Guitarist and singer-songwriter Chantel McGregor will release her highly anticipated new album, “Lose Control”, on Friday 9th October 2015 on her independent boutique label Tis Rock Music. The new album is the follow up to her critically acclaimed 2011 debut solo album, “Like No Other”.
After four years of touring and festival appearances, Chantel returns with a vengeance with ten new songs that not only salutes contemporary rock, but shows her gradual transition from conventional Blues to a harder, bigger and bolder rock sound with progressive influences.
“I’ve always been interested in the dark side of Southern Gothic literature, artwork and media”, says Chantel. “I wanted to create an album that reflected the imagery and themes of that genre. I drew inspiration from the TV shows True Detective and True Blood and studied the literary works of Tennessee Williams, Carson Mullers and Mark Twain”.
“I also surrounded myself with imagery from artists and photographers such as Walker Evans and Clarence John Laughlin, all to immerse myself in the sinister, dark world of depravation, magic and voodoo, writing most of the songs from the perspective of the disturbed flawed characters”.
“Lose Control”, sees Chantel channeling her guitar playing and song-writing into an exciting pantheon of rock crescendos and riffs, that will not only leave her devout blues rock fan base in awe, but will also lead them into a sonic journey that will take them into new musical territory, whilst sticking to her current obsession with all things Southern Gothic.
“My interpretation of Southern Gothic is the loss of control, either spiritually, physically (through other people or substances), or emotionally”, reflects Chantel. “I drew on this theme a lot throughout the album, hence the title "Lose Control". I wanted the sound and emotion of the album to reflect the concept, so I juxtaposed heavy, guitar riff-based, dark tracks with haunting, emotive acoustic tracks, whilst tying them together with the lyrical themes of desperation and loss so often seen in Southern Gothic fiction”.
The album was recorded, mixed and mastered at Livingstone Brown’s studio in Brixton over the space of 6 months, interspersing studio time with touring. Livingstone Brown, (Ed Sheeran, Bryan Ferry, Robin Trower), played the majority of the bass on the album, with Chantel playing small parts, and her touring drummer Keith McPartling, playing drums for the whole album.
Says Chantel: “I did the vocals, backing vocals, all guitar parts, arrangements and some production. We brought in two amazing string players, Charlie Brown on the violin and Chris Worsey on the cello. I really enjoyed the creativity the studio gave me and loved venturing into the production and arrangement sides of it, which I will definitely be doing more of in the future”.
For the album artwork, Chantel wanted to reflect the darkness of the album whist retaining an eerily traditional feel. To make this happen, she contacted a friend of hers, Mark Eliades, who created all of the calligraphy by hand, which Chantel transferred into digital format to design the album cover. In addition to designing the cover, Chantel also did all the photography and visual effects. The imagery is all Chantel - from the voodoo doll, the scratched song lyrics and the gothic old door, all of which tie in into the Southern Gothic theme, reflecting the dark undercurrents and disturbing concepts of the album.
Tracklist:
1. Take the Power
2. Your Fever
3. Burn Your Anger
4. Anaesthetize
5. Southern Belle
6. Lose Control
7. Home
8. Killing Time
9. Eternal Dream
10. Walk on Land
Click here to pre-order the album.
Chantel McGregor - Track By Track:
“Take the Power”:
This stemmed from a track that I wrote a couple of years ago that I was never totally satisfied with, so I revisited it, changed the music slightly and re-wrote all of the lyrics and melody. The lyrical concept of the song is about religious and social cults, the idea of control (or loss of) from a higher power or person, which ties in with the title and theme of the album. Musically, I wanted it to be dark and grungy, emphasising the loss of control. I drew on influences from my youth such as Nirvana, Soundgarden and Stone Temple Pilots, who evoke the emotion of performing with passion and losing control.
