Thursday 20 November 2008
Sunday 19 October 2008
Sunday 28 September 2008
Tuesday 23 September 2008
New Sunday Times feature
Not besieged by the death of loved ones, The Script continues to write songs honestly from the heart. MAX KOH talks to the upcoming Irish band about the stories behind the songs
THE Script is Ireland latest music export after U2, The Corrs, Van Morrison, Sinead O Connor and The Cranberries. Mixing soul, pop, hip-hop and anthemic rock dynamics, the band seems to be poised for success with its lead single, We Cry, which is now on the airwaves around the world. At first glance, the trio — Danny O’Donaghue (lead singer, keyboards), Mark Sheenan (guitarist), Glen Power (drummer) — looks just like any other aspiring garage rock band. But a listen to We Cry will reveal a side to Irish music that one has not heard before.
O’Donaghue’s voice is soulful (not unlike neo-white soul boys James Morrison and Jamie Scott) when set against Sheenan’s smooth guitar chops and Power’s controlled funky beats. The song recalls the best of soul music rather than the usual generic rock served by the band’s Irish counterparts. At an interview in Genting Highland recently, O’Donaghue says: “Irish people have soul. It comes from generations of pain, and generations of understanding emotion to be able to physically get that in a solid sound.” We Cry is a special, soulful anthem depicting the every day struggles faced by everybody. It is bleak and assuring at the same time. “Life is not a bed of roses. We all have our own problems and the light at the end of the tunnel may very well be a train. However, we’ll be okay as long as we have each other and together we cry…” explains O’Donague. Its second single, The Man Who Can’t Be Moved, again showcases O’Donague’s soulful vocal inflections and an equally bleak subject. The song, which the band performed at the recent MTV Music Awards on the hill, is about a man who waits desperately for his lover. Despite the bleak nature of their songs, the band members are friendly and chatty. O’Donague was all smiles and very obliging during the photography session. “Did you get a good shot? Do you want to take another one,” he asks before posing again.
Both O’Donague and Power (Sheenan was not present) often peppered their answers with jokes. It felt like an informal chat with some Irish lads in a Dublin pub. They even offered me a sip of coffee. “Have some. It’s definitely one of the best coffees I’ve had,” Power says. “Don’t worry. We did not do anything to the drink.” O’Donague first met Sheenan in their early teens in Dublin. They shared their love for music and often wrote songs together. “I bought a music software called Cubase from Mark (Sheenan) when we struck up a friendship over that. We often wrote music together and thought of ourselves as producers until we realised that Ireland was a little too small for us. We felt we could not progress without moving out of the country,” says O’Donague who, by then, was making demos for other artistes, with Sheenan as a backroom team.
“So we moved to the US where we spent a little time in Orlando before setting up a small studio in Los Angeles near the beach. Sheenan knew Glen (Power) from back in Dublin and he told me that he was a talented musician,” says O’Donague. “So we got him to fly in from Dublin and we sort of jammed out together in the small studio. The first song we played was actually The End Where I Begin and it was then that we realised that we had something really special here.” Power was a prodigy of sorts on the Dublin scene, having played from the age of 15. He even built a home studio. But things changed when he met the guys. “It was like I found my home at last.” That was 2005. With all the pieces in the right places, they spent a couple of months searching for the right sound for the band. However, tragedies began to besiege the band. Sheenan’s mum became terminally ill and the band returned to Dublin so that he could spend time with her. Ten months later, she died. Not too long after that, O’Donague’s father died unexpectedly of a heart attack. “We came home so that Mark could spend some time with his mother. Little was I to know that I would spend quality time with my dad as well,” O’Donague recalls.
However, out of the tragedies, songs emerged. “Each song is like a self-contained story. The music is like the soundtrack to the words and a song is a like a mini film. That’s how the name of the band came about.” Power adds: “In Ireland, people commonly say ‘what’s the script today?’, you know, like ‘what’s going on today?’.” The band is inspired by things they see or do every day. “It may come from a line from a book or even in the middle of a fight with your girlfriend or something. “Imagine the girlfriend screaming ‘are you writing a song or something?’ in the middle of a fight and I’d say ‘no, I’m just writing a list of presents I’m going to get you’,” says Power.
Jokes aside, the band wants to write songs as honestly as possible. O’Donague says one of the most poignant songs on the album is The End Where I Begin, a direct result of all that’s going on in their lives. “Sheenan wrote that song out of a direct reflection of what he was going through with his mother. It was important for him to get it into the music. The deaths and all things that happened actually cut down all the fake things in your life and help you to see things as they are,” says O’Donague.
“The meaning behind that song is that you can see death as an end but it can also be a form of rebirth. And as we sing those words every day, we believe that this is what our parents wanted for us — a rebirth — the end where I begin.” The Script’s two singles, The Man Who Can’t Be Moved and We Cry — are receiving extensive airplay on the radio. The band’s self-titled debut album is in the stores.
Sunday 21 September 2008
Wednesday 17 September 2008
Irish examiner
With the exception of U2 and a clutch of vapid boy bands, it has been many a year since an Irish act has topped the UK album charts, but a relative unknown group not only managed the feat, but actually managed to hold onto the spot, beating off competition from such celebrated names as Abba, Coldplay and Welsh soul star, Duffy.
Almost as impressive has been their assault on the singles chart, with two of their tracks currently holding fast in the Top 40, and receiving heavy rotation on virtually every major radio station in Europe.
Dublin band, The Script, are currently riding a wave of publicity and popularity that genuinely has them in poll position to be the proverbial "next big thing", with one of the members of the band recently revealing that they currently sit third on Sony Record's priority list behind Leona Lewis and Rihanna.
So why are their achievements currently greeted with only tepid praise in their home country?
Is it a case of our noted sense of begrudgery or does it have something to do with the old adage, which states that if things seem to good to be true, it's usually because they are.
The seeds of the Scripts' beginnings were sown when teenager, Mark Sheehan met fellow Dubliner, Danny O'Donaghue, when the former advertised some studio equipment that he had for sale.
What began as a simple transaction turned into a blossoming friendship, when the two realized just how committed each was to a career in music.
Teaming up in the area around Guinness' famed, St. James' Gate brewery, the pair were looking to escape their inner city surrounds according to Sheehan, who once recalled: "I'm not trying to romanticize it, where we grew up was a s**t hole, it was stealing cars, all the usual b*****ks, but music gave me a sense that I could break away. I know it sounds like a cliché, but to me, as a kid, that was my way out."
Although such comments can hardly be construed as 'romanticizing' his hometown, they might explain why certain people in Dublin have a hard time supporting the act, and while music did see them achieve their desired escape, the manner by which they achieved it might also offer another clue as to why the musical fraternity of Ireland is a wee bit skeptical of their explosive success.
In 1996, both became part of the Louis Walsh-managed boy band, Mytown, and were quickly signed up by Universal Records, who were eager to cash in on the burgeoning public demand for acts more renowned for their looks than their talent.
Although the four-piece were undoubtedly guilty of crimes against music (even going so far as to cover Wham! track Everything She Wants), all the members could play their own instruments and choreographed all their own dance moves, which certainly puts them ahead of the likes of Westlife and Boyzone, if only just.
The euphoria only continued when the band was sent to the US to begin work on their debut album with acclaimed producer, Teddy Riley (Blackstreet), although the fickle nature of the world of pop soon became painfully apparent when label suits began to grumble that the album was too pop for the US and too R'n'B for European audiences.
Like it or not, this band is struggling to shake their 'manufactured' label and too many of their statements still sound contrived.
Ultimately, the decision was made to cut Mytown loose and the dream was over before it ever truly started.
The silver lining on this particular cloud was the fact that the band had made many contacts in the US and even used their advance money wisely, so O'Donaghue and Sheehan decided to remain on in the States in an effort to salvage something from their career.
Over the next several years, they would chart a meandering course as they gamely tried every which way they could to get back in the game, first settling in Orlando and then leasing an apartment on Venice Beach, where they built a tiny studio and began working with new bands, in addition to remixing tracks.
They even managed to spoof their way in to a studio run by Pharrell Williams and his Neptunes associates, after the Irish pair simply called to the studio door and asked if they could help on a voluntary basis.
Soon they were learning at the feet of a master and though they were living a "hand to mouth existence", their ascetic life was worth it, as they generated more contacts and absorbed all they could about cutting-edge production techniques.
Soon they were remixing tracks for names like Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears, in addition to working on a retainer for Jive Records, where they assisted new acts in developing their sound.
It appeared that their career in the US was ready to take off once again but fate dealt the band another rough hand, when Sheehan's mother was diagnosed with cancer and the pair traveled to Ireland, in order for him to spend some time with her.
Upon returning to native sod, the duo continued to work with new Irish acts from a home-built studio, but they had also begun to entertain notions of performing again, inspired in many ways by Glen Power, a multi-instrumentalist who the two men met in Dublin.
Soon the band began writing at a furious pace and with the makings of an album put together, they began canvassing interested parties and one of their US contacts put them in touch with Sony/BMG print, Phonogenic, who signed the band earlier this year and advised them to move to the UK.
In contrast to their initial move all those years before, this excursion would have a much happier ending.
In April, the band released debut single, We Cry, which went top 15 in the UK charts, and followed it up with The Man Who Couldn't Be Moved, which secured the band their first top 10 hit.
Even more impressively, their eponymous debut album entered the charts at #1 upon its release two weeks ago, and it continues to sit there at the time of going to press.
So where are the love and glowing commendations?
Undoubtedly, the roots of the reluctance of some music fans to embrace this band must lie in its dubious pop past, and their propensity for referring to their music as "Irish Soul" sounds like something they have been told to say by a label.
Like it or not, this band is struggling to shake their 'manufactured' label and too many of their statements still sound contrived.
Consider O'Donaghue's recent declaration that: "These songs have lifted us through the clouds in life and relationships. It's a great feeling when fans say they can relate to them. I've had guys say they gave our song to their girlfriends as it helped them explain what they wanted to say."
Not any guys I know, but it is becoming patently obvious that the fairer sex do not have the same reticence about loving the Script.
One only has to look at the teeming mass of females at their gigs, hear their pensive lyrics or listen to their sound (which could concisely be described as Maroon 5 meets R'n'B with a dash of The Fray) to realize that The Script are not really out to catch the attention of those with two chromosomes and more power to them.
Make no mistake, some of the members of The Script may have failed the first time out but this time, they are going to be huge.
Almost as impressive has been their assault on the singles chart, with two of their tracks currently holding fast in the Top 40, and receiving heavy rotation on virtually every major radio station in Europe.
Dublin band, The Script, are currently riding a wave of publicity and popularity that genuinely has them in poll position to be the proverbial "next big thing", with one of the members of the band recently revealing that they currently sit third on Sony Record's priority list behind Leona Lewis and Rihanna.
So why are their achievements currently greeted with only tepid praise in their home country?
Is it a case of our noted sense of begrudgery or does it have something to do with the old adage, which states that if things seem to good to be true, it's usually because they are.
The seeds of the Scripts' beginnings were sown when teenager, Mark Sheehan met fellow Dubliner, Danny O'Donaghue, when the former advertised some studio equipment that he had for sale.
What began as a simple transaction turned into a blossoming friendship, when the two realized just how committed each was to a career in music.
Teaming up in the area around Guinness' famed, St. James' Gate brewery, the pair were looking to escape their inner city surrounds according to Sheehan, who once recalled: "I'm not trying to romanticize it, where we grew up was a s**t hole, it was stealing cars, all the usual b*****ks, but music gave me a sense that I could break away. I know it sounds like a cliché, but to me, as a kid, that was my way out."
Although such comments can hardly be construed as 'romanticizing' his hometown, they might explain why certain people in Dublin have a hard time supporting the act, and while music did see them achieve their desired escape, the manner by which they achieved it might also offer another clue as to why the musical fraternity of Ireland is a wee bit skeptical of their explosive success.
In 1996, both became part of the Louis Walsh-managed boy band, Mytown, and were quickly signed up by Universal Records, who were eager to cash in on the burgeoning public demand for acts more renowned for their looks than their talent.
Although the four-piece were undoubtedly guilty of crimes against music (even going so far as to cover Wham! track Everything She Wants), all the members could play their own instruments and choreographed all their own dance moves, which certainly puts them ahead of the likes of Westlife and Boyzone, if only just.
The euphoria only continued when the band was sent to the US to begin work on their debut album with acclaimed producer, Teddy Riley (Blackstreet), although the fickle nature of the world of pop soon became painfully apparent when label suits began to grumble that the album was too pop for the US and too R'n'B for European audiences.
