Aeons Interview

Last week, we had a chat with Aeons who are an up and coming band from Northern Ireland. The band spoke to us about their latest single ‘Smile’ , their inspirations and what they’ve been getting up to during the course of the current pandemic. Check it out below! 

Can you tell us a little bit about yourselves and how you got into music?

JAMIE: My dad was a bass player in a gigging band when I was very young and took me to a lot of his gigs and rehearsals. That definitely peaked my interest, from a very early age, I knew it was something I wanted to experience for myself.

AIDAN: I started playing drums at 10 years old, me and my brother were the 1st musicians in the family, our parents were big music consumers so that’s what got me into it. I had few drum teacher in France and went to a music school, then I moved to Northern Ireland when I was 20yo to go to Bangor tech (SERC) to study music.

ERIN: I have never studied music like the rest of Aeons but I got into the Bangor music scene by attending local gigs often and joining in with jams with other musicians. So, I benefited and Learnt from the musicians that surrounded me.

LUKE: I was always into music, and I got my first guitar when I was 7 years old. However, I never really picked up the guitar until I turned 14. I’ve my mother to thank for that, as she always encouraged me to pick up the instrument and get lessons. I fell in love with it ever since.

Can you tell us about your latest single ‘Smile’ and what was the inspiration behind it?

Smile is based off that feeling Erin receives when creating music within Aeons , that release she gets when playing to a live audience. It’s hard to put into words what this feeling is like if you’re not a musician yourself but this track hopefully enlightens those to understand that feeling. Luke came up with the riff for Smile back when he was living in Bangor. “I’d just gotten a tele and was in a real riff writing mode, this was also around the same time I wrote the riff for Welcome to the land. I was watching some videos on one of my favourite players, Todd Pritchard and watched a video of his using chord scales. I came up with a little vamp using some nice major 7th and minor 11 chords and challenged myself by incorporating some hybrid picking and some lead lines. I brought the riff to practice and the guys elaborated on it, writing their own parts and lyric, and the song was born.” Jamie and Aidan worked on creating a solid groove and helped structured the song.

What has the reaction been like to the single and what was it like to release it during a global pandemic especially as an upcoming artist. How do you feel that it differs from your previous work such as tracks like ‘Welcome to the land’?

The reaction for Smile turned out well in the end because there was such a big chunk of time between this release and the release of ‘Wait For It’ last year. As regards to how it differs from our first single ‘Welcome To The Land’ , we have definitely progressed as a band since then and the quality of this track and the whole EP is a lot stronger. Smile has always been a polished track since day 1, but ‘WTTL’ has changed slightly since we first recorded it almost 2 years ago. It was always a fun track to play live and the audience really seemed to enjoy it.

Luke: “I think it differs from the likes of Welcome to the land and I think it has more depth and almost a ballad type feel. It’s also a track I think the parts for all of us are really fun to play and each give us a bit of freedom on the instruments.”

Can you remember the first song you wrote and who are your biggest influences? 

AIDAN: I think the 1st song I wrote was with my brother and neighbor, we wrote a silly song about drinking tequila... I was 12 years old... My biggest influences are, Thomas Pridgen, Perrin Moss, Thomas Haake, Matt Greiner, Chad Smith, Dave Grohl and all the musicians I ever worked with.

ERIN: As individuals I’m sure we’ve all written songs Pre-Aeons but the first track we predominantly worked on as a band would have been Welcome To The Land. It started with a riff Luke had showed us and a poem I’d written a year previously. It quickly became a funky track when the others wrote their parts.

LUKE:  I can’t remember the exact first song. Some of my memories from my first musical creations would come from my initial band, High Sundays. Particularly the track racing. My biggest musical influences always sort of differ. However, the standouts would be John Frusciante of RHCP, Tom Misch, Todd Pritchard, Jeff Buckley, incubus and Outkast.

JAMIE: as a bass player it’s challenging to construct a full song by yourself, but I remember sitting in a Saturday detention in school writing out the tablature for a piece I wrote for my grade 5 bass exam. it was probably the first time I really thought about every single note i wanted to present and not just hammering root notes. My biggest/earliest bass influences were players like Chris Wolstenholme, Flea, Les Claypool, Tim Comorford and Billy Sheehan. They have such a presence, you know it’s them, you can’t ignore them, they own their parts and the songs would suffer without their specific input. That to me is the essence of a solid bass-line, it’s a song within a song. 

What is the creation process like in the production of your music, where do your ideas mainly stem from and do you feel that your hometown up north has impacted the music you create?

LUKE: For me personally I don’t have a particular process, I like just playing around on my instrument on a daily basis and if an idea sparks, I’ll elaborate. As far as Aeons, we have a pretty flowing and constructive process. It starts with one idea in the rehearsal space, and we then elaborate on it, pushing one another along with ideas until we come to a final track that we are all fond of.

