Band Interview: Leaf

Games, Brrraaains & A Head-Banging Life bring you an interview with groovy and grungy rock and metal band, Leaf.

1. How did you get started as a band?

Originally, we formed in 1992, a very long time ago when we were all young and beautiful! We had the proper long hair, the skinny look enhanced by big boots, checked shirts and baggy jeans (clothes are no different, just tighter fitting). It was the typical story of being too young to appreciate what we had. Promoters wanted us to be the British Pearl Jam, but we were not ready and internal friction caused by a bass player with bad habits and a drummer with a penchant for cucumber sandwiches caused one hell of an implosion. Mark joined for a while but me (Colin) trying out for the Wildhearts instead of playing a gig was the final nail in the coffin.

After a measly 25-30 years punctuated by all sorts of other musical forays (including Dick and Dom in Da Bungalow – don’t ask!), I needed to scratch an itch. Jarad scratched it again. Dan joined and his mellow musicality added a new dimension and Mark re-joined after the original drummer couldn’t commit. Mark forced us to be professional, regaling us with stories of Prince and how he worked his musicians.

I love these guys to death, we are older and wiser now, all the crap is behind us in the past and the songs are heavy, raw, real and mean something to us.

2. How would you describe your sound?

Imagine all the groove of the 90s grunge acts like Alice in Chains, Soundgarden etc, punctuated with the spikiness of a Pantera riff, mixed up with the hooks and catchiness of pop punk underpinned with anger, frustration and the gritted determination of age. A bit like that. We are a unique blend of them all, not unfamiliar but familiar, not a copy, just good at what we do.

3. What bands/artists would you say have influenced your style of music?

I have a very odd listening regime, flitting from stuff like Idles and Cleopatrick, to Turnstile and AC/DC. They don’t influence my writing, just my attitude. Dan is more influenced by the classic 90’s stuff like Candlebox and The Offspring, Jarad listens to the heavier end of the spectrum, think Cannibal Corpse (he was playing Suicidal Tendencies in the car the other day, I mean WTF?). Mark is our muso who listens to so many albums by so many bands and is always sending a link to YouTube or Spotify – he is the best musician in the band. This myriad of influences makes us a melting pot of greatness, hence our songs. We are not a bunch of teenagers listening to the same tracks by the same bands.

4. Has the rise of YouTube & music streaming helped or hindered you as a band?

I think if we had experienced the ability to get the stuff out so quickly in the past it may have helped the original band. It is great to be able to put stuff out without the shackles of vinyl or tape. I love it, the others perhaps less so, they love their CDs. I am a tune-hopper flitting from one snippet to the next. I am the kind of listener who is probably ruining it for all the bands out there that need the ‘album’ concept. I do not have the time or patience to sit down and listen to a whole album. I need a 2-3 track fix or a mad mix of stuff that I can skip…That didn’t really answer the question, I lost my thread, but I think it is helping.

5. What do you enjoy doing when you’re not making music?

I don’t really have enough time for anything else. We have committed so much time to each other that all hobbies have gone on the backburner. Dan and I love fiddling with guitars and kit (you should see his ever-changing pedalboard) and I collect cheap, crappy ones – is 25 too many? Jarad used to do Kung Fu, not only does he look like a scary killer, but he can also break you in two in an instant. Good job he is like a lovely puppy most of the time. Mark spends time working with troubled kids and in the past, he has devoted lots of time to charities and volunteering. I feel quite guilty that we have steered him back into rock and roll.

6. What are your future plans musically? Tours?

We have 5 tracks waiting to be released produced by a fantastic young guy called Jonny Price (you can have a sneaky listen if you want?). They are fantastic. We have so many other tunes, we work on new material constantly and we are going back into the studio in December to do another 3 tracks. We thought we had better record some more before we die of old age, because I actually don’t think that we will be on this planet for that much longer.

As far as tours and gigs we want people to hear how good we are and to be able to play our music and get people to hear it is our short-term goal so gigs, wherever and whenever. Plans are to move beyond the narrow confines of the local cities and start picking up slots with established acts around the UK. We will see how this year goes, but the plan is for a series of dates culminating in some of the smaller festivals next summer. Watch out for the old bastards, Leaf UK are coming!!!! If our backs hold out.

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