After introducing themselves with their vibrant initial offerings ‘Be Your Own Messiah’ and ‘If You Don’t Know What To Do With Yourself’ in recent months, emerging outfit Standin' Man return once again to offer up their soaring new single 'Changin' Wind'.
Bringing back more of that broad and psychedelic indie-rock aesthetic they are quickly cultivating for themselves, 'Changin' Wind' makes for an incredibly engaging listen. With its rich and immersive textures, sweeping atmosphere, and killer hooks throughout, they are cementing themselves as one of the more alluring names doing the rounds right now.
So with the new single available to stream now, we sat down with them to find out more about their origins and what has inspired them most over the years.
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What was the first instrument you fell in love with?
The guitar. As a guitarist, Jimi Hendrix had everything and commanded attention. That is what all guitarists want really, when they first have the desire to play an instrument. To impress and get noticed.
What kind of music did you love when you were younger?
Rock n Roll. I heard The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Chuck Berry, Jimi Hendrix and became obsessed. It lead me to delve further and I’m still to this day in deep dive. I like a lot of folk too, Bob Dylan being the pinnacle. It’s easier to get an idea across in a folk song than it is in a Rock song. Lyrically, anyway. But I like the challenge of writing a Rock song and the exploration of sound and telling a story that way.
What was the first album you remember owning?
I think it was actually Ocean Colour Scene, Mosley Shores. I stole it off my brother. It was a cassette tape but I didn’t have a Walkman so I mithered my parents for one for weeks. I’d studied the sleeve until I finally got my hands on a Walkman and then I listened to it constantly. I knew every note, guitar lick and lyric down to the letter after about 3 days. From there I would beg, steal and borrow for all different kinds of music from The Beatles’ Sgt. Peppers to The Verve’s Urban Hymns. My school days I would sneak a Walkman into class and feed the headphone through my sleeve so I could secretly listen to it instead of listening to what was going on in the lesson.
What is the one song you wished you could have written yourself?
It’s alright Ma, I’m Only Bleeding by Bob Dylan. I remember listening to it for the first time on a plane to Ireland to visit family and it was as if a new part of my brain had awoken. I didn’t know people could write songs like that. Even sonically it sounded like something from another world. It just created an overwhelming feeling of excitement that it was possible to write something like that. It made me look at life in a whole new light.
Do you have any habits or rituals you go through when trying to write new music?
I tried to not pay too much attention to lyrics, what is happening in my current life or situation just before I pick up the guitar. I tend to feel if you think too much about what you are about to write it creates a barrier. It’s a ritual that I try to stick to so I can try to extrapolate things from my subconscious. It doesn’t always work but I think my best writing comes from when I get that just right. A slightly different way is to have a catch line or a title that I find interesting and try and work a lyric around that and question incessantly what it means before formulating a lyric. I read a book called isle of noise that the producer Brendan Lynch (Ocean Colour Scene, Paul Weller) had gone me on to, mainly because he was featured in it haha. But it’s a great read. It’s basically interviews of songwriters and their process. I love Neil Young’s way of when he feels like he has a song brewing, he comes away and goes and puts the kettle on. I think it’s a way of settling yourself before getting down to writing. It’s like a scared rabbit popping it’s head out of the hole. You don’t want to scare it away by rushing things. I sort of subscribe to that ethos.
Who are your favourite artists you have found yourself listening to at the moment?
I really like the band Flyte. They have this CSN&Y thing going on with elements of the softer side of The Beatles. I love their harmonies and arrangements. Will, the lead singer, has a great voice. There’s a great tonality to it.
If you could open a show for anyone in the world, who would it be?
The Rolling Stones would be pretty spectacular, I’m sure. The last of that era that are still showing the youngsters how it’s done. I’ve always been obsessed with how they play. Always teetering on the edge of the beat. Sonically they’ve always been dangerous. Many bands overlook that element of playing live. I love the dangerous element of an artist or a band. They have always had it, even at their fine, ripe age they still know how to put on a show and I would like to give them a run for their money!
What do you find is the most rewarding part about being a musician?
It’s the three elements of writing, recording and performing a song. There’s nothing really like the feeling of expressing your emotions like that. That journey gives me something nothing else does. You get a sense of accomplishment purely on a personal level that is incomparable to anything I’ve ever experienced. The possibility is always endless and I love the uncertainty of what it will turn out like because the process from the initial writing stages to the final outcome of performing it live takes on a new life thereafter. Being part of that whole process gives me a desire to continue for as long as remain here on this mortal coil.
And what is the most frustrating part?
I think the constant need for content now takes away any mysticism. Before we had social media, as a listener and a fan you became part of the story more of your favourite artist. You concocted your own ideas of what they are truly like by just listening to their music and delving into their artistry. By ‘having’ to give more I think it takes away from the music and the art.
And what is the best piece of advice you have received as a musician?
Roger Daultry told me never to sign any contract without sleeping on your decision. It’s easy to get excited about new possibilities of labels and contracts or publishers etc in this game as it’s a difficult industry to be in and receiving any contract from industry professionals is a big thing. It’s a chance for success. They don’t always come around as often as everyone would like but I think the important thing is to stay true to what you set out to do from inception and not get too excited till you have thought everything through. A lot of luck is needed in most things but even with luck you need to play things with a clear mind of what you really want from success.
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Standin' Man's new single 'Changin' Wind' is available to stream now. Listen to it in the player below.