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Post by zee on Oct 4, 2010 14:29:50 GMT
^ you're welcome And yes, I agree... That interview was fun to read, really. Picasso and Hendrix, who would have guessed that! The Music Freak interview with Steve Hewitt Long-term former Placebo drummer Steve Hewitt has released the debut album from his new band Love Amongst Ruin.
After two and a half years spent channelling his energy into a very personal album he now returns as the rejuvenated front man of Love Amongst Ruin, a multi-faceted hard rock band with the crunch of a stone age queen, the crossover appeal of a parkful of linkins and the melodicism of the hardiest fighter of foos. Drop in twists of New Order/Depeche Mode electro-twangle, Can/Kasabian motorika, Cure atmospherics and hardcore Metallica riffage and you’ve got a bounce-back of potentially Gary Barlow proportions on your hands.
Brandon Flowers recently described going solo as "cheating on his wife." Moving on to your excellent new band, what are some of your preferred highlights from your time at Placebo?
Regarding the Brandon Flowers comment, my situation was more like coming home and finding your wife had cheated on you. I have two preferred highlights, firstly I'm very proud and always will be very proud of the great music that we made together. Secondly it has to be the fans. I met so many amazing people in my time with Placebo and a lot of them have become life-long friends. I will always be happy about all of that.
Tell me exactly what Love Against Ruin is about?
Well that phrase was just a very apt description of the place I found myself in after I was ejected from Placebo. My life, the way it had been, seemed to be in ruins but I got a lot of love from fans and friends and family. People rallied around and really helped me to find my way back.
What was your first gig in Camden's Barfly like?
Amazing, really, really amazing. First off, the place was rammed, secondly it was filled with the three types of people that made this possible. The friends, the fans and the family. The fans had already heard the internet broadcast of our show from the Eurosonic festival in January. They knew all the words already, it was amazing.
Drummer to frontman. Phil Collins an idol?
NO. If we have to make comparisons let's use Dave Grohl and let's leave Phil well out of this.
Your debut album is out, how would you describe it, and how does it feel in a sense of personal achievement for you?
I would describe it as hard, dark melodic rock. It feels lke the greatest achievement of my professional career to date. I am extremely proud of what we achieved here.
Have you got any exciting gigs lined up?
Loads, we are all over Western Europe at the moment and then coming back for a UK tour at the end of October and beginning of November. All of the details are on our website loveamongstruin.com.
Any advice for any drummers who want to become singers?
Don't try to do both at the same time. Nine times out of ten you will not be able to do your best in either activity. Drumming is a full time job, just like singing.
Lastly would you consider yourself a music freak? If so why?
Definitely, my influences come from all over the place. From the krautrock of Can to the funk of Sly Stone and the rock of AC/DC. But if you're in my car with me you're just as likely to be listening to classical music as anything else.source: www.musicvita.com/music-freak/interviews/6541-the-music-freak-interview-with-steve-hewitt.html
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Post by zvezda on Oct 4, 2010 15:37:35 GMT
Fave quotes from the above interview: The fans had already heard the internet broadcast of our show from the Eurosonic festival in January. They knew all the words already, it was amazing.I was thinking about that gig this morning, and feeling it as one of the most special times of my life. It *was* amazing. It feels lke the greatest achievement of my professional career to date. I am extremely proud of what we achieved here.Oh good, so Steve is proud - I can stop telling him how proud I am of him now, like some over-excited mother hen
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Post by stellar on Oct 4, 2010 18:58:51 GMT
I'd love to know what Steve's taste in classical music is.
And yes, I too love the quote about the fans already knowing the words to all the songs.
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geo
New Member
Dream on, Kid
Posts: 1,030
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Post by geo on Oct 5, 2010 23:55:09 GMT
*cough* Taylor Hawkins (& the Coattrail Riders)
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Post by Pam on Oct 6, 2010 21:51:49 GMT
Hello the Dark Side, I don't have much free time on my hands these days, so I don't come as often as I would like, but Zee caught my attention with this nice French interview (many thanks to her ! ). Here is a quick translation (probably full of mistakes, but I'm pretty sure you will understand our lovely Mister Hewitt's words just the same ;D ) : www.startermusic.fr/actu-musiquevideo/interview-love-amongst-ruin/Was Love Amonsgt Ruin an idea you had in mind for a long time or does the end of Placebo trigger the urge in you?
