So why don’t you introduce yourself?
We’re The Colours of Kings. There’s 3 of us, J. Bishop (guitars, keyboards and vocals), Chad Steward (bass, keyboards and vocals) and Graham Chamberlain (drums, programming and vocals). We’re an indie rock, synth pop band.
How did you guys put this band together?
Chad: We were out drinking at one of our local pubs and J was talking about music which led to a discussion about who were the true founders of current popular music and their relevance today, which led to an argument, which led to more drinking and at the end of the night we were at J’s place listening to a new project of his and starting to sort out parts for each of us in the music.
So what are those “colours” exactly?
Graham: It kind of came from the idea of the seven Chakra colors. How each main chakra of the body is associated with a color. That idea is important to us since we feel music in our body. So each part of the music that you can feel in each different part of your body, like when you feel that bass drum pounding on your chest, can represent a different color. And since we’re all kings of our own bodies, we put the two together and used the old English spelling for colors since we associated it with Kings.
What are your music influences?
Graham: I’m a Mick Fleetwood guy. Old Fleetwood Mac was a big inspiration for me.
Chad: Pet Shop Boys, The Sundays, The Weakerthans…
J: I guess The Beatles and The Stones, together and seperately started it. Pink Folyd and The Sex Pistols added some musical flare and attitude.
So you guys consider yourself music’s new Tom Sawyers?
Chad: We’ve always liked Tom Saywer’s character. He has a good heart but enjoys a bit of anarchy once in a while. And he’s not shy about speaking his mind. I think we all kind of identify with that. We’re not always going to do things by the book, actually we prefer not to! But we think we’ve got good hearts.
My Heart Is A Drum Machine. Can you tell us more about the song?
J: We had been recording a lot and I’d gotten this idea in my head for this song about the heart being a drum machine and constantly beating for someone. I was dealing with a break-up and as I was in the studio trying to work out the song, it clicked. I was dealing with love and music gear and recording and it just all came together. So the song’s about your heart beating for someone who may not ever be there again, and does it eventually stop? Or does it go on?
What’s your songwriting method?
Graham: J usually brings an idea and we sit down with it and flesh it out. Sometimes he’s got ideas for lyrics and sometimes it takes getting the music settled before he writes anything.
Up. How was the recording and writing process?
Chad: That fateful night at J’s place, we listened to snippets of tracks, like 10 – 20 seconds of pieces as J tried to tell us what the final version might look like. That’s kind of how we did everything from then. It really clicked that way. So we’d sit in living rooms or basements and work out the songs until we liked the arrangements. Then we went into J’s studio and began tracking everything. I think once we started recording, it took maybe a week to wrap everything up. We’d already settled on the arrangements, so we just had to perform the parts on tape.
How you came out with the title?
J: We’ve, the three of us, had a pretty rough year. It seemed fitting to name our first EP after the only way we could go from here, Up.
What was the inspiration, lyrically speaking?
J: Well, I think, seeing as it’s been an emotional year, there was a lot of emotion that came out. There was the break-up I was dealing with, which came into play a lot with “My Heart…” and also “We’re An Archipelago.” And then with the other two, I was dealing with some frustrations in our town. It seems a lot of things are based on popularity there as opposed to actual merit. I’d been seeing that a lot and trying to cope with it, so there’s a bit more bite and sarcasm in those other two, “The Colours of Kings” and “This Year’s Hometown Hero.”
What’s next in TCOK’s world?
Chad: Well, we’re hoping for good things with this EP. All we can do is put it out there and hope people like it and share it and spread it around. We’ll play some shows to support the EP, do the promotional stuff and hopefully be able to go back into the studio and make another record.
Where can we find more about your music?
Graham: You can go to www.thecoloursofkings.com for more info. You can (and should!) pre-order the EP at thecoloursofkings.bandcamp.com or find us on some social networking sites like, www.facebook.com/thecoloursofkings and www.reverbnation/thecoloursofkings.