Trudy and the Romance are mastering the art of storytelling: "I'd like to be a one-man Disney"
Catch up with Trudy and the Romance ahead of their debut album.
Hey Little Johnny, how's it going?
I'm as good as the river, but as lost as the dolphin in it. Lover and fighter, early mornings and early nights when I'm out on the right track.
Ok then. So your debut album, eh? How are you feeling now it's almost out?
I feel like a lovable little cartoon devil, slashing its knife through the theatre screen. I hope that the record cuts down its own avenue of popular music; living in no particular time or place.
It's been a long road, but it's no longer mine to treasure, it's time to set it free into the world-wild. Take the knocks and good fortune as it comes.
Have you been working on it for ages and ages?
It's everything that has raced through the rock'n'roll blue, red and green since I was sixteen.
Where did you write and record, and how did your surroundings impact the music you were making?
I rock a Silvertone Danelectro guitar. She's 60 years old and the all-time American grandmother of roll; my rock. Me and my Silvertone wrote the record in many many bedrooms with hundreds of films playing in the corner of them. These were where I found structure, chords and melody. The lobby for everything I create; discovery into the exciting and scary unknown. The mysticism was found inside. My Silvertone was my gateway to larger soundscapes and musical worlds. We listened to the great ones, the timeless. After all, rock'n'roll is a search for immortality.
I've never had the guts to improvise; I'm more of a classical writer than jazz in that sense. Being a little organised has always been a knack of mine. It was an exciting trait to embrace for a much bigger picture than myself.
How did you go about piecing together the tracklisting? Were there many iterations before you landed on the final running order, or tracks included?
I was never sure whether to go for a linear running story or dream-like muddled reflection. It's a little bit of everything as I worked with songs I've had and new ideas too, I took what they meant to me and found them a place in the story that way. The Concept is like a dream that jumps from here to there.
Writing to a concept sounds really fun, is it something you're likely to do for future records too do you think?
I'd like to be a one-man Disney, and go down the storyteller route.
Through music, I want to create strong visuals, themes, stories and characters too. Things that are ambitious, hard-worked and a part of a bigger story. Collecting Disney videos is a cheap hobby of mine, it's a cool thought to have a collection of my own stories under my belt.
Have you played the album to many people yet? How have the reactions been?
Only the nearest and dearest. They bloody love it.
What else have you got coming up over the next few months?
There will be sizzling hot shows in the UK late May. Grab some tickets and join the fun train, will be lovely to have you! Playing alongside rockers: Honey Moon, DYGL, Sunface and Them Sardines.
Trudy and the Romance's debut album 'Sandman' is out 24th May. They'll headline Indie Banquet at Wharf Chambers in Leeds on 24th May, too.
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