AIDAN: I’m not really involved in the creation of the riff; I’m participating  by writing my own part and by structuring the track with the rest of the band. As a drummer it’s important to realize that I’m not the front instrument in the band, over played drum parts can really ruin a song. 

ERIN For me personally, I find it easiest to work off of Luke or Jamie when it comes to writing new music- they create riffs that I can write over the top of and work around finding the write Rhythm for the words. There is definitely an element of home within some of the music I’ve written but sometimes the lyrics have no relation to home. I would more be impacted by the inspiration of the other local bands round town, that constantly motivate me as a musician.

JAMIE: We have a fairly organic process, someone has an idea, brings it to the group, we jam through it a few times til everyone’s figured out what they want to be doing for the most part, then we add structure and all the bells and whistles.

What is your favourite musical memory and if you could invite 5 musicians dead or alive to dinner who would they be?

AIDAN: My Favorite music memory is when I was hired to play 2 nights with “Demi Portion” a French rapper in a big theatre, then few years later I went to download festival in Paris with my brother, 3 days of intense mosh pits, it was amazing. With Aeons, my favourite memory was the battle of the bands finals and our gig down south.5 musicians for dinner: Thomas Haake, Matt Greiner, Dave Grohl, John Bonham and sure add Lemmy, he can bring the booze, it will be a fun dinner.

ERIN: I think one of my favourite musical memories would be when we entered into A Battle of The Bands competition summer 2019. That whole selection of gigs felt amazing as a new band and for me personally, it was my first BOTB experience. 5 musicians? John Mayer, Jimi Hendrix, Mac Miller, Willow Smith and Aretha Franklin.

LUKE: My favourite musical memory would be with Incubus live, or Bon Iver. Dinner guests would have to be John Frusciante, Jeff Buckley, Andre 3000, MF Doom and John Mayer.

JAMIE: Musical memory ‘Slane 2003’ Dinner guests: Chris Cornell, Layne Stanley, Eddie Vedder, Mike Patton, and probably Dave Grohl... I’d also be down for a Jam. 

Who is your dream artist to collaborate with or support on tour and what is your favourite memory from being on tour?

AIDAN: I mean if we could get on tour with a band like incubus or hiatus kayote that would be bloody amazing. 

ERIN: I’d love to collaborate with an independent Australian band called Sticky Fingers to be honest. I really Enjoy their music. In regards to Touring, We haven’t had much experience with touring around the place due to Covid but January 2020 we went down to Dublin to perform a gig at Fibber Magees which gave us a taste of what it’s like to play outside of NI.

LUKE: I’d love to support Tom Misch and Yusseff Dayes on tour. That’d be the dream. Incredible musicians. I think our trip down to Dublin to Fibber Magees was a great experience. It was a lot of fun.

JAMIE: I think we have a few tracks that would be good dance/electro remixes. Maybe Joe Hahn from Linkin Park? He’d smash it. There’s a lot of bands I’d love to tour with, but I think our sound would sit well on a bill with a band like Incubus.

What was the first album you ever bought?

ERIN: First album I ever bought was American Idiot Greenday haha

LUKE: Don’t judge, but it was James Blunt, Back to Bedlam. I was 8 years old. Absolute record though.

AIDAN: I think the 1st album I bought was either hybrid theory or meteora by Linkin Park

JAMIE: I’m pretty sure the first album I ever owned was ‘spice world’ by the Spice Girls when I was a child. But the first one I physically bought was ‘Follow the Leader’ by Korn. I can’t decide which is better.. someone make a mashup please.

What is your favourite track you’ve released and why?

We all agreed that Smile is our favourite released track. We like all of our tracks that we’ve released but Smile stands out.

 Luke: “I’m also pretty proud of the solo on wait for it, and the whole idea of welcome to the land.” 

Jamie: " It’s my favourite track on the EP, From the initial concept, the playing from my fellow musicians, right through to the awesome production from Ash at Inca Road Studios, I’ve never been happier with a release and I think it’s set the standard for what we should aim for with future productions.” 

What message do you want your fans to take away with them when they listen to ‘Smile’?

Most definitely through these strange times we’ve all experienced the last year, we want this track to make people smile, a reminder that though things are tough and strange now, there is light at the end of that tunnel and we’ll all get there eventually! We want it to be a track that gives people a sense of escape and adrenaline throughout these tough times we’re in.

Jamie: “It’s about taking the time to find and do the creative practices that makes you happy. The lyrics express this really vividly, but I think even musically it follows the same path. It starts with a small idea (e.g. picking up a guitar) then it starts to flow into a groove (learning your first song) that gets bigger and more complex as it goes on (writing your first song) then it starts to pick up pace and explode into a big energetic, euphoric ending (the fulfilment you get from personal progression). That’s just the story in my head though, it’s entirely up for your own interpretation.“

What has been your go to song to distract yourself during hard times over lockdown?

ERIN: A song that I would listen to knots daily would be Disorder- Joy Division. 