Like it or not, this band is struggling to shake their 'manufactured' label and too many of their statements still sound contrived.
Ultimately, the decision was made to cut Mytown loose and the dream was over before it ever truly started.
The silver lining on this particular cloud was the fact that the band had made many contacts in the US and even used their advance money wisely, so O'Donaghue and Sheehan decided to remain on in the States in an effort to salvage something from their career.
Over the next several years, they would chart a meandering course as they gamely tried every which way they could to get back in the game, first settling in Orlando and then leasing an apartment on Venice Beach, where they built a tiny studio and began working with new bands, in addition to remixing tracks.
They even managed to spoof their way in to a studio run by Pharrell Williams and his Neptunes associates, after the Irish pair simply called to the studio door and asked if they could help on a voluntary basis.
Soon they were learning at the feet of a master and though they were living a "hand to mouth existence", their ascetic life was worth it, as they generated more contacts and absorbed all they could about cutting-edge production techniques.
Soon they were remixing tracks for names like Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears, in addition to working on a retainer for Jive Records, where they assisted new acts in developing their sound.
It appeared that their career in the US was ready to take off once again but fate dealt the band another rough hand, when Sheehan's mother was diagnosed with cancer and the pair traveled to Ireland, in order for him to spend some time with her.
Upon returning to native sod, the duo continued to work with new Irish acts from a home-built studio, but they had also begun to entertain notions of performing again, inspired in many ways by Glen Power, a multi-instrumentalist who the two men met in Dublin.
Soon the band began writing at a furious pace and with the makings of an album put together, they began canvassing interested parties and one of their US contacts put them in touch with Sony/BMG print, Phonogenic, who signed the band earlier this year and advised them to move to the UK.
In contrast to their initial move all those years before, this excursion would have a much happier ending.
In April, the band released debut single, We Cry, which went top 15 in the UK charts, and followed it up with The Man Who Couldn't Be Moved, which secured the band their first top 10 hit.
Even more impressively, their eponymous debut album entered the charts at #1 upon its release two weeks ago, and it continues to sit there at the time of going to press.
So where are the love and glowing commendations?
Undoubtedly, the roots of the reluctance of some music fans to embrace this band must lie in its dubious pop past, and their propensity for referring to their music as "Irish Soul" sounds like something they have been told to say by a label.
Like it or not, this band is struggling to shake their 'manufactured' label and too many of their statements still sound contrived.
Consider O'Donaghue's recent declaration that: "These songs have lifted us through the clouds in life and relationships. It's a great feeling when fans say they can relate to them. I've had guys say they gave our song to their girlfriends as it helped them explain what they wanted to say."
Not any guys I know, but it is becoming patently obvious that the fairer sex do not have the same reticence about loving the Script.
One only has to look at the teeming mass of females at their gigs, hear their pensive lyrics or listen to their sound (which could concisely be described as Maroon 5 meets R'n'B with a dash of The Fray) to realize that The Script are not really out to catch the attention of those with two chromosomes and more power to them.
Make no mistake, some of the members of The Script may have failed the first time out but this time, they are going to be huge.
Soldier magazine
JUST as it seemed 2008 was to be the year of mediocre new bloke bands singing instantly forgettable songs, The Script rode into the top ten on a fresh lyrical sound wave.
The Dubliners’ innovative debut single, We Cry, which deftly smoothed U2 rock into Eminem rap, took radio stations by surprise. But the UK audience was more than ready for the more soulful The Man Who Can’t Be Moved, which sailed to the number three slot in the charts and then refused to budge.
The best was yet to come. The self-titled debut album from the three gifted – not to mention gorgeous – guys swept away the competition to chart at number one. Flowing over starved eardrums like warm honey, the diverse tones of their 11-track CD have rescued UK music from a desert of blandness.
But what set the talented trio in gold medal position is their intelligence, thoughtfulness and grace. It’s enough to make any red-blooded female swoon and the fact that they unknowingly ooze sexiness just adds to the appeal. The complete package with bucket loads of X-factor has finally arrived.
All three members hail from humble roots, which have kept them grounded in their new-found fame. Guitarist Mark Sheehan grew up in the rough end of the Irish capital and quickly realised music could lift him out of the poverty. He met fellow teenager and now lead vocalist Danny O’Donaghue in a run down area of Dublin.
Sharing a passion and talent for music, the pair struck up a song writing and production partnership. A chance invitation to go to the US led to the duo collaborating with RnB legends Teddy Riley and Rodney Jerkins. They found their musical rainbow’s end in American black music.
“Danny fell in love with the vocal acrobatics and conviction of the soul legends. I liked sample-based music and fell in love with Hip Hop and RnB,” Mark told Soldier, adding that a youth spent submerged in the likes of Busta Rhymes and Dallas Austin, who has worked with Aretha Franklin and Pink, is clearly reflected in their music.
“We always loved the classic delivery of Stevie Wonder and loved the idea of rugged drums and bass beneath it.”
Mark and Danny worked in Los Angeles producing demos for other artists until fellow Dubliner Glen Power joined them. Regarded as a prodigy on the Dublin music scene, drummer Glen clicked with the pair and the trio produced three songs in just one week.
“Danny and I had spent so many years working together that it was tough for Glen to slot in,” explained Mark, when asked if three was an unworkable number of members for a band.
“Creatively we stay honourable to what we feel is moving us musically. Usually, if one of us is not feeling a song, then we don’t do it. We tried loads of fourth members but no one clicked.
“We waited until we had a substantial amount of music before deciding on the band name. We noticed that there was a story theme throughout – a narrative perspective and different take on love songs and they felt like a little script. Plus, when greeting each other we usually say, ‘what’s the script?’ meaning what’s happening, so it just felt right.”
Listening to the album for the first time felt right and turfed all the usual boy band preconceptions out the window. The Script’s contrasting music styles deliver something new and exciting every four minutes and they are really bothered by what they sing about.
“Danny can’t sing anything meaningless. He really sounds bad if a lyric is not emotionally charged and my only justification for pain is art. Music was always a way for us to vent and you can only write from your experiences. I guess we’ve been through a lot and we draw from that,” said Mark, adding what his hopes are for their debut album.
“I believe we poured our hearts into this every step of the way. So I think there is music for the head, heart and feet on there and we take you on a real thought-provoking journey. I only hope people give us one listen – I think they will relate.”
The Dubliners’ innovative debut single, We Cry, which deftly smoothed U2 rock into Eminem rap, took radio stations by surprise. But the UK audience was more than ready for the more soulful The Man Who Can’t Be Moved, which sailed to the number three slot in the charts and then refused to budge.
The best was yet to come. The self-titled debut album from the three gifted – not to mention gorgeous – guys swept away the competition to chart at number one. Flowing over starved eardrums like warm honey, the diverse tones of their 11-track CD have rescued UK music from a desert of blandness.
But what set the talented trio in gold medal position is their intelligence, thoughtfulness and grace. It’s enough to make any red-blooded female swoon and the fact that they unknowingly ooze sexiness just adds to the appeal. The complete package with bucket loads of X-factor has finally arrived.
All three members hail from humble roots, which have kept them grounded in their new-found fame. Guitarist Mark Sheehan grew up in the rough end of the Irish capital and quickly realised music could lift him out of the poverty. He met fellow teenager and now lead vocalist Danny O’Donaghue in a run down area of Dublin.
Sharing a passion and talent for music, the pair struck up a song writing and production partnership. A chance invitation to go to the US led to the duo collaborating with RnB legends Teddy Riley and Rodney Jerkins. They found their musical rainbow’s end in American black music.
“Danny fell in love with the vocal acrobatics and conviction of the soul legends. I liked sample-based music and fell in love with Hip Hop and RnB,” Mark told Soldier, adding that a youth spent submerged in the likes of Busta Rhymes and Dallas Austin, who has worked with Aretha Franklin and Pink, is clearly reflected in their music.
“We always loved the classic delivery of Stevie Wonder and loved the idea of rugged drums and bass beneath it.”
Mark and Danny worked in Los Angeles producing demos for other artists until fellow Dubliner Glen Power joined them. Regarded as a prodigy on the Dublin music scene, drummer Glen clicked with the pair and the trio produced three songs in just one week.
“Danny and I had spent so many years working together that it was tough for Glen to slot in,” explained Mark, when asked if three was an unworkable number of members for a band.
“Creatively we stay honourable to what we feel is moving us musically. Usually, if one of us is not feeling a song, then we don’t do it. We tried loads of fourth members but no one clicked.
“We waited until we had a substantial amount of music before deciding on the band name. We noticed that there was a story theme throughout – a narrative perspective and different take on love songs and they felt like a little script. Plus, when greeting each other we usually say, ‘what’s the script?’ meaning what’s happening, so it just felt right.”
Listening to the album for the first time felt right and turfed all the usual boy band preconceptions out the window. The Script’s contrasting music styles deliver something new and exciting every four minutes and they are really bothered by what they sing about.
“Danny can’t sing anything meaningless. He really sounds bad if a lyric is not emotionally charged and my only justification for pain is art. Music was always a way for us to vent and you can only write from your experiences. I guess we’ve been through a lot and we draw from that,” said Mark, adding what his hopes are for their debut album.
“I believe we poured our hearts into this every step of the way. So I think there is music for the head, heart and feet on there and we take you on a real thought-provoking journey. I only hope people give us one listen – I think they will relate.”
Monday 8 September 2008
Sunday 7 September 2008
Mark interview - HT&E
Despite the name, The Script don't follow the usual stereotype when it comes to the story of a band.
Three Irish lads from the wrong side of the tracks reach fame and fortune with a number one debut album in the UK and Ireland. The writing team behind The Commitments movie would have thought the plot too outlandish.
Somehow the formula has worked this time with former producers Mark Sheehan and Danny O'Donoghue striking gold after teaming up with drummer Glen Power to create the surprise hit of the summer. The Script's eponymous debut album is a complicated mixture of styles that transcends genre and gives the music press a tough time pigeonholing their vibe. Hip-hop, rock and soul are all neatly wrapped in slick pop production with O'Donoghue's vocals a true asset to the band. We caught up with Mark Sheehan to talk about the album, influences and rock and roll moments...
HT&E: Your debut - do you see it as an album about hope or an album about loss?
MS: I think we have a lot of songs about loss but there's been alot of that in our lives, but there's always an undertone of hope in them. I'd rather people have that than just focusing on the loss, they should hear about the recovery too, or the coping skills. This is what our song The End Is Where I Begin is all about. Every end is also the beginning of something new.
HT&E: As producers originally does that make the writing process easier?
MS: No, production doesn't make the song. A crap song is still a crap song with production, but when the bare bones is a killer song and has that raw emotion then the production only enhances that. In my opinion the production should back the song up, if you're clever with it.
"To me a great song is when you don't notice the genre or production, just the song"
HT&E: Does it make you more of a perfectionist when it comes to playing on the other side of the desk?
MS: Yes, its like a movie producer once said to me, "you never see the movie how everyone else does, you're constanly behind the camera so you have a different perspective" same with music, you dont hear it as a song after picking it apart, its never one unit. You break it up from bass to drums and vocals etc, but then years of production has you listening to FX like reverbs and EQs, that's all we hear sometimes. But you know what? To me a great song is when you don't notice the genre or production, just the song.
HT&E: There’s soul, Hip-hop, rock and more in your songs. How do you define your genre of music? Who are your influences?
MS: It's hard when you're in the band to define what your sound is, we just make music we love. I find it kinda' funny how every interview we do we get called, Timbaland meets U2, or The Police jamming with Kayne West etc. So many comparisons are coming at us but, you know, I think its because people can't put their finger on it - and why should anybody? Its just music. I think we are the Internet generation, like iTunes and iPods, nobody is loyal to a genre any more. In my head I see 50 Cent walking down a New York street with his big platinum chains, bullet proof vest on but on his iPod he's listening to The Sound of Music. Our influences are so vast, being producers it has to be, but we love Stevie Wonder, David Bowie, Bob Marley and Kayne West. Anyone great from hip-hop to rock.
"I got a wee little excited recently and smashed the shit out of a guitar"
HT&E: You’re Irish, you’re within the music industry and you’re successful, what’s your most “rock and roll” story to date?
MS: Apart from the usual hotel parties and drinking sessions that seem to surround The Script... a lot, they are the normal rock 'n roll stereotypes. I got a wee little excited recently and smashed the shit out of a guitar and f**kin' loved it! Cut the shit out of my hand though and then had to go back on stage and play. Something I've always wanted to do but couldn't afford to do it, probably not so rock 'n roll but it was a great release. I may hate myself for it one day.
HT&E: Were you expecting this success from your debut album?
