Q: Hello John, how have you been?
A: Not too bad – thanks for asking!
Q: First of all, can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your music?
A: I am from Lancashire in NW England. I write the songs under the name of Hungry Bentley which is the name of a deserted village in Derbyshire, England. There are many such villages which have been simply abandoned or where its settlers have been displaced by landowners or by a shift in economics. I like the name and the history of it adds a little flavour.
The rest of the band in its current line up are from Glasgow, Cardiff, Montgomery, Blackburn, Norwich and Manchester.
The songs I write and the music we make has been described as lush folk, intelligent country rock, lyrical pop, unlike anything else out there and even easy listening. I’ll take any of these labels because it saves us from being put in a box with a lid on.
Q: You’re about to release your album “Closing Credits”, what can people expect to hear on your album?
A: 8 songs of varying styles. Two have a country feel because that I chose to use pedal steel and banjo. One is a bleak poem set to even bleaker music. A couple are poppy and feature an outstanding Canadian female singer. One is a story about Cities. One is about having to sell to gain or lose something.
All of them are individual but all sound very much a part of the whole
Q: What is the story about the album title, “Closing Credits”?
A: There isn’t one I’m afraid. This is my second album under the Hungry Bentley name and I am writing the third one at the moment so ‘Closing Credits’ is not intended to be a so subtle message to myself.
One of my friends has suggested that my songs would fit well in films so maybe we could use that as the story….
Q: There are quite a few excellent tracks on the album, but is there one in particular that you are proud of, or that has a special meaning for you?
A: Thanks! That is very nice of you.
Am I allowed two? The last track on the album is called The Book of Invasions which is a collaboration between myself and a poet called Nigel McLoughlin – it was a total leap of faith from Nigel as I approached him after reading his book ‘Blood’ and asked if I could put one of his poems to music. We both love the finished song.
The second song would be Tourism because I wrote it very quickly and it has enough on it to make it interesting despite it being 6 minutes long (about twice as long as my usual output). It also has a boy band, stand up, middle bit key change which was a happy accident – these things can go either way but it really works…I think…
Q: “Closing Credits” is your 2nd album. Before this you released an album called “Oxygen & Rust”. What would you say are the biggest differences between the two releases?
A: I like the songs on both albums but I like some more than others at different times but it is in the finished sound where the big difference lies.
Closing Credits is a stronger album sonically, in performance and in the choices we made.
For Oxygen and Rust, apart from the vocals, I used my home studio (which is not a glamorous as it may sound) and portable equipment in the other musicians homes.
It has what the press would call a slightly organic sound. This was purely down to budget. I made the best sounding record I could afford. Sounds very earnest but if I could have used Abbey Road or the like I would have done.
The second album was recorded at a commercial studio. I had a relatively bigger budget and a blood related connection with the studio which reduced the rates somewhat…
We had a wider choice of mics, experience from the first album and an experienced engineer who is also a fantastic bass player.
We used pedal steel guitar, a banjo, a female singer, brass, more synthetic sounds such as loops and samples. This is in contrast to Oxygen and Rust where I think we only had brass as an added extra.
I also had advice from some people with a lot of music production experience…some more famous than others..their names are protected.
All these inputs were used and sometimes abused to make an album that sounded good to our ears. Hungry Bentley are a virtual band, none of us live in the same town but the collective aim is to make strong songs into really good sounding strong songs.
Q: With your upcoming album, a busy time approaches. What are your plans for the immediate future?
A: Release the CD in the shops – virtual and real. Make the album available on line – All this via the quite superb www.CDbaby.com. Enjoy a Christmas break and then begin 2009 by writing more songs for album 3.
Q: Any exciting plans when it comes to taking the album out on the road?
A: Probably just in people’s cars or whilst jogging.
Hungry Bentley currently is a sort of virtual band. We haven’t all been in the same room at the same time yet! There have been requests that we show our faces and do some shows. We would no doubt enjoy them and we probably will do something. I will let you know…we are of course open to offers…..
Q: Say you could play anywhere in the world, where would you love to play a show, if the choice was yours?
