Celtophilia

Welcome back, we're glad you're here!

Sometimes, very rarely, I’ll get an email that just totally blows me away. Amidst all the advertisements for questionable medical services and people wanting to give me a job where I don’t have to work but can make thousands of dollars a month, came an email with a question I never thought to see. “Would you be interested in doing an interview with Battlefield Band?” the email asked. I looked at the email dumbly, until it asked again. I sputtered and stammered a moment. Then, just as the email was getting ready to give up on me and find another Celtic music blogger to talk to, I nodded. Okay, that’s not exactly how it happened, but the real story would have been even more boring. Needless to say, my answer was, “Yes, I’d very much be interested in doing that.”

For most of you, I don’t have to really “introduce” Battlefield Band. Legendary barely even begins to describe them. In one incarnation or another, the band has been releasing music since 1977. Their newest CD, Zama Zama …Try Your Luck…, has been tearing up music charts in the last couple of months, and we took this opportunity to talk to them a little about the new disc, keeping an enduring icon of Celtic music alive over 30+ years, and, of course… hurricanes.

Celtophilia - Do you feel that Battlefield Band has been so extensively involved in the Celtic music scene for so long that it puts an even greater than usual amount of pressure on the band when you guys produce a new album?

Alan – Yes that probably is the case. It is always hard to do an album after all these years, and after 30 albums it always is. Once you get started it does begin to flow. This album has a theme, so that makes it a bit easier. We have been thinking about this for a long time, but you can’t always do that as it gets a bit boring, so here’s to the next one.

Celtophilia - The latest album, Zama Zama…Try Your Luck, has some pretty clear political and social commentary involved in the lyrics. Has that been received in a mostly positive way? If there’s been criticism, what’s the worst thing that you’ve heard or read about the album?

Mike – Yes it may seem to have a political content, but that was really because when we were making it politics and the financial world went into a downward spin. I have to say it would have been nicer if it didn’t happen, but when it did happen and we were describing men searching for gold and riches, naturally the content began to reflect what was going on in the wide world outside the studio. We look on it more of a description of what was going on, how could you describe what is going on in any other way. I have to say, I think purely political albums that are beating you over the head with a big stick can get pretty boring and turgid. Our main concern was to play good music, and I hope you will agree that was the main theme of the record. I also hope that nobody is surprised that traditional music and musicians respond to contemporary situations. As far as we are concerned traditional music is not a backward looking thing, it is here and now and living in Scotland.

Celtophilia - I love how Zama Zama was inspired first by gold and then influenced by issues including wealth and global finance. Was this a theme that immediately appealed to everyone in the band?

Alasdair – The idea for this album was brought up two or three years ago, but we found difficulty in progressing with it at the time. It slowly developed and people came up with ideas of songs and music about gold, and reading things in the newspaper etc., etc. That Zama Zama story is unbelievable isn’t it? We had never heard about these people until there was the big disaster in the mine in South Africa. Lots of people were killed because they live underground, and mining in an unused shaft. They are obviously making a good living from it, but not doing much for their health, especially when something blows up. We are found of the album, and I think the idea came from our producer Robin Morton. I don’t think the idea appealed to everyone, but slowly it did. Slowly serendipity took over and Bernie Madoff did his thing. A couple of big banks went down and our wonderful MPs were caught at it. I suppose we knew they were at it for a long time, I suppose it was just it became very obvious. As Mike says it’s the music that counts, that’s the first thing. Enjoy the music. The rest of the stuff is in addition to the music.
Robin – The thing about politics is that it can get very boring. Did you ever hear the story about Bono – U2 were playing at Hampden Park (I hope this is true). They were playing to a full house in Hampden Park (something which Battlefield Band have still to achieve, that is fill Hampden Park!). Anyway, Bono as you know will never miss a chance to preach. He said to a hushed audience – “Everytime I clap my hands another child dies in Africa”. Some hero from the back shouted up “don’t f….. do it then!” He could also have shouted just write a cheque Bono! As the lad said, please listen to the music.

Celtophilia - Most bands who released their first albums in 1977 are either dead, dying or disappeared from the face of the earth. How do you account for the lasting endurance of Battlefield Band and your continued ability to make music that speaks to audiences all over the world?

Alan – I have been around for all that time. One of the ways to do it is it just happens organically. People come, people go, and they all add stuff to it. They then leave the Battlefield Band University and go on and do other things. I suppose the new people bring something in which speaks to audiences. Anyway, that is the idea, and it seems to work.

Celtophilia - Since Battlefield Band is, for all intents and purposes, a force of nature, how do you feel the band would fare if you were called upon to battle a Hurricane for the fate of all mankind?

Sean – I am the new boy that Alan is talking about. So I get to answer this question. My first thought go to the bathroom with a pile of Beano’s and hope that the world would still be there when I came out. I would also like to have my guitar there of course, and would practise like mad!! A bottle of Guiness would be nice, or maybe 2. A big plate of Haggis, Tatties and Neeps. Really would hope there would be some Haggis left alive after the storm.
Like all sensible people, I would try and pretend it was not happening anyway. Whoops!! got to go mow, the wind is rising. I have to batten down the hatches, where are those Beano’s? See you later.

Our sincere thanks to the lads for taking the time to answer our questions, if you want to find more information about the band, hit their website at http://www.battlefieldband.co.uk/

Slainte,
Mike

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 5th, 2010 at 8:48 pm and is filed under Interviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.