To be honest, I never thought of it before. I was completely dedicated to Placebo, I could'nt imagine another outcome. Everything went wrong at one point, for many reasons ... wich I'm anaware of for most of them. When I found myself alone, I started to write some texts and guitar parts, but without really having a goal to form Love Amongst Ruin. The last song on the album, Love Song, is the first I ever wrote and one that made me realize I was able to compose. When I listened to it, I had butterflies in the stomach and that's when I knew I had to continue. Generally, I trust my instincts. And it never betrayed me. Gradually, as the songs follow on, the band took shape, but I also wanted to make the right choice for the musicians who would accompany me. Does thre band’s name refer to the poem Love Amongst Ruins by Robert Browning published in 1855?No, not at all, I thought the name was unique, but I realize that this poem has been around for a long time now ... I'm not that original finally (laughs). I wanted a name that makes sense regarding my personal history, a name that refers to what I am now. My career whith Pacebo is over but there is still something strong and intact in me. It is a blessing in disguise, I have found another balance, even better maybe than with Placebo. There are more talented people in my band than in Placebo. Everything is happy again, while with Brian and Stefan (editor's note, Molko and Olsdal) everything was serious. The band relied too much on Brian’s ego. Now I feel free, even if I remain proud of what I did with Placebo. But sometimes things failed. How did your story with Placebo end, violently it seems ...Yes ... Everything went very fast, and all ended very abruptly. We had just finished the 18-months tour for the album Meds, we said goodbye to each others as usual at the airport and the week after the manager called me to say I was fired ... I haven't seen Stef and Brian since that day at the airport. I still don’t really understand the reason of this, I still have some questions. But I have to go on, and Love Amongst Ruin helps a lot. Do you feel apprehensive about the crowd’s reactions? You lay yourself bare for the first time ...I ‘ve never paid attention to what people might think of me or what I was doing. I've never gave a fuck! The main thing to me was to go on stage with my guitar and share my new songs. Furthermore, we put all the songs I wrote on the album, no more. It's a good thing, because I think it really reflects what I am. Admit that you can’t help giving advice to the drummer!Okay, okay, I admit that from time to time I give instructions, but I try to do it as little as possible because it’s not my job anymore! (Laughs). Right, that was practically my whole life, but I’ve started a new chapter. And my drummer is great! We are longtime friends, we trust each other. Are the influences on this album the ones you could’nt externalize with Placebo? This heavy-rock style, a bit like Queens Of The Stone Age ...I’m a big fan of Queens Of The Stone Age, and I know what you mean. I draw my influences in my youth. My first loves in music were Black Sabbath and AC / DC, but Placebo have never wanted to go there ... I love Depeche Mode and The Cure, I also think we can feel it in some tracks. I tried not to do fifteen times the same song, I find that really depressing! (Laughs)
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Post by zee on Oct 7, 2010 18:47:12 GMT
ohmybowie, that was fast! Thanks so much for translating and posting this interview, Pam! *exalts*
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Post by zee on Oct 9, 2010 20:16:36 GMT
Tonight I bring you an interview with The Eye!! Had no idea he was born in Scotland! Interview: Donald Ross Skinner, Guitarist, Love Amongst Ruin Published Date: 17 September 2010
Edinburgh-born musician Donald Ross Skinner plays guitar in Love Amongst Ruin, a band fronted by Steve Hewitt, long-serving drummer for alt-rock veterans Placebo. Their debut album is out now If you had a time machine, which Edinburgh concert would you relive? It would be fun to go back to the Nite Club above the Playhouse on 7 August, 1981 and watch Depeche Mode again. It was at the time of their second single, New Life. They wore trilbys, bow-ties and braces.
What is your favourite Edinburgh theatre? I quite like the Queen's Hall. I remember my dad taking me to see Alexis Korner. Dad found it amusing that the hymn-book stands in front of us made it impossible to put your pint down! The last time was Fred Macaulay, who was good.
Who would you choose to headline Edinburgh's Hogmanay? AC/DC because.... AC/DC! Name three regular haunts in the Capital you could not live without. Liquid Room, because my pal Kieron runs the EVOL night every Friday, which I recommend to anyone who likes a bit of alternative. Portobello Baths. I remember when it was salty and you could float for ages without kicking. The Filmhouse, a good one if you ever want something different from the mainstream.
Separated at birth: Edinburgh and... ? The Nautilus in 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea. Something about the skyline.
Who or what in Edinburgh inspires you? Easy, Arthur's Seat. My uncle Jimmy took us up one of the more adverturous ascents when we were kids.
Do you think the city is a friendly place to live? As friendly as anywhere really. People are, perhaps, a bit more mindful of others compared to London.
Come August do you love the Festival or loathe it? Like the atmosphere, don't like having to walk slower. Fire breathers - yes, human statues - no.
