Riding the Low

About

Paddy Considine ... Vocals
Justin Chambers ... Drums
Dan Baker ... Guitar
Chris Baldwin ... Guitar
Richard Eaton ... Bass

How did you all meet and why did you start a band?

I’ve known Rich since my teens. We both come from Winshill and we met at school. At the time Rich was well into rock and I got tuned into Guns n Roses and Aerosmith through him. We were basically rockers. It had never occurred to me to play an instrument, but Rich was playing bass and Nick Hemming (The Leisure Society) was a brilliant guitarist, so I opted for the drums. We had a comedy thrash metal band called ’GRUNT’ that we put together with some of our friends. It was basically comedy sketches interspersed with songs. It was called ’Oink at the Moon’ a nod to Ozzy! The covers were hand made by Mike taylor, who did the vocals. I still have one tucked away somewhere! we had a filthy Mac Lads style song called ’Proper Farmin’ Lass’ hugely inspired by Tank Bullock, who was knocking around even way back in 1990!

We went on to form ’She Talks To Angels’ with Shane on vocals, then when I went to Brighton and played in a Britpop band called ’Pedestrians’. I think ’Riding The Low’ came along because I was given a guitar by my wife as a gift for Christmas, about seven years ago. I couldn’t play very well but I started to put together a few songs and found that I enjoyed writing, and it came pretty naturally even though I wasn’t that skilled. They were mainly ’PAVEMENT’ rip-offs, but influenced by alt-country which was big with me at the time. I wrote a set of songs and recorded them with Nick Hemming down at his place. Nick did some great work on them. They were basically demo quality. I think Gareth Roberts has a copy of that early stuff. Maybe I’ll leak it out at some point.

I continued to write and my obsession with ’GUIDED BY VOICES’ and Robert Pollard began to develop. When I REALLY discovered Bob my approach to songwriting changed. in fact my approach to EVERYTHING changed. It was during this time that I wrote ’Skull on Concrete’, ’Catch You When You Go’, ’Eightball’, ’Genius’, ’Reckless Gene’, all that stuff. It just got to a point where I thought I’d better record these songs, because If I don’t they’ll just be forgotten. I vaguely knew Chris through Rich, as Chris dates Rich’s sister. I’d heard his home recordings and thought he was a real talent, and somebody who could help me get the songs down. We got together and started to lay it out. We got in a room with our first drummer Dan Thompson and Rich and started to work out the songs. I’d never heard them played live by a band before and I flipped out when I felt the energy. They just came to life. I think after the rehearsal I said to the guys ’fuck it! Let’s do a gig!’. I think we played our first show at BAR XV in Burton about six weeks later. It was ragged, but raw and energetic. I think at our first show we played about sixteen songs and only one was a cover, ’Dancing Girls And Dancing Men’ by Bob Pollard!

Dan Baker came along through Chris. They’d been in bands together for a few years. Dan is amazing at getting these great catchy riffs going. He never over-emphasizes them. Just serves the songs. He’s very inventive. Our new drummer Justin Chambers came along through Chris also. He’s given the whole band and the music a punchier feel.

What are your inspirations behind the music?

Just life. My life and the life of those around me. There isn’t a single song that is throwaway. It comes from the gut. It’s instinctive. When I write a song I don’t labour it. I could give you the story behind EVERY song. they all mean something. That’s why It’s a pleasure to play them live.

What are the bands short term and long term plans?

To record and put out songs and get tighter live. We just started our own label called ’Clinical Finish’ and we’ll release through that. We go into the studio in August to record the next EP ’Riding The Low Are The Part-Time Rock Stars’. We have about fifty or so songs ready to go. The idea is that this becomes our full-time job!

What are the bands greatest achievements to date?

We’ve been lucky to have played some great shows and have some good nights. I thinks the songs are the greatest achievement. Also seeing people grow into their roles. That’s been really cool. Seeing Rich get his mojo back! That’s been rewarding!

How much influence has the likes of Robert Pollard and GBV had on the band?

