LIMERICK Post is sitting with Steve Ryan SR and Patrick O’Brien POB of Windings in a songwriting studio at the Music Generation Creative Centre on Sexton Street. The same studio where the closing track ‘Late Praise’ from the band’s new album was recorded by guitarist Mike Gavin.
The duo talk about recording the album with Tommy McLaughlin (Villagers) in just three days, the development of Ryan’s lyrical honesty and pick their least favourite songs from the back catalogue as they put together this Saturday’s set.
LP: One standout aspect of ‘Be Honest and Fear Not’ is the vivid lyrical imagery and the clarity of the words. Was this a deliberate development?
SR: “Here in Music Generation, songwriting workshops are one of the main things we do. That made me look under a magnifying glass at the process of writing. It made me more self aware of the kinds of things that I do. When Rusangano Family sent me their album in advance I was quite struck by the honesty of the lyrics. I know those guys, and to hear them being so brutally honest and upfront with their experiences and with their thoughts and emotions, it was inspirational. That inspired and permeated the songwriting process a little bit. They lyrics are not diary entries but they are not cloaked in metaphors either.”
Opening track ‘Ambivalence Blues’ perfectly relates the experience of every band that has played and persevered without selling out. What inspired the song?
SR: “The song comes from being a musician of a certain standing but also realising that you have dedicated all of your adult life to pursuing whatever the hell this is and the concerns that come with that and have always been there.
“When you reach a certain stage you make peace with it or whatever. I’m perfectly happy to be doing it but also being able to do it. I’m just lucky to have fallen in with a group of people and have the support and structure that allows me to do it
“I have no intention of stopping. I will play as long as I can. I love doing this shit but it is tough at times”.
On ‘Be Honest and Fear Not’ the band sounds better than ever and the songs have space to breath while the musicianship is inventive and fearless. How did the band work towards this album?
POB: “When Stephen is writing a song he has a general idea where he wants to go with it. We look at it. We go ‘Yeah, we like these parts, other parts not so much’.
“It is a great mix of musicians and it fits and it works. There are five really confident musicians within the group and we are all mates first and foremost as well. That is the big thing. We are comfortable saying no to each other and challenging each other.
The recording of the first seven tracks of ‘Be Honest and Fear Not’ was made in JUST THREE DAYS! at Attica Studios in Donegal with Tommy McLaughlin of Villagers. Can you explain how you can explain how you capture an album from a five piece band in three recording days?
SR: “We rehearsed two or three times a week in the month coming up to the recording so we would be fresh in the studio. It was very hard. We could have done with four days just for mental health reasons but we have monetary restrictions and we all have things going on.”
When it comes to live shows will it be difficult to perform these honest lyrics to an audience?
SR: “It is awkward for me to say them out loud but I wrote them, I should get over it”.
Do Windings strive to connect with their audience at a live gig or by making radio friendly singles? Are you aware of a crowd’s reaction to the music at a show?
SR: “We almost operate inside our own bubble on stage. We get into the songs to make it sound the best we can”.
POB: “We make an album that we want to make for ourselves. Same as onstage we want to make it the best. As long as the five of us are happy, that is first and foremost”.
SR: “We are our own worst critics. We are pretty harsh on ourselves but I think that is beneficial. When it come to radio play, we are gone past that. That is not why we are making music”.
How’s the setlist coming along for Saturday?
SR: “We only have a certain amount of time and we’ve realised that we have a fuck load of songs. It is getting difficult as the albums come to pick what we want to do”.
Which track from previous Windings albums would you drop forever?
SR: “‘Cleaner’ (from ‘I Am Not the Crow’). I’d be happy not to play that song ever again!”
POB: “For me it would be ‘These Horses Also Ran’ (from ‘It’s Never Night’).”
(Click! At this point Limerick Post ends the interview to argue for our favourite Windings’ tune, affectionately known as ‘horses’, that might now be gone from the set forever!)
Windings, with support from the legendary Jinx Lennon, play Dolan’s Warehouse this Saturday October 22. Expect a nice long set with new songs from ‘Be Honest and Fear Not’, a few tunes from the previous three and a half albums and hopefully ‘Horses’.