“Your Fever”:
This was written on a metaphorical level. The initial idea for it being literally written in the garden on a day when we had a heatwave. It was unbearably hot. That was the literal concept, then I started to be creative with it, drawing on the Southern Gothic ideas, twisting it into a world of stifling desert heat, creating imagery of dust, bones, and the feeling of entrapment. I aimed to continue the heavy rock sound, once again drawing on the grunge influences previously mentioned. It was important for the track to be melodically interesting, especially with the lead guitar part. I wanted to create a haunting soundscape that reflected the concept of isolation in a desert amongst the bones of people past.
“Burn Your Anger”:
Continuing the rock sound to the album, this track was very much about creating a chorus that people can sing along to, backed with lyrical themes that people can identify with. I moved away slightly from the Southern Gothic concept as I also wanted to keep the album relevant to modern day life, thus the influence came from reading the book Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. Lyrically, it still touches on the overall theme of the album, centring on desperation and loss, centring on the breakdown of a relationship through infidelity.
“Anaesthetize”:
This is one of the more emotive songs on the album. I wanted to take the listener on a journey throughout the album through the heavy rock tracks, interspersed with the sensitive acoustic tracks, meanwhile weaving the concepts and lyrical themes throughout both aspects to tie it all together. With Anaesthetize, I wanted to explore the feelings of loss, guilt and desperation caused by substance abuse. This was incredibly hard for me to understand as I have never personally experienced this, so I had to research and attempt to emotionally connect and empathise with people who had undergone the experience, and try to see the world through their eyes, whilst remaining sensitive to the subject. I also drew on a character from the TV show True Detective who had deep rooted emotional problems, and tried to connect to the character in the song through him.
“Southern Belle”:
Following "Anaesthetize", I felt that I needed to bring the mood of the album back to a more rock feel. "Southern Belle" was my interpretation of debauchery and indulgence. I wanted to tie in the Southern Gothic themes of religion and loss of control, and the idea of rebellion seemed the perfect way to do that through this song. Musically, this is the most ‘bluesy’ track on the album, and probably the most ‘American’ sounding track, this being intentional to the overall theme of the album.
“Lose Control”:
The title track of the album, this is intended to really epitomise the concept of loss of control, through possession and being ‘out of your own body'. It can be interpreted on two levels, the literal level, a song about partying and losing yourself to the music, or the spiritual level, being possessed and losing yourself on a metaphorical level. I wanted the music to reflect the excitement of the subject matter, through guitar riffs and distorted vocals, and I feel that it encapsulates the concept.
“Home”:
As well as writing songs with a strong theme and concept, I wanted to write a personal song that I could really reflect on my own life with, whilst using imagery connected to the rest of the album. This song was written about spending time on the road away from home, growing and evolving as a person, and looking back on things which I’ve done. It was important for me to perform this song with true emotion, and I used cellos and violins as well as subtle electric guitar to meander in and around the classical guitar and haunting vocal lines, to give tenderness and depth. Whilst working with the string players, I drew on influences from the iconic artist Nick Drake, who used strings to emphasise the emotion of his music.
“Killing Time”:
At the time I wrote this track, I was listening to a lot of contemporary rock bands, such as Royal Blood, Band of Skulls, Black Keys, who all use heavy rock riffs to punctuate their songs. The concept of the song is about being a serial killer. It was fitting to make it riff based rock to emphasise the viciousness of the concept.
“Eternal Dream”:
The inspiration for this song was an artist who I have loved for years, Jeff Buckley. I’ve always been captivated by his music and his story, and I wanted to put that into a song. I used a lot of techniques evident in his music within the song musically, such as dissonance and falsetto vocals. This is my tribute to him.
“Walk on Land”:
I have always had a passion for Progressive music, purely down to the fact that I love the technicality and intricacy of it. I listen to a lot of Steven Wilson and Porcupine Tree, and both heavily influenced this track. I wanted to create something technically interesting to provide a different angle and texture to the album. Experimenting with different time signatures, interesting instrumentation and backing vocal arrangements has always been a passion of mine, so this song is an important part of the album to me. It was also great fun recording the improvised guitar solo at the end of the track in one take with the drummer, I aimed to capture the excitement and spontaneity of improvisation within the constraints of a very structured song. The theme behind the song is an observation of how live moves on and the world keeps turning, yet somethings in life never evolve or move on. The subject matter reflected the progressive sound of the song.
