dsmith2904
ONE love, blood, life
Snow Patrol Don't Sweat the Small Stuff as Much Anymore
If you ever start a conversation with, "So, I was talking to Bono when...," chances are that you're delusional, a prominent world leader or a gigantic rock star. While Jonny Quinn, the drummer for emotive Belfast-via-Glasgow quintet Snow Patrol, certainly doesn't meet the first or second criterions, the latter seems to fit him like a diamond-encrusted jacket that coincidentally reads "ROCK STAR" across the back.
Too subtle? Let's put it this way: After Snow Patrol's third outing, Final Straw, became the U.K.'s ninth best-selling album of 2004, the group landed both a coveted Live 8 performance slot and a supporting gig on U2's 2005 European tour. This seemingly instant and effortless success, of course, came after a decade of hard work.
"I don't know how bands who break through when they're really young do it," says Quinn. "You don't really appreciate what you have or maybe know enough either.
"We'd kind of learned a lot of different things about business. Now we're ready to handle it."
Since landing between Mandela and Springsteen in Bono's Rolodex, Snow Patrol have only learned more about this business of show.
"For us, it's OK playing for 60,000 people," says Quinn. "After 5,000, it's all heads.
"But U2 have been doing that for 20 years, and they certainly make it feel small. It was a good learning curve for us. They're pretty involved with their whole show, and their set is really well worked out, so you kind of learn from that. You just keep your eyes open."
What a convenient cue to plug Snow Patrol's fourth record, Eyes Open. The group recorded the album in an isolated Irish cottage once frequented by Kate Bush with the help of Final Straw and U2 producer Garret "Jacknife" Lee and a slew of prominent musical guests, including Canadian singer Martha Wainwright.
"We think it's a better album," says Quinn. "We had a bit more time to record it, and we recorded it in a really big room as well, and just got these really heavy, big drums. When it got loud, we wanted it to be really jumping out of the speakers, and it did that better than Final Straw."
As a result, Quinn says he wasn't very worried about previewing the new songs in concert.
"Certain mistakes can be all right. I was asking U2 if they still make mistakes, and they said, 'Oh yeah.' It makes it interesting sometimes."
Here are Snow Patrol's Canadian tour dates:
June 6 Montreal, QC @ Metropolis
June 7 Toronto, ON @ Kool Haus
June 14 Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom
—James Simons
--ChartAttack
If you ever start a conversation with, "So, I was talking to Bono when...," chances are that you're delusional, a prominent world leader or a gigantic rock star. While Jonny Quinn, the drummer for emotive Belfast-via-Glasgow quintet Snow Patrol, certainly doesn't meet the first or second criterions, the latter seems to fit him like a diamond-encrusted jacket that coincidentally reads "ROCK STAR" across the back.
Too subtle? Let's put it this way: After Snow Patrol's third outing, Final Straw, became the U.K.'s ninth best-selling album of 2004, the group landed both a coveted Live 8 performance slot and a supporting gig on U2's 2005 European tour. This seemingly instant and effortless success, of course, came after a decade of hard work.
"I don't know how bands who break through when they're really young do it," says Quinn. "You don't really appreciate what you have or maybe know enough either.
"We'd kind of learned a lot of different things about business. Now we're ready to handle it."
Since landing between Mandela and Springsteen in Bono's Rolodex, Snow Patrol have only learned more about this business of show.
"For us, it's OK playing for 60,000 people," says Quinn. "After 5,000, it's all heads.
"But U2 have been doing that for 20 years, and they certainly make it feel small. It was a good learning curve for us. They're pretty involved with their whole show, and their set is really well worked out, so you kind of learn from that. You just keep your eyes open."
What a convenient cue to plug Snow Patrol's fourth record, Eyes Open. The group recorded the album in an isolated Irish cottage once frequented by Kate Bush with the help of Final Straw and U2 producer Garret "Jacknife" Lee and a slew of prominent musical guests, including Canadian singer Martha Wainwright.
"We think it's a better album," says Quinn. "We had a bit more time to record it, and we recorded it in a really big room as well, and just got these really heavy, big drums. When it got loud, we wanted it to be really jumping out of the speakers, and it did that better than Final Straw."
As a result, Quinn says he wasn't very worried about previewing the new songs in concert.
"Certain mistakes can be all right. I was asking U2 if they still make mistakes, and they said, 'Oh yeah.' It makes it interesting sometimes."
Here are Snow Patrol's Canadian tour dates:
June 6 Montreal, QC @ Metropolis
June 7 Toronto, ON @ Kool Haus
June 14 Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom
—James Simons
--ChartAttack
Good for SnowPatrol. I can't wait to hear the new album. I'd love to see them live also.
