CHASING PANDORA: Mocking the mockingbird
April 2007
Catching up with Pandora!
Two months ago, and just over a couple of months since Chasing
Pandora clinched the Best Newcomer trophy at the Bay Music Awards, I was
checking my mail online. “Thank you for supporting Chasing Pandora….”, I
read on to find out the Gozo-based duo is recording its debut album and
would I be interested in having a listen? I was of course, very
interested. This was after all a band I had first chanced upon thanks to
the much-debated MySpace online network; a band that had grabbed my
attention with its (less than a) handful of fragile, intimate songs and,
in just a matter of weeks, also worked its way from local nobodies to
popular award nominees.
This in itself was quite a significant feat, particularly since the
Maltese music scene is now thriving with activity, and local CD releases
are becoming all the more frequent with each passing day. Garnering a
slot on the local airwaves has become (for better or worse) much
tougher, thanks to a complicated, demanding and at times dubious
selection process exercised by some radio stations. The process comes
with its fair share of pro’s and con’s but that’s another article
altogether – this one is about Chasing Pandora, and frankly, I very much
doubt that there is a local station whose play list they haven’t graced
with their music!
One week later, I meet Chasing Pandora at the studio for a
preview of the album that is still a work-in-progress as I type these
very words. Fortunately, those nice people at Tickety-Boo – aka Chasing
Pandora’s management – fully understanding my deadline commitments, gave
their consent and allowed me to pop by for an advance listen. It’s not
commonplace for artists to allow an outsider a glimpse of their
unfinished work, so this was an opportunity I truly appreciated.
Before Melissa hits the play button, she explains that there are still
two (maybe three) more songs to be recorded before the May release date,
and that what I am about to hear isn’t the final mix. Moreover, all
three original compositions on the EP (including Feel The Rain) have
been re-recorded and re-arranged to reflect the direction that Chasing
Pandora are steering for with the album. I am then left alone in the
studio to absorb the fruits of Chasing Pandora’s ongoing labours, which
kick in with a deeply intimate Bedroom. Melancholy was already on
Melissa and Keith’s menu, but the increased warmth of the strings
intensifies the degree of proximity that has become synonymous with
Chasing Pandora’s music. For one moment I recall a line from Melissa’s
online bio, where she states that music was her redeemer, taking her to
a private place in her soul. Listening to the music, it’s easy
understand this, easier still to feel an affinity to it!
While this personal feel make its presence felt throughout the record,
there are several instances that outline clear efforts on the duo’s part
to extend its musical reach. Nothing She Said, for example, reveals a
more assertive vocal angle, while the relatively ‘upbeat’ Blue Leather
Chair is punctuated with violins that lend a folk feel to the song.
Mockingbird takes its cue from the traditional lullaby for inspiration
while the piano ballad I Know exercises a different approach in
underlining Melissa’s immensely personal words. The album’s main bonding
element however, is the strong presence of cello that has been
integrated into the music. Apart from sustaining the poignant lilt of
the new songs, the cello also enhances the dark yet expressive lift of
the new versions of previously released songs, most prominently on
Divine (a personal favourite of mine), and works beautifully with
Keith’s delicate and penetrating guitar work.
As opposed to the slight pop shimmer that brought them to everyone’s
attention, Chasing Pandora’s debut album – even if what I listened has
yet to be mixed down – has its bearings rooted beyond the mainstream. It
will be embraced by those with an ear for an alternative kind of pop for
its sensitive, delicate yet peculiarly uplifting essence. All the songs
are deeply engaging and easy to absorb, so really its appeal should
remain broad enough to attract a varied audience!
INTERVIEW WITH CHASING PANDORA
Q. Given you had only been on the scene (officially) for a couple of
months, what did winning the Bay Music Award for Best Newcomer mean to
Chasing Pandora?
We were really excited to be nominated in the first place, winning the
award was something we hoped for, but there is so much talent out there,
we just didn’t know if we would actually win. On the night we were so
tense waiting for the winner to be announced, when we heard our name we
went totally crazy. We knew that our song would touch people, but I was
surprised that 2 months after releasing our single, we were voted to be
Best Newcomer. The most amazing thing was to see all those people
singing to “Feel the Rain”. It is truly a day that we will never forget!
Q. Your EP featured several top local names in the background. Have
you kept the same set-up for the album or have there been any changes?