If you couldn't be in Edinburgh, where else would you rather be? Herne Hill, where I am.
Princes Street or George Street? Princes Street at night and George Street evening, because I saw Ivor Cutler, Jeremy Hardy and Frankie Boyle at the Assembly Rooms.
If we elected our Lord Provost, who would you like in the position? Jesse Rae!
What's the biggest change you've seen in the city? It's a shame the old Odeon has gone. I have many happy James Bond-type memories.
When away from home what do you most miss about Edinburgh? The view. It's the best looking city in the world (and I'm writing this in Paris, so no faint praise).
Could you recommend a restaurant? Henderson's Veggie restaurant on Hanover Street and The Witchery.
What attraction should visitors not miss? Walk across Queen Street towards the Colonies. And get on the bus to South Queensferry and stand by the Forth Bridge at the water's edge. You experience a breathtaking piece of history.
Sell Edinburgh to a stranger in no more than ten words. Volcano, Calton Hill, Beltane Fire, Castle, Inch Park, Uncle Jimmy.source: living.scotsman.com/features/Interview-Donald-Ross-Skinner-Guitarist.6537651.jp
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Post by zvezda on Oct 14, 2010 13:19:20 GMT
Nice one! It is a very Scottish name he has, now I think of it. It makes me want to visit Edinburgh; I've heard now beautiful it is to climb up to Arthur's Seat and look at the view.
Thanks for this, zee xx
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Post by zee on Oct 20, 2010 13:07:14 GMT
^ you're welcome. xx Have found an interview with Keith... though, I think it's a bit weird they actually used a new and really cool photo of Steve. Anyways... Music: Return to rock for drummerOct 15 2010 by Andrew Coleman, Birmingham Mail MORE than two decades after Midland drummer Keith York gave music lessons to a budding sticksman, teacher and pupil have teamed up in a new rock outfit.
Placebo’s former drummer Steve Hewitt is now the frontman of his own band, Love Amongst Ruin, and has recruited Keith to occupy the drum stool.
Keith, who lives in Studley, recalls that he first met Steve around 1987 or 88 when he managed the drum department of a store in Northwich, Cheshire.
‘‘I was 18 or 19 and Steve came in and said he wanted to play drums. I showed him a few things and gave him a couple of lessons. Then I wouldn’t see him for ages because he’d just get on with it, he’d go off and play.
‘‘But we kept in touch and we would bump into each other when our bands played at festivals in Spain or Portugal or France.’’
While Steve progressed from the Boo Radleys and Breed to Placebo, who he was with from 1996 to 2007, Keith explored different styles of music with, among others, Bentley Rhythm Ace, Broadcast, Ladytron and The Orb.
It was East Midlands band Bivouac that lured Kent-born Keith, who lived in the north west, to Birmingham in the early ‘90s.
‘‘They were in Nottingham but I lived in Birmingham – Moseley, Kings Heath, Sparkhill – and when Bivouac finally fell through I stayed in the area because I enjoyed it so much.
‘‘When I first moved here I didn’t really know anything about dance music, I was always in rock bands. My first band was Dr Phibes & The House of Wax Equations which was a sort of psychedelic Liverpool band. When I came to Birmingham I met programmers and got into dance music which was huge in the ‘90s.’’
He became a studio drummer for Pitchshifter, doom metallers Esoteric and, through the Midland Arts Centre, Ananda Shankar.
He toured with The Lightning Seeds and drummed with both Broadcast and Bentley Rhythm Ace.
Recently he has worked with Ladytron and The Orb – but then he heard from his ex-pupil Steve Hewitt.
‘‘I was in Australia and I got a text from Steve saying he was putting a band together, did I fancy it?
‘‘When I got back from the tour with The Orb he sent me the early demos and I said it’d be great to get back to working with a rock group. I’d done The Orb and I’d done Ladytron and I was in the dance thing but my roots are punk and rock, kicking it live, and sometimes you can’t do that with those bands.
‘‘With my first ever band we were playing Saxon, AC/DC, Motorhead songs, those were my roots and those were the guys I copied. It’s easy for me to do all styles of different music but to do rock is like coming home.
‘‘We started rehearsing a year ago and it just gelled really quickly.’’
Their eponymous debut album was released last month and they play Wolverhampton Slade Rooms on October 31.
With Steve moving from drumming to singing and guitar duties Keith’s vast musical experience will be an asset to the group.
‘‘Steve was with Placebo for all those years and that was pretty much all he would do, whereas in that time I was playing with all sorts of different people. I ended up doing a lot of things in a lot of different styles. Even now I get called out to do jazz gigs.
