Young people are a key part of our gig-theatre show Lost in Music. We’ve recruited local young musicians for each venue on the tour who will perform with the professional cast. Young people are also involved with the marketing campaign for the show. Here’s another interview from our Young Marketeer Jodie Rae:
There are many untold stories and unseen processes that go into creating the music that we hear and love. I decided to speak to a musician who could give some insight into what his processes are when entering a musical project: whether that be forming a band or releasing an album.
I chatted with Lewis Wise, frontman and lead guitarist for Ayrshire grunge band, Royal Bloom. We talked about his musical journey, favourite musical moments, songwriting, and the process that has gone into writing and recording an album for the first time.
Lewis has been a professional musician for over seven years and has been a guitar player for most of his life. He has more recently worked as a guitar tutor and hopes to inspire aspiring young musicians.
How did you and your band come together?
It all came from an idea. Back when I was 16, I was in my previous band, but I wasn’t satisfied. So, I left and gave myself a year to find a new band. I worked with a bunch of people, but we just weren’t the ideal mix. Then I found the right people: Aaron and Kyle. We’ve been together ever since. Happily ever after!
What is the best live show that you’ve played?
Definitely our most recent one – GrungeFest. That was incredible. People came to us and said they had travelled for over five hours to come to see us. And the crowd was just so welcoming. I’ve never experienced a crowd quite like that. That was at Ivory Blacks in Glasgow.
You’re at the end of recording your debut album. How long has that process been?
Very long. It’s been in the works for the best part of five years since the band started. We recorded a whole bunch of songs, probably enough to produce three albums. But instead, because of the lockdown and everything, we decided to get all of our best songs and compile them into one. It now has 11 tracks. And it’s got every piece of our hearts, souls, moments in life etc. And it’s all about things that we know. We’re not writing about fame or things that we don’t know about. It’s about our experiences.
What was the writing process like?
Very personal. The writing process was a very emotional one. Whenever I was in a certain state of mind, I wasn’t like “Sit down and write!”. It was more that I couldn’t say how I felt or even write how I felt. So, I would get my guitar and just hit record. I’d stay to a basic ‘verse, chorus, verse, chorus’ style and sort of sing along. I would listen back to it and write down what I was saying. Some of it could be absolute nonsense. Sometimes I would think ‘Hmm, I’m quite the philosopher!”. But sometimes I don’t realise what the songs mean until a later date.
That’s why I quite like my style of writing because anyone can take what they think of the song and make it their own. And it means whatever you want it to at that moment. It can be one thing one day and then another the next day.
What was the recording process like?
That was fantastic. We recorded with a man called Ally Smith, from SoundMagic Studios in Ayr. We chose to record there because that’s where most of our songs were created and came together. It seemed right to have everything under one roof and to have everything from within our local hometown. It didn’t seem right to go anywhere else.
So, we had a couple of recording sessions. The whole recording process took place over about two years. Mainly for financial reasons. Recording is expensive. Producing is expensive. But we also wanted to reevaluate some of the songs that we had written, as they had grown over that time period as well. I’m glad we did that because none of the songs are album fillers. We believe that they’re all like singles in their own way. But it was a good time!
What sort of themes does the album explore?
Mental health. It explores the reality of what people go through when they grow up throughout school, relationships, addiction, and throughout changing times in your life. Its about breaking free and finding out who you actually really are and what you’re capable of. So, it’s quite a personal album, which is why we called it ‘Visceral’ with visceral meaning an internal feeling. Like a gut instinct or butterflies.
How did you decide what songs went on to the album?
They just outshined the rest! So, it wasn’t really a hard decision to make. We knew what we wanted the album to sound like. We knew what we were going for and it went in its own direction naturally and progressed into its own sort of thing.
Because it has taken us so long to produce this album, we really found our own sound, image, and style throughout that time. And it’s really showing how we’ve matured musically in regard to our old EP, because there’s so much time in between writing, recording, re-editing etc. My lyrics don’t get re-edited that much. There’s not always that deep of a meaning inside them. It’s whatever you can pick out of it and make your own.
What is your favourite track on the album and why?
For Aaron and Kyle, its ‘Visceral’. For a long time, I didn’t like that one. But we’ve actually come back to it and made it better. I’ve still got the image of the older one in my head though!
It’s a really hard one for me to choose, but I’d maybe say, ‘I’m Alright’. And ‘Liquidators’. It’s between those two. I’d say they’re the most fun to play, the most fun to sing, and I feel more connected to those ones than any of the others.
Royal Bloom have been an important part of the Grunge revival in their local scene. You can find out more about the band or listen to their music via this link https://www.flowcode.com/page/royalbloom.
Jodie Rae is a singer-songwriter, musician, and actor from the West Coast of Scotland. Jodie uses her music as a raw, unfiltered outlet that reflects her own experiences with love, self, and loss. She has gigged and performed theatrically across Scotland, at events such as Celtic Connections, DMC’s The PLAZA, and the Dumfries and Galloway Arts Festival.
Lost in Music
Touring Scotland from 16 Sept – 7 Oct 2022
Tickets on sale now.