What better way for newest The Bondurants member Jenna to get to know her bandmates than to ask them about their single ‘No Time To Talk’?
By now, we hope you’re up to speed with ‘No Time To Talk’, the recent single from Leeds six-piece band, The Bondurants.
A captivating blend of alt-country, Brit pop, and classic rock and roll, the track has been on heavy rotation in our office, to the point where we simply had to catch up with the band for an even deeper dive.
Below, new The Bondurants member Jenna — a keyboardist and backing vocalist — quizzes her fellow bandmates on everything from their musical backgrounds to the genesis of their latest single.
Scroll down for the full intra-band interview, and listen to The Bondurants’ new single ‘No Time To Talk’ below.
Jenna: Have you always wanted to make music?
Simon Pollard (founder of the band, songwriter, guitarist and lead vocalist): I’ve always had a creative side.
When I was a kid I wanted to be a musician, like icons Paul Simon and James Taylor, and began by writing stories, and eventually music and lyrics.
As a teen I was influenced by popular music with a folky/country vibe – the likes of Tom Petty, Bruce Springsteen and John Mayer.
Ed Hicken (guitarist, pianist, pedal steel and banjo player, backing vocalist): I definitely did. My parents played music all the time, my dad was a pedal steel player in the 70s.
I played flute in the school orchestra from age seven, was distracted briefly by girls and football, but got back into music as a teenager.
There were instruments all over the house, but because I was left handed I couldn’t always play them and had to have a left handed steel specially built. Nowadays, between three instruments, I’ve got 20 strings to tune before a gig.
Matt Leonard-Lee (lead guitarist and backing vocalist): I wanted to be a professional rugby player. I played rugby league from 8 years old at Lock Lane ARLFC in Castleford and wanted to go on to play for Castleford Tigers.
I was worried my rugby injuries were going to affect my guitar playing so at 18 I stopped playing rugby and focussed on music instead. I’ve played in indie, rock, punk, and now country, bands ever since.
Jenna: You guys have some pretty interesting musical backgrounds, can you tell us a bit more?
Dave Robinson (co-writer, arranger and bassist): I love 80s music and great basslines like in ‘The Chain’.
Without question, John McVie is my biggest inspiration. I started bass lessons when I was 16, played in various bands and sessions and went on to study Westernised Jazz Performance at Leeds College of Music.
Matt: I’ve played with C. J. Ramone and toured in Germany and Italy with a punk band!
Liam Warner (drummer and backing vocalist): My parents were born in Ireland and I’ve still got family there so music was a big part of growing up.
My brother’s a world champion accordion player and my sister and niece are world champion Irish dancers. I’ve played drums for 30 years, starting with the bodhran (Irish drum).
I played drums in bands at high school, gigged on the Leeds circuit for years and the rest is history!
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Jenna: Are there similarities between traditional Irish music and country?
Liam: Huge similarities! It started when Irish immigrants moved to America in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Big Tom McBride was the first Irish country music star and still considered the biggest. Both Irish music and country music are about storytelling and narrative.
Jenna: The single ‘No Time To Talk’ is out in August, can you tell us how the song came about?
Simon: I wanted to produce a song with a vibe like ‘Born To Run’ – a bit of nostalgia, incorporating similar scale patterns and rhythmical feel.
Secondly, I wanted to talk about how life moves so fast with so many distractions, that we end up not finding the time to talk to each other.
Dave: I knew Simon wanted a certain vibe – heartland rock with an 80s influence – so I began by considering what the bass should do rhythmically.
The guitars had to provide a warm hug of sound to swell around the vocals and after multiple iterations, decided that the bassline should be simple.
Liam: Dave and I worked closely to decide what the beat and rhythms should be and how the drums and bass should interact.
I helped with organising the structure of the song, vocal harmonies and at the studio I was involved with creating the overall ‘sound’ of the song, like which instruments to use to give the right country/Americana twist.
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Matt: When I listened to the demo I heard potential, but the key of D meant everything was upper register for my guitar and it ended up sounding too high.
I eventually re-tuned my E strings down to D meaning I could use more open strings and get an almost banjo-esque sound. To perform live I either have to tune fast, or bring an extra guitar!
Jenna: What is the song ‘No Time To Talk’ about?
Dave: It’s not about desperation, but definitely about fighting for something you want, even though it’s a losing battle. Like trying to hold sand but it’s slipping out – it’s about stemming the loss.
When I hear the song I see an image of driving at night, a deep purple sky, trying hopelessly to resolve something, not wanting to let go.
Simon: I guess the song is about a relationship broken down due to a lack of communication, two people who’ve fallen out of love because of a lack of conversation.
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Jenna: Were you inspired to write the song by real life experiences?
Simon: Yes definitely, my own separation influenced the song, as well as worldwide issues resulting from poor communication.
Jenna: You write a lot of songs, can you tell us about the process?
Simon: I always start on the guitar with the emotion I want to convey. Music and structure, just blindly playing, constructing a melody without words, then improvised lyrics.
Finally when I have a solid version of the song I’ll refine the lyrics, taking them through several iterations.
Ed: I like to write parts with a bit of humour, sarcasm and authenticity. I don’t always go along with the melody and like to experiment with different concepts when I’m recording.
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Jenna: How would you all describe your role in the band?
Dave: Music’s built on layers: the bass and drums are the foundation with guitar, piano and other instruments adding layers to the overall soundscape. The role of the bass is to make everyone else sound amazing!
Ed: I bring the country elements to the band. I’ve been obsessed with country music for a long time, it’s been in my family as long as I can remember.
I bring lots of ideas to the table and I like to write hooks and phrases to compliment vocals in a song. I’m also the best dressed member of the band.
Matt: I try to bring a bit more rock to the band. My influences range from Led Zeppelin, to Eva Cassidy to Chris Stapleton. I try to flesh out the parts, beef up the sound and fill in the gaps.
Jenna Fan (piano, synth, organ and backing vocalist): As the newest member of the band, I was late to the party for ‘No Time To Talk’ but added piano, Hammond organ and backing vocals to the track at the last minute.
I love the song and it’s been fun adding my parts into the mix.
