6 Qs for Darran Charles of Godsticks
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Godsticks had the honor of opening Saturday at Summer's End and gave a great performance. I am looking forward to hearing more from this Welsh band in the future. Their singer/guitarist/keyboardist Darran Charles is my next subject.
Who are your musical influences?
A snapshot of our influences are Frank Zappa, Mike Keneally, Steely Dan, Yes, ELP, Brand X, and Rufus Wainwright.
What has Godsticks been up to lately?
Since we’ve released the EP we’ve been working hard towards writing material for our album. 75% of the album has been written, and we hope to release it in May 2010. It should be equally as eclectic as the EP, and we hope it’s as well-received. Currently we spend a lot of time rehearsing and trying to incorporate the new material into the live set.
What's your favorite song to perform live?
Probably one of our newer tracks, ‘Norman’: it’s both very challenging and fun at the same time. We like to work hard! ‘Puppy Gardener’ is also great to play. We’re still in our infancy as a live band though, so we’re always trying to learn something from each and every gig in order to improve more and more. We’ll get there!
How has your music evolved since you first began playing music together?
We’ve certainly developed as song writers. In our early days, we would tend to cram far too many ideas into one song and they tended to be very difficult to listen to. I think we’re maturing a little now though, and we’re always conscious to avoid repeating ourselves.
If you could play a concert with a band of your choice, who would it be?
I would say Mike Keneally, but it would be great to play with some of the prog heavyweights like Yes, Dream Theatre, or Porcupine tree.
What's your favorite board game?
I’ve given up board games; they lead to far too many arguments!! It used to be Trivial Pursuit.
You can order Godsticks' EP through their website. I already have.
You can also listen to an interview with Godsticks courtesy of David 'Amazing Wilf' Elliott's excellent 'The European Perspective'.
