This article was first
published on CLUAS in February 2008
Stanley Super 800 - 2007 Choice Music Award nominee
Their album 'Louder & Clearer' was nominated for the award...
Stanley Super 800 answer below the questions CLUAS put to all 10 acts nominated for the 2007 Choice Music Award. Check out the answers from the other acts up for this year's award.
Give
us a little synopsis of about how this album came about and what was it like
writing and recording it?
"Louder & Clearer" is our second album. The first album (Stanley Super 800 2004)
brought a certain amount of success but then it all levelled off, so we decided
we better make another. We agreed we'd write and record something that would
stand tall with any other album. It took a lot longer than we'd expected but we
did it. Check it out, it might free your mind from the shit you've got to listen
to now :-)
How do you feel about the idea of music awards in general?
The awards run by Telecom companies to get everyone texting on their network are
daft and the other kind run by big record companies to slap each other on the
back are fairly daft as well. The Choice Prize is needed now because the general
music fan in Ireland knows more about the underground scene in Britain and the
U.S. the what's going on outside their own door.
Do you feel winning the award will enhance your career?
Of course. We could do with all that free exposure...
Your favourite album from those also nominated for the Prize?
Dry County.
Do you think the idea of the album is a little antiquated in these days of
single track downloading and plummeting CD sales?
Maybe in a few years time it will be gone but there's nothing like exchanging
CDs for needed cash after a storming gig.
Do you feel the Irish music scene is in a healthy state at the moment?
Not until television and radio give more air-time to Irish made music - we're
whistling in the dark otherwise.
Best gig you went to in 2007?
Trost (in Pine Lodge, Myrtleville) and Fish Go Deep (at Cork X Southwest,
Skibbereen).
Plans for 2008?
Be a good father. Stop smoking. Learn the Jews harp.
How are changes in technology influencing how you record, distribute or
publicise your music?
Record - With everything becoming software based I've found it easy to collect
older electronic equipment. Beware you'll never get that hardware back if I get
it. :)
Distribute - Our music is about to go up on Vodafone and iTunes soon. I'm not
sure if we can make money from it though.
Publicise - It's nice having a website. Updating it can be a pain in the hole
though but you got to do it. We have a mailing list we to keep our admirers
informed. I try to leave someone else handle the myspace. After Telly Savalas
and Miley from Glenroe rejected my friendship I've been too upset to login...
A lesser known, non-music, website (or two) you'd recommend to CLUAS readers?
Here's a useful currency converter.
- The winner of the award will be announced on 27 February 2008 in Vicar Street.
- Have you entered the CLUAS competition to win all 10 nominated albums?
- Check out the answers given to these questions by the other Choice Music Prize 2007 nominees including:
