Interviews: Interview with Thinking For Tuesday (24th August 2009)

by Gary Smith

Please introduce yourselves, and how you take your place in the band.

Website / Myspace / Facebook / Blog

How did you meet and what is the story behind you forming?

The wonders of the internet mainly. Tom & Will were already friends from being in a band together previously. The rest of us met over music sites, braved the audition and joined the band. Tom was the founding member, Will, Barny & Chris joined following a history of performing in other bands, whilst Karen made the break from musical theatre to write rock music and has never looked back.

How did you come up with your band name?

It was a case of finding something we all agreed on and that had not already been taken. Thinking For Tuesday was something that rolled off of the tongue and seemed memorable.

Who are your biggest influences?

 We are all inspired by many different artists and bands which has been great in helping us write a variety of material. Best we answer this one individually I think...

Karen I grew up listening and singing along to the likes of Freddie Mercury, Roxette, Pink, Tina Turner, No Doubt, Paramore, Cher and stacks of musical theatre soundtracks. Sometimes it would take hours (plus the odd tantrum) but I'd keep up the hard work until I could belt out the notes they could.
Tom Alice In Chains, Feeder, Foo Fighters, Pearl Jam.
Will Queen, Extreme, Bon Jovi, Third Eye Blind, Live, Pearl Jam, Joe Satriani, Muse, Dream Theater, Rage Against The Machine and Apes Pigs & Spacemen.
Barny Alice In Chains, Tool, Rage Against The Machine, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Pearl Jam, Pink Floyd.
Chris Thomas Lang, Mike Portnay.

Name your top five albums (by other artists)

Karen Queen, Greatest Hits / Pink, I'm Not Dead / Bon Jovi, Cross Road / Saves The Day, Stay What You Are / Wicked, Original Cast Recording.
Tom Pearl Jam, Ten / Span, Mass Distraction / Spin Doctors, You've Got To Believe In Something / Blues Brothers, Briefcase Full Of Blues / Third Eye Blind, Third Eye Blind.
Will I couldn't possibly say, that's too hard to answer for me!
Barny Pearl Jam, Ten / Rage Against The Machine, Rage Against The Machine, Pink Floyd, Dark Side Of The Moon, Alice In Chains, Dirt / Tool, Lateralus.

Who did you dream of being when you were young?

Karen Kate Winslet (it was at that time when everyone wanted to snog Leonardo DiCaprio and stand on the edge of a boat!)
Tom Dave Ghrol (he can do it all).
Will Nuno Bettencourt and Jason McRoy.
Barny Cliff Birton (hence the mop of hair flying when playing bass!)
Chris Ron Jeremy (answered by fellow band members on behalf of Chris as he holidayed in Portugal..!)

Who has the worst habits and what are they?

Karen Well I won't elaborate but put it this way, I'm the only girl in the band having to share many confined spaces with four blokes. I think you get the idea…;-)

What was the worst review you have been given?

So far we have been very lucky. If we had to say it would probably be The Mag who reviewed the album recently. We were actually pleased with the review but they were a bit unconvinced about Slide as the opening track which usually goes down really well.

Where was your first gig and what was it like?

It was at The Cellar Bar in Bracknell. Brilliant little venue and all our close family and friends were there supporting (as always). Great gig but it was very loud! Since then we have worked hard to create a better volume so everyone can be heard but the impact of the sound and songs are not lost.

What was the most embarrassing thing, or your craziest moment, that has happened on stage?

We played on Sally Taylor's Saturday Morning show on BBC radio solent. We were practising outside the studio, it was all sounding fine and we (Karen, Tom & Barny) had decided to do Slide. We were called into the studio for the interview and acoustic performance, told there was not time for a sound check so were just given a line check and then we were on air. Trouble was in between moving rooms the temperature difference put Tom's guitar especially completely out of tune. It came to playing the song when Karen remembers singing but thinking, this doesn't sound how it normally sounds.
However it was only when we got home that we heard how bad. Tom called Karen distraught and said 'go and listen back online now'. Karen did and admits she couldn't stop laughing, it sounded so bad and especially enjoyed Tom's performance, who realised his guitar was out of tune so tried different techniques to soften to sound but it had made it sound even worse. All we can say is that we really hope it has disappeared from internet ears forever by now!
We also once tried to play Girl In The Red Dress Too acoustically, with the drum solo may I add. Never tried that again.

