Interview: Echo Park
5 min read
The UK is an ever changing landscape of emerging artists, each bringing something new to the musical table in an attempt to be the next big breakthrough act. Echo Park is one of those bands who have risen over the past year and who have recently presented to us their debut EP, Deluge, only a year into their time together as a collective.
Following the release of the bands new EP, Renowned For Sound caught up with the band to talk about the bands time together so far. Here is what the guys of Echo Park had to tell us:
Brendon Veevers: How are you today guys?
Echo Park: Good thanks. Since the EP release we’ve been busy writing new material, so currently just taking a break from writing!
BV: You have recently released a brand new EP, Deluge. Can you tell us a little about the EP and what we can expect from the tracks making up the record?
EP: A lot of hours went into to making the EP, especially as we put it together ourselves from recording through to designing the artwork. We’ve had a really good response to it which makes all the effort worthwhile! The tracks are pretty varied but you can expect high intensity with singalong choruses.
BV: Is there a favorite track for the band on the collection and if so, for what reasons is it your favorite?
EP: It would probably have to be Circles or Shadow Days – they’re both high energy tracks and always a lot of fun to play live.
BV: How would you describe your sound and your style to those who may not know the band?
EP: I guess we slot into the pop/rock genre, although the set is quite varied so hopefully there’s something in there for everyone.
BV: Who would you say are the bands influences?
EP: It’s a bit of a mix, we listen to anything from Led Zeppelin right through to the Radio 1 charts but we’re often compared to bands such as Jimmy Eat World and Kids In Glass Houses.
BV: What do you think Echo Park brings to the musical table that makes you so unique to other artists?
EP: We think we combine the energy and drive of the rock genre with the melody’s and chorus’ of pop, whilst bringing our own style to it as well. Our sound is constantly developing, and hopefully it is something unique to us that combines all of our influences.
BV: Will you be touring at all this year or are there any shows confirmed for fans to hear the new tracks live?
EP: We’ve got a couple shows coming up we’re playing a halloween party on the 31st Oct at The Cricketers, Kingston and also the The Plantation in Guildford on the 29th. There’s full details on our website and no doubt we’ll be adding some more dates soon.
BV: What’s the story behind the name of the band? Why Echo Park?
EP: Unfortunately there’s no real story behind the name, we thought Echo Park sounded cool to us so we just rolled with it.
BV: How did the band come together? Can you talk to us a little about the bands beginnings?
EP: Getting this line-up together has been a long time in the making! Michael, Max and I (Jordan) were friends from school and had been in a few bands over the years with various different line ups. We struggled over the years to find a singer but eventually met Laurence through mutual friends. I met James snowboarding of all places! Although not a great a boarder, he made up for it on the bass so we let him join anyway.
BV: What would you say has been the biggest challenge about being a recording and touring collective, if there is any?
EP: At the moment we’re all pretty spread out from each other, so arranging stuff can be a bit of a nightmare! As musicians we’re not the most organised bunch… There’s definitely some pro’s though, Laurence lives in Southampton and has good relationships with promoters so there’s never any shortage of gigs down there! We just recently played an awesome show at the The Joiners with The Dangerous Summer.
BV: How will you know when things have really taken off for the band – how did you define the bands success?
EP: I think as long as we are improving musically, writing better songs, and performing well live, then we will be happy. Obviously we would love to play to sold out venues every night, but if we are always moving forward and enjoying the process at the same time then we will see things as a success.
BV: Are there any acts out there that you would love to collaborate with or tour with and if so, who would they be and in what capacity would you like to see a collaborative project?
EP: I’m not sure there’s any acts we would want to collaborate with at the moment, there’s probably an endless list of bands we’d want to tour with though. Maybe Foals? we’re really into them at the moment.
BV: Where does the band draw inspiration from when putting together a new song or EP? Does it come from real life experiences?
EP: Lyrically the words either come from something we’ve experienced ourselves or someone close to us. As for the music we tend to write stuff that we personally like and would be into.
BV: Is there an album on the horizon?
EP: Not for a while!
BV: What else does the band have planned for 2013?
EP: Taking a bit of down time and working on new material, we’ve got a couple new tracks in the pipeline which we’re really excited to start demoing in the studio.
Echo Park’s brand new EP Deluge is out now.
::: RenownedForSound.com’s Editor and Founder –
Interviewing and reviewing the best in new music and globally recognized artists is his passion.
Over the years he has been lucky enough to review thousands of music releases and concerts and interview artists ranging from top selling superstars like 27-time Grammy Award winner Alison Krauss, Boyz II Men, Roxette, Cyndi Lauper, Lisa Loeb and iconic Eagles front man/songwriter, Glenn Frey through to more recent successes including Newton Faulkner, Janelle Monae and Caro Emerald.
Brendon manages and coordinates the amazing team of writers on RenownedForSound.com who are based in the UK, the U.S and Australia.
