COLT

COLT (FORMLERY CALLED LIVING WITH EATING WITH DISORDER)

INTERVIEW WITH ANFREA KERR AND JARED HAWKES
DATE 2ND JUNE 2004
Written by Gordon Taylor Of Infectious Unease Radio

Living With Eating Disorders are band that takes you on a journey of wonderful lush exquisite original sound that challenges all the senses and subconscious in a delightful way. So enter the world of Living With Eating with Disorders with an open mind with out fear

BAND INTERVIEW

BAND Living With Eating with Disorders

BAND MEMBERS: Andrea Kerr, Jared Hawkes, Mark Bishop, Jamie Morrison

BANDS DISCOGRAPHY: no official releases. 12 track demo ‘selling self hate’ and 3 track demo ‘more than this’

BANDS WEB PAGE: http://www.livingwitheatingdisorders.com

BANDS SNAIL MAIL ADDRESS: something to listen to, Po Box 3276, Barnet. EN5 4YT. UK

INTERVIEWER: GORDON TAYLOR OF INFECTIOUS UNEASE RADIO

INTERVIEWEES: Andrea Kerr Jared Hawkes

DATE: 2nd June 2004

You all come from different parts of the Uk. What were your earlier experiences of these places? When was the first time you started playing an instrument? And when did Living With Eating with Disorders form?

Andrea Kerr: The south side of Glasgow was a fantastic place to grow up, Glasgow is a big enough city that there is always a good night life and my fondest memories from my teenage years are of the gigs I was able to see. Most bands who come to the uk play Glasgow, and where the shows in London may sell out or be in quite large venues, a smaller city means smaller venues and less chance of gigs selling out. I have seen some fantastic bands in great little venues. As well as growing up in a city I was only hours or minutes drive from mountains and Lochs, and the west coast and a lot of my childhood was spent on the west coast of Scotland or helping out on a farm. I have always liked singing for as long as I can remember and it’s not something that you need to buy an instrument to be able to do though my dad plays guitar so there were always guitars in the house. And there was always music playing, in the house and in the car, I am instantly calmer when there is music playing.

Jared Hawkes: I grew up in Bournemouth which is a small tourist town on the south coast. I didn’t like it much.
I bought a keyboard when I was 17. I thought I’d just make noises with it, I never intended to write music because at the time I didn’t believe I could. Months went by, then, when no one was looking, I started to write….. mostly rubbish. I’ve got a cassette somewhere and if it ever gets out, I’m finished.

What previous bands have you been involved in? What styles of music did you play in these bands?

Andrea Kerr: There was a band at school I was in, for about a week I think, apart from that I have only written with other people, this is the first band I have gigged with. I guess the stuff I used to write would be similar to what I do now, the music may have been a little different but my vocal style and lyrics would have always been similar.

Jared Hawkes: This is the first band I’ve been in.

What instruments and equipment do you use when producing and performing your music?

Andrea Kerr: a microphone usually helps! My voice is a little hard to hear above the racket the others make without one. I have a nice green bullet microphone though usually we just use a 58.

Jared Hawkes: The setup is pretty simple. For gigs, I use a keyboard and sampler. For recording, it’s the same again but with extra keyboards, a Mac and some guitar pedals.

Your music expresses many strong emotions that touch the listener’s senses and subconscious in many ways. When you compose your lyrics and music what is it that you are feeling, and inspired by at that particular moment of creative process? Do you write the lyrics and music at the same time or at separate intervals?

Andrea Kerr: Anger, rejection, confusion and hurt are all things that I might be feeling when I write. Writing is difficult unless I am feeling a particular emotion and I find that I can’t just sit down to write something, it has to come naturally. Expressing my emotions through writing is something I have always done and its just luck that some of the things I write can be used as lyrics. The Music and lyrics are always written separately, I write when I feel I have to and Jared writes the music. When Jared has something new for me to listen to I get the feel of it, find some words to fit, and sing the melody as I hear the music.

Jared Hawkes: Well, for me, the emotion the most important factor, it’s the anchor for the music. When I’m in a writing mood, I sit at the keyboard and pick a sound, more or less at random and using the keyboard, kind of feel around for something, just letting my hands make the decisions while the brain focuses on the emotion. Eventually, the hands come up with something interesting and that inspires me to take it further, then the brain takes over.

Andrea on a lighter note does your rabbit still has a taste for electrical cables and music?

Andrea Kerr: And carpet, and skirting board and wallpaper. Anything he can get his teeth round is fare game and they are sharp! A few pairs of shoes have suffered his curiosity recently. He also discovered chocolate, which has changed his life.

What has the response been for your albums?

Andrea Kerr: there has been a fantastic response so far and that’s been for the demos. Our first official release is due out in July so we still have to wait and see how that will be received but the demos have all had really great reviews.

Are you working on any up and coming albums?

Andrea Kerr: as soon as the final touches have been made to the demo we will start work on the album. I am hoping to finish recording the album quickly so we can start writing new material. Writing is what I think I enjoy doing best.

You are signed to John Fryer’s label “Something To Listen To”, a man who has produced such bands label like 4AD, Nine Inch Nails, Love and Rockets, This Mortal Coil, Him, Sister Machine Gun, Die Krupps, Cocteau Twins, White Zombie, Sarah Mclachlan, Laibach, Depeche Mode. How did you meet him? I get a strong impression that he is encouraging with peoples music and makes sure that he gets the best out of them for a finished project.

