I'll have a review of Spreading Rumours up soon - still working on it since the release last week - but I thought I'd share a bit of an interview with Ryan posted today, here is the link to the entire text for any interested readers:
http://diffuser.fm/grouplove-interview-2013/
It's a question he's been asked before (in different iterations) but this time I think Ryan did a nice job of articulating how he was prepared to enter the family business (as a product of a sane and secure environment) and also the important role Trevor and Shelley played in supporting the band during their inception.
You’ve been in bands before, and your father was a member of Yes. Have you been able to bring that experience to the other members of Grouplove — particularly with your rigorous work schedule?
As far as the travel, it’s a little different, because when my dad started in Yes, he basically came in and the band was already somewhat established. And when [1983's 90125] came out, it was their biggest album, selling more than all their previous albums combined. So he really started with them at the top. At that point, the industry was different with money, so they were travelling in private jets to go to shows and playing in arenas, so it’s not really the same experience.
As far as the travel, it’s a little different, because when my dad started in Yes, he basically came in and the band was already somewhat established. And when [1983's 90125] came out, it was their biggest album, selling more than all their previous albums combined. So he really started with them at the top. At that point, the industry was different with money, so they were travelling in private jets to go to shows and playing in arenas, so it’s not really the same experience.
Growing up, though, I learned a lot from him in terms of work ethic and musical training and rehearsal and working with other people and what to remember and concentrate on when performing. So, I think that stuff is very valuable. They also are just generally very supportive of the fact that I’m playing music. The rest of the band basically lived at my parents’ house for our first two years of playing together. Everyone sort of dropped everything and moved to Los Angeles, and my parents house is where everyone stayed. So, they definitely are influential in us being a band and getting where we have.
Just from reading about you, it sounds like yours was far more stable than the typical rock ‘n’ roll family. Even the fact that your parents are still together is not necessarily the norm.
Definitely. Stable is not what someone would usually say about a rock ‘n’ roll family. At the same time, there was never any pressure to do anything musical, only support. Sometimes kids are pressured by their parents to do something that they did or they want them to do, and naturally you push back against it. But there was never anything like that.
Definitely. Stable is not what someone would usually say about a rock ‘n’ roll family. At the same time, there was never any pressure to do anything musical, only support. Sometimes kids are pressured by their parents to do something that they did or they want them to do, and naturally you push back against it. But there was never anything like that.
