DeadJournalist.com Exclusive Interviews
The Village Green
EXCLUSIVE Interview: The Village Green
Chuck Norton, DeadJournalist.com
11.11.06
Portland's the Village Green was formed in 2004 by vocalist/guitarist J. Nicholas Allard and drummer/producer Jeremy Sherrer. Drawing comparisions to the Kinks and the Beatles, because of their '60's-inspried rock sound, the band released a self-titled EP in 2005.
The band signed with spinART and released their debut full-lenth album, Feeling the Fall, in August 2006.
The band recently completed a US tour, but will being playing several shows in the Pacific Northwest for the rest of 2006
For more information on the Village Green, visit their Web site: www.thevillagegreenmusic.com or their MySpace.com page: www.myspace.com/villagegreen
DeadJournalist.com brings you this exclusive interiew with J. Nicholas Allard of the Village Green.
How long has the Village Green been playing together?
JNA: Jeremy and I have been playing together for roughly three years. We formed when Jeremy answered an ad I had in a local paper here in Portland.
For someone who hasn’t heard the band, how would you describe your sound?
JNA: Melodic, exceptionally well crafted, well executed sonic brilliance.
What led to the band’s signing with spinART?
JNA: A lot of blowjobs.
How long did it take to record your debut LP, Feeling the Fall? Where there any challenges in the process?
JNA: It took about two months. The main challenge was just getting along and finding time to record. It’s not easy when everyone has day jobs, wives, children, and pets.
What inspired the songwriting on this album?
JNA: Not what, but who? Mainly George Harrison and John Lennon. Also, Jeremy and I were going through divorces.
Did the line-up changes in June 2006 have an affected on the band?
JNA: Yes. Now it’s basically just Jeremy and I and two kids we hired to tour. They’re fucking great though. People have said that we’ve never sounded better live. I’m not the easiest person to get along with, and I’m not one for a democracy regarding creativity so it’s been amazingly freeing for me to basically have it my way.
What is the most important part of your live performances?
JNA: Me.
How was the experience of playing at this year’s CMJ in New York?
JNA: It was nice. Quite mellow. I did a couple of acoustic gigs. It was liberating after just coming off a long tour with the band. I’m always a fan of stripping a song down to the route of how it was written. That’s when you can really tell if a song has any balls or not.
Who have been the biggest influences on the band?
JNA: For me it’s The Beatles, Beach Boys, David Bowie, Supergrass, Blur, The Kinks, Oasis, Nirvana. The First time I heard George Harrison’s All Things Must Pass marked a turning point in my musical career, and life for that matter. That album to me is perfection.
What were you listening to 10 years ago?
JNA: Probably Nirvana. I was 15, 10 years ago, so I imagine my world was rule by Kurt Cobain. I never really got into any other “grunge” bands though. At that time it was pretty much Nirvana and The Beatles.