theaussieword.com catches up with pop country rock band from Ireland – The Rising.
Give us an introduction. How did it all begin? What had you first interested in music?
The Rising formed three years ago out of the ashes of another band and we instantly set about recording our debut album “Coming Home”. The band was formed by guitarist Chris Logan, Singer Tristan Harris and Bassist Andy Morgan. The trio enlisted Peter Flanagan on Piano/Keys and Chris’ Logan’s Cousin Shane Watters on Drums.
I (Chris Logan) was brought up in a musical family with my Dad playing guitar and singing in bands since he was a teenager. I became obsessed with music at an early age thanks to my Dad’s vinyl collection which ranged from Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash, Eagles all the way through to Queen. So I began to love all types of music. However, it was the first time I heard a Queen record my whole world changed. From the second the needle hit the record I knew what I wanted to do with my life. From this I became a Queen fanatic and also obsessed with Country Rock with Eagles, Merle Haggard and Johnny Cash featuring very heavily.
Tristan was also brought up in a musical family with his Dad also being a singer. Bassist Andy Morgan discovered his love of music from his record collection. Both Peter Flanagan and Shane waters also came from musical backgrounds so each member of the band was exposed to music very early on.
What motivates or influences you in your quest to make great music?
For me and the band as a whole music is something that we have to do, not want to do… There is no plan B. Each one of us has wanted to make a career out of music since we were little with most of us coming from musical backgrounds. So it was nurtured into us, being Irish its part of our culture to have music around you constantly. Of course being in a band there are hard times were you just want to give it all up and ‘get a real job’ however those thoughts are quickly put aside when you get onstage or a fan says kind things or invests in your music.
What are your biggest goals you hope to accomplish as an artist?
I think given the state of the music industry these days it is impossible to want global success and play arena shows every day. So our biggest goals are simply to be able to make music for a living, tour the world and influence as many people as possible with our music and messages contained within the lyrics.
What can we expect from you in the coming months? Any plans to tour?Yes, we are touring the UK & Ireland with Jess & The Bandits. Starts on 18th October in Newcastle Upon Tyne continuing through to Dublin (Ireland), London, Manchester, Leeds, Bristol and finishing up in Glasgow. So we are extremely excited about that. Full information about the tour and tickets can be found on our website.
Tell us a bit about your latest album and how would you best describe your music?
Our debut album “Coming Home” is an album we are all very proud of and a snapshot of our music at the time. It features ten songs and we have released two singles from it in the UK. Our music is a hybrid of Country Rock and Pop/Rock. We love the sound, instrumentation and storytelling nature of Country/Americana and roots music but we also love the sonic experimentation and the construction of a good well written pop song.
Success, what is the secret to it?
Success can be judged on many levels besides sales and big arena tours. We judge or success on the fact that we have music out there worldwide, accessible to everyone. Each and every person that picks up a copy of the album, or, makes one of our songs their own is a success story.
What has been your biggest career highlight?
There has been allot of great moments. But playing Country 2 Country Festival in London’s O2 Arena was a big moment for us and it kick started allot of things for us as a band. So we will always be grateful to the festival for putting us on the bill.
Which stars of the music industry do you find inspiring?
It has to be the man we named our band after – Bruce Springsteen. To quote the man himself, “I’ve been doing this for 50 years and it feels like I’m just getting started… the older you get the more it means”. I think that quote sums up everything we think music should be about. After practically his whole life in the business he is still making great records, writing songs at the top of his game and still touring. We also love the way that he talks about the songs and his message first before or if ever talking about sales or boasting about how many tickets he selling. He still seems to be the genuine person. That is a goal we hope to achieve, that one day, maybe when we have left this earth that some kid will find our music and have the same feelings for it we did when we made it.
Any new projects in the pipeline?
Always, we are always writing and recording. We are looking at putting out a limited EP, but our focus for the moment is promoting the current record. So maybe we could re-release the album with new tracks on it. But keep an eye on our website and youtube & VEVO channels (/therisingonline & TheRisingVEVO) as we will be releasing videos of us recording covers, new songs and maybe the odd sneaky download track for people who are signed up to our mailing list.
The music industry is huge, where do you see yourself a few years from now?
Impossible to guess but hopefully still making music, making a living from it and getting to see the world doing it. We would of course love to be on an arena tour by then but that’s up to all music fans out there to get us there.
Name a few of your favourite Aussie artists.Well obviously for us Native Son Keith Urban would be a big influence on us. Likewise, Crowded House have also been a massive influence. Its also impossible not to appreciate what the Bee Gees have done for popular music.
The shape of the music industry has changed significantly over the years, including the use of social media, how do you feel about the industry as a whole and what does it mean to you in getting your records out into the public eye?
In some ways its easier but in some ways its harder. Of course, social media is great for connecting directly with your fanbase but its arguably harder to find that fanbase. The reason being is that these days everyone is able to make a record in their bedroom on their laptops and get their music out there via youtube etc. The problem with this is that its harder to cut through all this noise. Back in the day there were less people able to record and the whole industry was controlled at the highest level making it easier acts to get out to the public domain. So it while it is indeed great that you can record a track in a few hours and have it up on iTunes the next day and out to your fans in a few hours later by twitter, facebook and various other platforms perhaps its too easy and we’ve lost quality in the process.
Thanks for the interview! What final message do you have for us today?
Firstly, thanks so much for having us and giving us the opportunity. We would love to make our way out to Australia very soon, so spread the word about the band and give us the opportunity to get over to see you guys.
Website: www.therisingmusic.com
Facebook: /therisingofficial
Twitter: @therisingmusic