Getting to Know… Leaf | Interview 🎤

In the 311^th Q&A in our Getting to Know… series, we get the inside scoop from hard, melodic grunge rock band, Leaf.

“Leaf isn’t trying to follow a format or sound like anyone else, we just enjoy making music and some of us are in our twilight years!” Nothing wrong with making music regardless of age 🎙 Leaf! In response to our first burning question, the hard, melodic grunge rock band from the UK expounds that some of us being in our twilight years “doesn’t stop us from putting everything we have into our live show though and it can be akin to being hit with a musical steamroller.” Like our many other Getting to Know Q&As, we get the inside scoop on the band’s genesis, goals, musical influences, and of course, current, and future musical endeavors. So, without further ado, let’s jump right into 🎤 Getting to Know… Leaf: Interview No. 311!

For those who may not be familiar with Leaf, what would you say makes you distinct or unique? How do you rock the audience’s socks off?

🎤 Leaf is a band that isn’t trying to follow a format or sound like anyone else, we just enjoy making music and some of us are in our twilight years! However, that doesn’t stop us from putting everything we have into our live show though and it can be akin to being hit with a musical steamroller. If you like your music loud and honest then you have come to the right place. No gimmicks here, it is all about the songs and we spend a lot of our time crafting and improving them. A few tweaks can make a huge difference. We are advocates of the musical earworm.

Okay, let’s explore some juicy backstories. How did Leaf form and what were some of the goals or visions you had early on?

🎤 Leaf was formed 30 years ago – the blueprint of the band was to follow in the footsteps of our musical influences which are numerous and varied and right from the off there was something special. It has and will always be about creating a big sound but with melodies that grab your attention, stick in your memory, and nag at you all day.

The band split up in its original lineup, due to the classic conflicts of youth, sex, drugs, and rock and roll but we have joined forces again many, many years later as we feel a lot of music these days is becoming stale and sounding the same; we want to shake things up a bit and not use click tracks and quantization.

The juicy backstories we will save for another day as there are quite a few tales from our younger days and the potential to upset another ex might mean that the bank balances take yet another hit!

Let’s talk more about goals.  Have your goals or your perspectives changed since first starting out? What do your aspirations or goals look like now?

🎤 As an (*cough, cough*) older band we are really enjoying the creative process of writing and recording music as well as preparing the songs for battle in a live setting. We are steadily building up a following and always impressing people when we play live, where we can go from whisper quiet to full roar in a moment – the dynamics are really important to us.

It is all about the music, there is no time for egos in Leaf as we have all experienced how this behaviour can lead to a band’s demise, so we really are a team that enjoys working together (we make each other laugh out loud every rehearsal).

Our aspirations for the next 12 months are to carry on releasing and recording quality music and hopefully get some decent gigs and support slots across the UK. If Rick Rubin puts an offer in to produce us we are very much up for that :). Mind you our current producer, 🎛 Jonny Price, might have a word or two to say about that (he is very talented).

Everybody is influenced by somebody else. Whom would you consider some of your biggest musical influences and how are they influential?

🎤 As I said earlier, it is a huge melting pot of influences ranging from iconic bands like AC/DC, Black Sabbath, and Led Zep to newer bands like Idles, Rival Sons, and Cleopatrick. To be honest, I think every band I have ever seen has influenced me in one way or another. I prefer some of the older music as it wasn’t focused on everything being perfect. I don’t think music should be perfect as life isn’t perfect and perhaps this is the reason I go back to those older albums to listen to as I can hear more of the personality and sound of the musicians, something I hear rarely today.

The soul, the reality, and the musicality is missing from modern recordings; Colin was a sound engineer and craves the squeaks, pops, and doinks that albums like Powerage have, albums that almost have a smell to them…an aural whiff of sweat, fags, booze, and hot valves. However, Rival Sons have a wonderful vibey feel, Cleopatrick has a Lo-fi grit, and Idles have the angst and attitude – we reflect similar things…

Ah, the fun stuff.  What’s your craziest tour story or the wackiest thing that’s happened during a performance?  Feel free to be creative.

🎤 I have experienced a few Spinal Tap-esque moments trying to find my way to the stage (It took 10 minutes in one place…), but I am at the back…hey, no jokes about drummers!

We once started our set at a gig and when we kicked into the first song, we realised the soundman wasn’t there, he appeared with a bag of chips and gravy whilst we stood there looking like spare parts, much to the amusement of the assembled throng!  These days, Colin will break a guitar string on the first track of the night (usually just once, but sometimes more than once – he has plenty of spare guitars lined up) which means we have to bring our comedy routine into the night. I don’t think we will get booked as a comedy act, but it does show that we are self-effacing, down to earth, and enjoy life!

Pints of beer tipped over heads? Threatened onstage? Fight mid-set? As I said, anything can happen, but thankfully as we have aged, we have calmed down a bit!

Up until this point in your career, what would you describe as your favorite song you’ve recorded or performed live? What makes that song special?

🎤 There is a song called 🎵 “Black and White” that is one of my favourite songs to play live and was the first song that when recorded made me realise what potential the band has. It has great riffs, dynamics, and melody and speaks from the heart (Colin getting a bit narky about people being rubbish).  It has received some great airplay in the US and the UK and has started a bucket load of interest even further afield.

Is there anything else awesome, cool, or left-of-center the world should know about you? Secret talents or surprising tidbits?

🎤 I think our day jobs don’t reflect our musical alter egos. Colin is a talented and inspiring teacher working at a high achieving school, so the band is a cathartic release for him. Jarad runs his own business – he has a great head for figures, is crap with paperwork but sits thinking about guitar riffs all day. Dan is a professional bass player who does it for a living and I work as an advocate for people living with a disability.

Other talents: Colin is a budding parking attendant and toilet cleaner, Jarad is a professional curry eater, the hotter the better. Dan is the deep thinker and hasn’t got a malicious bone in his body and I have a penchant for impressions and being generally stupid.

Closing out, what is Leaf currently working on, or promoting that you can share with us or want us to know about? We love secrets, but there’s no pressure. 

🎤 We are about to release our second EP which was recorded at Lower Lane Studios with the amazingly talented engineer and musician, Jonny Price. Watch out for new songs that will be released on all major streaming platforms.  Have a look at our website and social media (Facebook and Instagram) and give us a listen. If you like what you hear, you will hopefully catch us live at a venue near you soon.

Thanks for the interview,

Take care,

Mark

Getting to Know… Leaf: Interview No. 311  [📷: Brent Faulkner, Darkmoon_Art, Leaf, luis2500gx, The Musical Hype, Pixabay, OpenClipart-Vectors]