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. Up next are Abi, Rebekah & Rohan from Horn, who have just released their debut album via Christchurch’s Melted Ice Cream label.
Who are you? Tell us a bit about your music:
Rebekah: Abi you probably got the best blurb for this.
Rohan: Abi used to call it dark folk, but we got some confused stares – apparently it can’t be called folk if it has distorted guitars? And it made another person mis-remember and think we were a “country” band. Basically, I’d say grunge – the guitars are loud, I thump the drums, and Abi sings tormented songs about the darker side of life.
Abi: I simply love guitar music. I’ve never been able to put my finger on it. However, I lean towards terms like “Alternative” and “Indie” rock. It’s important to be dedicated, it requires a lot of dedication.
What have you been working on lately? Any new tracks or albums on the way?
Rebekah: Abi has been working on some new songs and just bought the dream amp to perfect her tone. We’ve mostly been focusing on our album release tour, but cant wait to get stuck into some new tunes.
Rohan: Our album, although I guess we finished that about half a year ago. It took over a year because we’re all busy people and could only get together once a week to practice and record. We recorded it on a 4-track cassette recorder, which I find really fun and surprisingly often easier and better sounding than computer based recording! For our kind of lo-fi vibe, at least. The machines did keep breaking, but fortunately I do electronics and was able to work out how to fix them.
Abi: I finally got an amp! It’s in the care of somebody else currently, so it will be nice to have that back. We’ve just released an album, and that took a lot of work. I think I need to reserve one practice a week with the band and one for me at home making demos for this next album… I know that things take as long as they have to.
Where is the best place people can follow you & find your music?
Rebekah: Instagram, Bandcamp, Spotify.
Rohan: Yup indeed, Bandcamp, Instagram and Spotify.
Abi: Yep!
What were the 3 most influential albums to you growing up?
Rebekah: Doolittle by the Pixies, Darklands by The Jesus and Mary Chain and The Velvet Underground & Nico.
Abi: Miscellaneous titles… Celine Dion Cassettes, Simple Plan CD’s, Free Kitten on Vinyl…
Which other Wellington musician (s) would you most like to work with?
Rohan: Hmm I’m not sure, I think we’re all pretty satisfied with the ones we’ve got! Maybe we could get Flight of the Conchords to feature on a track?
Abi: William Daymond. [Terror Of The Deep].
What’s your favourite Wellington venue to play in?
Rebekah: Moon?
Rohan: Yes, Moon.
Abi: I love Moon.
In your songwriting or composing (or the band’s songwriting) how do the compositions and songs take shape?
Rebekah: Abi writes the songs and often has a vision for tone and composition, Rebekah and Rohan will fill in the missing pieces.
Rohan: Abi had already written all of the songs years ago before I joined the band, so we just started practicing – I hadn’t actually played drums for years – and just figured out what I was playing over the course of some practices and early gigs.
Abi: If I’m honest I am still learning about this. My process has changed over time. I’ve never heard the songs without the others’ input. Prompt recording felt like a necessary step for myself so that the music would become tangible enough that I could refer to a body of work, instead of plans and whoever was involved. There have been, and will be, many road blocks and now I think I have the confidence to begin making demos for another album. I suppose that’s songwriting.
Where/when is your next gig?
All: House party Horn album launch Newtown, Wellington – Saturday 29 July, 8pm.
Band photo by Pete and photographer assistant Sophia. Used with permission.