International Pop Overthrow Artist Interview – Mothboxer

 PGH is all about helping artists highlight their most recent projects, so let us all know what your latest project is – and tell us about how it came into the world. What has the initial feedback on it been like?

Dave Ody – Vocal, Keys, Guitar, Bass (DO): The latest main project, I suppose, is the “Three” album from last year.  Although, I’ve released the Death Valley Blue EP on Three Sixty Records (based out of Oakland, CA) in August 2013 which was a more “electronic” collection of songs. The feedback on “Three” has been excellent both here in the UK and certainly in the US with David Bash of IPO putting it at the top of his best of 2013 album list a few weeks ago! The EP hasn’t been out that long, but the feedback has been very positive so far.

The Recording Process:  There are so many interesting ways that music projects come into the world these days compared with what artists had to struggle through years ago.  Take us on the creative arc of how this project came into being and any wisdom that you learned along the way.  Also, what were some of the obstacles or struggles that you encountered when you were working on the project?

DO: “Three” was a definite labour of love… I wanted to write an album where every track was a potential single, or at least had a killer hook! The recording process is fairly straightforward. I would demo the tracks and essentially produce them as fully as possible, then myself and drummer Phil Davies record the live drum tracks in a one day session at our local studio. After that it’s back to my humble little back room studio to mix and put the finishing touches on. This is the same process we used for the debut album too.

As to wisdom…I think, over the years I’ve been producing and writing, I’ve learnt to keep the feel of the songs as natural as possible, i.e. not to over cook the basic tracks and get into too much “forensic” editing. It’s always key to try and get the mix for each track done in no more than a day if possible. The main obstacle for us as a self releasing band is essentially setting aside time to work on the music. Everyone has other stuff going on so it can be a struggle to get things done on time!

Are there any particular songs on this project that are special to you or communicate a message that you’d like to share here?

DO: There’s a few on the album…Love You Still has a nice meaning, it’s written for my partner and our daughter and has the simple thread that despite all that life throws at you, there’s still love which pretty much conquers all  🙂 One By One is another good feeling song which I enjoyed writing and enjoy performing when we occasionally play live. Just A Minute is actually a song which was written about 15 years ago! I found an old 4 track cassette with some god awful rubbish on and this track came on with a great hook that I’d completely forgotten about so I re-wrote the verse and rocked it up a bit!

 As we all know, the music industry has been devastated for many reasons over the past 10 years, what are your thoughts on these changes and are you finding some of the changes helpful to you with getting more people to hear your music?

DO: A great question. The advent of social media and the internet in general is a double edged sword. On the one hand, it’s given artists complete control over their output and the ability to get their music out there in different ways without the need for labels. On the other hand, there is SO much music on the internet it’s a bit of a minefield! If you don’t have the budget to pay for massive advertising campaigns then a lot of it’s down to luck as to whether you can get heard or not!

Along the lines of this discussion, it would be really interesting to get your thoughts on what you think the future of ‘music enjoyment’ will look like in the coming years?  How do you personally enjoy and ‘consume’ music?  Any trends you’ve noticed with your own habits compared to, say, 10 years ago?

DO: I certainly don’t buy as many physical CD’s as I used to, mainly down to the fact that there’s very few stores on the high street that sell them. Having said that, if I’m a big fan of an artist I will usually hunt down the physical copy. As to the future of music enjoyment, streaming and on demand services are probably going to continue to feature heavily. Although the streaming services really need to become more artist friendly if they’re going to have a future.

We would love to hear what your plans are with your next project – Are you going to a full CD, an EP or just release songs as you finish them.  Release them digital only or combine physical with the digital or what?

DO: The next project will be the fourth Mothboxer album which is in the early stages of creation currently! I’m also producing Robbie’s debut solo album (who goes under the name of Finchey and is Mothboxer’s resident guitarist and backing vocalist) which is sounding brilliant so far. The new MB album will be released digitally as well as on CD direct from the official website and will probably feature an exclusive track. That’s the plan anyway! Hoping for a summer release for this if all goes well.

What are you finding that is working well for your music right now that others may find interesting to hear about?

DO: I love to try new sounds and approaches when I’m producing. The idea of having certain parts played by instruments that you wouldn’t normally associate with a Pop/Rock band. I’m a big fan of harpsichord tracking guitar parts currently!

Okay – time for some light humor!  Spinal Tap Moment: dig deep. Locate. Relive. Share that special ‘trauma’ with all of us!  😀

DO: Wow…there have been many…in a previous band, about 10 years ago, we were on tour and actually couldn’t find the stage door in one venue. Spinal Tap in full effect! There was also the invention of “Hotel Room Fruit Cricket” on another tour of the UK which was messy!

Is there a particular musician(s) you’d love to collaborate with – and why?

DO: Again, many, many people. If I had to pick a couple, one would certainly be Andy Partridge. As far as songwriters of the last 50 years go, he’s in my top 3. The other would have to be Brian Wilson, although I don’t reckon I’d be able to hold it together being in the presence of such a legend!

Advance apologies: the so-called ‘classic’ questions.   What other artists and bands have influenced your music and any particular reason why? Also, push come to shove: “Your Top 5 Albums Of All Time”?  (Pop Geeks really are interested in this, trust us!)

DO: I am a pop geek myself so no apology needed! As a kid, I grew up with my parents playing Beatles and Beach Boys records so that stuff is locked in! When I started buying records myself I was into loads of different stuff. As a teenager, I was hugely into Prog Rock and a bit of Blues and Folk. I was (and still am) a big Peter Gabriel fan too. So…Top 5. It’s a tricky one as it changes all the time but I suppose my “evergreen” list in no particular order is:

1. Smile – Beach Boys

2. Revolver – Beatles

3. Pink Moon – Nick Drake

4. The Sophtware Slump – Grandaddy

5. Animals – Pink Floyd

We’re always trying to find new music to discover here at PGH – what are some of your favorite music releases of the last few years?

DO: One band that blew me away (with all their records so far) is Fleet Foxes. Probably due to the folk influence but it also reminds me of Smile era Beach Boys at times with the incredible harmonies. I particularly enjoyed the Them Crooked Vultures album (being a fan of Zep, QOTSA and Dave Grohl!) It had a great feel and brought out the best elements of the three artists. Proper supergroup! Another band I’m really digging currently is Field Music. Very Prog Pop! Finally, I have to mention a band called Quasi. Been around many years and always release strange, but beautiful music.

Yes, it would be great if most indie musicians could work on music full-time but the reality rarely the case for most of them.  I am always asked by music fans, what are the careers or full-time jobs that the musicians of the music they are listening to do…so ‘what’s your main gig?!’

DO: Absolutely, in an ideal world that would be the case! I try to earn as much as I can with creative stuff so as well as music I have been known to work on websites and design recently as well as a spot of retail management! I produce other artists too and do a bit of tutoring in recording and mixing etc. Keeping busy! Phil is a pub landlord, which comes in handy, and Robbie is partner in a company that designs and builds floating boathouses and structures! So, I think we’ve got all bases covered should there be a serious flood in the UK (which there is currently!!).

Okay, last question:  Where can we hear more of your music and any other releases you have?

DO: All the Mothboxer releases are available at www.mothboxer.com as well as on iTunes, Spotify and all the usual digital places!