By Mark Bremner
I have only just discovered Dead Sea Skulls and gotta say liking the grooves guys, but I’ve got to ask how you got your name?
Guitarist Nick came up with the idea. We all agreed it was a strong statement and a link to how long we have individually known each other and been in the industry.
How did you all get into music?
Ash learned drums at a young age from his uncle “Johnny Goldfinger.” He has been playing drums and trumpet from a young age and grew up in a family of travelling and circus background.
Jimi was a mod in an earlier life and grew up listening to John Entwhistle and really learned his craft from a young age also.
Nick always had an interest in music from a young age and himself and Jimi (who are brothers) have always played in bands together throughout their lives. His influences came from Hendrix, Page and even Josh Homme.
You have some great idols there, nice to see John Entwhistle on that list, often not mentioned, yet he was one of the greatest ever bass players! Jimmy, Nick, you guys where in Raven Vandelle, why did you jump ship to the Dead Sea? (ED: oooh ‘jump ship’ nice.)
Yes we were, we decided the time was right to move onto pastures new and take on a new challenge and re-evaluate the direction we wanted to go with our lives.
Cool, so what’s on repeat on your iPod, what track is the most recently added?
Ash: “Minor Swing” by Django Reinhardt, anything by the Pogues and more recently The Bronx.
Nick: “Songs for the deaf” by QOTSA and most recently Nile Rogers and Chic’s new collection!
Jimi: Both MONA albums.
I also have the QOTSA high on my playlists. If you could work with one artist (alive or dead) who would that be, and why?
Nick: Kurt Cobain for his amazing song writing and high energy stage antics.
Ash: Miles Davis because he was a genius.
Jimi: Elvis. He was the king.
Wow that’s a pretty eclectic mix, with some the world’s greatest musicians. That would be a JAM!
I like the strong vibe that comes through each track. Clearly a lot time and effort has gone into the EP. How long did it take you to write the tracks, and did you think about a consistency to create ‘your’ sound
The songs came together very easily actually. We put them together as full ideas in a rehearsal space and then went and laid them down with Andy Hawkins and really captured the vibe of the band. We are only a 3 piece and wanted that to come across in the EP. We didn’t want big production we just wanted it to be “honest.”
I like that, truth in songs… in who you are and what you want. There’s too much integrity missing in this industry today. So we love the sounds, now we wanna see the show, where and when can we catch ya?
We have a residency now at the Hawley Arms in Camden, London at “The Red Light Sessions.” We are next there on 24th Oct.
We are also at “Cherry Cola” at Camden’s Purple Turtle on Nov 9th.
I love the Camden scene, its cool and weird at the same time, will have to try and get down there and catch you. Ok so tell me, you’re a young Midlands band in the early stages of your career, what challenges to do you see before you as you attempt to get bigger?
We are just working hard to create a buzz and build a following to get noticed. We have a great EP out and just want to get as many people talking about Dead Sea Skulls as possible! Every time we play we want people to go away saying “f**k those guys rock!” We want to make an impression!
I like it. What cool stuff is on the horizon for Dead Sea Skulls?
We are planning our debut album for the New Year and plan to do as many shows as we can. We are currently looking at some high profile support slots which hopefully can help push us to as many faces as possible!
One last question, you’re in the lift with the A&R guys from the largest labels, you have 10 seconds to give them your pitch – GO…
If you like hard riffs & “dancey” grooves with BIG choruses & melodies, this is the band for you!! DSS also give high energy live shows with a visual element that is a complete break from the norm!
Guys its been a pleasure, we wish you every success and look forward to catching a live show, Cheers.
“Fortune Favours The Brave” is out now on Broken Banjo Records and available via iTunes, Amazon MP3 and Spotify.
https://www.facebook.com/deadseaskulls