A: The Roman ampitheatre in Orange, Provence where The Cure amongst others have played or The Colliseum in Rome.
Q: And if you could also pick a band or musician to play that show with, is there anyone who you would want to share stage with?
A: Apart from the other musicians on my recordings? I would say, if I had to choose from a very long list, REM.
Q: When it comes to your sound and your songwriting, who would you name as your primary influences?
A: The sound of Hungry Bentley comes from wanting all the sounds on a recording to have their own space. I like the production on many records – immediately springing to mind are most Eels records, The Optimist LP by Turin Brakes, Grand Prix by Teenage Fanclub and the Rick Rubin produced albums by Jakob Dylan, Neil Diamond and others.
All of them are clear and uncluttered recordings. On our recordings the decision to use an instrument or a sound is based on the rule that it must be audible in its own right or else it is taking up unnecessary space that maybe the listener can fill in with their own ideas – I doubt that the wall of sound technique will feature on any of our recordings
Songwriting is an all together more difficult one to answer.
Based purely on numbers of appearances in my collection then I should say The Smiths, Lloyd Cole, REM, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Paul Heaton and Ray Davies.
My two favourite songwriters at the moment are Johnny Bramwell from I am Kloot and Gene Clark from The Byrds. This may change tomorrow.
Thinking about it, one thing all these have in common (and 95% of my collection) is acoustic guitars. So after all that I have convinced myself that it is the acoustic guitar that is my main influence.
Q: What would you say is the best thing about being a musician and what would you consider the hardest thing about being a musician?
A: The jump in the stomach when the initial idea for a song appears. Usually when you think you’re not thinking anything much. Similar to accidentaly finding a chord pattern on the piano – this is particularly rewarding if you aren’t very adept at piano like myself.
The hardest thing I have experienced is a complete lack of inspiration, not one idea crosses your mind for weeks.
I have tried to sort this by ignoring the fact that you have hit a wall and just do something else like chase around after a one year old. It does return. If you have written one song then chances are you will always write songs but who or what decides the frequency and quality? I have no idea
Q: Where can we all find more information on Hungry Bentley and purchase your music?
A: www.myspace.com/hungrybentley and the new album will be available from www.cdbaby.com in early December. The first album is available from our myspace site
Q: Okay a few random questions now.
Q: Are you a reader? If so, what books would you recommend?
A: ‘Things the grandchildren should know’ by Mark Everett
‘The Great Rock Discography’ by Mojo Books
‘ Meet Thomas The Tank Engine and Friends’ by Rev Awdry
Q: Day or night?
A: He’ll be there anytime at all Dr Robert
Q: Club venue or arena venue?
A: Acoustic – Club Electric – arena
Q: CDs or digital music?
A: CD – purely for the physical product. I like the sleeves.
Q: Okay, final question. What are your thoughts on people downloading music, both legally & illegally?
A: Throughout industry all over the world there is a lack of regulation over the actions of a few that are having a big effect on many.
Was there not an opportunity for the music industry some time ago to take a good look at pricing policies of CD format music and make a good decision to lower the margins to make pirating (as it was known then) a very marginal activity?
The question you have asked applies to copying CDs too – why was the copying technology made available to all?
The prices remained high and the copying technology introduced so the short termism of these industries like other industries that are now in crisis has resulted in, and this is only my opinion, up and coming musicians either having to fit a narrow template, having no real control over their ‘career’ and be prepared for a relatively short lifespan or be permanently on the road selling t shirts just to make a living. Making music is an expensive business.
As for established artists the difference is over artistic control and ownership of their own material. This is not a new phenomenon in the music business but it is now more apparent as more and more media outlets are available then everyone wants their share.
For each category of musician the mass illegal downloading of music results in little long term return for neither artist or label.
So less profit for label, worse deals for the artist and fewer deals around – realistically all three. The public are happy for a while because they got something for nothing but it is really another form of credit as the payback is their favourite artists won’t be able to afford or isn’t prepared to exist.
As for legal downloads I see them as a good thing if the revenues are distributed in a way that reflects the effort that has been applied. Some providers appear to be fairer than others.
Thank you John, for taking the time to answer our questions!
A: Not too bad – thanks for asking!
Q: First of all, can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your music?
A: I am from Lancashire in NW England. I write the songs under the name of Hungry Bentley which is the name of a deserted village in Derbyshire, England. There are many such villages which have been simply abandoned or where its settlers have been displaced by landowners or by a shift in economics. I like the name and the history of it adds a little flavour.
The rest of the band in its current line up are from Glasgow, Cardiff, Montgomery, Blackburn, Norwich and Manchester.
The songs I write and the music we make has been described as lush folk, intelligent country rock, lyrical pop, unlike anything else out there and even easy listening. I’ll take any of these labels because it saves us from being put in a box with a lid on.
Q: You’re about to release your album “Closing Credits”, what can people expect to hear on your album?
A: 8 songs of varying styles. Two have a country feel because that I chose to use pedal steel and banjo. One is a bleak poem set to even bleaker music. A couple are poppy and feature an outstanding Canadian female singer. One is a story about Cities. One is about having to sell to gain or lose something.
All of them are individual but all sound very much a part of the whole
Q: What is the story about the album title, “Closing Credits”?
A: There isn’t one I’m afraid. This is my second album under the Hungry Bentley name and I am writing the third one at the moment so ‘Closing Credits’ is not intended to be a so subtle message to myself.
One of my friends has suggested that my songs would fit well in films so maybe we could use that as the story….
Q: There are quite a few excellent tracks on the album, but is there one in particular that you are proud of, or that has a special meaning for you?
A: Thanks! That is very nice of you.
Am I allowed two? The last track on the album is called The Book of Invasions which is a collaboration between myself and a poet called Nigel McLoughlin – it was a total leap of faith from Nigel as I approached him after reading his book ‘Blood’ and asked if I could put one of his poems to music. We both love the finished song.
The second song would be Tourism because I wrote it very quickly and it has enough on it to make it interesting despite it being 6 minutes long (about twice as long as my usual output). It also has a boy band, stand up, middle bit key change which was a happy accident – these things can go either way but it really works…I think…
Q: “Closing Credits” is your 2nd album. Before this you released an album called “Oxygen & Rust”. What would you say are the biggest differences between the two releases?
A: I like the songs on both albums but I like some more than others at different times but it is in the finished sound where the big difference lies.
Closing Credits is a stronger album sonically, in performance and in the choices we made.
For Oxygen and Rust, apart from the vocals, I used my home studio (which is not a glamorous as it may sound) and portable equipment in the other musicians homes.
It has what the press would call a slightly organic sound. This was purely down to budget. I made the best sounding record I could afford. Sounds very earnest but if I could have used Abbey Road or the like I would have done.
The second album was recorded at a commercial studio. I had a relatively bigger budget and a blood related connection with the studio which reduced the rates somewhat…
We had a wider choice of mics, experience from the first album and an experienced engineer who is also a fantastic bass player.
We used pedal steel guitar, a banjo, a female singer, brass, more synthetic sounds such as loops and samples. This is in contrast to Oxygen and Rust where I think we only had brass as an added extra.
I also had advice from some people with a lot of music production experience…some more famous than others..their names are protected.
All these inputs were used and sometimes abused to make an album that sounded good to our ears. Hungry Bentley are a virtual band, none of us live in the same town but the collective aim is to make strong songs into really good sounding strong songs.
Q: With your upcoming album, a busy time approaches. What are your plans for the immediate future?
A: Release the CD in the shops – virtual and real. Make the album available on line – All this via the quite superb www.CDbaby.com. Enjoy a Christmas break and then begin 2009 by writing more songs for album 3.
Q: Any exciting plans when it comes to taking the album out on the road?
A: Probably just in people’s cars or whilst jogging.
Hungry Bentley currently is a sort of virtual band. We haven’t all been in the same room at the same time yet! There have been requests that we show our faces and do some shows. We would no doubt enjoy them and we probably will do something. I will let you know…we are of course open to offers…..
Q: Say you could play anywhere in the world, where would you love to play a show, if the choice was yours?
