Interview: The Filthy Souls
The Filthy Souls are a Manchester-bred Indie Rock band poised to take the musical world by storm. With a debut album near completion and an upcoming tour in support of it, The Filthy Souls are continuing to cultivate their musical identity and grow an audience along the way. We at HRC caught up with lead vocalist/guitarist Dave Green via telephone from his L.A. apartment, discussing everything from his love of Home Alone and Back To The Future, to adjusting to life in Los Angeles, and what he is looking forward to most about the upcoming tour. Read the full interview below:
What is the meaning behind The Filthy Souls?
“In the movie “Home Alone,” it’s one of my favorite films, Kevin McCallister watches the videotape…”keep the change you filthy animal.” It’s a made up movie, and if you pause it at the right place during the movie, it’s called “Angels With Filthy Souls” and that’s how the name came up.”
Coming from Manchester, what was the transition like to L.A.?
“I’m from a small town outside of Manchester called Wigan, so when I got to L.A. I got to go to all these parties, all these different things that I’ve never seen before…it doesn’t rain as much, and being in the heart of the entertainment industry.”
Are there still things you are having to adjust to?
“Yeah, my guitarist, everyone gets his name wrong still, the language barrier. People in L.A. like to honk their horns a lot, I’ll be out on the balcony and every two minutes they’re honking their horns.”
What has the reception been like in L.A. and back home since you’ve traveled there?
“In L.A. it’s really been positive, every place we’ve played we’ve gotten a fantastic reaction, you know? We’re obviously trying to build a fan base right now and get everything up and running. I did an acoustic gig back home at a local pub, I did some of the new stuff and everyone liked it there.”
For anyone that hasn’t heard your music, how would you describe it?
“Indie Rock. As a musician I get bored of pidgin-holing myself, personally, as a songwriter I like to try different things. We had an EP in 2010, I know that quite a lot of people have heard that, and they hear the new stuff and say “Oh man, they’ve changed.” It’s not that we’ve changed as a negative, it’s because we want to grow, even the next record after this might be completely different as well. As a band we are constantly trying to grow and do our thing.”
You have tracks like “Boys Will Be Out For a Fight” which are very high-energy, and then you have the Electric Sessions where you perform in a very intimate, stripped-down setting that has an unplugged feel to it, were you always as comfortable in both settings or was that something that developed?
“I started in a band playing bass, and then I went into doing a lot of acoustic stuff, I played solo for a long time and got used to doing the broken down, chilled out vibe. Now, being with the band, it’s not that hard for me.”
Musically, you tap into a lot of different genres, what would you attribute that versatility to?
“I listened to a lot of bands growing up, I like a lot of the classics and new stuff too. It’s not that I necessarily do what someone else is doing to try and be fashionable. Everyone gets inspiration from somebody, my past of listening to a lot of different music, and friends introducing me to certain bands.”
I understand you are finishing up your debut album and going on a supporting tour, talk a little bit about your songwriting process.
“Normally just start with an acoustic guitar, a pad of paper and a pen. I normally just play around with a guitar, piano, whatever, and jot down lyrics. I don’t sit down and go “Today I’m going to write a song.” I’ll be drinking a beer with a guitar riff and go “Oh, that sounds pretty cool.” I’ll record it and try and write the lyrics for it, take it to the rehearsal room with the band and everyone will put their own ideas on top of it, and we record it. Some days are definitely better.”
What are you looking forward to most about the tour?
“I’m looking forward to getting out of my apartment, I’m sick of these four walls. I live on a street with my apartment, a grocery store, my rehearsal room, and a local pub. I’m looking forward to getting out there.”
As a final question, what are some future goals both individually and collectively as a band?
“Let me ask Danny, he’s next to me [turns to Danny and repeats the question] He says that he wants to keep getting better as a band and write better songs. For me personally, to keep doing what I’m doing. As a musician you have the same goals, you want to play the biggest venues, in front of the biggest crowds, you want to sell the most records and have the most fun. For right now, I think our biggest goal is to just get out there and do it.”
Alright, again, we want to thank you for taking the time to answer a few questions for us, and we wish you the best of luck on your tour and all your future goals.
“Thank you very much, and thanks for taking the time to chat to me as well.”