From London and hoping for a warm welcome from the American rock scene comes 4-member indie band Narrow Plains. Their self-titled recently released album boasts 13 great tracks; Portland Radio Project has already added 2 to our playlist.
The enterprising band self-recorded their debut EP “Somewhere in Between,” then won an online talent contest giving them the chance to work with renowned engineer John Davenport (Springsteen, Rolling Stones, John Lennon) on the new release.
“We were blown away by the chance to work with him and learned a massive amount in a short time,” recalls lead vocalist Charlie Ferriday.
Narrow Plains artful style
Narrow Plains’ first full studio album is filled with uplifting, artfully crafted acoustic rock tracks. The band’s acoustic style and approach to songs like “Evermore” is reminiscent of early John Mayer.
You’ll love the enthusiasm of buoyant “There She Goes” and “Running to Your Door,” and the tender sentiment that makes “Ghost” a standout. PRP has added both “Restless Mind” and “I Should’ve Known” to our playlist.
I Should’ve Known
Narrow Plains band members include Charlie Ferriday, guitar, vocals; Edd Simpson, guitar and keyboards; and brothers Stuart Connick, drums and back-up vocals, and Roger Connick, bass and back-up vocals.
Their music beckoned to us from the Twittersphere, and we were fortunate to snag an interview with these rising stars.
PRP: “How did your band come together?”
NP: “Bizarrely, all 4 of us went to the same school (Caterham, UK); we were all friends and got really inspired to play as there was an annual rock concert that seemed really cool at the time.”
“Later on, Charlie and Stuart got together as an acoustic duo and wrote a few original, acoustic-based songs that formed the nucleus of (the EP).” “They were looking to record the songs and asked Roger…to add bass. The three of them borrowed a house in the country for a week from Roger and Stuart’s grandmother, and locked themselves away with their instruments, laptop and recording software.”
PRP: “How did the name of the band come about?”
NP: “We were looking for a name that suited our style of music, and liked both “The Narrows” and “The Plains,” but they had both been used before. So, we put them together to become “Narrow Plains.”
PRP: “What inspired your track “I Should’ve Known”?
NP: “We were just jamming together and trying to get a bluesy, skiffle, rhythm going that sounded like an old train rolling along. The song came together pretty quickly…we spent quite a bit longer working on the lyrics.”
PRP: “How long has each of you been playing, any formal instruction?”
NP: “We all started playing when we were pretty young, probably all around 11 or 12 years old. Charlie had a few guitar lessons at first, but is largely self-taught, as are the rest of us.”
PRP: “Favorite tracks to perform live – perhaps your fans have one or two?”
NP: “Our live audiences seem to love to sing along to “So Rewind” and “Running to Your Door,” and we really enjoy the fact that they’ve become our anthems. But our favorite songs to play live are “Restless Mind,” which is normally our opener, and “Take Me Back,” which is usually our closing number.”
Restless Mind
PRP: “What are you favorite bands and music inspirations?”
NP: “We all really loved to watch Newton Faulkner live when we were at school as he used to live locally and play local gigs. Charlie learned his slap guitar technique from watching him play.”
“The folk/rock movement was a big inspiration as well, brilliant acts like Ben Howard, Mumford and Noah and the Whale…Roger is a major fan of modern American rock acts like Jimmy Eat World; Charlie is really into Bon Iver; Stuart loves The Gaslight Anthem and Edd is a massive fan of Sufjan Stevens and War on Drugs. We would all namecheck Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan and Fleetwood Mac as musical inspirations as well.”
PRP: “Nice artwork on the cover of the new album! Who did that?”
NP: Glad you appreciate it! The amazingly talented Kraggy has provided all the artwork for all of our releases. He is also an alumnus of Caterham school – and great friend and supporter of the band!
Where to find their music
Visit Narrow Plains on Soundcloud and Facebook. You can also buy their music on their website and on iTunes .
L-R: Edd, Roger, Stu and Charlie at their sold out, album launch gig at O2 Islington, London
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