{"id":17163,"date":"2017-07-17T01:00:10","date_gmt":"2017-07-17T05:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southeastofheaven.com\/?p=17163"},"modified":"2017-07-12T09:12:34","modified_gmt":"2017-07-12T13:12:34","slug":"interview-with-maria-odonnell-of-galley-beggar-when-you-put-your-heart-and-soul-into-a-song-you-just-want-people-to-hear-it-i-just-want-our-music-to-get-listened-to","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/?p=17163","title":{"rendered":"Interview with Maria O’Donnell of Galley Beggar: “When you put your heart and soul into a song, you just want people to hear it. I just want our music to get listened to.”"},"content":{"rendered":"

One of the things I love the most about doing this blog is getting turned on to all kinds of great music I may have never heard myself.\u00a0 Every now and then a band makes its way across my desk and stops me dead in my tracks demanding my full attention.\u00a0 One of those bands is UK based psychedelic folk rock group Galley Beggar.\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Galley Beggar is a band whose sound is so different yet comfortable and familiar.\u00a0 With influences ranging from Fairport Convention to Led Zeppelin and all else in between, Galley Beggar has captured their own magic in a bottle with their new album Heathen Hymns.\u00a0 Lead vocalist Maria O\u2019Donnell was gracious enough to take time out from being <\/strong><\/em>mum to talk with me about the band\u2019s influences, how it feels to be embraced by the metal world, and her affinity for Arcade Fire.\u00a0 This was a really fun interview and I hope you all enjoy getting to know Maria and Galley Beggar.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Maria, thank you so much for taking the time out to talk with me today.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019m so sorry I missed your first call. I had my phone on silent when my son was asleep [laughs].\u00a0 Well, I\u2019m happy to be here now.<\/p>\n

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I also have to thank you for not being scared off by doing an interview with a site called The Great Southern Brainfart.<\/strong><\/p>\n

[laughs] Not at all.\u00a0 It is an interesting name though.<\/p>\n

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Do you like doing interviews? \u00a0I know this can be a painful process for some artists.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

I don\u2019t find it painful.\u00a0 I\u2019m just not usually the one to push myself to the front.\u00a0 Normally I\u2019d get Mat (Fowler; Guitars, Mandolin, Vocals) or David (Ellis; Guitars, Mandolin) to do it but they\u2019ve told me that I have to start pulling my weight [laughs].\u00a0 I have to do my fair share.\u00a0 I\u2019m doing another interview tomorrow on a local BBC station which is about a 40 minutes drive from here for Radio Kent and that\u2019s going out live.<\/p>\n

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That\u2019s fantastic.\u00a0 You\u2019ll do great I\u2019m sure.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

I just always say the wrong thing and you can\u2019t take any of it back.\u00a0 I\u2019m going to have to watch my language [laughs].<\/p>\n

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While there are definitely obvious signs of bands such Fairport Convention and even Donovan, there are also some subtle hints of early occult\/psych rock bands like Black Widow and Frumpy.\u00a0\u00a0 It creates a sound that I feel is accessible to those that love the roots thing and those that like the psych-rock thing as well.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s so weird that we do have such a mix of backgrounds and influences.\u00a0 David has a massive record collection and is into all types of rock like Led Zeppelin.\u00a0 It was hearing Sandy Denny on \u201cBattle of Evermore\u201d that led him down road where he found Fairport Convention.\u00a0 Mat is kind of the same.\u00a0 Mat and David used to play in a Led Zeppelin tribute band together about 10 years ago [laughs].\u00a0 They\u2019ve been playing together a long time.\u00a0 Mat went to music university and is classically trained and so is Selene (Marshall; Violin).\u00a0 Her violin playing is what sets us apart from most folk music because it\u2019s got such great, somber move too it.<\/p>\n

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Did the over all creative process differ much this time around?<\/strong><\/p>\n

