RPR (VIMH): Hi guys, congrats on your new album Cut On A Cut.
Liam: Thanks!
RPR (VIMH): So Cut On A Cut has just been released. What is the significance of naming an album Cut On A Cut ?
Liam: I had released my second record ‘Leaning In’ independently in Australia and
I’d decided to go to London for a year to try my hat at the music scene over there. I got in touch with The Animal Farm and sent them a couple of songs from ‘Leaning In’; think it was Life In Technicolour and Party Words. So as much as they liked them, Ville felt that the sound
wasn’t up to it and the production needed to be tweaked or else the tastemakers would pass me over. So the idea was to redo some of the songs and package them up into 2 EP releases. Cut On A Cut being the first release. So it’s the second cut of ‘Leaning In’ material, hence Cut On A Cut. The album artwork looks a bit dark and it’s probably cause I wasn’t into redoing things but I decided to listen to the experts too. No man is an island!
RPR (VIMH):What do the lyrics talk about? Which are your major lyrics’ influences?
Liam: I guess there isn’t any one single theme in Cut On A Cut. But here’s the run down. Party Words is about the 4 seasons of a party. You know, guests arrive, peeps get high on this or that, then the lust comes and before you know it your back in the real world. I put a music video together for it at home with some finger puppets I bought from IKEA during the Covid lockdown. It’s great working with puppets, they do exactly as they’re told. Mother Nature is about getting back to nature and saying fuck you to the man. Promise Cross Your Heart is about never letting go of what you promised you were going to be as a kid. Life In Technicolour and Bipolar are quite dark mental illness songs. Stupid Questions is about
a mate of mind who got taken by the bottle and Where The Chips Fall is about how a relationship failed between 2 people who still really liked each other.
RPR (VIMH): Which are those elements that separate your new album from your previous albums?
Liam: I think it’s more about the production. My first record Cornerstone was a bit pristine and not rough enough around the edges. So for my Leaning In LP and Cut On A Cut EP it was very important for me to really make it feel like you’re listening to a band and give it that
type of feel. Also for that same reason recreating the sound live isn’t as much of an issue as it was for Cornesrtone. I can’t afford to have an orchestra on call hahaha
RPR (VIMH): How would you characterize “Cut On A Cut” and what are your expectations from the new album?
Liam: Mmmh, well it’s a straight up guitars and drums driven record and only relies on the traditional instruments to create the sound. For that reason I guess it has that 90’s type sound probably cause that was the last decade where guitars and drums ruled the radio waves. My last 2 records Cornerstone & Leaning In were independently released so Cut On
A Cut is my first proper thru a label release and it’s really given me way more opportunities for exposure. I’ve been doing a lot of interviews since it’s release so finally my work is reaching a wider audience and cause of that giving me more opportunities to become
leader of Planet Earth. See that’s the goal, to take over the planet Earth and rule with a musical fist hahahaha
RPR (VIMH): How did the cooperation with The animal Farm Records occur? How’s working with Ville and Matt Leppanen and how much have they helped you on the whole?
Liam: Yeah, as I was saying I had decided to go to London (from Australia) for a year to try my hat at the music scene over there. I got in touch with The Animal Farm and sent them a
couple of songs from Leaning In and Ville felt that the sound wasn’t up to it and the production needed to be tweaked or else the tastemakers would pass me over AGAIN. So we decided to give Party Words, Life In Technicolour, Mother Nature and Promise Cross Your
Heart a second run. We worked with Matt Leppanen of The Animal Farm who produced and also played bass to dig us out. Working with Matt was top of the pops. You know, you meet someone for the first time and you’re trying to work each other out but it didn’t take long. He was real cool and in 4 days got the best out of us. And yeah, releasing thru The Animal Farm which is managed by Ville and having that type of industry representation behind the release has definitely got me out of the starting blocks the first time. My trip to London was cut short by the pandemic but it was definitely worth it. Man, if I was there longer I could have cause real damage hahaha
RPR (VIMH): How’s the fans’ reactions been to the new songs on your live shows so far?
Liam: Cut On A Cut was released on 19th June and it’s gone down like a spoon of honey…smooth and sweet but not overly so, and like honey, I hope it never gets old. People really dig it eh. Promise Cross Your Heart went to No 1 on IT’s Top 40 chart so that was a first for me. Well a double first…1st on the chart and the first time having a No 1.
RPR (VIMH): Do you prefer to be on the road or on the studio writing and recording?
Liam: I like both. There’s a real buzz performing live. It’s kinda like hitting a good golf shot mate, it brings you back the next time. I’m shit at golf by the way. I really enjoy the studio work as well. Arranging, tracking, mixing, tweaking things here and there, fattening
it up in parts and generally making the record flow is a real art. But before we hit the studio I make sure we’re well-rehearsed cause the studio is a pretty expensive place to hang out.
RPR (VIMH): How would you describe your music style to someone that hasn’t heard
of you before?
Liam: When I was learning the guitar I didn’t learn any particular style like blues, rock etc. so by not doing that it didn’t force me down any particular path. When I’m writing I don’t set out to write a certain type of song, I wait until I find something musically that interests
me and is far enough removed from anything I’ve heard before. If it sounds too close to not being original I’m inclined to drop it and move on. But from my releases, in general you can hear that what comes out is along the lines to 90’s guitar rock
RPR (VIMH): Which do you consider to be the best male & female vocalist in metal history?
Liam: I love the vocals on Stevie Nicks. She’s great and more recently I thinks Sia is awesome. This may surprise people but I think George Michael had a vocal ability that is up there with the all-time greats. I mean you couldn’t imagine him signing The Ace Of Spades and anything like that, but for vocal range, emotion etc. he deserves all accolades that comes his way.
RPR (VIMH): Which is the record you wish you had written and why?
Liam: ‘Never Mind The Bollicks’ cause it was a real departure from the culture at the time. These guys had no fear of bucking the trend and that’s why it’s such a gem. I don’t look at song writing as, you know, ‘Let’s write a song that everyone’s going to like’, no, to me that
shouldn’t be the goal from the outset. I think you should always be looking to do it your way and if you’re not doing that, then you’re doing nothing for musical evolution. For me it’s more important to inspire people to be themselves rather than taking a beaten path.
RPR (VIMH): Were you obliged to give just one album to extra-terrestrials that would represent the whole human music, which album would it be and from which band/artist?
Liam: For this one I’ll choose OK computer. It would probably make them feel at home with the song Subterranean home Sick Alien as well. This album to me is a flawless masterpiece. I think it really captures the anxiety of living in the modern world even though it was written in
1997, that anxiety, sorry to say, is probably even more prevalent nowadays. It’s one of those concept albums that just hit the brief
RPR (VIMH): If you had the chance to travel in time... where would you choose to go? To the past or the future and why?
Liam: Oh mannnn…The present is a bit shit and the future is way too scary mate so it’s back in time for me. I’d like to go back to say just after the 2nd world war. Why? Because the war was over and even though there were so many atrocities uncovered, the mood of the people would have been one of great relief and of great hope for the future. That type of buoyancy would have been great to experience I reckon.
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