Interviewing a band has never been easier thanks to technology. I had the chance to do such a thing way back in September. Interviewing the band Keylock over Zoom is something that I would not have imagined to be possible without technology due to obvious geographical factors. However, it turns out it is imaginable, and our conversation flowed with ease.
I had done previous interviews with a list of questions, but I have found that that method kills the spontaneous moments and prohibits the more conversational side. Because after all, an interview is just a conversation.
Naturally, our conversation started with music. I had the curiosity as to what it was like when the band’s current lineup first played together.
Singer and Reverend Jonnie Hodson said that the first time was in October 2019. He recalled the time with strong amusement:
“It was the weekend that we shot “Coming Home”, and I was thinking, ‘What a bunch of fucking crazy guys - they've got me coming down here and shooting videos! Normally if you've got a new person coming into the band, you'll notice everything they do, and you go, ‘Oh my god, like that sounds really jarring!’ And you've just got to kind of smile through it and be like, ‘Yeah, man, that sounds great.’
“But it was almost seamless,” the Reverend went on, “when Conor came in. It was just everything kind of slotted in so normally that it didn't seem as if nothing had changed. You know, it was odd. I think it was pretty cool. I think it kind of just proved that inviting Conor down was like the right thing to do.”
Conor Cotterill, the band’s bassist and newest member added that he had actually done a photoshoot with the band before officially joining:
“It was the first time I met all of you.” Which is an amusing matter as Conor stated that he hadn’t played a single note yet with the band before doing the photoshoot.
“I think what you mean is that it was the first time you met Thom,” Jonnie cut in.
“Yes,” Conor agreed with a smile. “I loved him. I loved him instantly. As I did all of you.”
It appears that it was simply fate that this lineup happened, and so far it has produced some amazing music: drummer Joe Major, organist Thom Carter, singer Jonnie Hodson, guitarist Aaron Keylock, and bassist Conor Cotterill.
Keylock by Judie Tingle
Since the band’s debut, the world has certainly changed to put it mildly. Unfortunately, the excellent start that the band had in 2020 was cut short due to the pandemic. Still, their start was built heavily upon the release of “Shine on Me” and their slot at Winter’s End festival in early March. Jonnie looked back on that time with more amusement but with a strange dose of astonishment mixed in as well:
“Looking back now, it feels like “Shine on Me” came out almost like the next day, but obviously there was a good six months inbetween.
“On the day of Winter’s End, me and Joe were sitting and watching the Spotify plays go up, and we couldn't believe how many people were playing it! It was like somewhere close to 1000 on the first day. We all refreshed every like fifteen minutes, and it was going over 100 again. Then another few 100 plays. It was a good day.”
“Shine on Me” was the band’s second single, with their first “Coming Home” being released in October 2019. In the time that has passed since, it leaves a lot of time for reflection:
“Since “Coming Home”, it’s been a weird year,” Aaron said. “It's sort of
annoying because we kind of built up really nice momentum up to March. It was a natural and really nice progress. Looking back,” he continued, “it was nice to see and everything nice to catch it rolling. I guess you just got to pick up where you left off really when you come back.”
This last year has also offered several opportunities on the time that was 2020, in which the pandemic impacted the music industry in a devastating effect especially on smaller bands.
Still, Joe believed that it would have been okay, even in spite of the pandemic, “if we'd been able to kind of work a lot more behind the scenes on various bits and like getting the next bit recorded and all that kind of stuff. Because everything came to a complete halt. And that was tough to deal with.”
Jonnie agreed: “I think I'll speak for everyone when I say that we haven't been able to kind of jump on that buzz that “Shine” created. Like it was playlisted by Planet Rock, and then Classic Rock Magazine did a thing on social media. And, you know, everyone was kind of really hyped up about it. And then, since which time we've not been able to really do anything about that, you know, because obviously it was in lockdown and, you know, getting to the studios and stuff has been a bit of a task.”
However, all hope is not lost. 2020 for Keylock had some good moments, like the feature for Classic Rock Magazine.
“I bought Classic Rock for years and listened to Planet Rock radio,” Jonine recalled. “And then all of a sudden, like, our names were on the playlist, and it's been mentioned. And then when I checked on the Classic Rock YouTube page, there was us, and then underneath it was like Blackberry Smoke, Temperance Movement, and Rival Sons, people like that. And I was just like, fuck me. No way, those guys are like rock stars - and then there was just us, you know?”
And now it has been a year since the song was released - “Shine on Me” has over 10,000 streams. The band has had a feature in Classic Rock Magazine and started up their own website, as well as an official fan club across Facebook and Instagram. While the pandemic has certainly put a heavy shadow over the band, I know that they will recover and continue on their journey. Keylock had recorded a few demos last fall, but their next release is unknown. Still, I know that I will be eagerly awaiting it whenever the time comes. Until then, I leave you with Thom’s updated pandemic-inspired version of “Coming Home”:
“Staying home, staying home
Will you be waiting for me, baby,
With your mask on?”
Listen to Keylock's "Shine on Me" here
Comments