This week Roni Glasthal is joined in the studio by The Old Country Crows.
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00:00Hello and welcome to Based in Kent. I'm Ronnie and this is the show that introduces you to original music artists from around the county.
00:17Each artist will be here with me in the studio talking about and performing their own music.
00:22Today I'm joined by some of the members of the Old Country Crows, a band from Deal, with songs that blend together genres such as Americana, rock, folk and punk.
00:31Thanks for being here, guys.
00:33Great to be here.
00:34So let's dive right in. Some of your members aren't here today, unfortunately. Just couldn't fit them in.
00:40No room on a sofa.
00:41Yeah, no. So tell me a little bit about you as a group, about who's not here today.
00:46Well, we've been going 15 years and so obviously you get a few personnel changes over that period of time.
00:51But the newest member is bass player Josh. He came on board in the autumn of last year.
00:58Our keyboard player Brian, who's played on recordings over the years, joined as a full-time member.
01:05And Craig, our drummer's been on board 10 years.
01:09And Chris is sort of in fourth or fifth year, I think, isn't it?
01:12I lost count. Three or four, maybe.
01:15Three or four, I don't know.
01:16The time is flying when you're having fun, isn't it?
01:18Right.
01:19So it's Craig, Brian and Josh that are not here today.
01:22Yeah.
01:23Right. Okay.
01:24So maybe describe for the audience a little bit of how your sound varies when you are all
01:29together compared to what they're going to hear today.
01:32Blimey.
01:33Yeah.
01:34Wow.
01:35It's a lot more sort of dynamic if you've got drums and bass behind you and Brian doing
01:40some nice things on keys, often varying the sound from piano, sort of quite jaunty, honky-tonk,
01:47almost on some numbers and then that kind of organ sound filling in spaces.
01:52So we've been working on that quite hard, sort of integrating Josh and Brian over the past
01:59two, three months.
02:00It feels like we've been rehearsing pretty heavily the two, three months.
02:04So we've played those songs a fair bit.
02:07Of course, practice makes perfect, does it not?
02:10Yeah.
02:11So your first song today, I would rather it was you.
02:14Tell us a little bit about that one.
02:16It's a song about, I mean, I prefer the listener to draw their own conclusions on a song.
02:22I don't want to say this is what it's, but yeah, it's about some, a loved one that has
02:27been lost and if they could just come back for one day and what you would do, you know,
02:34just for, just for a few hours, that'd be great.
02:37Wow.
02:38But it's kind of, I think that's what it is anyway.
02:40But I don't, you know, people draw their own conclusions.
02:43It means different things, different songs mean different things, different people,
02:47don't they, at the end of the day.
02:48So I think that's what it's about.
02:51Right.
02:52Well, I can't wait to hear it.
02:53Take it away, guys.
02:54Yep.
02:55I can't wait for Christmas.
02:56Yep.
02:57I can't wait to hear it.
02:58Sure has been to your heart.
02:59That's fun.
03:00All right.
03:01Cooleroarube horror.
03:03So, I think, man, can see.
03:05But you've got courage in a place.
03:06Christine says, Uhm?
03:07Uhm?
03:08Seitra.
03:09Let's see.
03:10Turning through the pages of history.
03:15pictures of you and me and i know i don't want you to go
03:24we're walking along the sandy beach knowing that you are out of reach but there's something
03:34that i must say
03:35every second of the days since you went away
03:53if i could see someone just to say hello have some fun man i would rather it was you
04:05singing a song from yesterday packing up the car we're on our way there's laughter all around
04:29but you're not there you're somewhere else
04:33picking up the pieces left on the shelf that star is fading now
04:40every second of the days
04:48if i could see someone
04:59just to say hello have some fun man i would rather it was you
05:07every second of the days since you went away
05:19every second of the days since you went away
05:30if i could see someone just to say hello
05:42if i could see someone just to say hello and have some fun man i would rather it was you
05:51then i would rather it was you
06:03you
06:15so
06:16beautiful thank you so much wow and i i see what you mean about the loved one connection there
06:21so when you guys are writing your songs what what does that process look like for you as a group
06:26well it's really gary that's writing the songs i'm someone who looks at well what can i do for the guitar arrangement on this what can i um
06:36i um little fills or introductions or solos sounds those kind of things harmonies but it's gary that's writing the
06:47base the basic song
06:49and in most instances the song is fully formed and arranged before it would go to chris
06:55it's kind of and so it might be a couple of adjustments but um so that he can concentrate on just
07:00adding the guitar part and all his parts you know um so it's kind of before it's presented to the band it's kind of
07:07near enough completed as far as you know the arrangement of it is concerned oh wow okay
07:13so how does that process kind of look if you're thinking about each instrument
07:17before it's even shown to the the musician just get it in your head you just know a song that will
07:24work for the band really you know i mean you come up with a certain song you think now it's
07:29not really going to work or you don't really like it but um i wouldn't present it to the band
07:34if i didn't think it was going to be something that we could make work you're going to like it
