Hiya folks thanks for joining us in the virtual RGM lounge today, grab a brew and take a seat.
What made you decide that music is a thing for you?
Probably hearing Nirvana for the first time.
Introduce us you / all to the members and your musical history?
Emmet – composer, music, vocals,
Previously lead singer in Roads, Able Archer & Fuzzy Empire. When the last band I was in broke up in 2017, I decided to learn how to write and compose on my own. I started sending music to Mark in Chicago to get his thoughts. One thing lead to another and DUO DECAD was created.
Mark – lead guitars, vocals
Singer songwriter for many years
What was life like for you before music?
I cant remember. Music has always been part of my life.
What was the first song you heard that steered you into a music path?
Emmet:
Smells Like Teen Spirit
Where do you feel you currently sit within the music industry?
So there is the top 1%.
Then there is the second tier of touring bands.
Then there’s everyone else like us.
Whats the biggest thing you have learned from someone else in the industry?
Recently I’ve really enjoyed the snippets doing the rounds from Rick Rubin about how and why it’s so important to write for yourself. I think that is the one thing about DUO DECAD, this project is 100% for us. The music we create is the music I enjoy listening to.
Tell us Two truths and a lie about you?
We both have amazing hair
Mark is a ringer for Rivers Cuomo
We were both born on the 12th
If you could wish for one thing to aid your career what would it be?
Time
Do you ever worry about people taking things the wrong way or cancel culture? Discuss….
I think if you are worried about what people think when you are making music… then you are probably making it for the wrong reasons. In terms of cancel culture, its not something that particularly bothers or worries me. Some shitty people did some shitty things and hopefully they get theirs. For the rest of it… I think a lot of that lives on social media and is not real life.
Do you sign up to any conspiracy theories? If no why not?
Been following a lot of the UAP stuff recently. Fascinating. Almost not a conspiracy theory at this stage.
What was the worst experience on stage?
Played Whelans main stage in Dublin a few years back. We used Ableton live so heavily dependent on the computer. We sound checked and everything was fine. We were the opening act and when we went on stage the computer just didnt work and we had to wait about 10 min to reboot and open everything back up. It was a long ten minutes. We moved to hardware for the next gig.
Tell us something about you / each member that you think people would be surprised about?
I was an intern in Steve Albinis studio, Electrical Audio. Amazing place with amazing people.
What makes you stand out as a band/artist?
I think what makes us standout is our sound comes from a melting pot of influences. It’s a distinctive sound born through the collaborative fusion of rock and electronic influences from myself (based in Dublin) vocals by singer-songwriter Mark (based in Chicago), and a pop and R&B touch in mixing from Andy Gallas (previously having worked with Britney Spears and Jay Z).
I hear you have new music, what can you tell us about it.
On Friday the 8th of December we are releasing the last single from our debut album, the twelfth hour. It’s a song that is near and dear to the band. It’s kind of a take on the movie, It’s a Wonderful Life. It’s a song about life, love and what ifs. And it features a brand new b-side, Keep Talking
What was the recording process like?
We both record everything in our home studios and then send to Andy Gallas for mixing. We have been working with Andy from the start so he always puts a bit of his own flavours into the mix. We usually go back and forth a little till we get to the final mix but it’s gets quicker each time.
What was the biggest learning curve in writing the new tunes?
Probably the steepest curve was moving from the initial ideas of our first few songs, to songs we felt comfortable putting on an album. That’s generally where you find your feet and your sound when you are collaborating. We probably wrote the guts of 17 or 18 songs for the album. And our first few probably won’t see the light of day.
We are currently finishing up writing songs for our second album. And it feels more solid and more confident.
But I hope we will always be progressing as songwriters and trying new things, new sounds, new themes.
Would you change anything now its finished?
Most likely yes. But at some point, you just need to let it go and push it out into the world and see what happens.
Is there anything else you would like to share with the world?
Check out our debut album, the twelfth hour on all streaming platforms.
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