MS: No not at all, you can't predict these things. You hope and wish blindly but you can never know. We made this record in my old shed at the back of my family home in Dublin hoping to one day get played on local radio, and now look! We just cant believe it.
HT&E: What’s on your iPod at the moment?
MS: My most played is probably David Bowie, but I love my Bob Marley too. I've got so much music its sick! Foo Fighers get alot of spins, Jay Z and Nas would be faves of mine too. A bit all over the place really.
HT&E: As producers or as a band who have you most enjoyed working with thus far?
MS: We went through a stage in our lives where all we worked on was Jamaican Dance Hall artist, Beany Man and Mr Vagas etc, but amongst them we worked with a 3 piece girl group that played acoustic guitars and sang like angels, unreal. They where like the Jamaican Destiny's Child. Anyway, I loved it because we where from so different backgrounds yet music was the common ground and they where wicked. They say alot of things that we from Dublin say too. Me this, me that... and ting, tanks and tirty tree. Plus they're into Guinness too!
HT&E: You’re touring for a few months this year, what happens after that? Piss up or back to work (or both)?
MS: We've actually been touring for over a year now, constantly since V Festival 2007. It seems like there is no end to it either. When we finish our UK and Irish tour were back on the road again around the rest of the world. Live is who we are really, take that away from us and I'm afraid there is no band so we're just happy to be employed to be honest. We fit the piss ups in-between so no worries there.
HT&E: How much of your songs come from real life experiences? There’s a lot of heartbreak in there.
MS: All of them, I've learned that when you don't write from your experiences it just doesn't connect with other people. And if we don't believe it how will you. There is alot of heartbreak in there, yeah but that's life sometimes. Some people are dealt a bum hand sometimes. With me, Its never really "will I fall?", but "how will i get back up?".
HT&E: Thanks for talking to us.
MS: Thanks so much for chatting with me.
Three Irish lads from the wrong side of the tracks reach fame and fortune with a number one debut album in the UK and Ireland. The writing team behind The Commitments movie would have thought the plot too outlandish.
Somehow the formula has worked this time with former producers Mark Sheehan and Danny O'Donoghue striking gold after teaming up with drummer Glen Power to create the surprise hit of the summer. The Script's eponymous debut album is a complicated mixture of styles that transcends genre and gives the music press a tough time pigeonholing their vibe. Hip-hop, rock and soul are all neatly wrapped in slick pop production with O'Donoghue's vocals a true asset to the band. We caught up with Mark Sheehan to talk about the album, influences and rock and roll moments...
HT&E: Your debut - do you see it as an album about hope or an album about loss?
MS: I think we have a lot of songs about loss but there's been alot of that in our lives, but there's always an undertone of hope in them. I'd rather people have that than just focusing on the loss, they should hear about the recovery too, or the coping skills. This is what our song The End Is Where I Begin is all about. Every end is also the beginning of something new.
HT&E: As producers originally does that make the writing process easier?
MS: No, production doesn't make the song. A crap song is still a crap song with production, but when the bare bones is a killer song and has that raw emotion then the production only enhances that. In my opinion the production should back the song up, if you're clever with it.
"To me a great song is when you don't notice the genre or production, just the song"
HT&E: Does it make you more of a perfectionist when it comes to playing on the other side of the desk?
MS: Yes, its like a movie producer once said to me, "you never see the movie how everyone else does, you're constanly behind the camera so you have a different perspective" same with music, you dont hear it as a song after picking it apart, its never one unit. You break it up from bass to drums and vocals etc, but then years of production has you listening to FX like reverbs and EQs, that's all we hear sometimes. But you know what? To me a great song is when you don't notice the genre or production, just the song.
HT&E: There’s soul, Hip-hop, rock and more in your songs. How do you define your genre of music? Who are your influences?
MS: It's hard when you're in the band to define what your sound is, we just make music we love. I find it kinda' funny how every interview we do we get called, Timbaland meets U2, or The Police jamming with Kayne West etc. So many comparisons are coming at us but, you know, I think its because people can't put their finger on it - and why should anybody? Its just music. I think we are the Internet generation, like iTunes and iPods, nobody is loyal to a genre any more. In my head I see 50 Cent walking down a New York street with his big platinum chains, bullet proof vest on but on his iPod he's listening to The Sound of Music. Our influences are so vast, being producers it has to be, but we love Stevie Wonder, David Bowie, Bob Marley and Kayne West. Anyone great from hip-hop to rock.
"I got a wee little excited recently and smashed the shit out of a guitar"
HT&E: You’re Irish, you’re within the music industry and you’re successful, what’s your most “rock and roll” story to date?
MS: Apart from the usual hotel parties and drinking sessions that seem to surround The Script... a lot, they are the normal rock 'n roll stereotypes. I got a wee little excited recently and smashed the shit out of a guitar and f**kin' loved it! Cut the shit out of my hand though and then had to go back on stage and play. Something I've always wanted to do but couldn't afford to do it, probably not so rock 'n roll but it was a great release. I may hate myself for it one day.
HT&E: Were you expecting this success from your debut album?
MS: No not at all, you can't predict these things. You hope and wish blindly but you can never know. We made this record in my old shed at the back of my family home in Dublin hoping to one day get played on local radio, and now look! We just cant believe it.
HT&E: What’s on your iPod at the moment?
MS: My most played is probably David Bowie, but I love my Bob Marley too. I've got so much music its sick! Foo Fighers get alot of spins, Jay Z and Nas would be faves of mine too. A bit all over the place really.
HT&E: As producers or as a band who have you most enjoyed working with thus far?
MS: We went through a stage in our lives where all we worked on was Jamaican Dance Hall artist, Beany Man and Mr Vagas etc, but amongst them we worked with a 3 piece girl group that played acoustic guitars and sang like angels, unreal. They where like the Jamaican Destiny's Child. Anyway, I loved it because we where from so different backgrounds yet music was the common ground and they where wicked. They say alot of things that we from Dublin say too. Me this, me that... and ting, tanks and tirty tree. Plus they're into Guinness too!
HT&E: You’re touring for a few months this year, what happens after that? Piss up or back to work (or both)?
MS: We've actually been touring for over a year now, constantly since V Festival 2007. It seems like there is no end to it either. When we finish our UK and Irish tour were back on the road again around the rest of the world. Live is who we are really, take that away from us and I'm afraid there is no band so we're just happy to be employed to be honest. We fit the piss ups in-between so no worries there.
HT&E: How much of your songs come from real life experiences? There’s a lot of heartbreak in there.
MS: All of them, I've learned that when you don't write from your experiences it just doesn't connect with other people. And if we don't believe it how will you. There is alot of heartbreak in there, yeah but that's life sometimes. Some people are dealt a bum hand sometimes. With me, Its never really "will I fall?", but "how will i get back up?".
HT&E: Thanks for talking to us.
MS: Thanks so much for chatting with me.
Glenn interview - NZGirl
How would you describe your sound?
It’s music for the head, heart, hands and feet. It’s funk/rock/pop/hip hop.
Fav song on the album and why?
‘Breakeven’ – lyrically the song doesn’t get anymore concise and brilliant. When I was first played the song, Mark had already programmed the beat. I heard it and was like, ‘that’s not the way it should be’. The great thing about us is we always change the rules – we’re not afraid to
mix it up. Lyrically the song is fantastic – we’ve all been in a situation where our heart has been broken!
What’s your favourite song right now?
Coldplay’s ‘Lost’. It’s so fantastic and so lyrically brilliant. I play it all the time. It’s my prescription for a bit of soul searching!
Advice for aspiring musicians?
Always keep going, never say no for answer – because right around the corner could be the career break you’re going for. When I was 15 the guidance counsellor at school asked what I wanted to do when I left, and I said music, and she said, ‘What about a real job?’. She told me I couldn’t do music for a living and now look at what I’m doing. Just believe in yourself, there’s no such thing as no. All you’ve got to do is figure out what you need to do to get there!
It’s music for the head, heart, hands and feet. It’s funk/rock/pop/hip hop.
Fav song on the album and why?
‘Breakeven’ – lyrically the song doesn’t get anymore concise and brilliant. When I was first played the song, Mark had already programmed the beat. I heard it and was like, ‘that’s not the way it should be’. The great thing about us is we always change the rules – we’re not afraid to
mix it up. Lyrically the song is fantastic – we’ve all been in a situation where our heart has been broken!
What’s your favourite song right now?
Coldplay’s ‘Lost’. It’s so fantastic and so lyrically brilliant. I play it all the time. It’s my prescription for a bit of soul searching!
Advice for aspiring musicians?
Always keep going, never say no for answer – because right around the corner could be the career break you’re going for. When I was 15 the guidance counsellor at school asked what I wanted to do when I left, and I said music, and she said, ‘What about a real job?’. She told me I couldn’t do music for a living and now look at what I’m doing. Just believe in yourself, there’s no such thing as no. All you’ve got to do is figure out what you need to do to get there!
Breakeven video shoot - ShowBiz Ireland
The Script are probably the hottest band to come out of Dublin since U2 – and it looks like their star is in rapid ascendancy. We caught up with Danny, Mark and Glen on the set of the video for their next single 'Break Even' in Dublin yesterday...
Danny O'Donoghue, Mark Sheehan and Glen Power are three humble lads from Dublin. More importantly, they are The Script. Arguably the hottest young band on the planet at the moment - their last song 'The Man Who Can't Be Moved' was a very much deserved global hit. Quality tune.
The trio invited a lucky group of fans along to the filming of their 'Break Even' video shoot yesterday at a secret Dublin city location. It turned out to be not so secret when we spotted them and their film crew at Whelan's bar... Sorry about that lads!
We're expecting great things from 'The Script' in the coming weeks, months and years. Let's hope they live up the hype and give the U2 boys a run for their money. Sure it's about time someone challenged U2's eternal global domination of the music industry and erm, Dublin hotels... Yeah Script, sell millions of albums and open a hotel. It's every Rock 'n' Roller's dream.
Danny O'Donoghue, Mark Sheehan and Glen Power are three humble lads from Dublin. More importantly, they are The Script. Arguably the hottest young band on the planet at the moment - their last song 'The Man Who Can't Be Moved' was a very much deserved global hit. Quality tune.
The trio invited a lucky group of fans along to the filming of their 'Break Even' video shoot yesterday at a secret Dublin city location. It turned out to be not so secret when we spotted them and their film crew at Whelan's bar... Sorry about that lads!
We're expecting great things from 'The Script' in the coming weeks, months and years. Let's hope they live up the hype and give the U2 boys a run for their money. Sure it's about time someone challenged U2's eternal global domination of the music industry and erm, Dublin hotels... Yeah Script, sell millions of albums and open a hotel. It's every Rock 'n' Roller's dream.
Breakeven video shoot - Daily Star
SINGER Danny O’Donoghue’s ex-girlfriend was almost cast to play his love interest in the video for The Script’s next single Breakeven. The brunette featured in a selection of photos of Irish babes the director was sent by a casting agency.After filming in New York and LA for their first releases We Cry and current smash The Man Who Can’t Be Moved, Danny, 25, guitarist Mark Sheehan, 28, and drummer Glen Power, 29, were deter-mined to do something close to their roots.
Mark told me: “People keep asking if we were American so we realised we needed to do something about it.”
But frontman Danny was flabbergasted when his old flame was presented as an extra. He admitted: “It brought back a lot of feelings and emotions. “I said all week: ‘I hope it’s not someone from Dublin we know.’ I was watching some demo tapes of the girls who had auditioned and was like, ‘I know her, I know her sister.’”
But he added: “The lead girl, Irma Mali, is amazing and tall like me.”
Female attention is something these lads have to get used to after topping the charts. Their heart-felt songs are connecting with all who hear them. In between takes The Script joked with extras playing a crowd at a gig.
As a speeded-up version of Break Even is drummed out for the 10th time they mime brilliantly. We are in a pub called Whelans, where not so long ago The Script did a gig for real. “Do we sound better now, miming?” laughs Danny. You would never know the singer arrived on set at 4.30am to do cosy shots at the docks with his on-screen lady friend.
Still buzzing from their self-titled album going in at No 1 in the charts – and continuing to sell by the bucketload – the group are on a high. Mark shows me pictures of his new baby Avery, his second son. Clearly fatherhood and selling records are a perfect combination. “Everything is just brilliant,” he admits.
Thursday 4 September 2008
Saturday 30 August 2008
Friday 29 August 2008
RWD Magazine Feature
The Script: More Than Words…
They’ve written for Babyface and Teddy Riley, but now they’re stepping out from behind the boards. With their big pop hooks and Maroon-5 like melodies, we predict Irish trio The Script are about to be rather huge. Hattie Collins speaks to Mark to find out the craic!
