Following the wake of the Hobart COVID lockdown, indie band Lennon Wells have released their new single “Money On Me” in anticipation of their debut EP due out later this year. I had to ask them about it. Thankfully Ben Wells from the band answered my questions.
https://www.facebook.com/Lennonwellsyeah
1. How did you get into music?
My dad taught me how to play guitar when I was about 9 years old and he’s always been a song writer so he really inspired me to start writing music. I think I started writing when I was 12. As soon as I got to high school I started a band and I’ve pretty much been in one ever since.
2. What inspired the new song? –
I wrote Comparisons just after my 28th birthday. I was going through a bit of an anxious period, spending a lot of time comparing my life to all of my friends. I’ve got mates at similar ages that are all going through different stages of life – some have kids and mortgages, some still rinse every weekend. I’m constantly trying to find a good middle ground between growing up and enjoying the last of my 20’s. I guess at the end of the day as long as you’re looking out for your mates, that’s what counts. That’s really the sentiment of the song, don’t stress too hard about where you’re at. We’re all running a different race.
3. How did 2020 help shape your music?
We really only started out as a band in 2020, so it shaped the entire project! Not so much lyrically, as I’d written the majority of the songs off the upcoming EP at the end of 2019 but in terms of how we pieced the record together and wrote different parts for it, 2020 made it tricky. We started recording in the middle of lockdown with Skinner (drums production), Al Campbell (bass, production, engineer) and myself, as that was the total number of people we were allowed in the studio space. We added band members as the restrictions eased.
4. Are you happy how people have responded to the music?
We’ve been pretty overwhelmed with the response so far! Having just come off a 4 year creative hiatus I was a little bit nervous as to how people would respond to the music, as it is a little different to anything I’d done before but we rolled straight into playing some amazing festivals and our headline shows have all been sellouts so far which still blows my mind.
5. What is the goal for the band in 2021?
The main goal for 2021 is to get this EP finished, we’re hoping to have it out by November. We had a big tour booked on the big island that we had to cancel early this year, so if we could manage to sneak over there at the end of the year and do a few shows that would be the icing on the cake!
6. How does a song start for you?
It usually starts with me rambling into my phone, and then listening back to whatever I’ve said a few weeks later and trying to pick out anything that makes sense (if anything does). Then I’ll try and build on the idea on my guitar by the fire at home.
7. Do you write when you have inspiration or set time to write?
I’m pretty slack when it comes to making time to write, so it’s really only when I feel inspired. I opened up my own live music venue in 2018 and that keeps me pretty busy, on top of that I became a dad this year, so finding time to be creative has become an art form in itself.
8. What have you listened to recently that inspired you?
I’ve been listening to a lot of the Wallflowers recently, which isn’t something I normally listen to but I love that sad country song kinda stuff at the moment. I’ve also been listening to Allday’s new album, best album of 2021 in my opinion. I love the direction he’s gone in.
9.How import is Spotify to you and getting on the right playlists?
It seems to be the way to go in terms of getting your music out to the masses. I’m also a huge advocate for doing the hard yards in terms of playing live as much as possible and growing your fan base and live show that way. I think having a combination of support from streaming services and touring hard is the best way to go.
10. Do you think social media is more important than it’s ever been?
Yeah social media is a tricky beast these days, I came up playing in bands when social media had kind of just begun. I think the first platform I used in a band was Myspace haha. The way we consume is constantly changing and the majority of it is through social media, so I guess it is more important than it’s ever been.
11. How important are video clips to you guys?
They’re a whole heap of fun to make, that’s what I like most about making video clips. I wouldn’t subscribe to making them so much if I didn’t enjoy the process or feel like I had something to say in the film that I couldn’t get across in the music. Also it gives us the opportunity to work with some amazing directors and crew!
12. What has been your favorite show to date?>
My favourite show so far was probably our last headline show at the Uni Bar in Hobart. We had some amazing bands playing with us (little Island, Kannina), it was a sell out show and the people that were there were amazing, such a great vibe. Some shows it just feels like you’re on, like nothing can go wrong. That was one of those shows.
