読者の皆様はAUDIOTREEというシカゴの会社をご存知でしょうか。音楽PVを製作したり、LIVE SESSIONを配信したりと多方面に事業を拡大する音楽業界のセブン＆アイホールディングスのような会社です。
彼らのセッションは今や若手ミュージシャンの登竜門的な場所になっており、例えばメタルならVEIL OF MAYA, SCALE THE SUMMIT、オルタナならNOTHING, THE DEAR HUNTER、マスロックならAND SO I WATCH YOU FROM AFAR,THIS TOWN NEEDS GUNSなどなどこれでも氷山の一角で実に錚々たるメンツが出演しています。
そのAUDIOTREEが契約を結んだアーティストが今回特集するTHE SOIL & THE SUNなのです。例えばSIGUR ROS、例えばRADIOHEAD、そんなバンドを思い浮かべました。様々な楽器を使用したアーティスティックな音楽でありながら高いPOPセンスを有していてアトモスフェリック。即座に魅了されました。
Q:Your new album “Nothing More” has just released. How is the reaction?
【Jonny Hawkins】:The reaction has been amazing – it has surpassed our expectations. One of the coolest things about it is hearing personal stories from people we meet on the road about how one of the songs got them through a difficult situation in their life. We met a guy who lost his wife and was left as the only parent to their 2 young boys – he said that all he did for the month after she died was blast “God Went North.” It helped him through the uncertainty of his wife being gone and not knowing what to do being a single parent.
Q:新作”Nothing More”がリリースされましたね。反応はいかがですか？
【Jonny Hawkins】:素晴らしいよ。完全に予想以上だね。ロードで会った人たちから僕らの曲のおかげで彼らがそれぞれの困難な状況を切り抜けられたって話を聞けるのは最高にクールな事だ。
妻に先立たれて二人の男の子のシングルファーザーになってしまった人に会ったんだ。彼はこう言っていたよ。「妻が亡くなってから一ヶ月間やった事といえば”God Went North”を爆音で流す事だけだったよ」とね。妻を亡くした不安とシングルファーザーとしての心配事からこの歌が彼を救ったんだ。（”God Went North”は恋人、妻を病気で失う歌）
Q:Please tell me why did you contract with Eleven Seven Music?
【Jonny Hawkins】:This is our first label in our long history of DIY work – they stood out to us because of their sheer passion and love for their bands. At the end of the day money and a reputable name and a big building can all go away – but the thing that remains is the passion with which the label works.
Q:Would you tell me the origine of band’s name Nothing More? And why did you titled your band name on this album?
【Jonny Hawkins】：When we set out on this journey as a band, we were testing out if the experience of being a working musician was for something for people of privilege, or if it was something we could create from our limited resources. We discovered that you can do whatever you want, if you are passionate enough about it. We want all our work to point back to the fact that we are nothing more than human beings like everyone reading this. Success is not a testament to things out of your control – you can achieve your dreams. We made that the name of our album to reinforce that point.
Q:How have you progressed from “The Few Not Fleeting”?
【Jonny Hawkins】：“The Few Not Fleeting” was my first experience as a singer – having been a drummer for many years, singing was a bit foreign to me at first. The Self Titled release that we have out now is really just a coming-of-age / maturation for me as a singer and the other guys as writers and musicians. This record encompasses a lot of things we always wanted to communicate and sound like. “The Few Not Fleeting” was more of an experimental process.
Q:前作”The Few Not Fleeting”からどのように進化しましたか？
【Jonny Hawkins】：“The Few Not Fleeting”はシンガーとして初めての作品だったんだ。何年も僕はドラマーだったからね。最初歌うことには少し戸惑ったね。このセルフタイトルの新作で僕はシンガーとして成熟しているし他のメンバーはそれぞれライター、ミュージシャンとして成熟しているよ。このレコードには僕らがこんなサウンドにしたいと思っていたものが入っているよ。”The Few Not Fleeting”はもっと実験しながら作った感じだね。
【MUSICAL INFLUENCES】
Q：I think you have a lot of aspects of music. Metal,Alternative,Prog-rock,Djent,Dubstep…But in the same time,You have strong and beautiful melody. Is that important for you?
【Jonny Hawkins】：Melody and lyrics are really at the heart of all of it. If you don’t have those done right it doesn’t matter how you dress it up. We go through phases of music that we are listening to that span a variety of genres but the thread throughout them all are strong melody and a real story. Without that you might as well be an instrumental band.
Q:Do you hear bands of new generation like Periphery,Karnivool,Chevelle?
【Jonny Hawkins】：YES! We love all of those bands. Periphery and Karnivool (along with many others we listen to) are at the forefront of what the new generation of rock is going to be.
Q:Would you tell me five albums that changed your life? And recently,what are you listening to?
（人生を変えた５枚のアルバムと最近のお気に入り）
Life-changing albums, in no particular order…
Tool – AENIMA
Brother Ali – THE UNDISPUTED TRUTH
Karnivool – THEMATA
Rage Against The Machine – EVIL EMPIRE
Ben Folds – ROCKIN THE SUBURBS
Listening to right now …
Soliloquist of Sound – NO MORE HEROES
M83 – HURRY UP, WE’RE DREAMING
【ABOUT JAPAN】
Q:Most of Japanese likes melodic rocks. And we still buy more CDs than any other countries. Do you think Japan is going to be important market for you? And do you hear some Japanese musics?
【Jonny Hawkins】：We played with a Japanese band called CROSSFAITH at DownloadFestival in England this year and they were excellent. We also toured with a band called SUPE some time ago and we are goodfriends with a guitar player who was in OPUS DEI. He really peaked our interest in playing Japan. We have been discussing the market with him and the feasibility of us getting over there. It is absolutely in our sites. We would love to learn about other Japanese bands – tell us about YOUR favorites!