Three-piece Irish band The Script are the latest buzz in the pop world. The Hoosiers asked them to support them on tour, Radio 1 playlisted them months in advance, while radio stations in their homeland even started a campaign to get the boys to No.1! “It’s funny,” says Mark, the group’s guitarist, who alongside drummer Glen and singer Danny is also producer and songwriter. “We’ve seen how it happened so fast with the Hoosiers and I’d be lying if I said we didn’t fancy a bit of that, but at the same we hope people get into the music with us first,” he says cautiously. “Then again, there’s nothing you can do about it I suppose, because the record label is really trying to make a load of money off you so... “
Indeed, they might not have too much choice in the matter. Especially when people get to see them live, where they really excel. Tracks like We Cry, for example become even more amazing when you hear Danny in the flesh and see how the band bring the music to life. It’s led to them being compared to everyone from U2 and the Police to Maroon 5 (but not fellow Irish-ers Westlife or Boyzone, thank God!) It’s also a sound a lot of hip hop and R&B heads will appreciate. “When I talk to anyone at the label they tell me not to mention hip hop and I know it’s a million miles from f*cking hip hop, however our roots and how we put stuff together is influenced by that,” Mark insists. “For example, we take a hip hop loop and then Glen will walk in and play over that. I grew up on Tribe Called Quest and then Common and Eminem and Kanye - all of us have always had a passion for the rhyme of hip hop, so we tend to use a melodic flow and a low bassline. Live, we push our kicks and snare and bass, rather than having loud, screeching guitars and banging drums.” It’s fair to say someone like Kanye might like the Script, right? “Well, yeah, hopefully,” nods Mark. “I think he’d be a great match for us. He went down the wrong road using Chris Martin,” he adds with a laugh. “He should have used us - he would have got a cooler song!
Danny and Mark met 15 years ago, when Mark sold Danny ‘some gear.’ We clarify exactly what he means by that, but apparently it was actually Cubase-based, nothing dodgy. A few years ago, Glen came onboard and the boys started to think about turning themselves into a production outfit rather than a group. “We got major interest when we were younger in Ireland,” Mark remembers. “We had a friend who knew U2’s manager, Paul McGuiness who really liked what we were doing, but felt we were a bit young and we needed to experience more in the production world. So we went to LA to work.” They jetted off to Hollywoodland, where they ended up working with the likes of Babyface and Teddy Riley, who they met after flying down to Virginia and ‘Turning up at his door with our guitars on our backs. Literally.’ They wound up doing some writing and programming while Riley worked on the second Blackstreet album and then got more work with other beatmakers. Ultimately though, they felt unfulfilled working for other people. “We got sick of writing a really cool song to then have some sh*t singer come in and do a crap job,” admits Mark. So they stuck Danny out front and began crafting gorgeous compositions.
“I think we encapsulate everything that’s going on in modern music,” says Mark. “People might not want to admit it, but everyone’s tastes have gotten broader. We’ve found a way of encapsulating all the best of those styles into a sonic fingerprint in a new sort of way. I hope we deliver that quality in music.”
Earlier this year, Danny suffered a collapsed lung, while Glen smashed his head open on the floor of a pub toilet. Is Mark worried he might be next? “I wasn’t until everyone kept saying it to me,” he exclaims. “Hopefully I’ll go down in style though – I’ll get a massive electric shock on stage instead of something sissy,” he grins. “Maybe we could set up a mad person in the audience to pop me or something?” Sorry Mark, the only pop you’re going near is the top of the charts (groan).
Who would you like to read a bedtime story to?
I’d have to do it without my missus slitting my throat, but lets say, anything with a heartbeat! Nah, I suppose Kelly Brook is nice.
How’s the groupie love so far?
Well, we’re getting sent a lot of strange pictures. Actually, there was a young girl in the show last night. She was all flirty and then she lifted her top up and on her stomach there was an arrow pointing down and it said ‘Insert here.’ I was like ohhhh-kay!
Thursday 28 August 2008
Hot Press magazine feature
They’ve been heralded as the biggest thing in Irish rock since U2- a prediction that proved prescient when THE SCRIPT romped to the top of the charts with their debut album. Here they talk about their boyband past and explain that their infectious soul-pop is tinged by personal tragedy- and is all the more heartfelt for it
The buzz started when their first single, “We Cry”, reached the Irish top ten in April. In July, the second single, “The Man Who Can’t be Moved” did even better and peaked at number three. By August all the escalating hype was reaching fever pitch- and sure enough, their debut album shot straight to the top spot in both Ireland and the UK in the first week of it’s release. Since then the noise surrounding the band had become an all out frenzy and The Script have gone viral – as in something thoroughly infectious!
Over the past few weeks they’ve been everywhere- radio, television, newspapers, magazines, message boards, you name it. The truth, however, is that The Script are an instant success story about 10 years in the making. It’s a new twist on an old rock ‘n’ roll fable. Vocalist Danny O’Donoghue and guitarist Mark Sheehan grew up together around the James Street area of Dublin. They formed MyTown, a boy band whose career was orchestrated under the Principle Management umbrella- who also, of course, handle U2.
After that unsuccessful stint attempting to outdo Westlife and the Backstreet Boys, the pair worked as a songwriting and production team, with considerable success, working with Teddy Riley and The Neptunes, among others. But when they met drummer, session musician and fellow Dub, Glen Power, the three clicked socially, personally and musically – and thus The Script was born.
If the media hype, a number one album, a show in Marley Park and an upcoming tour wasn’t enough to content with, the afternoon we chat, Mark is anxiously waiting for his wife to give birth “at any moment”. Ah Bless. Nobody told them there’d be days like these!
The Script are a little bit pop and a little bit R ‘n’ B. They are bright, polished and write songs that have a knack of insinuating themselves into people’s heads. They call it ‘Celtic Soul’. Yep, I’m not quite sure what that is either, but this much I can say: their music is hugely accessible and radio friendly, like an Irish OneRepublic. But that’s never stopped the local snipers from taking pot shots: if the success seemed quick, the attendant begrudgery has been even quicker.
We can’t ignore them, so let’s have a look at the criticisms that are being slung about like snuff at a wake.
Criticism number one: despite the Celtic Soul tag, The Script have been accused of not sounding Irish. Like The Thrills before them, they’ve been derided for sounding too American, specifically for being Maroon 5 the 2008 edition. It’s a familiar old refrain, alright….
“We may have an American, polished sound,” says Mark, “but we lived in America for ten years. That’s where I learned to produce records. What was I going to do? Take all that experience and then reverse it?”
In any event, he isn’t going to be boxed in by other people’s narrow horizons.
“What is Irish music anyway?” he asks. “I love Christy Moore. To me he’s a rapper - he’s one of the best rappers in the world. I love Aslan – they express themselves with great accuracy. I’m really into the Coronas and I think the Blizzards are really good as well. But in the middle of that you have the Republic of Loose – I love what they’re doing. Is that ‘Irish’? Mary Black hits me in the heart. I love that kind of stuff as well and I love the differences between all those artists.”
Mark sees what The Script are doing as very much a product of modern Ireland. His attitude on the subject is impressively bolshie.
“Everyone I know in Dublin listens to pop music. They love their Coldplay, their Kanye West, Justin Timberlake or their U2 –they love all that stuff. I think we’re absolutely a reflection of that new Ireland. We’ve been compared to all kinds of people – U2 meets Timbaland, Kanye West, Coldplay and yeah, Maroon 5, fair enough – but when people listen to the album they’ll change their minds. At least we’re not being compared to Val Doonican, or that kind of shite!”
Criticism number two is that Danny and Mark’s boyband past in My Town casts a long shadow. Mark is unapologetic. In fact he isn’t remotely concerned with how the MyTown afterburn might affect The Script’s credibility.
“People don’t take us seriously to begin with” he says. “We write pop songs. We write love songs. We write songs about breaking hearts and what we’ve experienced, and that’s it really.
But that past experience of the pop genre is fascinating nonetheless. Marketed as R ‘n’ B in the States and a pop boyband in the UK, My Town fell between two stools and failed to capture the public imagination. But here’s the rub: they may have been sucked into the belly of the beast – but they made it out the other side because they are musicians first and foremost.
“You get into the industry and you have an idea of what it’s going to be like and it’s nothing like you think. We thought that we were going to be able to express ourselves musically with My Town, but that didn’t happen. Of course there’s a formula and that’s fine, there’s a place for that, but when Danny and I saw what was happening we bailed.”
The lads don’t regret the experience. At the time, Mark says, they were desperate for success. Having grown up poor in working-class Dublin, all they wanted to do was get to America. With that out of their system, they are back fresher and stronger. If My Town were an R ‘n’ B boyband, Mark sees The Script not so much as a change in musical personas, but a progression – and in a sense The Script represents a serious step forward musically.
“I wouldn’t change anything. We learnt so much in those years. And so what? You know the Ting Tings were originally in girlbands and boybands. So was Duffy.”
Having said that Mark’s not keen on the music of manufactured acts created by shows such as The X-Factor.
“I don’t watch it, I don’t read about it. It’s not something I’m into. I’d prefer if it was more about songwriting, or real artists – but I suppose it can’t be. It’s about spring-boarding people to pop success and it has it’s place, just like Westlife and Shayne Ward have their place.”
As far as Mark is concerned, The Script are a world away from the likes of Ireland’s two big boyband exports, Westlife and Boyzone.
“There’s a demographic for those bands. It’s not something I’d listen too or enjoy, but if my son grows up listening to say, Shayne Ward, I’d prefer that than him listening to Eminem talking about chopping his wife up, putting her in the boot of his car and driving her over the fucking bridge. It’s music for a demographic – it’s like when kids grow up they love Barney, or Bear in the Big Blue House. That music is for younger people, and I think there’s a place for it.”
Unfortunately for the MyTown graduates, their boyband history mean that they got lumped in with the likes of those manufactured pop acts. Despite the fact that they had some high-profile fans and collaborators, there was an assumption that they were a bunch of talentless robots, stuck on the road to nowhere. Wrong, it turns out, on all counts….
After MyTown, Danny and Mark stayed on in America writing songs and producing music. This was mostly a hand-to-mouth existence, as Mark describes it, but it allowed them to work with some pretty heavyweight names and the lads learnt their craft with the likes of Dallas Austin, The Neptunes, Rodney Jerkins and Teddy Riley.
“Meeting Teddy was amazing,” Mark grins. “From when I was a kid I wanted to meet him, just to say thank you for all the music. We went around and he was watching “The Sopranos” but he invited us in. We were chatting, then Danny and I were playing guitars. He gave us the confidence that maybe we could do something. I mean, who were we? Just a bunch of lads from Dublin, and having someone like that interested in us opened a lot of doors.”
The third criticism is predictable: that the songs are shiny, emotionless, middle–of–the–road numbers. While there’s no denying that on first sight The Script look like pop-by-numbers, the songs and music were written by the band as a response to what were difficult personal circumstances – money worried, unemployment and bereavement – and that they have something to say about those thornier than average themes in a pop context. Within the space of just over a year Mark lost his mother and Danny’s father died of a heart attack. That their songs are genuinely written from the heart is, according to Mark, what the fans like about them.
“I think the songs are really honest and that’s what people have picked up on. When we were writing them we were in a dark place and I think that comes across, that genuine emotion.”
For Mark, songwriting is all about accessing an emotional response.
“I always say that our formula is like no formula. Sometimes Glen will have an idea or Danny will. It’s kind of like divining – when I feel the hairs on the back of my neck then I know we’ve got something.”
Criticism number four is that The Script are a bunch of pretty boys, an accusation – or rather a compliment! – which Mark thinks is hilarious.
“I look in the mirror and think, look at the state of that!” he laughs. “I’m 28 years old and I’m losing my hair. We admire people like U2 and Coldplay – not as heartthrobs – but because of the way they carry themselves through the industry with great dignity and I guess we try to act like that.”
Err…I think it might be the fact that Danny – the photogenic dark haired singer- looks more like a young Fergal Sharkey beautifully re-imagined as a noughties teen idol.
“If girls want to like Danny, because he looks a certain way, they’re welcome, but I know what he’s really like. He’s a messy bollocks!”
And finally, criticism number five is that The Script got signed before paying their dues on the live circuit- success being unacceptable until you’ve hauled equipment in and out of venues such as Whealan’s or the Spirit Store the requisite number of times. But in the past few months, the lads have been touring with the likes of The Hoosiers and The Zutons, did the summer festival circuit including a headline spot on the iTunes festival and a well received at this year’s Oxygen.
