CHINA WHITE INTERVIEW
Joe & Co are pleased to interview 'LIAM' of the wicked band 'CHINA WHITE'
We caught up with Liam after we had a night out at Manchesters famous Band On The Wall
J&C
You have worked with some great artists in the past, Kermit being one of
them. Do you have any plans working together again and if so in what capacity?
CW
Yeah I'm sure we'll work together again. We've
spoke about it and it's something we'd both like to do, maybe even a side
project separate to China White...who knows? Danny Saber introduced us both and
we did a track for Danny's upcoming album 'Saber Bytes'. We also appear
together on a couple of tracks for Keith Allens Olympic album which is due out
in July. We'll be performing together throughout the summer as part of Fit Les
aka (Fat Les) at a number of gigs and festivals so I suppose the answer is yes
haha we'll definitely be working together again.
J&C
How did working on an Olympic project with Keith Allan come about and
what does it entail ?
CH
Well we were actually introduced to Keith
through Kermit. We stayed at his house and worked through the night on the
tracks for the album. Keith is a cool guy and made us feel really welcome. The
session was really relaxed and people were throwing ideas about, the tracks are
now sounding amazing. We've also done the remix for the lead single from the
album. Rowetta appears on the track which is due out next month. Also Keith
keeps these really cool pigs with Blonde dreadlocks which we're looking really
attractive by the end of the session. If you get a chance you should try and
catch one of the shows over the summer where we'll be performing the whole
opera in full, gonna be nuts!!! Will cliff be there?
J&C
Do you see colabs with other artists the way forward to get you music
recognised to a wider audience or is this something that just happened ?
CW
I
think they can be, I know mainstream pop uses colabs a lot to break into other
markets but that's not something we've ever done. We've always worked with
people who we feel can benefit the track we're working on at the time. What colabs
can do is open doors in the sense that you get introduced to a lot of different
people and that can lead to other opportunities. When we started off we had a
hit list of people we wanted to work with and are nearly at the bottom of it
now, haha. I think there's only Jesus and Elvis left and neither of them are
returning my calls so they can both get fucked. They're loss at the end of the
day...know what I mean.
J&C
The festivals are now upon us. Are there any of these China White fancy
doing? I believe your doing something at the Strummer Of Love, can you
elaborate on this ad how you got involved
CW
We're
playing Strummer Of Love on the 17th August and also on the 18th with Keith as
part of Fit Les. The festival is to mark the 10th Anniversary of Joe Strummers
death. We feel honoured to be playing it, it' run by his family and friends and
there's an amazing line-up. It'll be a proper celebration. Good vibes all
round. It came about from the fact that Keith Allen, Danny Saber, Kermit ad
Harry The dog were all good friends of Joe Strummer. So obviously as we're
working with all these people we were asked to play the festival. Can't wait,
gonna be a great summer. I'd love to play Glastonbury and will. We've just done
a track with Joe Strummers Daughter Eliza which should be finished in a couple
of weeks. She's got an amazing voice...watch this space.
J&C
The industry is full of great artists and bands are popping up all over the place, what makes China White different from all the rest ?
CW
The
fact we're not really a band helps. China White's a collective that's lead by
myself and Antony, our ugly mugs will always be there. Also Inder Goldfinger's
a permanent member. He's our Guru and a real good friend. I can be in his
company for two minutes and be in tears with laughter. That's what you want
when making music, a good positive environment. Being a collective separates us
from other bands in the sense that it allows to work with a wide range of
musicians, producers and vocalists. China Whites like a funk driven freight
train, slipping through the world like an EEL through seaweed. Allot of the
bands out there are almost comical man, they make me laugh. Stuck in a
time-warp with mad hair and bad skin. But at least they're trying, god loves a
trier.
J&C
We know the industry is so cut throat. We have had the Mondays &
the Roses fucked by their management and everyone else, is this something that concerns you and
the band?
CW
Yeah it does but you've just gotta be careful. We we're stung by
Yeah it does but you've just gotta be careful. We we're stung by
a
horrible little poisoned who did nothing but waste our time. Everything we've
achieved and are achieving is from ourselves, we manage our own business. Allot
of kids are so quick to jump into a management deal because they think it
sounds good and makes them credible. They're are good managers out there I'm
sure and if you're product is something that can make money they will find you.
J&C
You have recently returned from LA, working with Harry the dog (pmsl)... How did his go & do you have any plans to go back?
CW
L.A was great man, we were staying with Danny
Saber in west Hollywood recording tracks for our album and met Harry while over
there. He's an old friend of Danny's. Harry's a lovely guy. Working with Danny
was an amazing experience, him and his wife Helen looked after us and we got
some really good stuff done. They're such cool people, it was fuckin ace!!!
we'll be going back later on in the year to carry on recording with D. We talk
every week and are working on a few big things. Harry has appeared on the track
with Joe's Daughter Eliza. John X is remixing it. It's by far the biggest
collab we've done. It'll be finished in a couple of weeks. Otter and Out x.
