Ever since we first laid ears on The Chris Commerford Band’s new EP Mood, we’ve had it spinning on repeat. The EP is a five-track collection of genre-bending brilliance, and if you haven’t already listened to it, we strongly recommend you go do that now.
Fresh off the EP’s release, we caught up with the band to chat all about it, the evolution of their writing process, and what the future holds.
With an incredible new EP fresh under their belts, we caught up with Mornington Peninsula-based outfit The Chris Commerford Band for a chat.
HAPPY: Hey, how’s it going? What are you up to at the moment?
TCCB: Hey to the happiest of mags, we’re going swell right now. Just trying to keep riding the wave of our release for as far as it will take us. But along with that, emails… many emails.
HAPPY: We’ve been loving Mood! How does it feel having the EP out there in the world?
TCCB: Thank you for that! It feels incredibly refreshing. It’s like walking outside to a healthy garden every day. It just makes us feel overjoyed.
HAPPY: The standout track for us was Roller Coaster… could you tell us a bit about that song?
TCCB: Sure thing, this was the first track Chris wrote for the EP and for a while it was all we were sitting on. It’s all about a coping methodology for the many punches life will throw at you. Life really is a turbulent emotional ‘roller coaster’ and sometimes you just need to stand up to it, stomp your foot down and say, “Hey life, I’m sick of these twists and turns!”, and go out and deal with whatever your problems are with an outcome in mind.
HAPPY: Are there any particular tracks on the EP you’re particularly proud of?
TCCB: Let It All Go was our stand out track. We all voted on a Facebook poll for which track would be the single, and it prevailed. Everything about it was effortless and the production of the track just felt right. Each element/instrument has its role and never oversteps its boundaries. It felt strange at first because all of our songs are pretty guitar driven but this track the only noticeable guitar is the solo and some funky wah-wah. We’re experimenting with more Rhodes and E. Piano sounds now which adds a delightful colour in the tracks.
HAPPY: Did you find you approached the writing/recording of this new EP differently at all to past material?
TCCB: The process has been a bit of a 180-approach-wise. Our first EP Lion Head was done by a good friend with older more analogue gear. Chris was writing at his parents’ house in Red Hill South at the time and each song started with an acoustic guitar and everything else was layered and created in the tracking process. There were never any initial plans for a full band sound, but that’s just the way it happened. Each track off Mood entered the studio arranged for a full band. Paul, the producer, helped refine what we already had laid out. The gear we used was a higher tier also which we feel consolidates the tracks amazingly.
HAPPY: The whole band feels like a really tight unit! Has it always been this for you? Or did it take a while to develop that chemistry?
TCCB: All band chemistry takes time. This current line-up has felt really natural. There is a layer of trust even when you’re in a free jam to just go with it knowing you’re all gonna land on your feet, and we have that. Playing a heap of gigs really helps too!
HAPPY: Are there any particular artists you’re really loving at the moment?
TCCB: The Marcus King Band, D’Angelo, Leon Bridges, Gary Clark Jr, Bahamas, John Mayer and John Butler Trio. These are some epic artists that really help fuel the inspiration behind our music.
HAPPY: What’s next for The Chris Commerford Band? Any other exciting plans in the works?
TCCB: We have the Mood EP launch on the 26th of May at The Evelyn in Brunswick, but after that, we will be looking at doing more recording over winter. It’s the best use of time as gigs/festivals get quieter. We would love to do a tour leading into summer!
HAPPY: Cheers for the chat!
TCCB: Always a pleasure Happy Mag, thanks!
Mood is available now. Listen above.
