First, congratulations on releasing one of our top albums of 2009! There’s wonderful song writing here. Tell me your writing process and the band members involved.

Thank you. We all get involved with the writing, the core of the track mostly comes from Yolanda and myself (Stew) and everyone chips in. That’s what makes it sound like a band.

Your music is emotionally involving. Tell me about this aspect of your work, and your overall aims in writing and performing.

Well it’s kind of tricky, it’s not our intention to challenge people, but we like the emotional aspect of music, we find it cathartic, and hopefully so do our listeners. It’s also hard for Yolanda to sing anything without emotionally engaging you.

Tell me about the major influences behind this unique blend of soul and country.

Country music and soul aren’t so different, especially southern soul. We love melody and moving chord changes, and the stories, music is all about your own story, or interpretation. Influences include Neil Young, CSN, The Beach Boys, The Staple Singers, Etta James, Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, The Band the list could go on.

I also get the feeling that you are one very together band; you seem to work so closely together. Tell me the reasons for this, i.e. friendship, longstanding professional relationships, shared musical interests…. How did you get together in the first place?

It’s magic, we all want to be in this band, I always wanted to be in such a band. We love touring and we love recording .

Yolanda, I’m blown away by your ability to sing country and soul so (apparently) naturally - two very different genres of music. How did you approach this and what (if any) were the challenges in succeeding so well?

Again we don’t think there is a huge difference between country and soul, listen to “Never Loved A Man The Way I Love You” by Aretha: solid country lyrics, soulful wurlitzer. Ray Charles said “country is just good soulful music.” And we agree.

Listening to the record, I am left with the impression that this is almost a live recording. Could you take me through the recording process and your aims/objectives for it?

Most of the record was recorded live at Rockfield studios in three days, and mixed back at Robot Club. Obviously the strings were over dubbed by Stuart Gordon after. And Spring Flowers was done at Robot Club.

It also seems to me that this record could suit the American and certain European markets. What are your plans for taking this music to Europe and the States? And what are your ambitions for the record?

We would love to take it to the States, we had a taste when we were in Austin Texas for SXSW, and we have played in Europe, but touring costs money, and until we start selling more records over here we won’t be touring abroad. Although we are looking for an American label to licence our record to and we are also working on our next record, so who knows.

We have live FM and Internet radio shows and have played many tracks from your album. But at the same time we have total freedom to play what we like, regardless of genre or length of track. How successful have you been in securing airplay and what barriers still exist here in the UK to playing your music on air?

That is a very good question if not slightly loaded. We have had airplay on radio 2 and we have people flying our flag for us like Tom Robinson on 6 music, and Billy Sloan from Clyde FM who’s help is crucial to the future of all independent music, not just ours. But between radio pluggers, producers etc, most presenters play what they are told, there is an impossible requirement for a song to get prime time airplay on a very popular station, and that is you have to be famous. They say stuff like “it’s too slow” or “I don’t think Bob Harris will like this” or whatever, but it amounts to a catch22 “if you aren’t a famous star, why should we give a shit!”

The thing that really irks me about radio is the same thing that gets on my tits about record companies, everyone seems to shirk any kind of cultural responsibility, we know you have to make money but isn’t there any other reason for the music industry? No one has the power to make any decisions as long as no one is prepared to stick their neck out.

As I write these questions I am listening to your album, which gets better for me with each play (if that were possible!). Tell your feelings about the album after months of living with it.

It makes me happy that you are getting joy from it. Firstly this is a special edition and the first release of it was over a year ago. So we have had time with it. We play around with arrangements for shows sometimes but the intension of that album is true. It really is a slice of time for us. It means a lot to us too that a record like that could not only be made but also released. These are weird times for music aren’t they?

I would like you each to pick a favourite track from the album and tell me why.

Dan Brown Bass
Track “Good Fortune”

“I love it because of the intimacy of the tracks juxtaposed by the lushness of the strings”

Matt Jones Drums
Track “Good Fortune”

“Because it’s haunting”

Dan Moore Piano
Track “Withering Bones”

“It’s a great combination of the elements of our band”

Luke Cawthra Electric Guitar
Track “Good Fortune”

“I really like the arrangement and the composition, it’s really emotive completely stripped down”

Stew Jackson Guitar
Track “I couldn’t pick one, but I’ll go for ‘My Love Has Gone.’ It was the first song we had written like it, gospel and country treading the same boards, there’s no fusion there in my eyes, just an honest reaction”

Yolanda Quartey Singer
Track “Good Fortune”

“I like the aesthetic and dynamics of it, it’s really under-sung which feels like you saying it not belting it out”

You’re Bristol based. What is it about Bristol where so much great British music emanates?

There must be something in the water!

Future plans?

To keep making records and playing shows, and of course to break into other countries.

Finally, what are listening to at the moment - who is currently blowing you away musically?

Listening to the Black Crowes new album, Gillian Welch, Etta James, and really looking forward to Dave Rawlings Machine album due out over here on 21st Nov.

Congratulations again on a truly magnificent album!

Thankyou

Black & White Images By Sam Braithwaite

www.myspace.com/phantomlimbrobot

www.phantomlimbmusic.com