DIAMOND MINDWORKS
Diamond Mindworks are an alternative rock 5-piece from Glasgow who have recently released their eagerly anticipated debut EP 'Lost In The Light' off the back of the successful debut single 'Run, Let Go' (numerous plays on a variety of local, national and international online radio stations including plays in Australia, America and Canada). So let's find a bit more about these guys...
Tell us a bit about your band, like how you got together, or what you have been doing the last few months.
We've been a band for three to four years - in various guises - though this current line up has been together for just over a year now. On vocals and guitar we have Ross Bingham, on lead guitar is Jamie MacInnes, bass we have Blair Bingham and on drums is Steven Ritchie. Only recently have we had the pleasure of welcoming Taylor Aitchison on guitar to the band, which has been awesome! Three of us have been jamming and playing together for years now, and from that we decided to take the step and form a band. Over the course of time we tried out different line ups (bassists really) but nothing seemed to click, that was until Blair got on board. Since then we've been working hard writing loads of new material and recording demo's and tracks for our debut EP - Lost In The Light - launched earlier this month on iTunes, Amazon and Google PlayStore.
We've played a few gigs recently promoting the EP and getting some radio airplay in too which is always cool.
What are the main themes/topics for your songs and do you see this changing over time?
We've always tended to write songs centring on emotions and in particular the darker sides of our personalities - not necessarily based on us as individuals but on wider society. Lyrically we speak a lot about light and darkness and generally the fight to escape and overcome the negative aspects in our lives. Even though the overall mood of our tracks can seem fairly dark, we try to ensure they're anything but melancholy. Tracks like 'Run, Let Go' and 'Come Alive' have an uplifting momentum to them and this is something that we'll likely take on in to future songs, though our sound is always developing and there's always scope for change...
I know from personal experience how difficult being in a band can be sometimes, what would you say is the biggest obstacle new bands will come across as they progress, and what has been yours?
One of the biggest obstacles facing new start up bands is establishing and developing their own sound. Too many young bands start out aiming to emulate someone else - this is ok to begin with, but it's important to learn your own strengths as a band and be able to identify what works specifically for you. Building good relationships between band members is also key and having a clear understanding of what is being aimed for is important for any sort of meaningful development. Sometimes you come across bands that take themselves a little too seriously and maybe don't take the time to just enjoy what they're doing... It doesn't always come easy and at times it can feel like hard work, but we all play and share our music for the fun and enjoyment of it and its good to keep that in perspective.
If you were only allowed to listen to one album for a whole year, what album would you choose and why?
Collectively we're never going to agree on this because we're all into different stuff, so... Taylor: 59 Sound by The Gaslight Anthem. Ross: For Emma, Forever Ago by Bon Iver. Jamie: The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me by Brand New. Blair: By the Way by RHCP. Steven: somewhere between Bad Religion and AFI or anything in the 'Pirate Metal' genre.
Tell us why you picked your bands name, any big reasoning behind it or just a random choice?
Random choice. The story goes that it came to Ross one night in a dream and was not in fact taken from the name of a fictitious, evil software conglomerate in a thriller he once read. Good book that.
What would you say is your main plans for the months ahead, anything big in the pipeline you could share with us?
The past year has been mostly spent around writing and producing our debut EP Lost In The Light. Next year we want to be gigging a lot more and really pushing our music out in to a wider audience. Hopefully you'll be hearing and seeing a lot more of us in the near future.
You can find more about the band from the following websites:
And don't forget to follow them on Twitter
Article originally published on http://www.newhellfireclub.co.uk/2013/11/diamond-mindworks-spotlight-interview.html
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