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The future is here
Interview with Wicklow blues band Wyvern Lingo.
Our prayers have been answered. Finally, a band whose music is pure but powerful has emerged onto the scene. Wyvern Lingo are a three-piece blues band from Bray, Co. Wicklow, featuring Karen Cowley on vocals, Saoirse Duane on guitar and Caoimhe Barry on percussion and vocals. With influences such as Led Zeppelin, Fleetwood Mac and Joni Mitchell, these girls are a breath of fresh air from the recent excuses that the pop world has called music. I caught up with the girls to find out what makes them so unique.
First of all, how did you guys get together?
Karen: I knew Saoirse from primary school, and we became friends in 6th class. I met Caoimhe in 5th class, and we only liked each other because of our music tastes. I didn't like her before and I was singing a Red Hot Chili Peppers song and she was singing along. And then in 1st year we started a band.
Saoirse: Which we don't talk about anymore.
Karen: [It] failed horribly. In 2nd year, Saoirse and I just started playing acoustically and writing a few songs and we thought to get Caoimhe to play the drums.
Because you guys have such a broad range of influences, how do you mould all of these together to create the sound that you have now?
Karen: It just happened like that, like we don't even know how to describe ourselves.
Caoimhe: I like that though, I'd like it if we could decide what were going to sound like but that’s very limiting at the same time. We go through phases of what we sound like, just like any band I suppose.
For a band to succeed what do you think they need?
Karen: Discipline. Actually just sitting down and practicing and not backing out.
Caoimhe: Karen is the disciplin[arian] so we got that down.
Karen: Yeah but to keep trying and not to be put off by anything.
Caoimhe: Get somebody who’s really organised in your group.
What’s your favourite aspect of being in a band?
Saoirse: Just playing music really.
Karen: It encourages you to write more, because you don't want to be good just for yourself but for the band as well.
Caoimhe: Also everyone thinks we’re cool and invites us to parties.
Have you noticed any changes in your music since you started out?
Saoirse: We put more effort into it.
Caoimhe: We’re less worried about sounding girly as well. I remember at the start we were always trying to write songs that could be played by a boy band.
Karen: We put a lot more effort into the structure of the songs.
Caoimhe: We work a lot more on harmonies. Beforehand we would just decide to put them in, but now we work on them to make sound class.
Karen: We know each other a lot better as well so when we do covers we try to make it our own
What advice would you have for other bands starting up at the moment?
Caoimhe: Make friends with loads of people and you’ll get loads of gigs.
Karen: Don’t give up, as corny as it sounds.
Has there been any standout moments so far for you?
Karen: Well, at our last gig, we had a really big crowd there and they started singing ‘Fly Away’ back to us. It was really cool. We have never had that big a crowd just for us.
Do you think being an all girl group is an advantage or disadvantage for you?
Karen: I don’t see how it is a disadvantage. There is a stereotype attached to that but we don’t fill that so....
Do you try to stray away from that stereotype?
Caoimhe: We just are what we are, we don’t try to be something we’re not or stay away from being something we are, it’s just whatever happens, happens.
Karen: Well in certain songs, why shouldn’t we sound girly? We are girls after all! Some people like that.
What is your ultimate goal for the band?
Saoirse: For people to like our songs and respect it. Also to inspire others. That would be pretty cool.
You can find the girls at http://www.myspace.com/wyvernlingo
Interview by: Rory Kavanagh