“The Irish shows are always the most important to us,” Mark asserts. “Before we went on stage, there were maybe about 200 people in the tent at Oxygen, and I thought ‘Oh no, Ireland hates us’! But then about five minutes before we went on, the place filled up and they were turning people away.”
Next up is a tour around Ireland, the UK, Europe and Japan, with plans to conquer America slotted in for next year.
“We always say the only place success comes before touring is in the dictionary. You have to tour in order to get the music out. We’re getting released in America on Paddy’s Day. We’re doing gigs in New York and Boston on the same day, which will be a big launch for us. In the meantime, we’re promoting the album here and our tour kicks off, which is huge for us. We’ve been in the shadows of other bands in the past while – and now it’s time for us to step out.”
If their success in slamming straight in at number one in Ireland and the UK seems almost indecently easy, the band aren’t taking anything for granted. The industry, as Mark notes, is fickle and the pressure to deliver one commercially successful album after another can be overwhelming. But for the moment, he’s not worrying about that.
“I am really just happy about being employed, you know,” says Mark, in a way that is genuinely disarming. “That’s all I focus on. I could be digging holes, I could be out there working on building sites with my brothers, but I’m so lucky that I’m working in an area that I love and I’m able to be creative in.”
The Script write pop music. They don’t pretend it’s anything grander and nobody seems more surprised about their current popularity than the band themselves.
“We made this album in a shitty shed on James Street and the idea of it being played on the radio, and the music getting out there, and people coming to see us, we’re like – “Holy shit, this is great!”
And it is. The begrudgers may carp, the reviews may be ambivalent, but the public have spoken – and the public have anointed The Script as this year’s success story. Teenage girls may get their knickers in a twist over Danny and the videos may take advantage of that fact, but writing The Script off as a cynical A&R concoction designed for nothing more than to extract the maximum amount of disposable income from our wallets is unfair in the extreme. Their ballad-y sound may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but so what? They do what they do well – heartfelt tunes, lush singalong choruses and shiny American production values. Chillax man, don’t be a hater.
The buzz started when their first single, “We Cry”, reached the Irish top ten in April. In July, the second single, “The Man Who Can’t be Moved” did even better and peaked at number three. By August all the escalating hype was reaching fever pitch- and sure enough, their debut album shot straight to the top spot in both Ireland and the UK in the first week of it’s release. Since then the noise surrounding the band had become an all out frenzy and The Script have gone viral – as in something thoroughly infectious!
Over the past few weeks they’ve been everywhere- radio, television, newspapers, magazines, message boards, you name it. The truth, however, is that The Script are an instant success story about 10 years in the making. It’s a new twist on an old rock ‘n’ roll fable. Vocalist Danny O’Donoghue and guitarist Mark Sheehan grew up together around the James Street area of Dublin. They formed MyTown, a boy band whose career was orchestrated under the Principle Management umbrella- who also, of course, handle U2.
After that unsuccessful stint attempting to outdo Westlife and the Backstreet Boys, the pair worked as a songwriting and production team, with considerable success, working with Teddy Riley and The Neptunes, among others. But when they met drummer, session musician and fellow Dub, Glen Power, the three clicked socially, personally and musically – and thus The Script was born.
If the media hype, a number one album, a show in Marley Park and an upcoming tour wasn’t enough to content with, the afternoon we chat, Mark is anxiously waiting for his wife to give birth “at any moment”. Ah Bless. Nobody told them there’d be days like these!
The Script are a little bit pop and a little bit R ‘n’ B. They are bright, polished and write songs that have a knack of insinuating themselves into people’s heads. They call it ‘Celtic Soul’. Yep, I’m not quite sure what that is either, but this much I can say: their music is hugely accessible and radio friendly, like an Irish OneRepublic. But that’s never stopped the local snipers from taking pot shots: if the success seemed quick, the attendant begrudgery has been even quicker.
We can’t ignore them, so let’s have a look at the criticisms that are being slung about like snuff at a wake.
Criticism number one: despite the Celtic Soul tag, The Script have been accused of not sounding Irish. Like The Thrills before them, they’ve been derided for sounding too American, specifically for being Maroon 5 the 2008 edition. It’s a familiar old refrain, alright….
“We may have an American, polished sound,” says Mark, “but we lived in America for ten years. That’s where I learned to produce records. What was I going to do? Take all that experience and then reverse it?”
In any event, he isn’t going to be boxed in by other people’s narrow horizons.
“What is Irish music anyway?” he asks. “I love Christy Moore. To me he’s a rapper - he’s one of the best rappers in the world. I love Aslan – they express themselves with great accuracy. I’m really into the Coronas and I think the Blizzards are really good as well. But in the middle of that you have the Republic of Loose – I love what they’re doing. Is that ‘Irish’? Mary Black hits me in the heart. I love that kind of stuff as well and I love the differences between all those artists.”
Mark sees what The Script are doing as very much a product of modern Ireland. His attitude on the subject is impressively bolshie.
“Everyone I know in Dublin listens to pop music. They love their Coldplay, their Kanye West, Justin Timberlake or their U2 –they love all that stuff. I think we’re absolutely a reflection of that new Ireland. We’ve been compared to all kinds of people – U2 meets Timbaland, Kanye West, Coldplay and yeah, Maroon 5, fair enough – but when people listen to the album they’ll change their minds. At least we’re not being compared to Val Doonican, or that kind of shite!”
Criticism number two is that Danny and Mark’s boyband past in My Town casts a long shadow. Mark is unapologetic. In fact he isn’t remotely concerned with how the MyTown afterburn might affect The Script’s credibility.
“People don’t take us seriously to begin with” he says. “We write pop songs. We write love songs. We write songs about breaking hearts and what we’ve experienced, and that’s it really.
But that past experience of the pop genre is fascinating nonetheless. Marketed as R ‘n’ B in the States and a pop boyband in the UK, My Town fell between two stools and failed to capture the public imagination. But here’s the rub: they may have been sucked into the belly of the beast – but they made it out the other side because they are musicians first and foremost.
“You get into the industry and you have an idea of what it’s going to be like and it’s nothing like you think. We thought that we were going to be able to express ourselves musically with My Town, but that didn’t happen. Of course there’s a formula and that’s fine, there’s a place for that, but when Danny and I saw what was happening we bailed.”
The lads don’t regret the experience. At the time, Mark says, they were desperate for success. Having grown up poor in working-class Dublin, all they wanted to do was get to America. With that out of their system, they are back fresher and stronger. If My Town were an R ‘n’ B boyband, Mark sees The Script not so much as a change in musical personas, but a progression – and in a sense The Script represents a serious step forward musically.
“I wouldn’t change anything. We learnt so much in those years. And so what? You know the Ting Tings were originally in girlbands and boybands. So was Duffy.”
Having said that Mark’s not keen on the music of manufactured acts created by shows such as The X-Factor.
“I don’t watch it, I don’t read about it. It’s not something I’m into. I’d prefer if it was more about songwriting, or real artists – but I suppose it can’t be. It’s about spring-boarding people to pop success and it has it’s place, just like Westlife and Shayne Ward have their place.”
As far as Mark is concerned, The Script are a world away from the likes of Ireland’s two big boyband exports, Westlife and Boyzone.
“There’s a demographic for those bands. It’s not something I’d listen too or enjoy, but if my son grows up listening to say, Shayne Ward, I’d prefer that than him listening to Eminem talking about chopping his wife up, putting her in the boot of his car and driving her over the fucking bridge. It’s music for a demographic – it’s like when kids grow up they love Barney, or Bear in the Big Blue House. That music is for younger people, and I think there’s a place for it.”
Unfortunately for the MyTown graduates, their boyband history mean that they got lumped in with the likes of those manufactured pop acts. Despite the fact that they had some high-profile fans and collaborators, there was an assumption that they were a bunch of talentless robots, stuck on the road to nowhere. Wrong, it turns out, on all counts….
After MyTown, Danny and Mark stayed on in America writing songs and producing music. This was mostly a hand-to-mouth existence, as Mark describes it, but it allowed them to work with some pretty heavyweight names and the lads learnt their craft with the likes of Dallas Austin, The Neptunes, Rodney Jerkins and Teddy Riley.
“Meeting Teddy was amazing,” Mark grins. “From when I was a kid I wanted to meet him, just to say thank you for all the music. We went around and he was watching “The Sopranos” but he invited us in. We were chatting, then Danny and I were playing guitars. He gave us the confidence that maybe we could do something. I mean, who were we? Just a bunch of lads from Dublin, and having someone like that interested in us opened a lot of doors.”
The third criticism is predictable: that the songs are shiny, emotionless, middle–of–the–road numbers. While there’s no denying that on first sight The Script look like pop-by-numbers, the songs and music were written by the band as a response to what were difficult personal circumstances – money worried, unemployment and bereavement – and that they have something to say about those thornier than average themes in a pop context. Within the space of just over a year Mark lost his mother and Danny’s father died of a heart attack. That their songs are genuinely written from the heart is, according to Mark, what the fans like about them.
“I think the songs are really honest and that’s what people have picked up on. When we were writing them we were in a dark place and I think that comes across, that genuine emotion.”
For Mark, songwriting is all about accessing an emotional response.
“I always say that our formula is like no formula. Sometimes Glen will have an idea or Danny will. It’s kind of like divining – when I feel the hairs on the back of my neck then I know we’ve got something.”
Criticism number four is that The Script are a bunch of pretty boys, an accusation – or rather a compliment! – which Mark thinks is hilarious.
“I look in the mirror and think, look at the state of that!” he laughs. “I’m 28 years old and I’m losing my hair. We admire people like U2 and Coldplay – not as heartthrobs – but because of the way they carry themselves through the industry with great dignity and I guess we try to act like that.”
Err…I think it might be the fact that Danny – the photogenic dark haired singer- looks more like a young Fergal Sharkey beautifully re-imagined as a noughties teen idol.
“If girls want to like Danny, because he looks a certain way, they’re welcome, but I know what he’s really like. He’s a messy bollocks!”
And finally, criticism number five is that The Script got signed before paying their dues on the live circuit- success being unacceptable until you’ve hauled equipment in and out of venues such as Whealan’s or the Spirit Store the requisite number of times. But in the past few months, the lads have been touring with the likes of The Hoosiers and The Zutons, did the summer festival circuit including a headline spot on the iTunes festival and a well received at this year’s Oxygen.
“The Irish shows are always the most important to us,” Mark asserts. “Before we went on stage, there were maybe about 200 people in the tent at Oxygen, and I thought ‘Oh no, Ireland hates us’! But then about five minutes before we went on, the place filled up and they were turning people away.”
Next up is a tour around Ireland, the UK, Europe and Japan, with plans to conquer America slotted in for next year.
“We always say the only place success comes before touring is in the dictionary. You have to tour in order to get the music out. We’re getting released in America on Paddy’s Day. We’re doing gigs in New York and Boston on the same day, which will be a big launch for us. In the meantime, we’re promoting the album here and our tour kicks off, which is huge for us. We’ve been in the shadows of other bands in the past while – and now it’s time for us to step out.”
If their success in slamming straight in at number one in Ireland and the UK seems almost indecently easy, the band aren’t taking anything for granted. The industry, as Mark notes, is fickle and the pressure to deliver one commercially successful album after another can be overwhelming. But for the moment, he’s not worrying about that.
“I am really just happy about being employed, you know,” says Mark, in a way that is genuinely disarming. “That’s all I focus on. I could be digging holes, I could be out there working on building sites with my brothers, but I’m so lucky that I’m working in an area that I love and I’m able to be creative in.”
The Script write pop music. They don’t pretend it’s anything grander and nobody seems more surprised about their current popularity than the band themselves.
“We made this album in a shitty shed on James Street and the idea of it being played on the radio, and the music getting out there, and people coming to see us, we’re like – “Holy shit, this is great!”
And it is. The begrudgers may carp, the reviews may be ambivalent, but the public have spoken – and the public have anointed The Script as this year’s success story. Teenage girls may get their knickers in a twist over Danny and the videos may take advantage of that fact, but writing The Script off as a cynical A&R concoction designed for nothing more than to extract the maximum amount of disposable income from our wallets is unfair in the extreme. Their ballad-y sound may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but so what? They do what they do well – heartfelt tunes, lush singalong choruses and shiny American production values. Chillax man, don’t be a hater.
Wednesday 27 August 2008
Sunday Times interview 18th May
The Script look forward to the next chapter
With a debut album in the pipeline, the Script look forward to the next chapter
May 18, 2008
Lisa Verrico
In the BBC’s Maida Vale Studios, the Script are sitting on stools, squirming through a Q&A session with the DJ Simon Mayo that involves revealing the most-played songs on their iPods and which of the trio is the chattiest. When the front man, Danny O’Donoghue, is asked to describe the Script’s sound, he steals a cheesy quote about “a new sort of Celtic soul” from the band’s own press release, then, embarrassed, buries his head in his hands.
