5 Q&A With Foot Squeaker
Photo Credit: Dan Butler
What was the creative process like for this particular song?
Diarmuid Comerford (Lead Singer/Guitarist): The idea for “Friends Like These” came about from a conversation with my 15-year-old son. He was saying, ‘you can't just go up to people, say hey, and make friends. It's much more complex due to social media status and cliques.’ I feel this sentiment is echoed in similar challenges and anxieties around forming new friendships as you go through life. In the chorus the line - 'I'm looking to infiltrate you' is referencing the want to become a part of a particular friend group. Saying a 'simple hello' is just not enough in today's world to make new friends. I love using different tunings on the guitar when writing, as it takes me out of my comfort zone. Drop D is one of my favourites which “Friends Like These” is in. It was the first song we wrote with Richard, who joined us on bass last year. I had the verse chord pattern and when Richard hit me with his bassline the song blew up from there. As soon as we had an overall shape on the song in rehearsals we all got that special, warm belly, excited feeling that tells us we have a belter.
Were there any challenges or obstacles you faced while creating "Friends Like These?"
As always, when you get some parts to songs you are excited about, arrangements can be tricky to get right. The heavy riff during the solo and outro took a while to nail down in terms of length but when we play it live we can extend parts like this as we so wish. Now that we have three singers in the band with Richard also on backing vocals we really worked hard on the harmonies in the song. Again trying to stick to the less is more formula but absolutely loving having more power, vocally.
What did you enjoy most about making "Friend Like These?"
Once we had settled on the arrangement we set about recording the track in my studio. Big drums were on the agenda so we tracked them in my son's bedroom this time round which has super high ceilings. As soon as I heard the drums I knew we were heading for gold. Tracking guitars is one of my favourite things to do in the studio. Lots of double tracking, spending time on sounds, all recorded with real amps and pedals. We even tried some 'hurlbin' (us belting an empty bin with hurls) on the track but we didn't use it in the end. Daniel Fox (Gilla Band) mixed the track. He is an amazing engineer and I've loved his work for a good few years now. Local mastering engineer, Darragh Nolan aka Astakalapa put the finishing touches to get to what you hear now as our latest single, “Friends Like These.”
What role do you feel emotions play in your music, and how do you channel them into your performances?
Emotions in my songs run high. Writing is how I deal with things from both my past and present. As my kids grow older I seem to be seeing things a lot through their eyes. If they get affected, so do I and it often brings me back to similar situations I may have encountered growing up. Obviously, within different generations so many things change in relation to how lives work day to day. I like messages in songs. When performing particular songs I do try to think about where I was coming from at the time of writing it and to channel it into the song’s delivery. A song like, “Friends Like These” is here because of someone special in my life so that instantly creates emotion in the song that can be felt by the listener.
What do you enjoy most about performing live and connecting with your audience?
My first show was when I was 14 years old and was in a small venue in my hometown of Gorey, Co. Wexford, Ireland. I remember my knees knocking but I knew there and then it was what I wanted to do forever. You can sit in a rehearsal space or a studio all you like but the real buzz and satisfaction for me comes from performing live. If you’re in front of an audience who mostly has never heard you, it is your job to entertain them, show them what you’ve got, reel them in. If you see them moving to the song, repeating a chorus after only hearing the first one or nodding to their friend with smiles of musical happiness that is what it’s all about. We are about to embark on a co-headline Irish tour with our Dublin pals, acoustic fuzz merchants, Drying Weather. We've called it the Ubh Bhriste (Broken Egg) Tour as it coincides with Easter. It starts in Geoff's, Waterford City on Friday March 29th and takes in Drogheda, Belfast, Dublin, Gorey and Derry. All tour dates can be found on our website. Gigs galore is our main goal this year and we would love to book in some festivals in Ireland and abroad. The UK is on our list this year too and we aim to organise some dates before the Summer is out. All bookers, come see us for yourselves.