4.52am Issue: 058 9th November 2017 The Sweet Gum Tree Issue

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T
his week in 4.52am we have an interview
with the rather wonderful Sweet Gum
Tree.
Learn to play sees us tackling some classics from
The Kinks and Queen (no pressure.)
More music from Cabbage, Rain, Serenade The
Stars and The Lovely Eggs and then we skip into
the twilight with La Contessa as she introduces
The Beatles, 10cc, Secret Affair, McFly, Space
and Petite Meller.
Hope you enjoy it
All at 4.52am

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Contents
Sweet Gum Tree ..................................................................... 9
Learn To Play: Queen ............................................................ 31
Learn To Play: The Kinks ....................................................... 33
Cabbage ................................................................................ 35
Rain ...................................................................................... 37
Serenade The Stars ............................................................... 39
The Lovely Eggs ..................................................................... 41
La Contessa Presents… .......................................................... 45
1960s: The Beatles ................................................................ 47
1970s: 10cc ........................................................................... 49
1980s: Secret Affair ............................................................... 51
1990s: Space ......................................................................... 53
2000s: McFly ......................................................................... 55
2010s: Petite Meller .............................................................. 57

Sweet Gum Tree
I
T happens every so often around here that we come across a
band that is new to us (and that is our fault) that totally
blows us away by offering something just that bit different to
the norm.
Sweet Gum Tree did exactly that, and we were many kinds of
chuffed to be able to catch-up with main man Arno Sojo for a
chat.
We asked him to tell us about himself and the band and happily
he did exactly that.
“Since my previous band Sojo Glider split in 2009, Sweet Gum
Tree has become my solo project, allowing me to collaborate
with a wide array of musicians (guests, former bandmates,
orchestras...) or just operate on my own. I have gained more
flexibility and creative freedom.”

In terms of influences, who are they and how do you go about
bringing them into your music?
“They range from late-sixties orchestral pop and seventies
psych-folk to 80's new-wave and shoegaze, even a great deal of
90's indie rock. I’m also very curious of jazz and classical music,
but my main influences could be filed under pop-rock. I spent
most of my childhood under the spell of early Cat Stevens, Pink
Floyd, Françoise Hardy, The Beatles or David Bowie. My parents’
record collection originally did the job. As a teenager the first gig
I bought a ticket to was Talk Talk’s “Colour Of Spring” tour,
doomed to be their last, but it would turn out to be a longlasting
love affair, especially with such a genre-defying record as
“Spirit Of Eden”. In a similar vein, David Sylvian’s work made
quite an impact on me. But if I needed to narrow the list down
to one specific genre or trend, I would probably refer to the
shimmering guitar pop heydays of the late 80’s-early 90’s (The
Church, House Of Love, Echo & The Bunnymen, R.E.M...), later
sustained by exciting britpop bands, such as Doves. I'm also
obviously very keen on the timeless singer-songwriter type, from
Lee Hazlewod to Ed Harcourt, from Neil Young to Joseph Arthur,
from Suzanne Vega to Leona Naess, it has been a constant
source of inspiration for me. Lately I've been listening to a lot of
Kurt Vile, Flaming Lips, Gaz Coombes, Hope Sandoval & The
Warm Inventions, Melody's Echo Chamber, Emily Haines & The
Soft Skeleton, Max Richter... Those records you enjoy on a
regular basis unconsciously permeate your work at some point,
one way or another. Out of this natural spongy process, you're
likely to extract a mix of your own, hopefully something unique.”

Going back to the beginning, when did you know that you
wanted to be a musician?
“I had an epiphany listening to Pink Floyd at the age of two.
David Gilmour's liquid guitar spellbound me and triggered the
need to learn how to play the six-string, which sounded to me
like the perfect means of self-expression. Since then, playing
records, writing songs and performing them has been my main
interest in life.”
How did you go about it ? (first bands, college, lessons etc.)
“I got my first guitar at the age of three and taught myself how
to play until my late teens, when I completed my knowledge in a
professional musical institute. By then, I used to practice on the
electric for 12 to 14 hours a day. Meanwhile, I had played guitar
and sung in many ephemeral college bands. As a teenager I also
had piano lessons for a few years and learnt how to read and
write music. I used to have fun with synthesizers and effects too.
Much later the need to capture rhythm ideas and commit them
to tape pushed me to dabble in bass and drums. In parallel to my
own projects, I worked a lot as a session musician between 1996
and 2004, and got to join many different bands, covering a broad
range of styles : rock, jazz, electronic, world, pop...”
Who were your early influences, and can you see them in your
early work? If so, how about now?
“Bowie, Beatles, Pink Floyd, The Church, REM, INXS... I could
hear some aspects of their music in my early work, and I still can
hear their influences now, although it might only sound obvious
to my own ears, I suppose. Anyway, it was fortunate that I never
actually tried to sound like any of them. The whole point of
creating music always seemed to be self-discovery.”