The nerves, the stools, the Smash Hits-style questions and the fact that all three are good-looking lads from Dublin would lead a casual observer to conclude that the Script are Ireland’s latest boy-band export. Except they are in the prestigious, if slightly shabby, BBC studios to record a concert for Radio 2, in a slot that recently featured Duffy and Adele, and when they start to play they sound like a hip-hop-infused Maroon 5.
Far from a manufactured act, the Script consists of a pair of former R&B producers - 25-year-old O’Donoghue and the shaven-headed guitarist, Mark Sheehan, 27 - plus the funk drummer Glen Power, 28, a former session musician they met through a mutual friend four years ago. Their debut album, The Script, due in August, was entirely written, played and produced by the trio, mostly in O’Donoghue’s studio in a shed in Dublin’s run-down St James’s Street. That they are now tipped for fame in Britain and America has left the band more bemused than big-headed.
“Our only ambition was to get one of our songs on the radio,” says Sheehan. “Now, every day, we hear that more stations have playlisted the single, or Yahoo is broadcasting one of our gigs, or Perez Hilton has us on his home page. When we supported the Hoosiers in March, we didn’t expect anyone to know who we were, but we had every song sung back at us. It’s almost going too well. We’re waiting for the bad news now, because none of us believes this can continue.”
Yet the success of their debut single, We Cry, looks set to snowball. The album is stuffed with similarly catchy songs that blend hip-hop, soulful pop and 1980s rock with tales about characters they know from Dublin.
Sheehan and O’Donoghue met in their mid-teens, when the former advertised studio equipment he no longer used in Dublin’s Buy and Sell. O’Donoghue - whose pianist father played with Tom Jones and Roy Orbison - answered the ad and bought the home studio, with which, two months later, the pair began writing their first songs. Both had dropped out of school by the time the U2 manager, Paul McGuinness, took on their band Mytown and, having secured a major-label deal, sent them to America to work with a host of Alist R&B producers.
“We had produced our own demos,” recalls O’Donoghue, “but the label thought Teddy Riley and Dallas Austin could polish our sound. Our songs were soulful hip-hop, or so we thought. In the end, the album never came out. In the States, they said we were too pop. Over here, we were told we were too R&B.”
Rather than return to Dublin, the two set up base first in Orlando, then LA, where they built a tiny studio in their flat in Venice Beach and began picking up production work. “There was nothing glamor-ous about it,” says O’Donoghue. “We’d get a remix in January, and that would pay the bills until March. We had to become jacks of all trades. One day, I’d be on turntables for TLC or remixing Beenie Man, then Mark would do some programming or get a gig playing a guitar part. We were mostly scraping by.”
A remix for Justin Timberlake got them hired by Jive to help the label’s new pop signings establish their sound, but by then they were sick of writing for other artists. “We always write from our own experience,” says O’Donoghue. “When someone else sang our lyrics, they never came across as we intended.”
The Script formed almost by accident when Power, who was still based in Dublin, came to stay with his friends for a fortnight’s holiday. Rather than sunbathe, as he intended, he was taken straight from the airport to a jam session. A few hours later, the trio resolved to become a band. Their first demo tape got them a record deal, but just as they were about to begin recording, Sheehan’s mother was diagnosed as terminally ill and the guitarist decided to return to Dublin. His bandmates opted to move with him - the Script’s debut album was written between Sheehan’s hospital visits.
“I would spend every night at mum’s bedside, writing down how I felt while she slept, then go straight to the studio,” he recalls.
“There were so many emotions rattling round, the songs poured out of us. We Cry came from walking down St James’s Street early in the morning, smelling Guinness from the brewery and watching girls who should have been at school pushing babies in prams.”
The band’s storytelling songs inspired the name the Script. “We’d walk past girls with babies called Mercedes or Diamond,” says Sheehan. “You can laugh, but the reason these girls give their kids ‘expensive’ names is because they honestly believe they are giving their children a better chance in life. In no way are we looking down on them.”
Then there is the album track Rusty Halo, which refers to their Catholic upbringing and the sense that they may already have sinned too much to get to heaven. “It’s about us scouring the Bible to find a loophole that gets us out of going to hell,” explains Sheehan. “Unfortunately, we’re still searching.”
The temptations, you sense, will only become trickier - the Script’s MySpace friends are almost entirely female, while their recent appearance in a Bebo online soap saw them cast as the pop-star heart-throbs they are about to become. Their current concerns, however, are more commercial than carnal. “We tried to bet on We Cry being a hit with Paddy Power,” reveals Sheehan, referring to the Irish bookie. “But they wouldn’t let us wager on our own song. We thought if the music doesn’t work out, we should make some money in the meantime.”
I try to tell them they no longer need to scam, but the unassuming trio are unwilling to believe it.
With a debut album in the pipeline, the Script look forward to the next chapter
May 18, 2008
Lisa Verrico
In the BBC’s Maida Vale Studios, the Script are sitting on stools, squirming through a Q&A session with the DJ Simon Mayo that involves revealing the most-played songs on their iPods and which of the trio is the chattiest. When the front man, Danny O’Donoghue, is asked to describe the Script’s sound, he steals a cheesy quote about “a new sort of Celtic soul” from the band’s own press release, then, embarrassed, buries his head in his hands.
The nerves, the stools, the Smash Hits-style questions and the fact that all three are good-looking lads from Dublin would lead a casual observer to conclude that the Script are Ireland’s latest boy-band export. Except they are in the prestigious, if slightly shabby, BBC studios to record a concert for Radio 2, in a slot that recently featured Duffy and Adele, and when they start to play they sound like a hip-hop-infused Maroon 5.
Far from a manufactured act, the Script consists of a pair of former R&B producers - 25-year-old O’Donoghue and the shaven-headed guitarist, Mark Sheehan, 27 - plus the funk drummer Glen Power, 28, a former session musician they met through a mutual friend four years ago. Their debut album, The Script, due in August, was entirely written, played and produced by the trio, mostly in O’Donoghue’s studio in a shed in Dublin’s run-down St James’s Street. That they are now tipped for fame in Britain and America has left the band more bemused than big-headed.
“Our only ambition was to get one of our songs on the radio,” says Sheehan. “Now, every day, we hear that more stations have playlisted the single, or Yahoo is broadcasting one of our gigs, or Perez Hilton has us on his home page. When we supported the Hoosiers in March, we didn’t expect anyone to know who we were, but we had every song sung back at us. It’s almost going too well. We’re waiting for the bad news now, because none of us believes this can continue.”
Yet the success of their debut single, We Cry, looks set to snowball. The album is stuffed with similarly catchy songs that blend hip-hop, soulful pop and 1980s rock with tales about characters they know from Dublin.
Sheehan and O’Donoghue met in their mid-teens, when the former advertised studio equipment he no longer used in Dublin’s Buy and Sell. O’Donoghue - whose pianist father played with Tom Jones and Roy Orbison - answered the ad and bought the home studio, with which, two months later, the pair began writing their first songs. Both had dropped out of school by the time the U2 manager, Paul McGuinness, took on their band Mytown and, having secured a major-label deal, sent them to America to work with a host of Alist R&B producers.
“We had produced our own demos,” recalls O’Donoghue, “but the label thought Teddy Riley and Dallas Austin could polish our sound. Our songs were soulful hip-hop, or so we thought. In the end, the album never came out. In the States, they said we were too pop. Over here, we were told we were too R&B.”
Rather than return to Dublin, the two set up base first in Orlando, then LA, where they built a tiny studio in their flat in Venice Beach and began picking up production work. “There was nothing glamor-ous about it,” says O’Donoghue. “We’d get a remix in January, and that would pay the bills until March. We had to become jacks of all trades. One day, I’d be on turntables for TLC or remixing Beenie Man, then Mark would do some programming or get a gig playing a guitar part. We were mostly scraping by.”
A remix for Justin Timberlake got them hired by Jive to help the label’s new pop signings establish their sound, but by then they were sick of writing for other artists. “We always write from our own experience,” says O’Donoghue. “When someone else sang our lyrics, they never came across as we intended.”
The Script formed almost by accident when Power, who was still based in Dublin, came to stay with his friends for a fortnight’s holiday. Rather than sunbathe, as he intended, he was taken straight from the airport to a jam session. A few hours later, the trio resolved to become a band. Their first demo tape got them a record deal, but just as they were about to begin recording, Sheehan’s mother was diagnosed as terminally ill and the guitarist decided to return to Dublin. His bandmates opted to move with him - the Script’s debut album was written between Sheehan’s hospital visits.
“I would spend every night at mum’s bedside, writing down how I felt while she slept, then go straight to the studio,” he recalls.
“There were so many emotions rattling round, the songs poured out of us. We Cry came from walking down St James’s Street early in the morning, smelling Guinness from the brewery and watching girls who should have been at school pushing babies in prams.”
The band’s storytelling songs inspired the name the Script. “We’d walk past girls with babies called Mercedes or Diamond,” says Sheehan. “You can laugh, but the reason these girls give their kids ‘expensive’ names is because they honestly believe they are giving their children a better chance in life. In no way are we looking down on them.”
Then there is the album track Rusty Halo, which refers to their Catholic upbringing and the sense that they may already have sinned too much to get to heaven. “It’s about us scouring the Bible to find a loophole that gets us out of going to hell,” explains Sheehan. “Unfortunately, we’re still searching.”
The temptations, you sense, will only become trickier - the Script’s MySpace friends are almost entirely female, while their recent appearance in a Bebo online soap saw them cast as the pop-star heart-throbs they are about to become. Their current concerns, however, are more commercial than carnal. “We tried to bet on We Cry being a hit with Paddy Power,” reveals Sheehan, referring to the Irish bookie. “But they wouldn’t let us wager on our own song. We thought if the music doesn’t work out, we should make some money in the meantime.”
I try to tell them they no longer need to scam, but the unassuming trio are unwilling to believe it.
Heroes cover for Olympics - Daily Record
A COVER song by The Script has been chosen as the official track of the 2012 London Olympics.
The Irish trio's version of David Bowie's Heroes has been selected to represent the world-wide event in four years.
The rockers are at No1 in the album chart with their self-titled debut album and at No2 in the singles chart with The Man Who Can't Be Moved.
But they were shocked by the honour because they originally recorded Heroes as a joke.
Drummer Glen Power said: "We were just messing around when we decided to record it and it doesn't even really have a proper drum beat.
"We really just put it together using a foot pedal for the beat."
Singer Danny O'Donoghue added: "We wanted to cover it because we just thought it was a great song. It's the only cover we've ever done and we can't believe it's just been taken on for the Olympics."
The band, who formed in 2001, are shocked at how popular they've become. It took a gig in Scotland for the friends, who used to produce music for The Neptunes, to help them realise they were firmly on the road to success.
Guitarist Mark Sheehan said: "One of the big turnaround points for us was when we toured in Scotland with the Hoosiers.
"We were at the Carling Academy in Glasgow and we got a big shock at the response from the Scots fans.
"There were nearly 2000 people at the gig and they just went nuts for us.
"It was an amazing reaction and we all went out afterwards to celebrate."
The boys were so delighted they even decided to try Scots delicacies haggis and deep-fried Mars Bars.
Mark said: "Glen thought the haggis was lovely - like pudding."
And Mark had another cause for celebration this week when his wife Reena gave birth to their first child.
The couple have been married for three years and met in the US when he and Danny were writing and producing material for other bands as well as The Script.
And the musician told The Razz: "I've roped Danny into being godfather. I'm expecting him to stand in where I can't.
"It'll be a real responsibility considering he is still a child himself. The only other responsibility he has at the moment is his utility bills.
The Irish trio's version of David Bowie's Heroes has been selected to represent the world-wide event in four years.
The rockers are at No1 in the album chart with their self-titled debut album and at No2 in the singles chart with The Man Who Can't Be Moved.
But they were shocked by the honour because they originally recorded Heroes as a joke.
Drummer Glen Power said: "We were just messing around when we decided to record it and it doesn't even really have a proper drum beat.
"We really just put it together using a foot pedal for the beat."
Singer Danny O'Donoghue added: "We wanted to cover it because we just thought it was a great song. It's the only cover we've ever done and we can't believe it's just been taken on for the Olympics."
The band, who formed in 2001, are shocked at how popular they've become. It took a gig in Scotland for the friends, who used to produce music for The Neptunes, to help them realise they were firmly on the road to success.