We started writing more quickly after Silence and Tears.\u00a0 We were used to pleasing ourselves but when there\u2019s a deadline, we got very panicky and got used to writing more quickly and becoming very dedicated to it.\u00a0 We did get loads of ideas together for Heathen Hymns and just picked the our favorites that worked and they fit together nicely.\u00a0 I feel like this album is a lot darker.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know why or whether everyone would agree but that\u2019s the kind of sense I get from it.\u00a0 We\u2019re already writing new songs for another new album at the moment and they\u2019re sounding more like early Led Zeppelin and less folky just from the ideas we\u2019ve been getting together.\u00a0 It\u2019s deliberate.\u00a0 It\u2019s all because there are so many kinds of influences in the band that it\u2019s whatever makes it on to the final cut.<\/p>\n

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This is album number 4 for Galley Beggar.\u00a0 Has the overall recording process changed a good bit now that you have been doing this a while now?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yes.\u00a0 We were a bit more polished when we went into the studio to make Heathen Hymns.\u00a0 When we did Silence and Tears, we had never recorded with a record company before.\u00a0 When we were told that we would be working with Liam Watson it wasn\u2019t intimidating but we were all very nervous because we had never done it like that before.\u00a0 This time we felt a lot more comfortable and a bit more polished.\u00a0 Sometimes Liam would say, \u201cCan you play that track one more time so I can get the levels right?\u201d\u00a0 We\u2019d play it and then he\u2019d say, \u201cI was recording the whole time.\u00a0 That was perfect.\u201d [laughs]\u00a0 I think some of those recordings actually made it on to the album.<\/p>\n

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I love that as a fan, I can hear the gradual transition into new styles from album to album.\u00a0 With this album, it\u2019s got almost a cosmic\/psych rock element to it, especially on a song like \u201cThe Girl I Left Behind Me.\u201d\u00a0 That song is so outstanding.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Awe, thank you Don.\u00a0 Mat and the basic idea for the riff of that song.\u00a0 Mat and I are married so we do all of our writing together.\u00a0 We have this little 4-track recorder and he had this kind of basic idea in his head and he recorded all the different tracks like the bass, and the guitar to try and show everybody what he meant.\u00a0 I found the lyrics in the Folk Archive.\u00a0 We always want to try and make something our own and not just do a copy of what somebody else has done.\u00a0 Because I had never heard the song, I didn\u2019t have anything in my head starting from scratch.\u00a0 I find it easier writing vocal lines on the piano than in my head so that\u2019s where the vocal came from.\u00a0 We then took it to the rest of the band and just flushed it out.\u00a0 Sometimes we\u2019ll try something five different ways before we pick the one we like but that one just was a lot more natural.\u00a0 We knew what we wanted to do with it straight away.\u00a0 A lot of the time the writing tends to happen more at mine and Mat\u2019s house.\u00a0 We live in the middle of the countryside and we sit in a room and just try different things.<\/p>\n

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The song is so epic and so full of great musicality.\u00a0 How many takes did it take you to do this one?<\/strong><\/p>\n

We actually got that song done in one take.\u00a0 We did the same thing with \u201cPay My Body Home\u201d as well.\u00a0 They\u2019re both such long songs and we\u2019re recording them on tape.\u00a0 If somebody came and says, \u201cI don\u2019t like that tiny part\u201d, well, then we\u2019d have to record the whole song again so then it\u2019s like, \u201cHow much do you hate it and do you want to do it all over again?\u201d[laughs].<\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n

With a sound and style such as yours, is it hard for Galley Beggar to be categorized when it comes to performing live and\/or touring?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yeah it is hard but what we\u2019ll try and do is to curate our own gigs.\u00a0 We\u2019ve started to get a bit of a following of our own so when we recently played in Glastonbury, we knew that people where there to see us and that some of them had seen us before.\u00a0 We\u2019re getting to that stage.<\/p>\n

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Being signed to Lee Dorian\u2019s Rise Above Records has exposed Galley Beggar to a heavier audience that what you\u2019re probably used to.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s been a big surprise to us that a metal audience would like us [laughs].\u00a0 When Lee Dorian approached us and said he wanted to work with us I remember thinking, \u201cI don\u2019t know why he likes us.\u00a0 We sound nothing like the music he would play.\u201d [laughs]\u00a0 Lee Dorian does have very eclectic taste in music.\u00a0 The reviews I\u2019ve read about us in the metal press all kind of say, \u201cWhen all the metal gets a bit too much, you might want to relax a bit and put Galley Beggar on to unwind.\u201d\u00a0 I am surprised at how well received we\u2019ve been.\u00a0 We went and played at a metal festival last year in the Netherlands and we must have stuck out like a sore thumb [laughs].<\/p>\n

