Name: Yearning Curve
Formed: 2013
Hometown: Cork
Genre: Acoustic / Jazz
Line-up: Lawrence O’Donnell and Bairbre Flood
What They Say: ‘Mixed bag of pop, jazz, electronica and country.’
What We Say: A clash of various music genres with melancholic spoken word.
◀ Q & A ▶
▶ Tell us about your stage name?
It was a headline in a newspaper and just stuck in my head. As artists we’re always striving to to create our life as art, and this restlessness, this yearning hopefully can connect us to our better qualities.
Cicero said “nature plants in us an insatiable longing for the truth” and I think we’re all searching for this, to be better people, to make a better world… and we’re suckers for bad puns.
▶ When did you start playing music and how would you describe your sound?
I only started a few years ago – Lawrence taught himself guitar upside-down with his brothers right-handed guitar (he’s left-handed), but only started playing keys when he got older.
I suppose everyone thinks their sound is unique and original. It’s kind of mainly acoustic jazzy folk pop, we emphasise the lyrics and vocal and pay attention to what we’re saying as much as to how we’re saying it. For me, the words are really important.
▶ What releases have you put out so far?
We’d an EP ‘Blonde On The Inside’ out in 2013 and our first album’s out May 1st 2014 – it’s called ‘The Murder Machine’ inspired by Pearse’s book of the same name published in 1914. It looks at different aspects of ‘the murder machine’, different grinders, from a personal, political and philosophical perspective.
The title track is out this April and it uses lines from the book with samples, harmonies, guitar (and guitar again as percussion, I have to sit down to play it live!).
▶ Is there a particular live show that stands out amongst all the rest?
There was a daytime one that we did ages ago as a four-piece band in a music shop in Cork (Crowleys). Loads of kids came in and it there was something kind of magical about it. I felt really connected to the audience, to the songs, to the band, to myself – I enjoy most gigs, but that was special.
▶ What has been the Highlight of the journey so far?
It’s been a series of highlights this past year – getting on national radio, putting our album together, performing at Whelans, Coughlans, Galway Fringe Festival, just seeing our music get out there – it’s hard work, but so worth it. It sounds corny, but the biggest highlight is just feeling all the support of people helping us – that’s what really keeps us going. There’s a lovely indie vibe at the moment, a lot of good people out there doing it for the music.
▶ You are in control of forming a 4 piece ‘super group’ – who is in it and what do they do?
Jordan Rudess on keys, Amy Winehouse on vocals and guitar, Mick Karn on bass and Stewart Copeland on drums. Oh yeah!
▶ If you were to go on a world tour and you could pick any 3 acts come along, who would they be?
Transatlantic, Immortal Technique and Cat Dowling.
▶ What would be the 3 strangest things on your rider if you were able to make any demand?
We’d be just so happy to get fed at all on tour! And some coffee!
▶ Is there a particular aim or goal which you hope to achieve through music?
I really like what Nina Simone said about an artists duty being to reflect the times – I try to document what’s going on as best I can as a songwriter and hope that it touches people somehow. I want to cut through some of the bullshit and connect with what’s free inside us.
▶ Who has been your biggest inspiration as a musician?
All the people that used to cram into our sittingroom at home in the pub where I grew up and sing their drunken hearts and souls out til the early hours.
For Lawrence I’d say it’d have to be Beethoven, he adores him.
◀ LISTEN ▶
Facebook ▶ /Yearning Curve
