More times than not when a band develops a good buzz they fail to capitalize on it. The reasons are endless for why that is, but I suppose in many circumstances the band isn't worth the hype. Churchill is not one of those bands. They snuck on to the scene a couple years back and earned themselves a trip to the final round of Hometown for the Holidays where they lost to another great band you may have heard of, The Epilogues. They did get their name out there though, and with people starting to pay attention, the expectations of a great record were mounting. Fortunately, we get to talk about how excellent that record is today and how this brilliant band is setting the bar just a little higher, and not how they failed. Long Live Churchill!!
ALDM: Tell me about how Churchill formed?
CH: Mike and I had been playing music together since college and in 2008 he and I moved to Denver to really get a 'band' going. For the first year we had several different people playing different shows with us. It wasn't until after the first EP that we had the official lineup of Joe Richmond, who I had done a solo project with a few years before, Bethany Kelly, who we met playing music at a church, and Tyler Rima. We had Tyler playing bass for us within the first week we met him. It was all pretty random actually. I think we were all just in the right place at the right time.
ALDM: What sort of growth has the band experienced since placing third in Hometown in 09'? I hear a more confident sound.
CH: Yes, I think Hometown was definitely a huge boost of confidence for us. Before that we were just making music that we liked to play and really had no idea how people respond to it. There was the constant question of 'maybe we should add electric guitar and be a rock band, or maybe we should tone it down and be more folky'. After hometown, it was like a light bulb went off above our heads and we were all thinking, "wow, people actually dig the music we're making". From that point on I think we started to to get a lot more comfortable with our instrumentation, and we realized that there doesn't have to be any rules when it comes to the music we make.
ALDM: What was the song writing process like foe Happy/Sad?
CH: This last year was one of the most difficult years of my life which, interestingly enough, made for a pretty easy year of songwriting for me. In almost all of the songs on Happy/Sad there are references to contrasting emotion; loss, gain, pain, pleasure, and obviously happiness and sadness. there were a lot of late nights where I was alone writing these songs. Thankfully though, I would bring these songs to the rest of the band and they always knew exactly how to express the emotions through their parts. The songs became so much more than the down-tempo sad love songs they were when I had written them. Everyone has the best interest of the song in mind and so I know when I bring a song to the band they somehow always know exactly what to do.
ALDM: The male/female dynamics of the vocals work so well within the band. How is that worked out?
CH: The song 'Burn It Down' was written exactly for that purpose. It's a conversation between two people, so that made it pretty easy. 'We Used To Be Happy' is a song from the female perspective so it made a great fit for Bethany to sing. I think we are still learning and finding the places where it's necessary, it's difficult because I think we're all so afraid of overdoing anything, whatever that is. I think maybe we are just afraid of being pinned to any genre or 'format', and somehow that works for us.
ALDM: In your live performance I see tremendous growth as well. How do you feel about your most recent performances?
CH: Good and bad, haha. I think we all are getting better and more comfortable on stage, but we also know that we have a long way to go. It's funny, after most of our shows we generally feel pretty good and then we'll listen to a recording or watch a video and all of our reactions are 'yikes' or 'wow, that did NOT sound like I thought it did!' At the end of the day though, we just remember that music is fun to play, before every show we have a meeting and remind ourselves that it's fun and there's no point in playing music if we don't have fun. That takes all the pressure off.
ALDM: The new album was just released, but where do you see Churchill down the road in terms of sound and songwriting?
CH: Like I said before, we are afraid of being pinned to any genre, the new songs we've been working on are all over the map, from distorted bass and bluesy rock, to electronically driven ultra pop with mandolin solos. Right now we are just throwing any and all ideas in the pot to see what kind of new sounds we can make. The songwriting has been more collaborative as of late, too. Instead of bringing fully finished songs to the band, I'm bringing bits and ideas and we are just seeing where it takes us. We have a goal of having at least 30 finished songs before we start recording again. I'm really pumped about it, I honestly have no idea what 'our sound' will be, haha. But I promise it will still be Churchill.
ALDM: I've asked this question to other bands. How do you feel about the current music scene in Denver?
CH: I think it's the best music scene there is. Not only are there tons of great bands and singer/songwriters, there is an amazing sense of community. Everyone is always at everyone else's shows and hanging out. It's not a cut throat town where you have to put someone else down to get ahead. I think everyone just wants to see the scene get bigger and better. Needless to say, we love it here.
ALDM: Also, describe the camaraderie between the bands (yourself, the epilogues, Air Dubai ect...)
CH: Well, we wouldn't be where we are today without the other bands in Denver. When we first started out, Pat and Nate Meese from The Centennial did everything they could to help us and as we met more Denver bands, they all did the same thing. Everyone wants to be a part of the growth of the scene and so every one is always willing do whatever they can to help the 'new guys'.
ALDM: I am sure this will be a big year for Churchill. What can we expect from you guys in 2011?
CH: We're all itching to get on the road, so we're hoping to get on a few tours in the next year and play our music to people who haven't heard it yet. We're going to keep creating, keep writing, and keep working hard. I guess we'll just see where that takes us! And of course, we'll be playing in Denver again so keep your eyes open for the next time we play in town!
Check out Churchill's facebook here
You can also buy Happy/Sad below, just do it!
Happy Sad - Churchill
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