On me personally the influence has been fucking huge. When I TRULY discovered Bob it was like a switch went off in my brain. My creativity just went up to a new level. I wouldn’t be writing these songs If it wasn’t for Pollard. The guys a genius, and I mean that with all the conviction I have. Guided By Voices are one of the most, If not THE most unheralded band in the entire history of rock and roll, and they have some of the most anthemic, creative, defiant songs ever written. The guys in the band appreciate it too and are getting into Bob’s work more and more. Put it this way, I gave a copy of ’Bee Thousand’ to an ex member of the band. They thought it sounded like a bunch of crappy demos. I thought ’fuck that!’ I can’t be in band with somebody who cannot at least appreciate the fact that there is some creativity there. I don’t give a fuck If you don’t like it, but at least acknowledge the fact that it has some fucking spirit! It’s one of the greatest records ever made. It came up recently in some poll of psychedelic albums at about 48 out of 50! Fuck that! It’s not even psychedelic to me. It’s the album The Beatles wish they could have made!

Who writes the music?

First off it was just me. Then Chris started mailing me riffs and ideas he had. I sat down with Garage Band and loaded them in. Improvised along to them. I think the first one I wrote was ’Easy On Our Own’. It was a thirty second riff! The whole song came from that. That’s how that relationship was born and that’s pretty much how It’s been since. Chris sends me songs and I write the lyrics and melody over them. I can’t imagine working any other way now. He’s got so many great ideas and sketches that I just bug him for them as I tend to write songs pretty quickly, then I want them learned and played in record time. I love bringing new stuff to the band. We’ve got a new track called ’21’s’ that we played at our Junction 7 show the other day. I think the guys only learned it the week before in one, maybe two sessions. I’m not a believer in laboring them. If there’s a basic grasp of the song the fuck it, let’s play it. Let it grow live. So to answer your question It’s mainly Chris and myself that write, but lately Dan has brought some great riffs to the group. ’Live From The Tramp Fights’ is a Dan riff, though the band wrote that together and I put the lyrics and melody over it when I was away In Canada. There’s a new riff Dan has for a song I called ’ROCKY99’ I think that’s going to become a fan favorite. We’re hoping to showcase it at our Derby show in July. I think the last song I wrote on my own was ’Dazzle Me, Begin’, I rely on Chris and Dan now!

Could pick a song of significance and explain the lyrics?

Ah. I suppose I could talk about ’Great Day Out For The Boys’. I wrote that song after I’d been on Soccer AM. I went with my cousin Matt and my brother Chubby. We had a few beers after the show and it was a really sunny day. Good vibe etc. I came home and jumped on the computer and booted up Chris’ riff and every word poured out. Melody, the lot. Just a stream of mildly pissed consciousness! It’s this big anthem, to my ears anyway, very defiant. When I listened back I realized that I’d written a song about my split personality sung from both points of view. On one hand there’s the side that wants normality and stability, the voice of reason If you like, then the other half is the Gobshite Rambo, as I call him. The part of me that wants to get pissed and be reckless. The sober side knows that there are consequences to those reckless actions, but it cannot control the other side. That’s it. I didn’t sit and think ’Today I’m going to write a song about my split personality!’ I never write like that EVER. I just blurt out a stream of consciousness, a load of words, and they always seem to add up to something significant.

What do you guys usually get up to before a gig? Any ’rituals’?

Nope. We’ve stopped booze before a gig. The main thing is that we can have twenty minutes together, just to get some space, then we go out as a team. No ’high fives’ and shit! Just go out and play our show the best we can.

Explain the name - Riding the Low?

’Riding The Low’ is the term I got from a biography on Lee Marvin, one of the greatest actors of all time. I brought the book for my Dad and found it after he died. I found a little message in there that he wrote about me. I picked up the book and started reading. There was a section in the book where it described the way Lee felt after he’d completed a movie. If it was a demanding role the character would leave him drained, and feeling depressed. He used to see a psychiatrist who advised him that after movies he should fill his time doing the things he enjoys to take his mind off things and settle him back into normal life. The psychiatrist called this period ’Riding The Low’. I’d had similar feelings after some of the more significant roles I’ve played in my day job. I remember I immediately looked at my Mum and said ’That’s the name of my band’. I didn’t even have a band then! But that was it, I was ’Riding The Low’, Now WE’RE ’Riding The Low!’.

If there was one thing you would like people to know about RTL what would it be?

WE MEAN IT MAN! This isn’t some half-arsed actor wanking off in a band. I mean it! WE mean it! I’m proud of this band. I don’t want to waste anybody’s time. I think meeting Chris has been very significant to me, and now we’ve got the right mix to make a good go of this.