New Liverpool trio Acadian Driftwood talk gigging, Keith Moon and studio closures

LATEST trio to land in Liverpool, Acadian Driftwood released their EP, Working Title at the beginning of the month and have been carving their presence in the city ever since.

Swampy blues hymns and country based rhymes make the foundation of the threesome's sound very strong.

The idea of the band is to grow organically, feeding off word of mouth and gigging all they possibly can.

New music is definitely always on the cards for the band who could leak anything at any time. It's this predictable mayhem that allows Acadian Driftwood to have their freedom within their music.

The Music Manual spoke to frontman Bobby Johnson and drummer, John Ellwand to find out more behind the AD mask.

How did the name Acadian Driftwood come about?

BOBBY:
As big fans of The Band we thought we should name ourselves after one of their songs, but we also liked the  of the rhythm of the two words, the cadence it makes, we liked the sentiment and feel of it.

Have you had the new EP Working Title on the back burner for a while? 

BOBBY:
Not at all it was literally the first songs we had as a band so we just got them down as fast as possible, and tried to keep it immediate. It was a good process to bond the members of the team.


Where would you like to record next?

JOHN:
Well we've recently built our own studio, Swamp Studios. There we recorded are latest EP with our producer Anders Johnsen. We believe in keeping it in house, that way we can really translate what we're trying to say without looking at the clock.

BOBBY: Yeah we like the control of the process - the ability to do things comfortably and at our own pace. I think doing stuff DIY especially with the cheapness of good technology will become more regular for bands as time goes . A lot of smaller and mid sized studios are closing down.

What are your hopes for the rest of the year?

BOBBY:
Really just to keep gigging, writing and tracking stuff.

JOHN: Yeah, building hype and pushing the name. Gotta get out there and play, no point sitting on things for too long.


If each member was a legendary musician who would they be and why?

BOBBY: There’s so many I’d like to be not sure who I would be.

JOHN: Yeah I agree with Bobby, it's a difficult question. But if I really had to choose, Keith Moon? And not because I play like him, would just like to drive a Royal Royce into a swimming pool!

Have you got more material in the pipeline?

BOBBY:
Well we’ve got loads of songs knocking round, like I’ve got over a hundred demos. But we just keep writing and are going to record the strong stuff then hopefully amass a wealth of good material then use it when we want to.

JOHN: Even though we have hundreds of demos, we believe in quality not quantity. When they're ready - they're ready. We've only just released Working Title on iTunes & Spotify. This side of Christmas we're looking to promote that really. But we can say for sure an album is definitely in the works for 2017 - exactly when it comes out is another question.

What venue would you most like to play?

BOBBY: In an ideal world I would have loved to play the Filmore East purely because Derek and the Dominoes did that live album there, but I think its been closed for years. However it seems more dependent on the crowd than the venue.

JOHN: For me the Royal Albert Hall - the list of legends that have played there are endless, Cream and Zeppelin to name a few.

Is there a mantra you'd like people to take from your music? 

BOBBY:
Just to try to be de-constructive of yourself and the culture that you’re living in. Be observant and analytical.


Will your sound stay the same or are you looking to change it with each release? 

BOBBY:
It’s not something I’m particularly conscious of,  if it changes it will happen naturally and it will only ever occur to serve the song.

JOHN: Yeah as much as it's something we're not particularly conscious of, we also don't want to make the same album twice, keep it fresh and urgent.

Do you any of you have any embarrassing habits?

BOBBY:
Probably talking too much about my pets.

JOHN: I'm told I always interrupt people mid conversation, but I never notice I'm doing it? I'm too old to change now and my good friends haven't un-friended me yet, so it can't be that bad...haha!

Click here to get your copy of Working Title: https://itunes.apple.com/album/id1153712011?ls=1&app=itunes

Words Lauren Jones

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