Chasing Pandora’s songs are composed by the two of us along with Steve
Brown, our producer. For the EP we used session musicians - we needed
other instruments to add ‘colour’ to the songs. The production for the
album is very different. The album is totally acoustic - cello, double
bass, percussion, it has all been recorded in Steve’s in-house studio
and is at present being mixed at Farmhouse. There is a live feel about
it! I think you can feel the energy coming from a group of very talented
musicians having a really good time, getting into the music. Whether the
song is sad or joyous, when you move away from studio trickery I
genuinely believe you can sense the honesty - these are real emotions.
Q. Melissa, in person you seem like quite a bubbly person, yet your
music tends to be mostly melancholic. Do you find sadness to be a
stronger inspiration than happiness?
A. I don’t intentionally write melancholic and sad lyrics. I guess from
a very early age I listened to that type of music, I must admit, I am
more likely to fall in love with a sad song then a happy one. My lyrics
are not about miserable times and personal issues only. I write poetry
every day of my life, and that would mean I’m miserable all the time,
but that’s not the case. I also write about beautiful memories, thoughts
from my childhood that make me smile. My style of writing is indirect, I
think the listener should be able to interpret the song and make it
meaningful to them. There are no rules in poetry.
Q. You chose to re-record Feel the Rain, Bleed and Divine for the
album. What was the main reason behind the decision?
A. When we recorded the EP, we chose the songs that best represented us
as singer/songwriters. Don’t get me wrong - we loved the outcome of the
EP. However, our song writing has become more mature, and as we grow
personally, so do our songs, therefore we chose to re-record the
previous songs in a style that fits where we are at now. The new songs
have integrity and honesty.
Q. In an interview you gave you’ve said that you ‘seek to be your own
person rather than aspire to be like someone’. How possible do you think
it is to avoid being compared - and what ultimately do you feel makes
Chasing Pandora different?
A. It’s really difficult not to be compared with anyone else. There are
of course influences in our past that will show through in the music. I
think Chasing Pandora is different, we just write from the heart.
Q. Keith, having already tasted a bit of local popularity with 4Play,
how different or similar is the Chasing Pandora experience from your
previous band?
A. Playing live always gives you an amazing feeling, taking over the
stage, getting peoples attention, the joy of expressing yourself, but
with that also comes the struggle of getting the music across to
audience. You want them to really feel how that particular song makes
you feel. Something very special has happened with Mel and Steve, it’s
really important to me now that the audience are really involved in our
songs, I’m not happy anymore for people to have spent a pleasant evening
out, I want them to walk away and talk about it over dinner, over
breakfast, over lunch, over…
Q. How much of an influence on your music has Gozo’s laidback
ambience been, if at all?
A. Melissa: I think that if you feel passionate about something you
love, you can do it wherever you are. We love Gozo’s laid back nature,
it’s calm, it’s quiet, it allows me the solitude I sometimes crave, but
if I lived in New York City I’d still feel intense about making music.
I’d still write music in the same way. It’s an instinctive thing -
surroundings don’t really matter.
Keith: In my case it’s different. I need to be in a relaxed atmosphere
to write. I would find it hard to write in a hectic environment. Gozo is
simply paradise!
Q. A cliché question for the both of you! Who, if push comes to
shove, is your absolute favourite artist?
A. Melissa: That is a pretty hard question to answer. Our taste in music
ranges from Metal to Folk, and all the rest in between. If I really have
to say, I would pick Tori Amos. She has an amazing voice, and is a
fantastic lyricist. She never performs her songs in the same way. The
same song can sound completely different depending on how she’s feeling
at the moment when she is singing it.
Keith: I’d say Jeff Buckley for his originality and soul.
Q. Melissa, is there a song (even a tacky, embarrassing one) that you
would really, really love to record a cover of?
A. Melissa: I get knocked out (Tubthumping) by Chumbawumba, just because
my late brother used to love it!
Q. What album/song would you never delete from your i-Pod?
A. Keith: I would never erase Type O Negative’s “Wolf Moon” as it
reminds me of some of the best teenage days I’ve had.
Melissa: I never get fed up of ‘Crash’ by Dave Matthews. The
musicianship on that album is outstanding.
Q. How long would it take you to up and leave the island if the right
opportunity for a career in music came your way?
A. Melissa: If I had the opportunity to become successful in my music
career, I wouldn’t think twice about it, if that’s what it meant to
carry on doing the thing I love I would go, but I will never change who
I am or the music I write.
Keith: I’d need an hour… quick shower and pack my stuff.
Recommended weblink:
www.chasingpandora.com or
www.myspace.com/chasingpandora