Guitarist Mark Sheehan said: "One of the big turnaround points for us was when we toured in Scotland with the Hoosiers.
"We were at the Carling Academy in Glasgow and we got a big shock at the response from the Scots fans.
"There were nearly 2000 people at the gig and they just went nuts for us.
"It was an amazing reaction and we all went out afterwards to celebrate."
The boys were so delighted they even decided to try Scots delicacies haggis and deep-fried Mars Bars.
Mark said: "Glen thought the haggis was lovely - like pudding."
And Mark had another cause for celebration this week when his wife Reena gave birth to their first child.
The couple have been married for three years and met in the US when he and Danny were writing and producing material for other bands as well as The Script.
And the musician told The Razz: "I've roped Danny into being godfather. I'm expecting him to stand in where I can't.
"It'll be a real responsibility considering he is still a child himself. The only other responsibility he has at the moment is his utility bills.
Tuesday 26 August 2008
Interview from Malaysia trip
Irish trio The Script are making their presence felt with their honest music from the soul.
One glance at boyishly handsome Danny O’Donaghue, frontman of Irish band The Script, and you’d probably hear the alarm bells go off and think: boyband. But nothing could be further from the truth.
About a decade ago, O’Donaghue, 25, and The Script guitarist Mark Sheehan, 27, were in a boyband. Remember the group, Mytown? Well, don’t beat yourself up if you don’t because they never made it big anywhere even though they did come to Malaysia, twice.
Irish trio The Script have been pegged as the band to watch out for. The break up of Mytown turned out to be a blessing in disguise as it led to O’Donaghue and Sheehan’s sojourn to the United States where they worked as producers, alongside many top R&B producers, such as The Neptunes, Teddy Riley and Dallas Austin.
“When we did this earlier, we were very young and we did not have as much control as we have now.” said O’Donaghue when The Script came to town recently. “I mean we were in a band, a pop band, and we got a small taste of the industry. Then we decided to break up the band, and Mark and I went off and produced. We spent a long time in the (United) States (working) with (producer) Teddy Reilly (who produced artistes like Michael Jackson and Jay-Z) and Rodney Jerkins and all these different people. We were just kind of learning the craft.
“This time around it just means so much more because we’ve had so much input from the start – the name, the music, the videos, we produced it ourselves – it really feels like it’s a part of us rather than us just being a small part of something big like how it was before. We really feel like we are on the start of something amazing. And I am a little older and a little wiser, too,” said O’Donaghue.
Experience, exposure and perhaps maturity led the two back to writing music again; they hooked up with drummer Glen Power, 28, who had a reputation as a prodigy in the Dublin music scene, to form The Script.
Earlier this month, O’Donaghue and Power were in Malaysia for the MTV Asia Awards at Genting Highlands where they performed their second single The Man Who Can’t Be Moved to rave reviews; Sheehan unfortunately could not make the trip as his wife was about to deliver their first child.
Danny O’Donaghue (left) and Glen Power at the MTV Asia Awards 2008 in Genting Highlands earlier this month. “I am sure he is kicking himself, wishing he was here with us.
“Mark is a big reason we are here. The guy is just relentless kicking us up in the morning. He is the glue that sticks us all together and he is really, sorely, missed.” said O’Donaghue.
Pegged as the band to watch for, the Irish trio are making waves in the international music scene. Their first single, We Cry, peaked at No.9 on the charts (where it remained for 30 whole weeks) and The Man Who Can’t be Moved is still enjoying lots of air play on TV and radio.
Critics, unsure of how exactly to categorise their music, have described their sound as being “a little bit Timbaland, a little U2 and a little Sting”. Some say it’s “celtic soul” while others describe their music as being “a juxtaposition of hip-hop lyrical, R&B and rock”.
For the boys, it’s just honest music from the soul.
“It’s an honour to be in the same bracket or to be named (in connection) with these guys. They are all our heroes and if I met them I’d probably stutter,” said O’Donaghue. “We listened to The Police, Stevie Wonder, Genesis, and U2 – they were a massive influence. When I saw what they (U2) could do, I thought if they could do all that, then maybe I could do that, too,” said Glen.
Jokingly, O’Donaghue added: “But I’d like to think that somewhere, Sting is sitting in a room getting interviewed, (being told) ‘you know you sound like Danny O’Donaghue from The Script?’ ”
Although humbled about the comparisons, the boys are determined to create their own sound and carve their own place in the industry.
“I think there is a space in the market for a band that has lyrics that mean things, a band that is being very honest.
“We also want to get the message across that we have feelings. A lot of men have deep feelings,” said O’Donaghue.
Added Power: “And that it’s OK to cry.”
The two explain that when We Cry was first released in Britain, the band got some flak for “being wimps”.
“But I just want to say that we are even stronger because we cry,” said O’Donaghue.
Working on the songs is a collaborative effort with all three Dubliners playing an equal role in the writing and production work.
“I think individually we have our strengths and when you put us together, we are just stronger as a force. I think we are clever enough to know that this is something special that we’ve found with the three of us. And it’s a lot more fun, too,” mused Power.
Added O’Donaghue, “We were all friends first and to be able to go around the world with your friends and play music and have fun together, it’s fantastic. I’d never want to do it on my own ... it’d be too lonely.
“Travelling is really hard sometimes and being with your friends helps you keep going. I cannot imagine doing something else.”
So, did the name The Script have anything to do with them coming from Ireland, the land of many literary geniuses?
“No, we basically started in LA where everyone is looking for ‘the script’. Our songs are stories and miniature ‘movies’ so that’s how we came up with the name The Script.
“The other names we came up with before were really bad: Versatile, Hank Wangford and the Rambling Turkeys, and Atlantic Fantasy. So when someone suggested ‘The Script’, we all jumped on it!” explained O’Donaghue.
“A lot of people believe we sound very American because the music is very polished. I don’t know whether to feel bad that nobody would think that something good can come out of Ireland but everywhere we’ve gone around the world, people have been surprised to find out we are Irish.
“Mark and I also spent a lot of time in the (United) States soaking up American culture, and the stuff we were producing just ended up having a bit of a sheen to it. We just felt that these sounds and the way the album was produced was the best way to get these songs out,” said O’ Donaghue.
While they are enjoying the buzz – their recent tour with N.E.R.D, the success of their first two singles and the release of their debut album, media attention like never before and red-carpet appearances – the trio aren’t going to lose sight of the big picture.
“We want to play on stage and have an impact. We want to hit them (fans) you know ... we want to make the hairs at the back of their neck stand up and we want to make people go, ‘Wow... I feel the same,’” said O’Donaghue.
Watch Yahoo! Gig Live From London
Courtesy of Yahoo!
Click the track links below to view in full screen:
We Cry
The Man Who Can't Be Moved
Before The Worst
Break Even
(Track names mixed up on yahoo site)
Click the track links below to view in full screen:
We Cry
The Man Who Can't Be Moved
Before The Worst
Break Even
(Track names mixed up on yahoo site)
Manchester Evening News article
CITYLIFE has hit a raw nerve. We're talking names with The Script's guitarist Mark Sheehan. Sure, he's 27 which makes him pretty rock 'n' roll, but he doesn't SOUND rock 'n' roll. Glen Power. Now, that's a solid surname. Does Mark feel a tad jealous? "I wasn't, until you said that. Thanks! But is he a superhero or a household cleaner?"
So we give Mark a chance to reset the balance: let him pick a fantasy name and a fantasy script to his fantasy life story. This is how it goes:
"I'm called Mike Machine. The band comes about when we somehow find ourselves on a stage brought together by the gods of ROCK! and play the best songs ever heard. On the bill are David Bowie, Kanye West and John Mayer. Kanye joins us for We Cry. He raps the middle eight. And since we're wishing, I flew there."
Truth, though, is very often stranger than fiction, and The Script's story supports that old adage. Their current lifestyles couldn't be further from their childhood years; the band's singer and keys man, Danny O'Donoghue and Mark were raised in the rundown James Street area of Dublin, in the shadow of the Guinness brewery. They bonded over music; Danny studiously became a proficient singer and Mark turned to music to avoid getting dragged into a life of petty crime.
"Dan grew up loving the vocal soul legends, like Stevie Wonder, while I always had a huge interest in hip-hop and R&B. We naturally grew up in a rock climate in Ireland loving artists like David Bowie, U2, Missy Elliott, Bob Marley, The Police... I think we tip our hats to those guys."
The pair showed an early flair for writing and production and were invited to America to collaborate with the likes of The Neptunes (Pharrell Williams), Dallas Austin and Teddy Riley. That's when they met multi-instrumentalist Glen - another Dubliner abroad, who had earned his crust as a session musician for 15 years.
"We all had a jamming session in LA, which some of our current songs came from. It was those songs which got us signed and the chance to write and produce our own record."
They started touring, taking to the road with many of the people they'd earned production credits with.
"We thought we where being nice by not asking for a rider and letting people decide what they felt we should have. All we got was alcohol. I'm not complaining, but do you think they heard our accents?"
How did it measure up to Pharrell's rider? "Put it this way, I don't think you could bite into their fruit, your teeth would smash. Too many diamonds."
How would you describe your music?
"This is music for the head, heart and feet. We wrote this music through some of our darkest times (including the loss of Danny's father and Mark's mother) so I think people will relate to us. Check out The End Where I Begin and Breakeven on the new album. If they don't get you, you just can't be got."
With their eponymous debut album storming the charts, the boys have already got their eyes set on world domination. They're doing well over here and are big in Germany (Mark's second favourite place in the world so far). But if America birthed them, then America is the logical country to want to crack - so how's it going? "The reaction from the US has been very strong so far. Top blogger Perez Hilton (who gets 35 million hit a week) just gave us his front page recently, out of the blue, so that helped - big time."
So we give Mark a chance to reset the balance: let him pick a fantasy name and a fantasy script to his fantasy life story. This is how it goes:
"I'm called Mike Machine. The band comes about when we somehow find ourselves on a stage brought together by the gods of ROCK! and play the best songs ever heard. On the bill are David Bowie, Kanye West and John Mayer. Kanye joins us for We Cry. He raps the middle eight. And since we're wishing, I flew there."
Truth, though, is very often stranger than fiction, and The Script's story supports that old adage. Their current lifestyles couldn't be further from their childhood years; the band's singer and keys man, Danny O'Donoghue and Mark were raised in the rundown James Street area of Dublin, in the shadow of the Guinness brewery. They bonded over music; Danny studiously became a proficient singer and Mark turned to music to avoid getting dragged into a life of petty crime.
"Dan grew up loving the vocal soul legends, like Stevie Wonder, while I always had a huge interest in hip-hop and R&B. We naturally grew up in a rock climate in Ireland loving artists like David Bowie, U2, Missy Elliott, Bob Marley, The Police... I think we tip our hats to those guys."
The pair showed an early flair for writing and production and were invited to America to collaborate with the likes of The Neptunes (Pharrell Williams), Dallas Austin and Teddy Riley. That's when they met multi-instrumentalist Glen - another Dubliner abroad, who had earned his crust as a session musician for 15 years.
"We all had a jamming session in LA, which some of our current songs came from. It was those songs which got us signed and the chance to write and produce our own record."
They started touring, taking to the road with many of the people they'd earned production credits with.
"We thought we where being nice by not asking for a rider and letting people decide what they felt we should have. All we got was alcohol. I'm not complaining, but do you think they heard our accents?"
How did it measure up to Pharrell's rider? "Put it this way, I don't think you could bite into their fruit, your teeth would smash. Too many diamonds."
How would you describe your music?
"This is music for the head, heart and feet. We wrote this music through some of our darkest times (including the loss of Danny's father and Mark's mother) so I think people will relate to us. Check out The End Where I Begin and Breakeven on the new album. If they don't get you, you just can't be got."
With their eponymous debut album storming the charts, the boys have already got their eyes set on world domination. They're doing well over here and are big in Germany (Mark's second favourite place in the world so far). But if America birthed them, then America is the logical country to want to crack - so how's it going? "The reaction from the US has been very strong so far. Top blogger Perez Hilton (who gets 35 million hit a week) just gave us his front page recently, out of the blue, so that helped - big time."
Liverpool Daily Post article
They’ve hung out with Britney, worked with U2’s manager and upset Peaches Geldof. Emma Pinch meets The Script.
MOST bands couldn’t give a two-fingered salute about who buys their music. As long they’re buying the music and funding the coke habit, who cares, right? Mark has an astonishingly acute idea of who is buying their music.
“Admin staff who are on their first serious career move and finally care about their career and are going to live shows with couples or mates. We used to think it was the 25- to 35-year-old girls, but we hear a lot of guys out there, too. From being a producer, I have to watch how every genre works. You’re creating a vehicle for a song."