07:39and up till now in 15 years no one's ever turned around to me and said don't like that at all you
07:43know so i think you just have to know if it's a good song or not that's
07:47what it's that's what it's all about with your own material it's got to be a good song
07:53you can't flog a dead horse as they say you know you've got to you've got to um you've got
07:56to have a decent song to work with before you can start laying it with guitar parts and things like
08:01that yeah absolutely so your your next song for us today california trail i know you don't like to
08:07give too much away to the the listener but if you just give us a bit of background on it well it was a
08:12a kind of a credence clear what i love credence and john fogarty and i was looking for a song with
08:17that sort of um medium rock tempo it's a little toe tapper and i had to sort of add the melody line
08:26and i just i read something about the california gold californian gold rush and all that and the
08:32lyrics started coming out from that and little story really but it's not about it you're i think the
08:38person is there i stayed close to my station my head was never he's actually there which i thought
08:43was weird i don't know ended up there yeah the notion of drinking whiskey to the early morn with
08:48the other kind of miners as if they've been panning all day or all week and spending all the money in
08:54the bar no so he's there he's not it's not a story it's not about a story about the california
08:59gold rush he's actually there which i thought was odd and we wanted i wanted this kind of this kind of
09:08it's kind of kind of punctuated guitar sound in the background you know and these kind of
09:17you know these kind of sounds complementing the song well i i can't wait to hear and take it away
09:22guys yeah okay chris you good yeah
09:36my head it hurt this morning my body feels all right drinking in a bar in a one horse town
09:47playing on saturday night sitting at the gambling table my mind began to roam
09:56well i want to saddle up before the snow comes down and get to see my folks back home
10:06they came down from the mountain they said there's gold supply
10:12digging through the stones from the break of day to way past supper time
10:19my back i think is breaking and my hands are cut and torn
10:26i look forward to a drink before the sun goes down
10:30before the sun goes down whiskey to the early morn it's been a long long time
10:42and with a heart like mine hoping we're not through
10:51the river wild is gleaming the sands are golden brown
10:57all right
11:08all right
11:22the river wild is gleaming the sands are golden brown
11:25all right
11:26all right
11:28all right
11:30all right
11:32all right
11:36all right
11:40all right
11:42all right
11:44all right
11:46all right
11:48it's been a long long time
11:53since i heard from you
11:56and with a heart like mine
12:00i'm hoping we're not through
12:05they stay close to my station
12:08my head was never turned
12:12i've gone a clip close by and out the corner of my eye
12:15i never had my fingers burned
12:19the days were getting shorter
12:22and the light was fading out
12:27i look forward to the day
12:29i'll be heading on my way
12:31knowing what it's all about
12:39hello and welcome back to basting ken where i'm still joined with some of the
12:42members of the old country crows from deal thanks for being here guys
12:46no problem
12:47so having us
12:48no uh so next we're going to play a quick fire question game
12:52a timer is going to come up on the monitor behind us just for the
12:56audience's uh sake and it will start counting it down when i ask the first question and we
13:02will just get through as many of them as we can
13:04if you both want to answer if just one of you wants to answer that's all right
13:07i'll leave it with you chris okay so live or recorded music what's your preference
13:16recorded recorded okay tea or coffee both both yes no preference there got it writing or
13:26performing music performing performing winter or summer in between
13:32more of an autumn guy uh favorite song you've written so far
13:41why don't you say that oh oh gosh i've written so far i can't really say that can i um
13:47i like the one i just were about to sing hold on i like seeing that one so uh let's call that my
13:53favorite okay uh morning or evening morning morning morning okay first song you learned to play
14:01play oh probably oh the third man my father taught me how to play it this is
14:15from the movie okay okay probably on guitar because it's probably on guitar i used to play drums
14:20back in the guitar for me it's probably something like route 66 by the rolling the rolling stones
14:24version oh okay forward you know yeah very nice uh sweet or savory savory savory savory savory okay
14:32favorite fellow kent musician anyone that's doing their own music
14:37anyone playing their own songs yeah fair enough okay uh first gig you ever played
14:43at school during an assembly oh that's so sweet does that count as a gig yeah sure louis armstrong dover i
14:52think probably about 1977 okay and dream venue to perform in oh a medium-sized club with a
15:03a good audience a listening audience not too crowded well not drinking too much
15:08long as they're not talking too much as long as they're enjoying it yeah yeah yeah perfect okay
15:12okay well that brings us to the end of the time on that okay uh being on based in ken
15:19is that is that price enough i'll just take a coffee it's good we'll get that for you right away
15:24no problem um well you've already mentioned it hold on your next song for us today uh just give us a
15:29little bit of background on it before we get into it well i'll let chris say a little bit about it but
