Sola - Interview

Back over the summer, we had the pleasure of interviewing SOLA who are a three piece group from Kilkenny, Ireland. They are highly recognized for their intricate three-part harmony and folk inspired finger-style guitar playing.

The girls chatted to us about how they are coping in isolation, how they are dealing creatively during the current pandemic, their inspirations, advice and their hidden talents. 

 Tell us who you are? 

Hello! We’re Siobhan, Bridget and Clare and we’re in a band called Sola. 

What was the inspiration behind the formation of your band? 

Two of us (Siobhan & Bridget) are sisters and have sang together since dot. All three of us came together in 2017 to cover a song by The Staves called ‘Mexico’ for a bit of fun and it’s been all go since then! 

Can you remember the first time you wrote a song and what was it about? 

Bridget: The first was quite a while ago. It never got as far as being titled, but I remember writing it while I was away at college. There was a lot of reminiscing about childhood involved! It was really my first attempt at celebrating the idea of home. 

What is the first CD/Vinyl you ever bought? 

All agreed on S Club 7!!! 

Do you have any other hidden talents outside of music? 

Siobhan : I do a great impression of the voice over of Irish rail and proud of it! 

Bridget : I’m mad for a bit of crocheting of a Saturday night! 

Clare : I have the ability to make a two minute story last a life time! 

What was the first song you learned on an instrument, if you play one?

Siobhan : ‘Spancil Hill’ on the tin whistle in  primary school. Haven’t we all? 

Bridget : ‘Oranges and lemons’ on Piano! 

Clare : ‘When the saints go marching in’ on trumpet. I’m still trying to master it! 

What is your favourite song to perform? 

‘Forgotten Things’ is the lead track on our EP and we love performing it live! It’s one of our more upbeat tracks and has great energy to it! 

What was your craziest experience on tour? 

Siobhan : That one time myself and Mick Jagger tore up a hotel room in Vegas! 

Bridget : Or what about that incident with Elton ...

Clare : I’d have to say mine would be when Siobhan fought that tiger with her bare hands last year! 

All joking aside, we absolutely love gigging in Galway. It has a great music scene!  

If you could invite 5 musicians dead or alive to dinner, who would they be? 

Joni Mitchell (for some inspiration)

Luke Kelly (for the sing song)

Imelda May (for the craic) 

Johnny Cash (for the stories)

Dolly Parton (for hair tips) 

Has your music evolved since you started making music? 

100%! I think we’ve gotten to know each other’s voices a lot more since the beginning. We experiment a lot more now with our harmonies. The most recent change has been recording alongside a full band for this EP! 

Do you have a record label and are you a member of any music organisations? 

No. Independent ladies! 

If you could change anything about the music industry what would it be? 

The industry is very hard to break into. There’s so many talented musicians who don’t get the recognition they deserve. Having said that, there’s a great network here amongst Irish musicians. 

Have you been to any concerts within the last year that have inspired you? 

We went to see Wallis Bird perform in the Theatre Royal in Waterford last year. She blew us away!

How do you handle mistakes during a performance? 

I think being such good friends helps us cover it up very well, knowing how we all work! It’s usually a little laugh and a look at one another thinking ‘well done for getting through that’. 

Who is your favourite Irish artist at the moment? 

There’s so many amazing Irish musicians we’re listening to at the minute! 

Siobhan : Mick Flannery all day long! 

Bridget : Emma Langford - Great vocals! 

Clare : Wallis Bird and Imelda May! 

If you could have your fans remember one thing about you, what would it be? 

Lyrics and harmonies! 

How are you dealing with the current impact of COVID19 as a musician/band? 

Of course we’ve had to make some adjustments to our plans but we’ve been able to use this time to write and see each other a bit more (at a distance) which has been lovely! 

What is your go to feel-good song to distract yourself from hard times? 

Feelin’ Groovy by Simon and Garfunkel! 

Can we expect any new music from you soon? 

We’ve just released our debut EP ‘Forgotten Things’. It’s available on all music platforms and we couldn’t be happier with the response so far! We worked with an incredible group of people and had a ball creating the songs! 

There’s four tracks and they’re all so different to one another. We’re loving hearing everyone’s reaction. We can’t wait to play live again soon!

Is there any advice or insights you would like to give to anyone reading this who would either like to pursue a career as a musician or within the music industry? 

Rely on other musicians and allow them to lean on you. Support networks are so important when you’re starting off. We’ve benefited loads from that ourselves.

Check out SOLA at their social media links below.

Instagram - Here

Facebook - Here

You can find their music through the following links. 

Spotify - Here

Apple Music - Here

We highly reccomend giving their music a listen especially their wonderful debut EP Forgotten Things. We expect big things to come from this group of girls!

MusicBox PR Team