‘‘I’ve done the Bicester Jazz Festival with Dutch Lewis and I play with guys like Ray Butcher, Chris Bowden and Edgar Macias.’’
He says he’s with Love Amongst Ruin for the long haul, however.
‘‘We’ve written three tracks for the next album. In terms of touring, Europe’s the first port of call then there are the British gigs.’’source: www.birminghammail.net/what-is-on-in-birmingham/rock-and-pop/2010/10/15/music-return-to-rock-for-drummer-97319-27474263/
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Post by zvezda on Oct 20, 2010 13:13:57 GMT
How interesting - I love it - thanks Zee *exalts* xxx
I'm always thinking I've seen Keith before - maybe it was when he was touring with the Lightning Seeds, because I have seen them play live at festivals ...
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Post by tof ric on Oct 21, 2010 8:26:53 GMT
An interview of Steve for Love Amongst Ruin available in our website www.rock-in-chair.comdon't hesitate to check it even in french!!
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Post by stellar on Oct 21, 2010 8:35:24 GMT
Thank you for posting the link.
I'll translate into English to the best of my abilities this evening if Pam hasn't done it first.
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Post by Pam on Oct 21, 2010 10:38:01 GMT
I'll translate this one and the waxx-music's one tonight if you want . A teaser : Ric : Is it special to have a girl in the band ? Steve : I played with 2 girls in my band for more than ten years.
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Post by stellar on Oct 21, 2010 17:46:35 GMT
Thanks Pam. I suspect your English is better than my French
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Post by zvezda on Oct 21, 2010 17:47:54 GMT
^^ Bwahahaha! A review from www.roomthirteen.com/cd_reviews/11347/Love_Amongst_Ruin__Love_Among.htmlIf you haven't heard of Love Amongst Ruin yet, it may interest you to be told that Steve Hewitt, the front-man and concept-fashioner of this band is in fact 'that drummer out of Placebo'. Yeah, thought that'd get an 'ohhhh' of surprise and an eyebrow raise out of you. Not only that, he's embarked on this new venture like a musical Columbus gathering all kinds of aural flavours and excitement from far-reaching and disparate lands of sound. So expect a bit of a comparison marathon here. A comparathon? First off, this is a perfectly decent album. The atmospheric swathes of sound, steady and an often sulky pulse like on track 'Come On Say It' suggests that this is a band that would fare well performing live, even just on the back of one album. Furthermore there are at least one or two flashes of plain, good old-fashioned brilliance. Opener 'So Sad (Fade)' is a beefy slab of rock n' roll that is welcomingly fledgling-Feeder-like in both it's production and sound. It's one of the tracks on the album that I can imagine would come across as sweaty and ballsy live; probably with plenty of bright white light flashes leaving phantom silhouettes dancing around in your retinas. Or maybe that's an artistic vision I should keep to myself. On 'Running' they truly rag it with a guitar riff so chunky it'd make Josh Homme blush. Just to put it in perspective for you, it'd be perfect for Phill Jupitus to phonetically 'chugga-chug-chug-chug' along to on the 'Intro's' round on 'Never Mind The Buzzcocks'. As a complete wildcard comparison, you would be excused for having the dazzlingly delicious image of Jared Leto pop into your head upon hearing the intro to 'Truth'... it is very unexpectedly very 30 Seconds To Mars... but if Mr Leto was a bit sullen after a long day. The absolute triumph of the record is undoubtedly 'Blood & Earth', a stormingly delicious slice of uncut, filthy rock n' roll; the likes of which hasn't really been prevalent since the saddening disappearance of Aussie garage-rock revivalists The Vines. This track is one of those that gets better with every listen. It's the sort of song you can imagine making an appearance on a 'Fifa' or film soundtrack. Cheeky riffs, mucky guitar, repetitive in the most anthemic way possible. They are clearly a fan of the old lo-fi vocal effects as they crop up on a fair few tracks, but they do suit the BRMC-worthy 'motorika' that this, and most of the album has been heavily steeped in. In a nutshell, I love this track. You will want to go sweat your proverbial nuts off to it. This is a pretty solid album. It is laced with true marvels and oozing with character, but, at the other end of the scale however, we do have dabblings with the bland and forgettable. It is of course forgiveable, as despite what Sum 41 thought back in the day, it is nigh on miraculous to have all killer and no filler on an album. We are looking at you here, 'Alone' and 'Home'. They're not particularly offensive in any way but they are rather nondescript and feel a bit like shunned Kasabian cast-offs. But in the grand scheme of things, that might not seem like too much of a negative to some. If you like your music meaty with a slathering of sulky sauce, have a nosh on Love Amongst Ruin.
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