Q. The Greenman is your latest album. What does the disc add to the story that is Salt?
A. The Greenman attempts to provide an insightful 5-track EP that provides listeners with a glimpse of the diversity of song-writing and sounds that the band have been working on over the past year. However, it is only a scratch on the surface of the material that is coming out of the band room! Already we have enough material for a further two full albums.
Q. Given one sentence, how would you define yourself as a band?
A. We are a vehicle of modern rock with a dynamic danceable energetic sound, creatively crafted to deliver a truly enjoyable experience – live and recorded!
Q. Can you describe your creative process to us? How does a song go from an initial germ of a thought to a finished song?
A. From Brett – singer, bassist, song-writer: Songs come in different ways – generally based on a mood, something that has happened recently, perhaps something that has been watched on TV or a movie that has resonated. Often a tune will float into my mind and with it the urgency to go and work out the chord progression and then it’s an idea to start developing and refining. I will generally drop the bones of a song past the rest of the band for their input and consider and develop the rhythm section, melody and lyrics based on their feedback. From there it is really a matter of finding what feels best. Harmonies are usually last to be added and often this is where we will stop and shelve it for a few week or so to think about it. Finishing a song comes when we are all completely satisfied with our own individual pieces and how they collaboratively effect each other.
Q. Who are the biggest influences for the band?
A. We influence each other. Where we have all individually come from, the bands that have spoken to us in the past/present, the belief systems we each hold and the things that make speak to our soul work together to influence the decisions we make for the music. Additionally, those that have come alongside and caught the vision and believed in our product and who we are also play a huge role in keeping our inspiration alive.
Q. Everyone is on social media these days. How has social media helped your career out?
A. We haven’t got a career yet! We are all still in alternative full-time paid employment – however we are united in our goal of being in the position to leave our ‘day jobs’ to fully concentrate and be rewarded by our music. We don’t particularly like social media, but it is the platform in which today’s music is accessed, listened to and reviewed so we have little choice but to embrace it and use it to its full advantage. Really it is about coverage and exposure – social media allows this on a global scale and provides that platform to reach many more people than that via traditional / past methods of promotion.
Q. What are your plans for the beginning of 2015?
A. We would love to be on tour somewhere! Have a couple of gold albums! Be the next big thing to hit the music scene! You know, the usual. Seriously. That’s what our plans are. In reality, we will be concentrating on refining the projects we are working on in the band room, putting every effort into finding another drummer and trying our hardest to infect everyone on earth with an insatiable passion for our music!
Q. Hitting the road is always essential to introduce new audiences to your music. What memorable moments have you had on tour?
A. What tour? Unfortunately we haven’t had the opportunity here in New Zealand to do any touring. We are, however, always ready at a moment’s notice to get out on the road!
Q. In a similar vein, how has your style evolved and changed over the period since you first started?
A. Our style is so broad that it feels as if we are not necessarily any different to what we have always been. That is of course, apart from the fact that we are a tighter knit group of people, we know each other better, our personalities have gelled further and we understand each other on deeper levels than before. We are just staying true to what we like, what feels good and are definitely not dictated by what is the ‘latest’, ‘newest’, ‘hippest’ or most popular sounds out there in the music world. We follow the beat of our own drum!
Q. How can listeners listen to your music and find additional information about Salt?
A. The usual way – our website is www.saltmusic.co.nz and our Facebook page is www.Facebook.com/saltmusica. Both have links to where you can buy the digital EP and should you want a hard-copy, our contact details are there also. We are also on Twitter, Tumblr and most other social media sites –all of these links are provided on our website.
Q. Do you have any other words to say to NeuFutur’s readers?
A. We need your support! So come over to our website and have a listen to the EP, buy our CD, ‘Like’ us on Facebook and on YouTube and bring us to a town near you!
Thank you so much for your time.