Stolen City Interview
We had the pleasure of interviewing Stolen City ahead of the release of their brand new single 'Sparks'. Stolen City consists of members Sean McGrath, Dave McCabe and Ian Bailey from Dublin.
They took our online interview to tell us what they’ve been up to during the pandemic. We’d like to thank the lads for participating in our interview.
We would encourage our readers to stream their new single 'Sparks'. It is important to support smaller artists and bands during these times.
Tell us who you are?
Stolen City.
What was the inspiration behind the formation of your band?
Sean and Dave met in college and instantly hit it off, then they started writing together which progressed to gigging together. The more we were writing the more we noticed that there was something missing, so we asked Bailey (Dave’s best friend) to play drums for us and never really looked back.
Can you remember the first time you wrote a song and what was it about?
Yeah haha, we wrote a song called “Love Won’t Work Like This” it wasn't very good but it was the very first thing we had ever written so we were only learning how to put a song together.
What was the first CD/Vinyl you ever bought?
Sean - The first CD I ever bought I think it was a Michael Jackson album.
Bailey - My first CD was American Idiot by Greenday.
Dave - Babel by Mumford and Sons.
Do you have any other hidden talents outside of music?
Sean - I am really good at beer pong, like not a little bit good, REALLY GOOD! I challenge anyone.
Bailey - Not that I can think of.
Dave - I can wiggle my ears up and down haha
What was the first song you learned on an instrument, if you play one?
Sean - Radioactive by Imagine Dragons
Bailey - Learn To Fly by Foo fighters
Dave - Let it Be by The Beatles
What is your favourite song to perform?
Sean - For now it’s “The Chase” but when we get back to gigging I have a feeling it’s going to be “Sparks”.
Bailey - Oh definitely “Last Night” for me.
Dave - “Let Her Go” is my favourite to perform.
What was your craziest experience on tour?
Sean - We’ve had a lot of crazy moments but for me it was a gig we played in Donegal last year when this guy just appeared with a massive framed picture of Jesus in the middle of the gig and paraded through the crowd, it was absolutely hilarious.
Bailey - For me it was when we snook up side stage to George Ezra at Electric Picnic 2018, we watched the entire gig from the side stage, it was unreal.
Dave - Yeah same for me, would be being on stage with George Ezra at Electric Picnic.
If you could invite 5 musicians dead or alive to dinner, who would they be?
Sean - Marcus Mumford, Stevie Wonder, Micheal Jackson, Lewis Capaldi and obviously if you’re inviting Lewis Capaldi you’ve got to invite Noel Gallagher.
Bailey - Tre Cool, Jimmy Rainsford, Freddie Mercury, Lewis Capaldi and Dermot Kennedy.
Dave - Freddie Mercury, John Lennon, Marcus Mumford, Dean Martin and Stevie Nicks.
Has your music evolved since you started making music?
Yes 100% we’ve changed and grown so much over the years and have really found our sound and know how far we can push ourselves.
Do you have a record label and are you a member of any music organisations?
No, we're completely independent.
If you could change anything about the music industry what would it be?
Just how difficult it is to break into really, there’s so many amazing artists that have no backing and can’t back themselves and they are just wasted, it’s a very tough industry to be in but it can be so rewarding at the same time.
Have you been to any concerts within the past year that have inspired you?
We don't really get to go to as many concerts as we would like to because we’re always gigging or recording or just doing band things but when we do get to go, I think they all kind of inspire us cause we go aww that part was so cool or I’d prefer if they did that and we learn from it and it adapts our live shows.
How do you handle mistakes during a performance?
To be honest, we just laugh it off. We’re only human so mistakes happen so we just move on and get on with the show!
Who is your favourite Irish artist at the moment?
I think for all of us he’s a hands down winner, Dermott Kennedy.
If you could have your fans remember one thing about you, what would it be?
Sean - I’d like them to remember how much time we put into them and how much effort we make to talk to every single one of them and get pics or just chat.
Bailey - Yeah, how much we give them and try to make for them. It’s hard cause there can be so many but we do our best to get to everyone and tell them we appreciate them.
Dave - The energy and effort we put into our performances is definitely something I’d like them to remember.
How are you dealing with the current impact of COVID-19 as a musician/band?
It’s very hard to meet up so we’re doing a lot of writing from home and collaborating over video calls.
What is your go to feel-good song to distract yourself from hard times?
Sean - There’ll be days like this by Van Morrison.
Bailey - Heroes or Ghosts by The Coronas
Dave - Believe by Mumford and Sons
Can we expect new music from you soon?
Yes! We are always writing and recording!
Is there any advice or insights you would give to anyone reading this who would either like to pursue a career as a musician or within the music industry?
Yeah, just do your own thing and try to be original.
You can also check them out on all major streaming platforms such as Spotify and Apple Music.
Below is the music video for their last single The Tower;
Stolen City's brand new single Sparks is set for release on May 8th. We highly reccomend giving it a listen when it is released.
MusicBox PR Team
Comments
Post a Comment