So how did you manage to turn that into a song?
“I suppose it came naturally, out of listening to the works of
revered craftsmen. Like most songwriters I have improved with
time, honing my skills. For me it took a great deal of experience
and building more self-confidence to be able to come up with
something more distinctive, more personal, and it's an ongoing
process. But I'd like to stress the fact that I hardly ever consider
songwriting from a technical point of view. After all, inspiration
remains this magical, barely conscious process, and your main
ideas seem to be here before you even realize. So really, the
best songs seem to come out of the blue, in a relatively
effortless way. I wouldn't go as far as to say that songs write
themselves, but it's almost the case.”
Can you describe your sound?
“I would consider it textural and atmospheric, with a written
approach. Cinematic songs with romantic exaltation. Widescreen
pop incorporating elements of psych-folk and indie rock. Dreamy
melancholia. A bittersweet, subtle blend of acoustic, electric and
electronic sounds, with room for mystery. Stimulating the
listener’s imagination is a matter of great importance to me.”

When did you start gigging - what was your first gig like?
“At the age of seventeen, I played my first gig on the pavement,
in downtown Angers, with a local cover band. We performed
songs by The Police, The Clash, U2... The street was crowded,
and I remember struggling to protect my gear from people
having a terrible fight in the audience. I was striving to push
them back with my foot while singing and playing the guitar, just
so my pedal board wouldn't drown in beer. It was a bit too wild
for my taste, but we went on with our set until it started raining
cats and dogs. Although someone stood on it throughout, my
open-back guitar amp made it home relatively safe, with much
broken glass and cigarette ashes in its belly.”
Tell us about the big gigs you’ve played and how did you enjoy
them.
“I'm not too keen on big outdoor events, although I've played
quite a few over the years. I feel it's easier for me to make a
connection with the audience in an intimate setting, like a
stripped-down solo performance in a small club, even if people
aren't familiar with the material, the music never fails to get
through somehow. But I fondly recall touring with a six-piece
band a few years ago, to largely undersold beautiful venues,
such as London's Union Chapel, great vibe. Also, finding myself
performing on stage with Heather Nova or The Church's Marty
Willson-Piper, some of my personal heroes, felt like a dream.
Getting to play with a string section on many occasions also
ranks among the most rewarding live experiences I've known, as
I find classical musicians pretty awe-inspiring.”

What was the first thing you recorded?
“Besides early demos in my college days, the most notable, and
very first thing I released was a cover of Steve Kilbey's "The
Egyptian", which came out on a US label as part of a tribute
album to Australian band The Church. I taped it at home on an 8-
track cassette device. I couldn't believe it was actually selected
by the executive producer of this project, a warm and friendly
person who soon became my manager. In those early internet
days, back in the late nineties, I was approached by major US
labels, such as Arista and Maverick, if you can believe it !”
Is there anything you wish you'd known then?
“Well I wish I'd known about tube preamps, compression and
de-essing, that kind of stuff, but I was modestly equipped and
did the best I could with whatever was within reach. Technical
limitations do trigger your creativity I believe, and those home
sessions with my 8-track cassette recorder were a big part of my
learning process in terms of musical production.”
How does that compare to how you recorded the album?
“Since my early recordings a couple of decades ago, technology
has much evolved and I have really honed my skills as a
musician. Most of all, I can actually listen better. What remains is
the excitement in the creative process, it does feel fresh as ever.
But since 2004 and the recording of Sojo Glider's second LP, I
have always worked in a professional environment, teaming up
with top-notch producers (Dare Mason, Malcolm Burn, Peter
Deimel, David Odlum, Ken Stringfellow, to name a few). I've
learnt a lot from their advice and guidance, especially as each
one has a distinct method, approach and taste.”

