Alt-country music gets Swiss twist at Monroe’s

Groove Tube with Jimi McDonnell – tribunegroove@live.ie

Hailing from Switzerland but specialising in music that’s infused with blues, soul and country, Bob Spring & The Calling Sirens play Monroe’s Live on Saturday, May 28.  Bob is a relatively new addition to the band, but he arrived at a fortuitous time for The Calling Sirens.

“About two years ago our former singer left the band, because he moved to Canada,” says bass player Michel Lehner. “Our drummer Andy saw Bob Spring playing live. Then we found out that Bob was rehearsing just next door.  We met and he joined us a guest singer to finish the tour. It went well, so we decided to record an album.”

The self-titled album is a good listen, and shows the influence of classic blues and alternative country acts like the late Townes Van Zandt. Where was the record made?

“We all live in Switzerland, and recorded in a village about one hour from Zurich,” Michel says. “We recorded together with a sound engineer, a friend who did the previous Calling Sirens record.  It’s a good studio, which is big enough to do a nice recording.”

The record was cut live, which is by no means the norm with a studio album. Why did they go down that route?

“I think we did that because we got to know each other through doing shows. It just felt right. Actually, I really like live recordings because they feel more direct, and it’s not clean and separated. It’s not the best solution for every production, I think you should do whatever suits the record you’re planning.”

Are there any tracks that Michel is particularly happy with?

“Personally, I really like Master Of The Light and All The Mountains Fall, which are the more mellow, atmospheric tunes. I think for the next record we’ll go more towards that direction, a little bit darker maybe.  But I also like rock ‘n’ roll and country too.”

When did Michel discover his ear for those genres?

“When I was young I really liked listening to the old stuff, rock music like Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin,” he says. “But then I also liked the old soul singers like Otis Redding and Curtis Mayfield. Then I also discovered country music. But there are also current artists I really like.”

The word ‘country’ means different things to different people here in Ireland. For some, it means Garth Brooks and line-dancing, for others it’s Steve Earle and no dancing. The same kind of idea applies in Switzerland, it seems.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.