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The Eighth Note: Tower Of Flints

‘The Eighth Note’ is 8 quick Questions with Wellington Musicians.

A chance for us to catch up with people & see what they’re up to, or introduce you to a new musician/band and their music.

Today’s guest is Joe from Tower of Flints.

Who are you? Tell us a bit about your music:
I’m Joe from Tower Of Flints. We’re a five-piece indie rock band with dark lyrics, great grooves and plenty of noise.
Lineup is:
Vocals, guitar – Joe Harrison (previously Brave New Void)
Guitar / e-bow – Neil Beales (The Sell-Outs)
Lead guitar – Daniel Edmonds (Gold Wolf – UK)
Drums – Felix Nesbitt (Funkacybin, Farming The Population)
Bass – Chris Fursdon (Julie Lamb Outfit, Blackwater).

What have you been working on lately? Any new tracks or albums on the way?
I spent most of the last three years writing material. We still haven’t performed all of it publicly and we’re looking at new ideas too. We’re also looking at incorporating keys/piano into some of the songs. Piano is my new weapon of choice! We will be releasing a single and/or EP in the next few months. Still deciding which songs. (Probably “Blameless”) Also a video – working on concepts!

Where is the best place people can follow you & find your music?
We’re on Facebook and Instagram. There are eleven demos on Soundcloud and YouTube. I keep meaning to sort out Bandcamp too. It’s on my list!

What were the 3 most influential albums to you growing up?
Since there are five of us, I suppose this would be fifteen albums? But as I’m the one answering the question (hard one, btw):
David Bowie – Diamond Dogs
Suede – Suede
Elizium – Fields Of The Nephilim
And about a thousand others across many genres.

Which other Wellington musician (s) would you most like to work with?
That’s a tough one, as there are so many great musicians in Wellington! I was talking to Ills Winter (Elizabeth de la Rey) after her set at Moon the other day. We’re looking at a gig together soon, which I’m really looking forward to! I’m a big fan of her Ills Winter and Porcelain Toy work. I’d love to collaborate on stuff.

What’s your favourite Wellington venue to play in?
Valhalla. The sound on stage is great, so everyone plays well. Always a good vibe. Cheap beer. Lots of people in black clothes. Dark and moody, just as any great rock venue should be. And as I’m not a great dancer, it doesn’t really matter if my shoes stick to the floor.

In your songwriting or composing (or the band’s songwriting) how do the compositions and songs take shape?
I work in a very patchy manner, recording bits of different instruments and vocals, shifting them about on the screen until I have a rough structure. Then I go back and record the different parts all the way through. I usually start early on a weekend morning, in my dressing gown, with a coffee and an unplugged guitar, mucking about until something cool happens. I have heaps of notebooks with words, lines, verses and stuff that has just randomly occurred to me. I flick through these as I listen to what I’ve recorded and something usually fits or starts a train of thought. I almost never work out a whole song from start to finish, with all the words in the right order. I’m far too disorganised and chaotic for that. We haven’t written as a band yet, but that’s about to change. So far, the guys have definitely put their own mark on the songs I came to them with and the results are far superior to my demos!

Where/when is your next gig?
Caroline, September 28th with Swallow The Rat and Witchblade.


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