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Another thing I love is the different kinds of instrumentation that Galley Beggar brings to the fold.\u00a0 I loved\u00a0 hearing the sitar on \u201cThe Lake.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Awe, thank you, Don.\u00a0 We do like to try new things.\u00a0 David had that sitar for I think about 10 years and we had always hoped to maybe break it out at some point.\u00a0 We tried to do different things with \u201cThe Lake\u201d like some electric guitar and some piano but it didn\u2019t work.\u00a0 David tried the sitar and we all loved it.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t easy for him.\u00a0 He had to make up the tuning because I don\u2019t even know how you would tune one of those things [laughs].\u00a0 I doubt we\u2019ll ever be playing it live on stage.<\/p>\n

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Will North America ever get to see Galley Beggar live?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Oh that would be amazing to tour America.\u00a0 If somebody wants to put us on a tour, we would love it.\u00a0 We\u2019d definitely be open to it though.<\/p>\n

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What are your plans for the rest of 2017 and what can you tell me about the new material you\u2019re working on?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I think it\u2019s just a natural thing when you enjoy writing music.\u00a0 You can\u2019t help yourself.\u00a0 You come up with an idea and you like it and you just start passing it around.\u00a0 That\u2019s happened quite naturally.\u00a0 We had just finished recording Silence and Tears when we wrote \u201cLorelai\u201d back in 2014 and that song just appeared on Heathen Hymns.\u00a0 It\u2019s such a long process that the stuff we\u2019re writing now probably wouldn\u2019t be heard for at least three years.\u00a0 We just like to keep the creative juices flowing.\u00a0 We also have festival gigs booked up until the end of December.<\/p>\n

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So when will we get another Galley Beggar album?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Well, Lee hasn\u2019t actually told us if he wants another Galley Beggar album.\u00a0 He may just tell us to fuck off [laughs].<\/p>\n

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Is there a band that I would be surprised to hear that you were a fan of?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I personally love Arcade Fire [laughs].\u00a0 I discovered them with their first album.\u00a0 I just love the subject matter that they write about.\u00a0 They use several different instruments and their lyrics are quite mystical.\u00a0 I think what they do is really interesting.\u00a0 Another band I listen to is a band called London Grammer who are from the UK.\u00a0 They\u2019re very chill, very laid back.\u00a0 I also listen to a lot of Van Morrison.<\/p>\n

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What are your hopes for the future of Galley Beggar?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Oh gosh.\u00a0 I\u2019d like to be the next Adelle! I\u2019m only joking [laughs].\u00a0 I\u2019ll go solo and conquer North America [laughs].\u00a0 Really, I love what we\u2019re doing at the moment.\u00a0 I really like playing festivals.\u00a0 I don\u2019t ever thing that we\u2019ll be able to do this for a living but it\u2019s a lucrative hobby I\u2019d say that more than pays for itself.\u00a0 It\u2019s really almost like a 2nd<\/sup> day job.\u00a0 We spend so much time writing music, rehearsing, getting gigs, all of that.\u00a0 If we only got as far as we are now I\u2019d be very, very happy.\u00a0 When you put your heart and soul into a song, you just want people to hear it.\u00a0 I just want our music to get listened to.<\/p>\n

=============================================<\/p>\n

Maria, it has been an absolute pleasure getting to know you and I really enjoyed our time together.\u00a0 Thank you so much for doing this.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Brilliant.\u00a0 Thank you very much, Don.\u00a0 Take care.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

One of the things I love the most about doing this blog is getting turned on to all kinds of great music I may have never heard myself.\u00a0 Every now and then a band makes its way across my desk and stops me dead in my tracks demanding my full attention.\u00a0 One of those bands is UK based psychedelic folk rock group Galley Beggar.\u00a0 Galley Beggar is a band whose sound is so different yet comfortable and familiar.\u00a0 With influences […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[194],"tags":[1797,1164],"class_list":["post-17163","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-interviews","tag-galley-beggar","tag-rise-above-records"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17163","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=17163"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17163\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=17163"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=17163"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=17163"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}