Andrea Kerr: John and I met a few years ago in a studio I was working for. It’s a sort of fairytale really, the kind of thing you think doesn’t happen in real life, I moved to London to pursue a career in music and found a job in a recording and rehearsal studio. John was working on the Rico session the first time we met and a few years later was back in for a meeting when we got chatting and I gave him a copy of our demos. He just fell in love with the music and offered to help us, even before he started his label, so being part of ‘something to listen to’ felt like finding the music it’s natural home.

Jared Hawkes: Yeah, John completely understands what we’re about and what we’re trying to achieve. He’s an amazing engineer too.

Your music has many styles of sound. To people who may not have heard of Living With Eating with Disorders how would you describe your sound to them?

Andrea Kerr: It is a building of sounds and guitars that can be quite slow and quite timid then it can be loud and aggressive. I have difficulty describing it to be honest.

Jared Hawkes: oh, not this question – it’s too hard. I find it impossible to describe without over simplifying it - “you know, it’s got electronic bits with some guitars and Andrea sings on it……”.

When you get the time what music do you enjoy listening to?

Andrea Kerr: Bowie is a big favorite at the moment. QOTSA, 80’s Matchbox, I think I go through phases where I listen to one particular thing on overkill and at the moment it is Bowie, there is a lot to listen to!

Jared Hawkes: Talking Heads, Soul Coughing, David Bowie, Brian Eno, Beastie Boys, Severed Heads, Autechre

You have many interesting photos of the band. Who took the photos and where were they taken?

Andrea Kerr: Richard Mitchell took the photos in a Victorian mental asylum. The hospital is still used from ground level up and has patients living there but we were shooting in the basement, which has been unused for years. It was really hot down there and it was hard work in all that heat, but rather suddenly at about 9pm the temperature dropped and it became really dark, there were some dull thudding noises that we hadn’t heard earlier in the day and we all got the creeps and abandoned the shoot!

You have had some controversy about the name of band from ill-informed people. Would you like to tell us about this? As I know you are not making fun of this condition, if anything making people aware that the condition does exist thanks to society’s pressure.

Andrea Kerr: yes I am surprised at the number of people who have thought we would actually be taking the piss! I can only assume they are people who know nothing about us, I am a supporter of self-injury awareness and was picked on at school and I would never make fun of anyone. At the same time I don’t think I have to apologise or explain to anyone why I chose the name or what problems I have or may have had with eating disorders and I think a lot of the criticism is just a way of digging into my personal life to get the dirt.

Apart from playing music what other things do you and enjoy in life.

Andrea Kerr: cars and horses. I miss having a car, when I lived in Scotland I loved to escape, loading the car with great music and driving out into the countryside. Cars and music are magical together.
And horses need nothing to be magical. To have a horse is to know how to fly.

Jared Hawkes: I like photography, it’s refreshingly different from music - less control, less decisions, less interference from me. It’s like, “oh , that looks good”, aim, fire, forget.

What gigs did you enjoy the most and what was the audience response?

Andrea Kerr: One of my favorites was the Devonshire arms, the gig was packed, it was Jared’s birthday and our ex guitarist, Doug’s last gig with us. The audience was great, really close to the front and they seemed transfixed. It was a real confidence boost as far as playing live is concerned.

Jared Hawkes: The Glasgow gigs were my favourite, the audiences there are great, really supportive and enthusiastic.

Which bands have you performed gigs with?

Andrea Kerr: so many I can’t remember. Leisur hive are great to do gigs with, we have done a few with them.

What memorable experiences have you had when playing live?

Andrea Kerr: forgetting to sing at the start of horsemilk the first time we played live was pretty memorable!

Jared Hawkes: Absolutely shitting myself everytime for the first ten gigs. I just mildly shit myself now.

I understand you played at the Devonshire Arms, I have read it has a very interesting English history about it, and is some what haven for death rockers and Goth metal heads could you tell me more about it.

Andrea Kerr: one of my favorite gigs! It’s a funny place actually because a few weeks after we played there I took a friend for a drink and got turned away at the door because of their dress code. I was told that I looked a bit smart which should give you an idea of the regulars if I tell you I was wearing little more than shredded Victorian looking underwear!

Have you got any up and coming tours? If so where will these take place?

Andrea Kerr: A few gigs but not a full tour yet. We have London Winchester and Colchester this month and a few unconfirmed gigs for next month too. Cambridge, Southampton, Redhill and Glasgow should all get a visit pretty soon too.

Do you have any funny or interesting experiences you would like to talk about?

Andrea Kerr: no we are all tremendously serious! Actually our old guitarist Doug started playing horsemilk in the wrong key at one of our gigs once. That was hilarious and we all just looked at each other and stopped playing. If you had heard the wrongness that came out of his amp then you would understand.

Jared Hawkes: yeah, just before I bought that keyboard, I dreamt I went into town, and with all the money I had saved working through the summer holiday, bought a dress. I remember getting it home and thinking, what the f&*k have I done.

You receive press, electronic press, radio airplay and DJ airplay. What countries, radio stations and DJ have been positive about your work?

Andrea Kerr: we have had a good response in Germany, Austria, France, and of course with you.

Where do like to go out of evening in your area?

Andrea Kerr: I hate going out I’m so antisocial (this is a lie – jared). If I do go out it’s usually to gigs.

Jared Hawkes: I like to go to the cinema if there’s something good on. Sometimes I go to a pub or a restaurant with friends. Usual stuff really.

What are your future plans?

Andrea Kerr: I would like to move to a little castle in the middle of nowhere and find my horse, she should be ready to retire about now and I can look after her, make her pretty. In reality I will be trying to hold down a job just so that I can make ends meet while I am gigging, writing and recording.

Jared Hawkes: Well, short term plans involve, finishing the album, touring, basically trying to promote our music. In the long term, the next album, I’d like to get into film soundtracks too.