Introducing: Burning Condors

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Scorching live act with Leeds roots hone debut release…

YOUR NAME: Chris.
BAND NAME: Burning Condors.
WHAT DO YOU DO/PLAY? Bass & Backing Vocals.

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN TOGETHER AS A BAND/PLAYING MUSIC?
Me and Matt had been in bands for years and were stuck in a position of management pushing us to play what they were deeming to have ‘commercial appeal’. Matt has always been a massive fan of US roots and proper RnB music, but being British exposed us to Britpop and bands like The Clash and the Libertines which have such great energy. He wrote a load of material which was a mish-mash of those influences and it was deemed to be ‘too different’. We both really believed in the sound and kept jamming it out. Tommy (Marcus – Vocals) came along later, he was actually only down in London to try and break through as an actor. He had a really unique vocal delivery – the more tracks he sang on, the more it worked, we all started hanging out, listening to music and the energy was right.

GIVE US 3 REASONS WHY WE SHOULD TRACK DOWN, LISTEN AND DISCOVER YOUR MUSIC?
1. We put everything into our live show. Our sound is rooted in the old blues of Muddy Waters and Son House, the real, raw gritty stuff that was played for the moment, always live with no overdubs or fixes. The so called ‘mistakes’ are a part of what makes that music so alive and true. Through just following our instincts we’ve created a sound different to anything else out there and it’s best experienced live.
2. “Burning Condors have distilled the essence of the blues… and forced it through a modern art punk filter to come up with something fresh and new. Imagine Nick Cave sipping whiskey with John Spencer in a Hoxton dive bar.” – Joyzine.
3. We work with exciting new artists, photographers and filmmakers to add depth to our music.

WHERE DO YOU SOUND BEST – FESTIVAL, CLUB, BEDROOM – OR SOMEWHERE ELSE?
Burning Condors’ natural habitat is live so that’s definitely the best place to check us out. We found our sound in the early days by playing and gigging as much as possible. That’s where the songs really come alive. Just before heading out to Nashville (to record our album) Tommy suffered a collapsed lung during a performance at 12 Bar Club in London. He finished the show, but needed surgery, and immediately after flew to Nashville against doctor’s orders. We’ve had some really memorable gigs.

WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST…
RECORD?
I’ve never owned a record player so it was actually Burning Condors’ own 7” single ‘Love on the Rocks’ / ’Folsom Prison Blues’. I got the bug from that and I’ve now bought a few more. I hope to be able to play them all one day.
CD? The first one I remember was ‘Neighbourhood’ by Space – CD single.
DOWNLOAD? I’m always slow to catch on with new gadgets and technology (see record player comment above) so it took me ages for my first download. It was ‘Kate Winslet’ by The Silver Brazilians before going to see them.

SO, WHEN IT ALL GOES RIGHT AND YOU’VE GOT A MANSION AND A SUPERMODEL GIRLFRIEND, WHAT WILL BE YOUR BIGGEST MUSICAL INDULGENCE?
I’m not sure if I would have one – bass players are too sensible! Matt wouldn’t be able to resist any indulgences going though. His mansion(s) would be full of old vintage guitars, pedals and amps. He probably wouldn’t have room to store all his supermodels.

burning condors balloonsSO, WHEN IT ALL GOES WRONG AND YOU’VE ACRIMONIOUSLY BROKEN UP CITING HUGE MUSICAL DIFFERENCES, WHAT DO YOU FALL BACK ON?
That doesn’t bear thinking about!

PLEASE CITE SOME INTER-BAND MUSICAL DIFFERENCES…
During one of our early recording sessions Police were called after a fight broke out between Matt and Rory, our drummer at the time. That’s the biggest example. Tensions are always high when we record as we lay the tracks down live. We need that electricity in the room to put in our best performance and you can hear that energy on record.

WHO ARE YORKSHIRE’S FINEST IN CULTURE, SPORT AND MUSIC?
Culture: We all love electrical tape artist Benjamin Murphy’s work. He moved down to London recently and has become a prolific street artist. His style has been described as kitchen sink drama and it’s laced with sleazy undertones. He recently agreed to design our album cover and we can’t wait to show everyone the results. Music: We saw Eagulls recently – they’re on their way to becoming a great band. Sport: Jessica Ennis.

NAME YOUR SUPERGROUP – WHO’S PLAYING WHAT AND WHO’S ON VOCALS?
The result could be amazing or a disaster but here goes… Drums – John Bonham, Bass – James Jameson, Guitar – Duane Denison, Blues Harp – Col JD Wilkes, Vocals – Slim Harpo.
GO SEE THIS FILM: Drive.
GO READ THIS BOOK: The Dice Men (Luke Rhinehart).
GREAT LOST BAND/ARTIST: Little Beaver.
WOULDN’T BE CAUGHT DEAD SUPPORTING: Little Bieber!
LONDON, L.A OR LEEDS? L.A. – just for a change.

For more info visit: facebook.com/burningcondors

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