Mudd shovel’s debut Little White Hair dives into raw emotion, folklore, and heavy-edged experimentation. In this interview, the trio unpack the stories, struggles, and sparks that shaped their first full-length album.
1.
“Little White Hair” marks your first full-length album. At what moment did you
feel the band was finally ready to lock in and create a full record rather than
another single or EP?
We had quite a few jam sessions before we really started recording and we felt
we had enough songs that covered more ground than say....just a straight up
rock album. We were all looking for music that was fun to play but also a bit
different so when the first five songs came together we thought we'd keep going
and experiment a bit further, something more unfamiliar, the result was four
more songs that were mixed and recorded at Devilla Sounds, they really capped
off the album.
2. Your sound balances raw aggression with dark, melodic undertones. How did
you approach shaping the sonic identity of mudd•shovel on this debut?
We are all big into the heavier side of rock so that was bound to be a given
for some of the songs, what was surprising was how a lot of the songs just came
out on the softer side because of the lyrics, sometimes the story just
determines the sound.
3. The album spans themes from addiction to folklore to personal reckoning.
Was there a central emotional thread that guided the writing as a whole?
Sometimes it's easier to reflect than simply react. A lot of life's experiences
take on a different tone when viewed with hindsight, so if there was any
emotion it would be release, letting go,
like the line in Little White Hair, "just not angry anymore".
4. “Over the Line” kicks off the album like a punch in the chest. What story
or feeling sparked this track, and why did it feel like the right opener?
Believe it or not "Over the Line" came from finishing an old house my
wife and I restored, it took over a decade so the feelings were as much of
relief as elation. To be fair "Over the Line" is for anyone who has
fought the hard fight and finally reached the end of a long struggle, everyone
can identify with that experience at some point in their life.
5. “Third Time Today” draws from folklore and whispers of the supernatural.
How did Irish stories or local myths influence its atmosphere?
Definitely, the song is actually a true story from restoring the house, it
involved a "lone tree" and crows causing real damage to the house. My
father in law said not to cut down a lone tree in the yard (only pruned it!)
and the result was over a year of crows attacking the house, makes you wonder
though doesn't it.
6. “Deep Fried Soul” tackles addiction with a mix of rawness and dark humor.
How do you find the balance between honesty and art when dealing with heavy
topics?
It can be tough, it's hard to hide personal experience in lyrics but at the
same time maybe lyrics will help someone else having a tough time. I'm at a
place in life where I'm not so worried about what others think so it's easier
to tell stories especially if they have a personal touch in them.
7. The title track, “Little White Hair,” feels like one of the album’s most
introspective moments. What does this song reveal about where you were mentally
during the writing process?
"Little White Hair" was written during a time of isolation, I had
been studying jazz at the time and I kept looping the same chords over and
over, it was a new experience, very freeing. I was aiming to get out of the
same song structures I played in the past and "Little White Hair"
developed into the first song muddshovel recorded, kinda jazzy but with a heavy
edge, it really set the tone for what the muddshovel sound would be.
8. Your chemistry as a trio feels volcanic both live and on record. What do
each of you bring to the creative process that shapes the band’s energy?
We tend to bring a riff or phrase to jam sessions and see what comes out,
David seems to do his best work when he doesn't get much (or any) prep time for
a song so we tend to leave him in the dark till the day we jam, but he always
comes up with goods pretty quickly. Garreth is great at bass yes, but he brings
even more in the studio, for example the sample in "Cupid's Sparrow"
elevated the tune to new heights, it was bold and different, that's the
direction muddshovel seems to be heading. I bring song ideas to the band and
let the lads add or change the song with their ideas, it's brilliant.
9. The album was crafted across different studios and producers. How did the
split between Jam Studios and Devilla Sounds influence the overall texture of
the album?
Jam studios set the tone for the band, it helped create a sound we liked, we
didn't have the muddshovel sound but after Jam Studios we did. Devilla Sounds
allowed us to be more experimental and push boundaries so it's fair to say they
both shaped muddshovel's music.
10. You’re launching the album with a special Christmas-season show in
Cavan.
What can fans expect from this performance compared to your usual gigs?
The show in Daly's in bailborough will be the first time we will have played
the album live in full, we are heavy into rehearsals and doing a lot of tap
dancing on pedalboards aiming to be as faithful to the album as possible. We
also have The Spent Priests coming over from Brooklyn to help get things going,
it's going to be a cracker of a night, probably pretty loud as well!
11. Tracks like “No Further” and “Heading Home” speak to growth and
revisiting the past. How has living in and around Cavan shaped your identity
and storytelling as musicians?
Well if I didn't live in Cavan I probably wouldn't have met the lads, Garreth
was looking for different music ideas and David was playing different genres,
the stars aligned and we got to play together, just had to happen in Cavan.
There's a real drive for the heavier side of music locally, the local town hall
was renovated and turned into an excellent venue for live music, it's just the
right size and a great night out, so the demand is definitely there.
12. Now that “Little White Hair” is about to land, what do you hope
listeners take away from this debut—and where do you see mudd•shovel heading
next?
We are still writing and once the gig in Daly's is over we're back to jamming
out new songs, we've plenty in the pipeline. The next few songs are a bit more
experimental but certainly toe tappers, we're really looking forward to
releasing them, watch this space and join the madness!
Post a Comment