Inbox Interviews: Black Pines (Alt Pop)
For fans of Hozier, Jeff Buckley & The Black Keys
It's with great pleasure that we present todays Inbox Interview featuring Alt Pop four piece, Black Pines.
Since forming in 2019, the Essex/London based band have crafted a distinguishable and emotionally sincere sound - showcasing their impressive songwriting abilities, mixing dynamically strong instrumentation with memorable melodies and a powerful, heartfelt lead vocal.
It's been a very exciting year already for the boys - with the release of their second single 'Heaven's Son' followed by their latest record, 'Power', on 8th May.
We caught up with Connor Sheehan (keys & electronics) to find out more...
So why the name Black Pines?
No idea haha, we were just brainstorming and liked the name. Tom is very fond of trees which might be where ‘pines’ subliminally came from…
In just one sentence, explain your sound…
Soulful and contemporary, with gritty guitars, a soaring Hammond organ and a vocal power-house reminiscent of Jeff Buckley.
What are your full names & who plays what?
Tom Clark (lead vocals), Connor Sheehan (keys & electronics), Jake Ringsell (guitars & great hair) and Jamie Abela (drums & percussion).
How did the band form?
Tom & Jake are cousins and initially started making music together before getting Myself & Jamie involved. Jake & Myself have been mates for well over a decade, and Jamie used to be in Jakes old band so made sense to join forces as we all wanted to start making music again!
Who, or what, inspires you?
We all draw from a very broad spectrum of artists, but I guess we have all managed to bring what inspires us most as individuals into the band dynamic, which is not always easy. Other than that I think we are inspired with what music has given back to us, it’s always there when you need it.
Your new single ‘Power’ was just released (08.05.20) - can you tell us a bit more about the writing/recording process?
It’s a very collaborative process when we write music. Tom sent the initial idea for this one on a voice note to the band whatsapp group, then we all got together and finished writing the music together in a live setting.
I produced the demo and then we went to record it properly on the Isle of White with Boe Weaver (production duo) who put their thoughts behind its development and really got it sounding how we wanted it to sound.
Jake is also in the process of creating the music video for the song. He’s a shooting director and editor by trade and is priceless in terms of the content he produces for us.
What have been your best moments as a band so far?
Definitely recording our first 3 singles at Studio Humbug. It’s like a holiday for us as we all have full time jobs. We get to travel to the Isle of White where the studio is based, record music and have a laugh doing it!
They’re so good to work with and really got the songs sounding great. The music video shoot for our first track ‘Hope’ was also amazing . As well as directing, shooting and editing the video, Jake managed to pull some favours in terms of location, shooting crew and photographers which really made the whole experience run smooth.
The music industry can be an incredibly challenging place for up and coming artists, what are some of the difficulties you’ve faced as working musicians?
The current COVID 19 situation is obviously a challenge for us, as it is for literally every other artist out there, but for a band that hasn’t really started hitting up the music venues yet, through technology we’re able to write remotely and keep things going. We’re looking to capitalize on the spare time we have to build an arsenal of content and unleash Armageddon once everything calms down!
What can we expect from a Black Pines live show?
We are yet to play a live show with the lockdown being in place but it’s going be tight having had a lot of time to rehearse, but we hope to have some interesting visual creative elements going on behind us as well. Watch this space!
If you could support any band/artist, who would it be and why?
Jacob Banks as his music has had a big influence on our upcoming EP and the direction we’re going in in terms of production and sound. He has an amazing voice and his music encapsulates the organic routes of soul and Blues music with a sprinkle of modern magic over the top.
Who are 3 other bands/music artists that we should all go and check out?
Tamino, Kevin Pearce & Mia Joan.
What’s next for Black Pines?
We’re in the process of writing our first EP which we want to get recorded and released by Autumn this year providing the current climate calms down.
We really want to get out there and play shows as well to start building a fan base but it’s going to be tough for a while considering, so we want to try and take advantage of the new normal by doing some live streams in the studio, keep creating interesting content and anything else we can do remotely really!
And so concludes our interview with Black Pines - a massive thank you to Connor for his time. We, for sure, are looking forward to what comes next!
Listen to more of the band on streaming services here.
Connect with them elsewhere online on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter & YouTube.
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