when he was at his best. But I have to say Pele was amazing as well. Those two made some people laugh and cry.

Q:

What is the music industry / scene like in South America?

A:

The music industry is…… well, an industry like any other! There are lots of good bands, very interesting and varied music, great musicians and amazing songs. The crowds are wild and passionate. The weather is great…..but wait, I know what you’re thinking…..”it’s the perfect place”…..don’t be fooled by everything that shines!! There’s plenty of cheesy stuff too, crap soap operas and beauty contests!!!