“My new album "Sustain The Illusion" has been the fruit of a
very close collaboration with Irish producer David Odlum (Glen
Hansard, Gemma Hayes...), who I had become friends with over
the mixing of Sweet Gum Tree's previous effort ("The Snakes You
Charm & The Wolves You Tame"). With David brilliantly handling
the technical aspects of recording and mixing at Studio Black Box
somewhere in my neck of the woods, I was able to focus on the
music itself, and that's enough to keep yourself busy for sure.
Besides, my producer challenged me to play almost every
instrument this time (drums, bass and keyboards in addition to
guitars and vocals), for a distinct vibe (bearing in mind I had
recorded my previous LP with a crowd of about thirty
musicians). We did have a couple of brilliant guest musicians
aboard though (Romy on keyboards and backing vocals, Elise on
violin), for extra flavours and welcome camaraderie. They were
also key to transcending this record.”
Can you talk us through the tracks on the album?
BREAKING THE BOND : A light-and-shade track, about breaking
free from a toxic relationship, a declaration of independence.
TWINKLE : It’s the most cheerful number I ever came up with. I
think of it as a playful mid-life review, a humble reflection on the
gears of life, naturally failing to come up with answers but
finding joy along the way. It’s about choices made, paths taken,
the people you love, and facing tomorrow. Although it has an
unconventional structure, it’s a light-hearted track which offers a
nice contrast to the darker material on the album.

SOMEDAY : A brotherly piano song with a humane message,
written after the initial series of terrorist attacks in Paris. I must
have been unconsciously trying to revive the spirit of John
Lennon's pacifism.
ROLLERCOASTER : A tribute to inspiring female figures, a mix of
various acquaintances of mine, heroins for the modern times.
FAIRWEATHER FAITH : This one is about betrayed friendship,
easy for anyone to relate to I guess. When a song starts in a
relatively dark place, I naturally tend to drag it into the light. So
there's a sense of deliverance here, almost a palpable serenity,
underlined by Elise's soulful violin and the electronic tabla.
STARS ALIGN : A little variation on romance and fate. Driven by a
little bass hook, for a change. I find it both catchy and
mysterious.
GUILT TRIP : A little rant about the modern witch hunt. I enjoy a
bit of social satire and the occasional use of irony. On a musical
note, this is the most new-wavy material I ever recorded, with a
motorik beat. Entrancing and noisy at the same time. It was the
last song written for this album, and I remember doubting that it
would stylistically fit, but somehow it does.
CLEAN SLATE : A stripped-down and mysterious keyboard-driven
tune about an evil trunk full of childhood memories, and how to
deal with the past.
BURN YOUR ICONS : Another one of my social observations. I
was afraid I might sound slightly cynical here, but there's also a
lot of empathy for those fallen idols. As my producer David
Odlum pointed out, it's that ambiguity which makes the song
interesting. Musically, it's the most multi-layered song on the
record, and kind of captivating from beginning to end, even if I
do say so myself.

THE GIFT : I wrote this open-hearted ballad for my son. It's so
deeply personal that I wasn't sure I wanted to put it out. Yet it's
probably the most universal song I ever came up with. I recorded
it live with Romy and Elise at Studio Black Box, David Odlum later
contributed bass and drums. They were all big supporters of the
song and convinced me to include it. Romy's long Philicorda
outro, in which the listener tends to lose track of time, is my
favourite moment on the album.
KEEPER : Probably my best piano piece yet. Recorded live and
kept as such, although I wasn't too pleased with the vocals at
first. Eventually this take grew on me. Besides Romy and Elise
worked wonders. Originally it was going to be a lullaby for my
son, written to help him deal with night terror. In this regard I
probably failed miserably, but I still like how metaphorically the
song takes on a more universal meaning, about why we must not
yield to fear, which basically is the album's common thread.

Tell us about your guitar gear?
“My favourite electric six-string is a Gretsch Tennessee Rose
G6120W-1957 (the Chet Atkins signature model as modified by
Eddie Cochran, a guitar which was more recently brought back in
the spotlight by Richard Hawley, among others). I also cherish
my Gibson Hummingbird for all things acoustic, and often tune it
to DGCGCD, something I learned from Jimmy Page (Led
Zeppelin's "The Rain Song" was based on this tuning). My
current favourite amp is a Vox AC-15, the recent version, with its
built-in reverb and tremolo very present on Sweet Gum Tree's
material. A former effects junkie, I now tend to use them
sparingly, so the only stompboxes I indulge in these days are a
Boss Space Echo RE-201 ("Breaking The Bond"), a Boss DD-5 for
its reverse delay ("The Gift"), a Zvex Fuzz Factory (which you can
hear in "Someday" 's noisy solo), a Boss OD-3 for the occasional
extra overdrive, sometimes a Dunlop Cry-Baby (for the wah
effect on "Burn Your Icons")... In certain live situations I also use
a Boss RC-50 to trigger samples, depending on my band's lineup.”
You can find out more about Sweet Gum Tree here,
Twitter Facebook Web Site

Learn To Play: Queen
B
Y the time Queen became a pop band, it was easy to
forget just how good they, and Brian May in particular,
were.
And Wayne’s World cliché it may be, but we feel everybody
should be able to play at least some of Bohemian Rhapsody if
you are going to keep hold of your AxeMeister card.

