Page 5 - Black Velvet Issue 96

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BlackVelvetMagazine.Com - 5

A (Musical) Note From...

Tomm E. Williams (Go Primitive)

t was a sunny evening in March 2016. I hearing the chorus melody that I had some- recorded and prepared all the guide tracks my-
Iwas taking my usual walk to the band thing good with that song. When I got home I self, so that Teale - our drummer - had a great
practice room when I received an unexpected got my acoustic guitar out and formed a struc- basis to track to.
phone call. This was the call to inform me that ture. I then took it to band practice, and the The rest of the time was spent at Ro-
my band Go Primitive had been selected to arrangement was picked apart and formed into mesh’s own Longwave studio in Cardiff. Here
play Glastonbury Festival. We had been wait- something I really didn’t expect! That’s the we tracked all the guitars and vocals, which we
ing many years for such good news. Finally, a beauty and sometimes difficult part of writing spent fifteen days on. We had such an array
break to come out of almost our lifetime of mu- with other musicians. You don’t always end up of guitars and amps to choose from, and be-
sical dedication. We were ecstatic! It was our with the song turning out how you wanted. I re- cause we had some time we could experi-
performance on the BBC Introducing stage alise that’s how our sound is so unique, be- ment. It was so great to be able to do that.
that would lead us on the journey to make our cause we all have different influences. There’s Pretty much all the heavy rhythm guitar tones
first full length album. no other way we could sound like Go Primitive come from a Les Paul, while some of the
Romesh Dodangoda - super producer of without them. ‘When I Drive’ is my favourite cleaner tones come from a Strat. My very own
bands such as The Blackout and Funeral For song on the album and I love what it has be- trusty Yamaha Pacifica 611 was used for all
A Friend - and I had worked together previ- come. the solos. It’s amazing how much that guitar
ously. When I played him some Go Primitive Before heading into the studio we had holds its own next to guitars sometimes three
demos, he was very keen to make an EP with some pre-production sessions with Romesh. times the price! We used a selection of amps,
us. It was this EP, and particularly the song ‘In During these sessions we would play what we from Peavey, to Marshall and Hughes and Ket-
A Band’ that got us the Glastonbury slot. Nat- had written in a practice room, and he would tner. The days were mixed between tracking
urally, after playing the festival and receiving make any comments and ideas for arrange- guitar and vocal. Some days it would be guitar
funding, it was Romesh who we wanted to ment changes that he thought would enhance in the morning and vocal in the afternoon. I en-
make the album with. As a band, we had been the song. It’s great to have fresh ears and an joyed this way because it was good to pace
working on some original material and had experienced producer to bring the best out of myself vocally, so I never got tired.
about an EP’s worth. During the late summer, the songs. Romesh picked out ‘When I Drive’ Once tracking was finished, it was down to
we set a date to record the album for the end and ‘I Want More’ as his favourite hard-hitting Romesh to work his mix magic. Wow, did he
of that year. We thought we’d better hurry up singles. The rest of the band and I felt the surpass our expectations with that! The cre-
and get writing! same about these choices. ation of the album was such an enjoyable ex-
It’s interesting for me that when I get asked The first week of recording was spent in perience, and we’ve ended up with something
how songs were written and what they are the famous Rockfield studios in Monmouth to we are exceptionally proud of. What we want
about, how little I can actually recall about the track drums and bass guitar. The studio was now more than anything is to get it out there
exact process! There are one or two songs used to track some of Queen’s ‘A Night At The and show the world what we can do!
that I do remember writing quite vividly though. Opera’ and the entire Oasis album ‘(What’s
To me these are special songs, because they The Story) Morning Glory?’ amongst many Tomm E Williams
usually appear in my mind out of nowhere. I do other famous creations. I can’t tell you a great
a lot of driving, and I don’t always listen to deal about that week, because I wasn’t there!
music. During that time, I might start hearing a Sadly, being in an unsigned band, we all have In a band? Want to write a one-off column for
riff or a melody in my head. ‘When I Drive’ day jobs, and as I didn’t need to be there for us? Email editor@blackvelvetmagazine.com for
more info.
started out that way. I knew when I started tracking I stayed back at work. I had, however, Photo By Charlie Shelton

GO PRIMITIVE