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Daniel Paxton
Mainline
25th April 2007Danda: Hey how are ya?
DW: Well firstly thanks for agreeing to do this for us.
Danda: No problem at all.
DW: To start off with can you give us a brief background about the band, how long you’ve been together and how you all met?
Danda: Well we have been going about 3 years now, we are all mates for years went to the same school and stuff, plus 3 of us are brothers!
DW: Does that make life easier or more difficult?
Danda: It's kinda cool sometimes, it’s never been a problem, we fight but just like all brothers do, but it's water of a ducks back to us at this stage.
DW: So … 6 band members, what’s the smallest stage you've played and did you all manage to fit on?
Danda: Eh, well we have played some really small stages where we have been nearly on top of each other but we get around it in the end, it hasn’t been that big a problem - well yet anyway!
DW: There's definitely a BRMC/JAMC vibe to the band. Are they bands who've been a big influence to you and whom else would you cite as influences?
Danda: It's kinda weird we get tagged a lot with the whole JAMC thing but I don’t think we are that close. I mean don’t get me wrong I can think of worse bands to be compared to but yeah they are an influence but not as much as you would think. There are six of us, some love ‘em some don’t.
DW: I guess with 6 of you in the band there's quite a wide variety of sounds you listen to?
Danda: Yeah exactly - there are some interesting I-pod collections.
DW: I bet - care to name a few of the more interesting choices?
Danda: At the moment I’ve been listening to the Asteroid No.4, great band, but a lot of blues too. Blind Willie Johnson.
DW: There's a very laid back attitude to your tunes - does that reflect the personality of the band would you say?Danda: Yeah kinda I suppose. I mean all we want to do is play and record music - no bullshit.
DW: I managed to catch you supporting BRMC last week in Manchester - how did the tour go for you? (Nice lights on the drums by the way!).
Danda: Ha Ha we call them vibe lights! When we recorded in Philly we had red ones all over the studio it was cool.
DW: It added a kind of dressing room feel to the show!
Danda: We have our brothers The Cobbs to thank for that, but yeah the tour was amazing. Great guys. Got on so well had a big sing song in Glasgow. Sang everything from Ride to the BJM it was a good fuckin’ night.
DW: Excellent! You were lucky to avoid the sound system debacle in Manchester ... (someone threw a pint of beer over the sound desk during BRMC’s set and took the sound out for about half an hour).
Danda: Oh yeah man that was funny.
DW: I was on the balcony and there were pints flying everywhere.
Danda: They were great when that happened, what else could you do except laugh and look for an acoustic guitar?
DW: They were very cool weren't they!
Danda: Very cool indeed.
DW: Then when the sound was up and running again they took up mid-way through the song they had left off.
Danda: Nice.
DW: Do crowd antics every give you cause for concern?
Danda: Nah not really every crowd on that tour were amazing to us.
DW: You've done a few support slots in the UK now, and you've been to the States, do you find audiences are pretty much the same everywhere or do you get different vibes from different countries.
Danda: Yeah each city is different, different vibe each time which is great. The gig in Wolverhampton was amazing. Peter Hayes came up to us after and told us we stole the show that night, but we didn’t know what to expect from that town but it was great.
DW: It must be a great feeling when that happens.
Danda: Yeah it was sweet.
DW: What are the best and worst gigs you've played so far and why?
Danda: We supported the Howling Bells on a tour of Ireland and played Limerick it was awful. We played Belfast the night before in the Limelight and it went so well and then we played a tiny place on Paddy’s Day and there was about 5 people there. I think there was less for the Howling Bells, God bless ‘em.
DW: Is there always an attitude of the show must go on in those circumstances?
Danda: Ah yeah has to go on no matter what, sure that’s what we do we play music. If there ain’t no one there then fuck it we'll just play to keep ourselves happy!
DW: Nice one. So, best gig.
Danda: Shit eh for me I think it might have been one of the BRMC tour ones they were all great. Manchester was pretty cool!
DW: Ahh you have to say that!
Danda: I tell you one thing the crowd were fucking great. It’s nice to play for people who want to listen! Especially to a support act.
DW: The crowd was really up for it - I think we gave you a good reception!
Danda: Fuckin sure you did nice one!
DW: But it was a great set.
Danda: Aww thank you.
DW: Ugly Betty - you must have got a buzz from your song being on there - how did that come about?
Danda: Some company who sell music to films and all that kinda stuff got it for us they saw us at SXSW and loved our music.
DW: You make is sound so easy!
Danda: Oh believe me it ain't easy.
DW: Have you had a lot of feedback from that yet
Danda: Yeah kinda but its an old track so we got to rework it but yeah a lot of people have been on to us about it which is really cool, its a big thing all over the world.
DW: So Ugly Betty reaches almost as far as MySpace eh?
Danda: Ha Ha.
DW: Has MySpace made a difference to you as a band as in the amount of exposure it gives you?
Danda: Yeah it really has more so for contacts getting in touch with bands and stuff and networking it’s been really helpful. But for people to be able to check us out so easily is really cool.
DW: What sort of route have you taken so far gig wise, a lot of Irish bands seem to get lost in the College circuit.
Danda: I don’t know about that. I mean we cant gig in Dublin all the time cause it would just get boring so we try play as many different places as we can.
DW: Of course - you've supported a few big names so far: Ian Brown, Primal Scream?
Danda: Yeah - they were cool.
DW: And you're highly spoken of by Billy Gillespie?
Danda: He knows where it’s at - really cool guy.
DW: A man with taste!
Danda: You know it. Mani is cool too, had a great time with him on Hi Mani's Manic Monday Show.
DW: Are you signed to a record label yet?
Danda: Nah no label as of yet.
DW: Anyone sniffing around?
Danda: Oh they're sniffing alright only problem is they keep standing in there own dog shit and we can smell them a mile off when they try and offer us a deal to send us up the river without a paddle!
DW: You have principles then!
Danda: Ah you know what I mean. It’s just you get sick of these fools.
DW: Of course - it’s important to do things on your own terms.
Danda: I mean the music speaks for itself but some A and R really can be wankers.
DW: Is it harder to get records out without the backing of a label though, you released Black Honey back in 2005 - and now your EP has just been released.
Danda: Yeah.
DW: Is it a case of working your arses off to get the finances together to release them?
Danda: Well we put out the EP ourselves, just a thousand, I mean they are running out now after the BRMC tour but yeah that’s usually the case. It’s all funded by us right down to the last thing!
DW: So do you all have other jobs alongside the music?
Danda: Yeah we are all working. Have to.
DW: Well let’s hope that changes in the near future for you.
Danda: That would be nice.
DW: What other bands in Ireland would you recommend we check out?
Danda: Kinda depends on what you're into. Dublin is small so most of my mates are in bands but at a push the TwinKranes are pretty cool.
DW: And where would you like to be as a band this time next year?
Danda: Touring the album that’s what I would love to be doing.
DW: Well I'll look forward to catching you in the UK doing that then!
Danda: Sure thing! Ha Ha me too!
DW: That’s all from me. Thanks for taking the time out to talk.
Danda: My pleasure.
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