Learn To Play:
The Kinks
N
ot only were the Kinks the inventors of the distortorama
fuzz guitar sound, but they wrote the best songs around,
and so for Dave and Ray here is a wee guitar lesson of
one of their finest.

Cabbage
G
reat news for fans of seriously cool music, the brilliant
Cabbage have announced a new tour for early next year
and tickets are about to go on sale.
January 2018
Weds 31st
Hull The Welly Club
February 2018
Thurs 1st Nottingham The Bodega
Fri 2nd Stoke-on-Trent The Sugarmill
Sat 3rd Sheffield Plug
Weds 7th Southampton The Loft
Fri 9th Bristol Fiddlers
Sat 10th Leeds Brudenell Social Club
Wed 14th Newcastle Think Tank
Thurs 15th Glasgow King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut
Fri 16th Liverpool The Magnet
Sat 17th Birmingham Castle & Falcon
Tickets on sale 10am Friday 10th November from
gigsandtours.com / ticketmaster.co.uk / seetickets.com

Rain
F
ormed in late 2015, Rain took no time in making a name
for themselves. Their debut EP Symphony Pains (Close To
Home Records) saw them receive love and attention from
the likes of BBC Radio 1, Seattle's KEXP, Stereogum and Rolling
Stone. At just three tracks long it hit hard enough to make an
impression. One band we really love here in 452-land, being
quite partial to a bit of Punkish Emo Hardcore, are Rain who in
2015 released a fantastic E.P ‘Symphony Pains’ which was
frankly marvellous.
Having spent the past year and a half writing and recording a
follow up record, RAIN are incredibly proud to be releasing
Abstract Vision on November 24th via Venn Records and we
can’t wait for everybody to hear it.
You can pre-order Abstract Vision on red and black vinyl from
Venn Records Here

Serenade The Stars
D
ecember sees the release of a brilliant new track from
the utterly unique ‘Serenade The Stars’ although it is
only going to be a taster for an album that will land in
late 2018, in an innovative CD + Book format. Speaking about the
track ‘She's The One,’ guitarist and songwriter Damian
Carruthers says:
"She's The One is a tale of falling hopelessly for the girl of your
dreams and the ensuing battle that goes on in your mind about
how to confess your love... The inspiration actually came straight
from the heart this time and the ending to the story is yet to be
written! - I am hoping for a fairytale ending ;-) Either way, the
song will no doubt spawn a sequel... Who knows, it could be the
start of an epic trilogy?"
You can find out more and pre-order the track,
Facebook
Twitter

The Lovely Eggs
Y
ou don’t need to be psychic to realise that we are rather
in love with The Lovely Eggs, so it is again a happy smiley
kind of place when we find out that not only are the band
releasing a new album, ‘This is Eggland’ in February, a single
called ‘I Shouldn’t Have Said That’ now and they are hitting the
road for a proper tour.
February Tour Dates
With support from Phill Jupitus (Porky The Poet) on all dates:
Thurs 8: The Yorkshire House, Lancaster
Fri 9: The Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
Sat 10: The Cluny, Newcastle
Sun 11: The Mash House, Edinburgh
Mon 12: Stereo, Glasgow
Tue 13: The Adelphi, Hull
Wed 14: Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff
Thur 15: The Cellar, Oxford
Fri 16: The 100 Club, London
Sat 17: Band on the Wall, Manchester
Find out more HERE

La Contessa Presents…
A
S you would expect, in a week that has seen all manner
of political shenanigans, it was good to find that some
things never change and La Contessa has pulled out all of
the stops to find us a varied, surprising and generally super-chilly
collection of songs from across the decades. Starting with a
Beatles rarity, moving through 10cc and the astonishingly
overlooked Secret Affair, we meander our way through Space,
sidestep McFly and end up in the arms of Petite Meller.
Well, it was never going to be predictable and the lady doesn’t
do requests no matter how much you beg, Jermiah.

1960s: The Beatles

1970s: 10cc

1980s: Secret Affair

1990s: Space

2000s: McFly

2010s: Petite Meller