A: The Roman ampitheatre in Orange, Provence where The Cure amongst others have played or The Colliseum in Rome.
Q: And if you could also pick a band or musician to play that show with, is there anyone who you would want to share stage with?
A: Apart from the other musicians on my recordings? I would say, if I had to choose from a very long list, REM.
Q: When it comes to your sound and your songwriting, who would you name as your primary influences?
A: The sound of Hungry Bentley comes from wanting all the sounds on a recording to have their own space. I like the production on many records – immediately springing to mind are most Eels records, The Optimist LP by Turin Brakes, Grand Prix by Teenage Fanclub and the Rick Rubin produced albums by Jakob Dylan, Neil Diamond and others.
All of them are clear and uncluttered recordings. On our recordings the decision to use an instrument or a sound is based on the rule that it must be audible in its own right or else it is taking up unnecessary space that maybe the listener can fill in with their own ideas – I doubt that the wall of sound technique will feature on any of our recordings
Songwriting is an all together more difficult one to answer.
Based purely on numbers of appearances in my collection then I should say The Smiths, Lloyd Cole, REM, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Paul Heaton and Ray Davies.
My two favourite songwriters at the moment are Johnny Bramwell from I am Kloot and Gene Clark from The Byrds. This may change tomorrow.
Thinking about it, one thing all these have in common (and 95% of my collection) is acoustic guitars. So after all that I have convinced myself that it is the acoustic guitar that is my main influence.
Q: What would you say is the best thing about being a musician and what would you consider the hardest thing about being a musician?
A: The jump in the stomach when the initial idea for a song appears. Usually when you think you’re not thinking anything much. Similar to accidentaly finding a chord pattern on the piano – this is particularly rewarding if you aren’t very adept at piano like myself.
The hardest thing I have experienced is a complete lack of inspiration, not one idea crosses your mind for weeks.
I have tried to sort this by ignoring the fact that you have hit a wall and just do something else like chase around after a one year old. It does return. If you have written one song then chances are you will always write songs but who or what decides the frequency and quality? I have no idea
Q: Where can we all find more information on Hungry Bentley and purchase your music?
A: www.myspace.com/hungrybentley and the new album will be available from www.cdbaby.com in early December. The first album is available from our myspace site
Q: Okay a few random questions now.
Q: Are you a reader? If so, what books would you recommend?
A: ‘Things the grandchildren should know’ by Mark Everett
‘The Great Rock Discography’ by Mojo Books
‘ Meet Thomas The Tank Engine and Friends’ by Rev Awdry
Q: Day or night?
A: He’ll be there anytime at all Dr Robert
Q: Club venue or arena venue?
A: Acoustic – Club Electric – arena
Q: CDs or digital music?
A: CD – purely for the physical product. I like the sleeves.
Q: Okay, final question. What are your thoughts on people downloading music, both legally & illegally?
A: Throughout industry all over the world there is a lack of regulation over the actions of a few that are having a big effect on many.
Was there not an opportunity for the music industry some time ago to take a good look at pricing policies of CD format music and make a good decision to lower the margins to make pirating (as it was known then) a very marginal activity?
The question you have asked applies to copying CDs too – why was the copying technology made available to all?
The prices remained high and the copying technology introduced so the short termism of these industries like other industries that are now in crisis has resulted in, and this is only my opinion, up and coming musicians either having to fit a narrow template, having no real control over their ‘career’ and be prepared for a relatively short lifespan or be permanently on the road selling t shirts just to make a living. Making music is an expensive business.
As for established artists the difference is over artistic control and ownership of their own material. This is not a new phenomenon in the music business but it is now more apparent as more and more media outlets are available then everyone wants their share.
For each category of musician the mass illegal downloading of music results in little long term return for neither artist or label.
So less profit for label, worse deals for the artist and fewer deals around – realistically all three. The public are happy for a while because they got something for nothing but it is really another form of credit as the payback is their favourite artists won’t be able to afford or isn’t prepared to exist.
As for legal downloads I see them as a good thing if the revenues are distributed in a way that reflects the effort that has been applied. Some providers appear to be fairer than others.
Thank you John, for taking the time to answer our questions!