At the grand old age of 28, Mark and his bandmates, singer/pianist Danny O’Donaghue and drummer Glen Power, are just starting out as a band, after a decade spent producing and generally being a jack-of-all-trades in LA studios. In his buttery Irish brogue, he cheerfully admits that he was the breed of producer who became one “because my career as an artist didn’t kick off”.
They’ve only just released their second single (The Man Who Can’t Be Moved) and their first album, but their careers seem to be on fast-forward. Their energy crackles down the phone. Tipped as a “next big thing” by Radio One, they’ve supported The Hoosiers and appeared at the MTV Asia awards. The first band to stream a concert via Yahoo Messenger, they’re astutely aligning themselves with the MySpace generation.
Mark and Danny, 27, have been friends since about 15. Quickly establishing a writing partnership – and with the encouragement of U2 manager Paul McGuinness – they spent some of a publishing advance on a trip to Virginia Beach, where they blagged their way into R&B producer Teddy Riley’s studio. The result was a succession of jobs in the US working on pop and R&B records with Riley, The Neptunes and Dallas Austin.
“It was so demanding. One day we’d be working with computer programs and the next day writing or doing vocals. Anything to keep the lights on. We were bottom feeder producers. At one end, we would hang with Justin Timberlake and Britney but we were mainly sent to work with all the new artists. Actually, we were supposed to produce Britney but there was a major hurricane so we didn’t get her physically in the studio. We were struggling. Danny had come to LA because there were bigger industry possibilities, and I was sick of Danny not getting a break and I wanted to produce a record for him. Within four hours of jamming in the studio, the three of us really had something. A big producer told us he knew someone in the UK who would sign us and put our records out, so we went to London and The Script was born.”
Their time producing has the happy side effect that their record label, Sony BMG, allows them a very long leash.
“We deliver it to the record label and they put it out. We have complete control. I can’t begin to tell you how much freedom they give us. I’m booking studios myself to keep costs down now and they know I won’t overspend.”
Their heads-down approach to music-making means that some aspects of popular culture pass them by.
A recent faux pas at the iTunes festival earned them kudos in certain circles.
“It was a huge gig for us and we got to headline. We didn’t realise that Peaches Geldof was a presenter. We hadn’t a clue who the woman was. She was giving it the ‘Oh, you’re Irish, my dad’s Irish’ routine, and we were like ‘Okaay’. Later, we found out she meant her dad was Bob Geldof.
Mark is missing another huge gig now in Asia – but he has another big gig going on in London.
“My wife and I are expecting our first baby in two weeks, so I stayed here in case the little critter comes along. We’re expecting a boy, judging by the scan. But I’m missing the band. It’s terrible, every gig seems the most important gig. But I told them to go ahead. It’s all good.”
MOST bands couldn’t give a two-fingered salute about who buys their music. As long they’re buying the music and funding the coke habit, who cares, right? Mark has an astonishingly acute idea of who is buying their music.
“Admin staff who are on their first serious career move and finally care about their career and are going to live shows with couples or mates. We used to think it was the 25- to 35-year-old girls, but we hear a lot of guys out there, too. From being a producer, I have to watch how every genre works. You’re creating a vehicle for a song."
At the grand old age of 28, Mark and his bandmates, singer/pianist Danny O’Donaghue and drummer Glen Power, are just starting out as a band, after a decade spent producing and generally being a jack-of-all-trades in LA studios. In his buttery Irish brogue, he cheerfully admits that he was the breed of producer who became one “because my career as an artist didn’t kick off”.
They’ve only just released their second single (The Man Who Can’t Be Moved) and their first album, but their careers seem to be on fast-forward. Their energy crackles down the phone. Tipped as a “next big thing” by Radio One, they’ve supported The Hoosiers and appeared at the MTV Asia awards. The first band to stream a concert via Yahoo Messenger, they’re astutely aligning themselves with the MySpace generation.
Mark and Danny, 27, have been friends since about 15. Quickly establishing a writing partnership – and with the encouragement of U2 manager Paul McGuinness – they spent some of a publishing advance on a trip to Virginia Beach, where they blagged their way into R&B producer Teddy Riley’s studio. The result was a succession of jobs in the US working on pop and R&B records with Riley, The Neptunes and Dallas Austin.
“It was so demanding. One day we’d be working with computer programs and the next day writing or doing vocals. Anything to keep the lights on. We were bottom feeder producers. At one end, we would hang with Justin Timberlake and Britney but we were mainly sent to work with all the new artists. Actually, we were supposed to produce Britney but there was a major hurricane so we didn’t get her physically in the studio. We were struggling. Danny had come to LA because there were bigger industry possibilities, and I was sick of Danny not getting a break and I wanted to produce a record for him. Within four hours of jamming in the studio, the three of us really had something. A big producer told us he knew someone in the UK who would sign us and put our records out, so we went to London and The Script was born.”
Their time producing has the happy side effect that their record label, Sony BMG, allows them a very long leash.
“We deliver it to the record label and they put it out. We have complete control. I can’t begin to tell you how much freedom they give us. I’m booking studios myself to keep costs down now and they know I won’t overspend.”
Their heads-down approach to music-making means that some aspects of popular culture pass them by.
A recent faux pas at the iTunes festival earned them kudos in certain circles.
“It was a huge gig for us and we got to headline. We didn’t realise that Peaches Geldof was a presenter. We hadn’t a clue who the woman was. She was giving it the ‘Oh, you’re Irish, my dad’s Irish’ routine, and we were like ‘Okaay’. Later, we found out she meant her dad was Bob Geldof.
Mark is missing another huge gig now in Asia – but he has another big gig going on in London.
“My wife and I are expecting our first baby in two weeks, so I stayed here in case the little critter comes along. We’re expecting a boy, judging by the scan. But I’m missing the band. It’s terrible, every gig seems the most important gig. But I told them to go ahead. It’s all good.”
Radio 1 Chart Show
Here's Danny from The Script, getting justifiably over-excited at his band's current chart position. Album chart, that is. Stay tuned for Fearne's on-air meltiness, and some Leona Lewis / Kelly Rowland 'news'...
Monday 25 August 2008
MTV Asia awards
2nd August 2008
When the Irish born but London based trio, The Script, unleashed their debut single "We Cry," the world was definitely being thrown a huge sonic red herring. Who would have thought that such urban inspired soul music could have come from Ireland - the land of shamrocks, leprechauns, the Corrs and U2?
Despite their lineage, Danny O'Donoghue (vocals), Mark Sheehan (guitar) and Glen Power (drums) are no strangers to the music of American soul, hip hop and R&B. For one, Danny and Mark have studied intensively under the watchful eyes of famed producers such as Rodney Jerkins, the Neptunes, Teddy Reilly and have been rolling in the Los Angeles music scene as songwriters and producers for years. Spurred on by Danny's urge to return to the limelight, the band roped in drummer Glen and started a new sound dubbed "Celtic soul" that they wholly call it their own. And make no mistakes about it. The Irish have soul, as we found out from Danny and Glen themselves at the MTV Asia Awards.
When the Irish born but London based trio, The Script, unleashed their debut single "We Cry," the world was definitely being thrown a huge sonic red herring. Who would have thought that such urban inspired soul music could have come from Ireland - the land of shamrocks, leprechauns, the Corrs and U2?
Despite their lineage, Danny O'Donoghue (vocals), Mark Sheehan (guitar) and Glen Power (drums) are no strangers to the music of American soul, hip hop and R&B. For one, Danny and Mark have studied intensively under the watchful eyes of famed producers such as Rodney Jerkins, the Neptunes, Teddy Reilly and have been rolling in the Los Angeles music scene as songwriters and producers for years. Spurred on by Danny's urge to return to the limelight, the band roped in drummer Glen and started a new sound dubbed "Celtic soul" that they wholly call it their own. And make no mistakes about it. The Irish have soul, as we found out from Danny and Glen themselves at the MTV Asia Awards.
Express in your best vocabulary as possible: Just how excited are you guys to be here?
Glen: We are amazed to be here. We woke up in the morning and we said to each other when we were having breakfast: "We can't believe that we are in Malaysia doing what we are doing right now." It's great!
Danny: We haven't seen enough of Genting yet but we've taken a trip down to see the Kuala Lumpur Tower yesterday. I have to say that it's breathtaking! We have been up and down the mountain four times now!
This year, we have an award category of Favourite International Artist In Asia. Will The Script work overtime so you can come back and grab a piece of the pie next year?
Danny: Next year, we want to come back and sweep all the awards! To be honest, we are honored to be presenting three awards at this year's ceremony. So we get a good taste of what it feels like to hold that trophy before we give it to someone else!
Another award is The Innovation Award. In your opinion, what can an artist do to constantly push the envelope and be a source of innovation for their peers and audience?
Danny: A big part of the band is the music, no matter what. And stop trying to conform. Take a hip-hop mentality, which is taking different kind of music, different styles and different genres and create your music.
Glen: I have drummers that are idols of mine and I've taken a bit of their styles and incorporate it into my style. Because you are never going to sound like anybody else - you are always going to be you, regardless of what you like and what you do.
And here's an age-old question that bands always have to answer - How did the band name come about?
Glen: The band started in Los Angeles and in L.A., everyone is looking for the next big script or movie. A lot of our songs are like little stories and mini-movies. So when I called Danny in the morning, I'd ask him, "Hey Danny, what's the script today?" and we say that all the time. So one day, we just discovered that everything is pointing towards that name. And so, we name the band The Script!
There can be many different formations for a band. Why did you decide to be a trio?
Danny: We have a session bass player and when we were recording the album, we figured that within the three of us, there're enough personalities already. For our record, we programmed the bass. But for live shows, you will see that we have a session bass player with us.
Glen: Danny and Mark have been together for eight or nine years so they are a very tight unit for anyone to come and walk into that. When I met the guys, we just clicked and blended together very well. It's very hard to find that fourth member to do so we just decided to say as just three guys. It works so well!
Speaking of chemistry, Danny and Mark were together for eight or nine years...
Danny: That sounds like we are married to each other! (Laughs)
More like in a boyband? I remember your days from MyTown.
Danny: Nice! Were you a fan?
I did like some of the music when I was younger.
Danny: But you are okay now! Same like me! (Laughs)
Glen: You had the therapy!
Do you guys talk about that? 'Coz I don't see you mentioning about your MyTown days anywhere.
Danny: Not really. It has never come up. It was what it was. At that time, we were kids and we were just having fun making music and we ended up getting a record deal. We got to travel to places that we would have never seen. It's part of growing up.
Having been in the industry for so long, what's the biggest lesson that you've learned?
Glen: To never say never and to never take no for an answer. And to have faith in yourself. When you think it's time to give up, just keep going. You never know that the extra little mile that you go, can be the turning point of your whole career.
Danny: If at first you don't succeed, try and try again. And if that doesn't work, kick the f**king door! (Laughs)
After being a songwriter and producer for so long, what made Danny and Mark want to get back in the limelight and start a band going again?
Danny: It's the undying need in me that I want to be heard by a lot of people. Some people want to be a star. I need to be a star. I need go up on stage and do this. Otherwise, I don't feel like it's me anymore.
Glen: He has to do it! (Laughs)
Many people have listened to the song "We Cry" and couldn't believe that such soul is coming from three Irish guys. Has that twist helped the band in any ways?
Danny: I think it has! The critics back home have called us "the new blend of Celtic soul." It is all but a label. People are more shocked than anything. Being Irish really helps us sell because our reputation precedes us.
Glen: And I don't think they expect such a sound would come from an Irish band.
You are a perfect marriage of soul, R&B, rock and pop. Should music even be pigeonholed into genres?
Danny: We don't want to be pigeonholed at all. That's why when people say "How do you define your music?" We don't. We leave that to the listener.
Glen: I think it's a human thing to try to pigeonhole. We just try to write good songs. If it sounds like a rock song, we go after it. Wherever the good song is, that's where we go.
What's the key to people's hearts when it comes to music?
Danny: Honesty! Be as honest as you can.
Cheesy as it may sound, how true is the statement "Music saves!" for the band?
Danny: Absolutely! Being able to go in and write your feelings down on a piece of paper rather than keep it all inside is great. It's going to come out. But it's where and how you channel that.
Glen: I'd say, through the years, it has saved us more than we even know.
What can we expect from your self-titled debut album?
Glen: I would say you can expect music for the head, heart, hands and feet. And you can expect three guys bearing their souls with honesty. It will be a rollercoaster ride of the emotions of the soul!
Sunday 24 August 2008
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