15:33uh it must it's about a lady and she's down on her luck by the sound of it yeah now chris is it's
15:40it's really difficult it's as if um the woman in it has had some kind of terrible experience some kind
15:46of mental anguish which has caused her to do some something terrible we're not sure what it is but
15:52something she is beginning to regret and feels her life is in turmoil but she gets a phone call towards
15:58the end yeah there's some kind of resolution at the end with the voice of a friend
16:02well i'm i'm intrigued take it away guys
16:09she walked out from the station
16:11a suitcase in her hand
16:13making our conversation
16:17trying to get up her plan
16:20the car headlights were blinding
16:23cutting through the door
16:27people going nowhere
16:31wandering through
16:37the bell rang for motel reception
16:41a candle flickered low
16:44a void smoke without pretension
16:48there was nowhere else to go
16:51she found the daughter room 27
16:55i'm falling to her knee
16:58stuck with sudden realization
17:02our luck was hanging on the tree
17:05you gotta hold on
17:11one more time
17:14hold on
17:16one more time
17:19one more time
17:23thinking about the night was aching
17:25she could not understand
17:29sleeping back
17:30sleeping back
17:31contemplating
17:33was there blood on her hands
17:36a trail of destruction
17:39a trail of destruction
17:41echoed through her mind
17:43or was it just a bad dream
17:46or was it just a bad dream
17:48that she'd run out of time
17:49you gotta hold on
17:56one more time
17:58hold on
18:00one more time
18:04one more time
18:07one more time
18:11she knew she had to find redemption
18:39honest
18:41honest peace of mind
18:44laid there with no exception
18:46anything she could find
18:50a voice at the end of the phone line
18:54something from the past
18:57knowing this was a clear sign
18:59knowing this was a clear sign
19:01a trail that came at last
19:05gotta hold on
19:09one more time
19:13hold on
19:15one more time
19:17hold on
19:19one more time
19:25one more time
19:27one more time
19:31one more time
19:33one more time
19:37one more time
19:38wow okay i i was definitely right to be intrigued i see
19:47Right to be intrigued. I see I see what you were getting out there. Nice. So yes
19:52I believe we have to switch out your instrument very quickly just ahead of your final song with us today
19:57And while we're doing that
20:00Gary, let me talk to you a little bit more about the songwriting. So
20:04What where do you find the inspiration for them? No idea. No, it just comes to you. Yeah
20:10I think you've just listening to the great artists and
20:13And
20:14No idea. I can't say just get an eye. You just
20:18It might just be a word or a phrase or a chord sequence
20:24There's no there's no sort of you know
20:28I just can't say
20:30You just get an idea from somewhere and I think when you have to start thinking about it
20:35It won't work, you know, you just have to let it fall into your lap not to overthink it. Yeah
20:40Ah, that makes sense. Yeah, the creative flow. I suppose it is
20:45Okay, wonderful. So your final song with us today is cry another day. What an intriguing title
20:52I I'm so curious. Tell us a tell us a little bit about that one
20:56Well, I think it's another relationship breakdown and if someone's someone's gone
21:00It is. Yeah, someone's gone. It's faster than all the others as well. It's kind of a bit blue grassy
21:06So I get to play some some blue grassy type licks which is kind of nice and on the recording we had pedal steel guitar on it
21:15Yeah, they've cut plans from brilliant on the album. It's on the album visible highway and he plays some great pedal steel
21:21So that works as well. It's quite a yeah, the version that the recording version is is great
21:25It really does pop a long sort of thing, you know
21:28Well, I can't wait to hear a different rendition of it today with you guys here. Yeah, the stripped back
21:32Back version take it away when you're ready
21:38I lost you seven days ago feels like
21:47I'm staring out the window looking for your face. Well, I just can't find the words I need to say
21:56So I just sit down and cry another day
21:58I like to sit and think of things we used to do
22:00But I can't think of anything
22:02Snow falls on the doorstep
22:04Snow falls on the doorstep, it only chills the pain
22:06Snow falls on the doorstep, it only chills the pain
22:08Snow falls on the doorstep, it only chills the pain
22:10I'm looking for a reason, but everything's the same
22:12Take me from this movie show, please don't make me stay
22:14Well, I just can't find the words I need to say
22:16So I just sit down and cry another day
22:20I like to sit and think of things we used to do
22:26But I can't think of anything apart from losing you
22:32My heart is on a treadmill, my head is in the clouds
22:36I want you to come home to me, won't you come around
22:40I need to hear you laughing, to know that you're okay
22:46Well, I just can't find the words I need to say
22:50So I just sit down and cry another day
22:54Yeah
22:56guitar solo
23:16The kids are in the garden, hiding from the cold
23:20They want to hear an answer, why you let them go
23:24Let them go
23:26I hate to see them suffer
23:28I hate to see them pain
23:30Well, I just can't find the words I need to say
23:34So I just sit down and cry another day
23:38Well, I like to sit and think of things we used to do
23:43But I can't think of anything apart from losing you
23:47My heart is on a treadmill, my head is in the clouds
23:52I want you to come home to me, won't you come around
23:56I need to hear you laughing
23:58I need to hear you laughing
23:59You know what you're doing
24:00You've got to hear you laughing
24:02I need to hear you laughing