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What do you do after you’ve spent most of your up-until-now-life listening obsessively to Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young, Bob Mould, Paul Westerberg, and The Byrds? Answer: You purchase an 8 track recorder and turn the spare room of your flat into a makeshift recording studio. You then write a bunch of songs, buy some instruments, and get right on recording in a similar spirit as these aforementioned heroes, in the hope that someone else . . . out there . . . will get it.
This is exactly what I’ve done.
So who are The Declans I hear you ask? At this very moment The Declans are just me . . . Jason Brayshaw – but hopefully not for too much longer. Like most music obsessive geeks, like myself, I’ve pretty much done what other musician/song-writers have done before: Listened, written, and recorded. In other words what you’re hearing right now on this myspace site is somebody who, when not stuck at their office day job, whiles away their evening hours recording – take after take after take. Listening, listening, listening. Totally loving it – and getting it out there.
Now all done it is high time to find other like minded musicians to get together, jam, rehearse, and totally rock! And let’s not forget to record an album and to put The Declans music into as many hearts and ears as possible. I mean, let’s be honest here; why else do we do it? And seriously, although it feels amazing to sell a shit load albums, I believe it’s perhaps more important to be able to produce a musical body of work that is either the first thing people listen to before going to work, or the last thing they listen to before going to bed. (Not to mention having your band name checked by your favourite artists, right?). Call me a romantic but this, I believe, is the essence of a great rock and roll record, and a great rock and roll band.
We all have these albums; life’s little soundtracks. For me, it was Springsteen’s Born to Run (the title track especially!), Hüsker Dü’s Warehouse: Songs & Stories (not to mention Bob Mould’s first two solo albums), the last Replacements album, All Shook Down, and practically anything by Neil Young.
Serious ‘life changing’ albums.
And we’ve all had these moments many times in our lives: hating your job, fighting with your boss, punching the wall, falling in love with someone who seems to remain just out of your reach, feeling solitary in a crowded bar, etc etc. Life is always elsewhere, as the saying goes. Worst things have happened to all of us. Then again there are the good times too; those days and nights where friendships run deep, the laughter is loud, and the beer is always cold. You know it’s not going to last forever as nothing ever does – so why suffer regret, thinking back and asking yourself, “Geez, what could’ve been? And I didn’t even try.†We all have the best songs inside us. And sometimes it proves quite challenging to get the music out there. Some of us don’t get the chance, while others don’t even realise they have that chance.
I think my main memory during the recording these songs will be the constant battle against Melbourne’s oppressive summer heat. It’s been a killer this summer. When you’re stuck in a small room without air conditioning it quickly becomes feeling like hard work! But you press on – recording, re-recording take after take – making the most of the precious time and equipment you have. I hope you enjoy what I’ve presented here, both visually and sonically. Drop me a line and say hello. Even better; if you reside in Melbourne and are a musician and songwriter in a similar vain like myself; let’s get together, plug in our guitars, set up the drums, and sing and play our freakin’ hearts out.
