Getting to Know… The Telling | Interview 🎤

On the 179^th interview on The Musical Hype, we get the scoop from the Dublin, Ireland band, The Telling.  

According to 🎙 The Telling, each band member has “their own background and … musical tastes.” Sensible, sensible, sensible! The Dublin, Ireland band features five members: 🎙 Linda McGovern (vocalist and songwriter), 🎙 Colm McElarney (keys/piano), Tom Pasquariello (guitar), Simone Pujia (bass), and 🎙 Paul Ames (drums).  Our featured attraction on our 179^th interview expounds further about what makes them unique: “We can combine all our own individual tidbits into a song and create a dance between the instruments and awesome songs.” Amazing, and that’s a mere snippet from the band’s answer to our first burning question.  Want to find out more? Well, then totally check out all of the great background, insight, current and future endeavors of the collective – answered by McElarney – on 🎤 Getting to Know…The Telling: Interview No. 179.  Let’s go!

Starting things off, for those who may not be familiar with you, what would you say makes The Telling distinct or unique? How do you rock the audience’s socks off?  

🎤 All the musicians that make up The Telling have their own background and their own musical tastes. What makes us unique is that we can combine all our own individual tidbits into a song and create a dance between the instruments and awesome songs. We know not to overdo things writing and the importance of the blend and flow throughout the song. We are also able to give each other both positive and negative feedback.

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

🎤 I formed the band with another guitarist back in 2019, unfortunately he left us in 2020. We met when we were doing some deep work for another Irish Band who wrote original music. The guitarist and I clicked while we were playing, despite his grunge background and my pop/rock influence. When the project finished, I sent him a message inviting him to my place to jam. We had talked about writing music; I had a few bits of unfinished movements and songs and so did he. We exchanged the songs and we both added our own bits the pieces and the end result was spectacular. We were both getting excited and looking forward to the next mixes and meets.

It came to the point we had three songs, practically finished, with no lyrics, we felt that there was something special there in the music and so decided to see if any other musicians were interested in the project. We got a few applications, one from Lindy Loo, never mind her cool name, we sent her the three songs to work on and she sent us back the songs, with lyrics. We couldn’t believe what we were hearing!! She was IN!!!

We felt that this could be something good to share with world, see if we can get into a few festivals do a small tour playing to people. It felt awesome!! When we completed the lineup, we had a phenomenal energy when we played.

2020 took its toll on us as a band, we had momentum, plenty of gigs and other opportunities coming up and keeping us busy, but pandemic wiped it all away as if it was nothing. Radio opportunities, recorded gigs and performances along with our own shows and support shows.

It was difficult to keep the momentum going when you can’t go anywhere, and you can’t see anyone. It was stressful to see our work and plans disappear and gigs getting cancelled, in the middle of it all was when our founding guitarist decided to leave us.

In the middle of the lockdown, we got Tom to join us as our guitarist, despite little to no time to play with us, when the restrictions lifted, we managed to get a gig in with Tom for Drogheda Pride festival and then not long after back into lockdown.

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?

🎤The lockdown changed everything, during the lockdown we have been trying to focus on our creative side, so writing and home recording songs, so we have some new content. That’s the short-term goal, we are looking to get back rehearsing again as soon as restrictions lift, and we can get a good show going. After that, we aim to hit road and get our music out as far and as wide as possible.

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

🎤 I like piano/keys/synths so if there is a song featuring it, it’s probably something I will like. For me, there are many names, but Elton John, Billy Joel, Spike Edney, Guy Babylon, Dave Rosenthal, Jordon Rudess, I can keep going, each with a unique way to play and blend sounds. I love Jordon, Elton and Billy’s writing and performing, Spike, Guy and Dave are the glue of their band’s music that give it umpf [oomph]. That is what I try to achieve in writing, something complete and full of umpf.

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.

🎤 As we are quite new, we haven’t had the chance to build up the story pile, but every gig we have done has been memorable for different reasons, our first show was sold out in Dublin, It was great to see so many people. At the start of the show, the foot pedal I used to change the sounds on the keyboard, literally fell apart, I was stressed for the whole show. Trying to figure out how to make the next changes with my hands while playing the song.

We did a pub show in a rock bar, no-one knew who we were, in this place many bands play but most people will stop a few seconds and move on. The crowd stuck around, danced and clapped along with our songs, it was cool to see complete strangers, hearing us for the first time and rocking out with us.

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?  

🎤 My favorite song to perform live is 🎵 “Your Favourite Song”, Why? Because everyone can sing along and dance and rock!!! It has an amazing bass grove to move to and a hard-hitting chorus and a great bit that everyone can sing along to. We usually finish our gigs with it! It goes down a treat!

I like all the songs we have, but I have a soft spot for 🎵 “A Summer Field”. The music and lyrics perfectly portrayed what I was feeling when came up with the idea. I was imagining a summer day lying under a tree with a girlfriend.

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

🎤 Hmmm, I like a lot of things and there is not a lot I wouldn’t try and do, stepping out of the comfort zone is always a good thing. I like learning new things, puzzles, quizzes, games, traveling, hiking. I did some martial arts in the past. I haven’t done anything very crazy, not like throwing a tv out a hotel window, well not anyway 😀

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

🎤 The pandemic has been very difficult, but we do have a single nearly ready to release, we are waiting for the lockdown in Ireland to ease so we can try and get into a studio to finish it, but we do have an acoustic teaser available.

Also check out our Facebook page, we should have some news to be announced very shortly!!

Thank you so much for sharing taking the time to answer these questions, and best of luck moving forward. 

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Getting to Know…The Telling: Interview No. 179 🎤[📷: The Telling, Brent Faulkner, The Musical Hype]