When did you first realise that COVID-19 was going to have an effect on your band?
Like everyone here in the UK, we had to down tools mid-March, luckily for us we’d just completed the last recording session for our new album Jackpot Motel in February and, further luck was afforded to us with the mastering and manufacturing of the physical record which we had been delivered and went on sale from our website www.weareesteban.com at the same time. Initially we were planning to shoot videos and rehearse the album ready for touring. But rather than stop, we changed our focus. Liam got straight to work writing new music and I started penning the lyrical concepts in readiness for a lift in restrictions.
Initially, what was that whole situation like, and how did your band overcome/react to it?
It was pretty slick actually, using GarageBand and WhatsApp to record and send ideas to each other, we’ve demoed 15 songs in the last 6 months. We’re now working on placing the lead vocal lines and rehearsing the bass and backing vocals. Funnily enough, it was how most of Jackpot Motel was written because we live hundreds of miles from each other nowadays, but we didn’t feel like the process was alien to us.
How has your creative process changed as a band over the last couple of months?
It’s been tricky, not going to lie. The irony is that because we have so many new ideas and different WhatsApp groups that it has become hard to find the tracks amidst the banter! And, whilst we can’t get together as much as we would like, we have managed one jam session with all the new gear which the boys have purchased for the live show – it’s important to remain optimistic.
What’s been the hardest part about writing/doing music this way?
This sounds really obvious but, the biggest lesson has been learning patience. Because we are all at slightly different stages in writing parts for the individual tracks, it means for some, the songs are tantalisingly close to completion and for others, they are yet to be started. With the first album Dirty Wrecked, we’d jam a song until it was 100% finished and record it – that’s why that album has so much energy. It’s different now because we’ve jammed once since February; this has given some of us headaches because we rely on vocal melodies or visual cues to add the spice and not just the shared demoed music. We’ve always gained the most amount of information from jamming, but we must continue doing it safely.
What bands/artists have you been listening to over the last couple of months?
Anderson Paak, TOTO, Raphael Saddiq, Katie Melua, Bob Dylan, Protoje, Credit to the Nation, Daymé Arocena, Aerosmith, Kate Bush… where do we end?
So, what do you think you’ve learnt the most from being a band through COVID-19?
Firstly, how creativity can counterbalance a pandemic. And secondly patience; we’ll need a lot more of it going forward as we wait for the green light on live performance venues and festivals.
What kind of effect do you think that it’s had on the music industry all together, and how excited are you to see it return to normal?
Live venues and the many livelihoods that depend on them will undoubtedly struggle to re-open. For now, the bands that relied on the live scene, will also have to find other ways to make a living if that was their main income. The music shops that supply musicians will change what they sell and to who they sell to. Digital platforms will need to be agile as will new artists in what they release – but this is the normal evolution of artists and industry – take wars, disasters and pandemics aside and you’ll find these are rich times the creative folk.
I’m not certain we can yet become excited about returning to normal or if normal is even possible. As a band we are maintaining forward momentum and we’ll keep focussed on that until the right time comes.
What tips/advice would you like to give to other bands who are also going through this?
Stay focussed on writing great music safely.