Interview with The Mules

They also have a steadfast commitment to making ‘out of the ordinary’ music that doesn’t kowtow to major labels. It’s this - along with some exceptional musicianship - that might just make them one of the most exciting bands in the UK

ARTROCKER: So you’ve just finished you tour of erm, London?

ED SEED:Yes a very ambitious geographical sprint across Zone One!

ARTROCKER: Did you have any pre gig rituals, special breakfasts?

JAMES LESSLIE: Our manager decided to film some gigs that we did, and he was like “Do what you do before you go on stage!” We don’t do anything. Maybe have a cigarette…

ED: Do a set list...

DUNCAN BROWN: Sit next to each other in silence feeling nervous...

JEN LAU: Have a huddle…

JAMES: I did feel that the huddle helped actually…

ED: Yeah it was awesome; maybe we should get a hacker...

JAMES: What’s a hacker?

ED: It’s the thing that the All Blacks do - it’s a Maori thing, but you’re supposed to do it at the opposition so we’d have to line up the other bands. We’d be like, “You all have to stand here while we do our hacker!”

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PART ONE: INSIDE THE STABLE

ARTROCKER: What did you want to be when you were kids?

ED: I wanted to write stories…well, that was after wanting to be a train driver.

JAMES: I wanted to be a bird. My dad was a pilot.

ED: So you thought you go one better?

JAMES: I thought ‘wouldn’t it be amazing to fly’!

JEN: I was into my dancing, so I wanted to be a ballet dancer.

ARTROCKER: And how did you end up starting a band?

ED: The thing that sealed it was when Tim and I met, we were both getting into the same type of music at the time- late 1960’s country influenced rock music, like The Band, The Flying Burrito Brothers, Dylan’s country Albums. And I’d introduce him to blue grass, post punk and stuff, and he introduced me to Hip Hop, Opera and lots of other things.

ARTROCKER: Is it true you’ve been doing a new song every week on Myspace?

ED: Well, when I quit my job I felt I needed some kind of structure. So I decided to sit down and say ‘Right, by the end of today you have to have written and recorded a song and put it on Myspace’. It was also a learning thing about being less precious, less worried about what form a song takes - so it would be just one idea followed through, rather than three interesting ideas lined up together.

ARTROCKER: How often do you rehearse?

ED: Not enough. It varies completely - we’ll set aside two months and rehearse all the time as much as we can and then won’t rehearse for a month.

ARTROCKER: Do you ever get bored?

ED: Well, if spirits are low then Tim will usually play the theme to ‘Back to the Future’ on the keyboard.

DUNCAN: That is one interesting thing. Tim is classically trained and he’s also a classically trained rehearser - so he rehearses us. I don’t know how much it’s like an orchestra but he certainly breaks down every part of it. And makes sure we get all the elements right.

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PART TWO: PHILOSOPHY OF THE MULE

ARTROCKER: If other bands want to do what you do, would you say that discipline is the key to getting somewhere?

JAMES: Absolutely. You have to be organised, work hard and be disciplined

ARTROCKER: But there are some bands that seem to get successful without being disciplined - they do that clichéd rock n’ roll thing.

ED: Yeah, but somebody in the band will be (disciplined). Everything seemed effortless for The Rolling Stones, but at the heart of that band there was a least two extremely ambitious people that knew exactly what they were doing.

ARTROCKER: James, you run (Mules label) Organ Grinder don’t you?

JAMES: Yeah. It started because I didn’t want us to sit around and wait for something to happen. I mean it was a really shambolic learning process; I really didn’t have any idea what I was doing and I had to learn very quickly. It was just so we could make a record really.

ARTROCKER: What have been the advantages?

JAMES: From what I can gather, a great deal of independence and control on the creative and the business side, which I think is really important. I will try and keep everyone in the loop with some of the more boring things, ‘cos you can get sold down the river.

ARTROCKER: What do you think about the state of the music industry?

JAMES: It’s quite a nerve racking time apparently.

ED: It would be a disaster for us to even be on a medium sized label now because we would be the first to get dropped.

ARTROCKER: Why?

ED: We’re not an easily sellable product- not a very good commodity. It would take somebody to stick their neck out and stick with us for more than one album.

JAMES: The Crimea got dropped by Warners after selling 35,000 copies. If we sold that I think we’d go out for dinner! It’s economies of scale certainly, so you can build perhaps a gentler but hopefully a more lasting career ark.

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PART THREE: PREPARE TO BE MULED

ARTROCKER: Did you make the video for ‘Polly-O’ yourselves?

JAMES: My brother and a friend of mine called Chris Boyle run a small production company, and for their first film I was just really impressed that they managed to get Michael Sheen to be in it. It was set in space – with a proper space capsule! So we asked them for some treatments, and it ended up being a fun idea.

ARTROCKER: What’s the concept?

ED: It’s based on the narrative of the song, although they didn’t have to stick to the plot of the words, because they’re creating a piece that has to stand on its own too.

JAMES: It doesn’t take it’s self too seriously, but it’s quite unsettling as well which is good. It’s exciting when you get involved with other people who can make something with what you’ve done. It’s the same with the artwork that Ed does with his sister. It’s interesting to see what sort of cross-pollination can happen.

ARTROCKER: What’s next?

ED: Were gonna make another record. It’ll be leaner.

JAMES: It’ll be a bit more coherent record. Less massive leaps between influences. It’ll be more stewed.

ED: It should make more sense; the boil in the bag metaphor is a good one

JAMES: The first album was a bit more of a stir-fry. We’re chopping the vegetables at the moment.

ED: The meats arriving tomorrow.

THE NEW SINGLE ‘POLLY O’ IS OUT NOW ON ORGAN GRINDER

THE MULES ON MYSPACE