Have you written any songs with hidden meanings or about anyone in particular?

Karen I have. Some might say it's a bit clichéd or a bit mushy but Ordinary Song is about what happened with an ex-boyfriend back in my early 20s and Unsung Hero is about my current relationship. Every time I sing that song I picture my fella walking through Leicester Square on his way to work!
Tom I wrote Girl In The Red Dress Too about a previous band I had been in. The 'Too' in the title serves two purposes; it's the second version of that song (two) and it describes the two girls in the song (too - as in 'also').

Have you ever had any stalkers?

Karen Kind of but I think it would be unfair to label him a stalker. I don't find him sat outside my house, just hanging around at gigs sometimes. I like to look on him as a fan!

Which one song would you say "defines" your band?

That's a difficult one because there are a number of differences in each song we write. Let's say 'Slide'. Tom bought the song to the band and it was one of the first tracks we worked on. We like to think it combines our catchy melodic tendencies with our heavier rocky leanings into one song so you come out with something radio-friendly with a bit of an edge.

Have you ever had to cancel a gig?

No we have never cancelled a gig ourselves. Once Karen was ridiculously ill but got chauffeured to the venue by her parents (that's not unusual actually), did the gig, even stayed for a beer and was then chauffeured back home to bed!
Barny It's not really a job you can or would want to call sick in to, especially when people have bought tickets.

Who were the best and worst bands / artists that you have played along side?

Best Raygun, The Coronas, Sham 69, Senser, Boy Genius, Nicole Fermie
Worst No point in judging a band badly on music - we appreciate everyone has different musical tastes, and of course there should be something for everyone out there. However we've come across a few bad attitudes in our time. That's the worst really, especially when you're all in the same boat.

Do any of you have other hobbies / day jobs?

Sadly yes. Not about the hobbies but the day job! We all work Monday - Friday.
Karen I enjoy swimming, running and driving around in my 1972 MG car called Michaela, love rocking up to gigs in her!
Tom Gaming and Formula One (wishing I was racing!)
Will Mountain biking, photography.
Barny Cycling and martial arts.

What is the next venture you have lined up?

Supporting Them Is Me (ex Reef) at Talking Heads in Southampton on 12th September. We're all really looking forward to it.

Tell us about your album, Holding For A Reason?

It's our proudest accomplishment to date. The response has been very positive from a number of different people which we hope demonstrates its ability to appeal to a variety of musical tastes. Within twelve tracks you've got a combination of pop-rock bouncy catchy melodies, others slower, more heartfelt and thoughtful, heavier 'lets rock out' riffs and instrumentals, and sometimes a mixture of it all. On a more practical note it's available to download from all major sites, purchase from our website via paypal and in a number of independent record stores. All details can be found on our website or our Myspace page.

What is your favourite track on the album?

Karen Ordinary Song / Unsung Hero
Tom Tonight / Isolation
Will Isolation
Barny Tonight
Chris Girl In The Red Dress Too / Unsung Hero

What advice would you give to anyone that wants to form a band?

Choose your band mates carefully because it's a huge endeavour and it helps if you are all on the same wave length.
Tom Good idea to get a determined girl to organise the lads.

What advice would you give to anyone that is in a band that wants to try and get ahead?

Keep it fun but work hard.

What are your favourite lyrics in any of your songs (past or present)?

Karen "It's the weekend, no alarm but I get up anyway." Ordinary Song
Will "Stepped out of work, picked up my gigging shirt." Tonight
Barny "Walking through my mind I lost it all." Isolation
Tom "Why do we dream, when all we do is fade." / "All the dreams we hold survive, in someone else's mind." No More My favourite song lyrically is No More with these two lines being my choice.

At what point would you stop and think - "I've made it!"

When we can leave our jobs!
Will When U2's people ask our people if they can support us on our world tour!

We are:
  Karen Conway: Lead Vocals
  Tom Langston: Guitar & Backing Vocals
  Will Jenkins: Guitar & Backing Vocals
  Barny Booth: Bass & Backing Vocals
  Chris Andrews: Drums