LUKE: MF Doom - Doomsday. An incredibly melodic beat and sample from Sade, and beautiful lyrics. Lockdown has been difficult for me, with a split from my ex partner and moving out of our home. It first reminded me of looking out at the window of that home on the fields with the sunshine. However, it was a track that got me through moving twice and and dark times. Such an emotional, yet feel good tune.

AIDAN: By Fire- Hiatus Kayote, any of their songs actually

JAMIE: Yes - ‘Roundabout’ Shout out to my brother Travis for challenging me to learn the bass-line. It’s kept me fairly occupied. 

Have you been to any concerts before COVID that have inspired you in any way?

ERIN: I saw John Mayer live in Dublin Fall 2019 which was a dream come true, beyond grateful that I had the chance to see him live. There were also a lot of local gigs I attended that inspired me, the likes of a Band called Valium, never fail to get a crowd going. Also cool to see our drummer Aidan, perform with his other band Peace Evan, he’s very talented so having the chance to watch him as well as play alongside him is fantastic.

LUKE: John Mayer was a huge inspiration, and also Polyphia live. There’s been plenty, but they were the most recent pre COVID.

JAMIE: Mastodon in the Ulster Hall... it was mind blowing.

AIDAN: Apart from local gigs, the last gig I saw was Snarky puppy with Luke, it was amazing and inspiring, I Definitely practice a lot more since. Went to see plenty of local gigs and some of the talent here are inspiring as well, I look at the drummers and band in generals and there’s some good ones out there!

Is there any advice you would like to give to musicians starting out during these times?

AIDAN: Take your time to find your own sound, follow your heart,play what you want to play, practice and work hard, keep in mind that music is not a competition, accept criticism, keep your head up AND DO NOT BUY STREAMS.

ERIN: I think it’s important to take advantage of this free time we’ve been given, it’s not common for us all to have so much free time so I would definitely recommend people to make the most of this by writing, creating music, learning a new instrument and widening your horizons through music. It’s important to continue working hard without focusing on what’ll happen Post covid and of course to make sure it’s enjoyable! It shouldn’t ever feel like a chore, well all feel unmotivated at times but for me, music has kept my sanity afloat throughout Covid and is a wonderful escape.

LUKE: Persistency is key, and you always have to be open to criticism. Also, play what you want to play, not what people want to hear.

JAMIE: Don’t rely on studio engineering and autotune to make you sound better than you are. Practice your instrument, take lessons, study music theory, learn the language or you’ll just churn out the same 3 or 4 chords as everyone else and wonder why no one cares.

What are you looking forward to the most when lockdown ends?

AIDAN: GIGS, PINTS. And jump on a plane to see my family, haven't’ seen them folks in a while!

ERIN: Honestly, I just wanna play to a crowd of people again, feed off of their energy and play alongside other great bands again. Hoping lockdown will ease in time for Outdoor festivals and events!

LUKE:  I’m looking forward to getting back to playing around the country with Aeons and having a nice cold pint with my buds.

JAMIE Gigging and tattooing! the things I do socially and occupationally and they’re both currently illegal... that and a pint would be great.

What have you guys been binge watching over lockdown and have you developed any hidden talents, any banana bread baking?

AIDAN: I was still working during lockdown, quite a bit, so I was pretty busy, but I had to quarantine for 2 weeks at some stage so I watched all the marvel movies and harry potter ahaha. Did not develop any new talents, but I practiced my drumming!

ERIN: I’d be the kind of person to rewatch old favorite shows, such as Friends. Any hidden talents? I wouldn’t say this is a hidden talent but I’ve thrown myself into painting since Covid, I’ve had some artwork be a part of a few Exhibitions supporting Mental Health which has been a great honor.

LUKE: I’ve watched a lot of things. Stand outs would be Money Heist, The Night Stalker, Daves Chapelles Killing them Softly, and Superstore. I’ve started a lot of sampling and hip hop beat making. Asides from that, no new hidden talents or baking. I’m a lazy bachelor.

JAMIE: I watched all the avengers films in order of release, then in order of timeline... that was a mission. Also been learning card manipulations/shuffles, a lot of painting, skateboarding and I’m getting pretty savage at making cookies.

What does the future have in store for Aeons, what’s next for you guys and is there any specific goals you’d like to achieve?

To conquer the world!!! For real though, we’d just like to continue what we were doing beforehand. Playing shows with other great bands, writing more music, recording more music and hopefully do a UK/ Irish tour all being well. We can’t wait for regular rehearsals and gigging schedule, we really miss gigs! We still have material that needs recording too, so we would like to get back in the studio ASAP to get them down for another EP, hopefully we can give the next one a proper launch party!

You can check out their music and give them a follow on social media through the following links:

Spotify - Here

Apple Music - Here

Instagram - Here

Twitter - Here

Facebook - Here

MusicBox PR Team