Tour Dates 2015:
Sat 15 Aug 2015 The Pier Worthing, UK
Fri 11 Sep 2015 Zephyr Lounge Leamington Spa, UK
Fri 11 Sep 2015 Zephyr Lounge Leamington, UK
Thu 17 Sep 2015 100 Club London, UK
Sat 19 Sep 2015 Hessle Town Hall Hull, UK
Sun 20 Sep 2015 Whitby Pavillion Whitby, UK
Fri 25 Sep 2015 Riverhead Theatre Louth, UK
Sat 26 Sep 2015 Central Station Wrexham, UK
Thu 01 Oct 2015 The Institute Birmingham Birmingham, UK
Thu 01 Oct 2015 The Temple at The Institute Digbeth, UK
Fri 09 Oct 2015 Playhouse, Halifax Halifax, UK
Fri 16 Oct 2015 Doncaster Dome Doncaster, UK
Wed 21 Oct 2015 The Greystones Sheffield, UK
Thu 22 Oct 2015 The Caves Edinburgh, UK
Fri 23 Oct 2015 Nice N Sleazy Glasgow, UK
Sat 24 Oct 2015 The Venue Carlisle, UK
Mon 26 Oct 2015 Salisbury Arts Centre Salisbury, UK
Tue 27 Oct 2015 The Phoenix Theatre Exeter, UK
Thu 29 Oct 2015 Komedia Brighton Brighton, UK
Sat 31 Oct 2015 Engine Shed Lincoln, UK Tickets
Wed 25 Nov 2015 Spirit of 66 Verviers, Belgium
Sun 13 Dec 2015 The Cluny Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK
Tue 15 Dec 2015 Brudenell Social Club Leeds, UK
Wed 16 Dec 2015 The Tunnels Bristol, UK
Thu 17 Dec 2015 The Flowerpot Derby, UK
Weblinks:
www.chantelmcgregor.com
www.facebook.com/chantelmcgregor.co.uk
After four years of touring and festival appearances, Chantel returns with a vengeance with ten new songs that not only salutes contemporary rock, but shows her gradual transition from conventional Blues to a harder, bigger and bolder rock sound with progressive influences.
“I’ve always been interested in the dark side of Southern Gothic literature, artwork and media”, says Chantel. “I wanted to create an album that reflected the imagery and themes of that genre. I drew inspiration from the TV shows True Detective and True Blood and studied the literary works of Tennessee Williams, Carson Mullers and Mark Twain”.
“I also surrounded myself with imagery from artists and photographers such as Walker Evans and Clarence John Laughlin, all to immerse myself in the sinister, dark world of depravation, magic and voodoo, writing most of the songs from the perspective of the disturbed flawed characters”.
“Lose Control”, sees Chantel channeling her guitar playing and song-writing into an exciting pantheon of rock crescendos and riffs, that will not only leave her devout blues rock fan base in awe, but will also lead them into a sonic journey that will take them into new musical territory, whilst sticking to her current obsession with all things Southern Gothic.
“My interpretation of Southern Gothic is the loss of control, either spiritually, physically (through other people or substances), or emotionally”, reflects Chantel. “I drew on this theme a lot throughout the album, hence the title "Lose Control". I wanted the sound and emotion of the album to reflect the concept, so I juxtaposed heavy, guitar riff-based, dark tracks with haunting, emotive acoustic tracks, whilst tying them together with the lyrical themes of desperation and loss so often seen in Southern Gothic fiction”.
The album was recorded, mixed and mastered at Livingstone Brown’s studio in Brixton over the space of 6 months, interspersing studio time with touring. Livingstone Brown, (Ed Sheeran, Bryan Ferry, Robin Trower), played the majority of the bass on the album, with Chantel playing small parts, and her touring drummer Keith McPartling, playing drums for the whole album.
Says Chantel: “I did the vocals, backing vocals, all guitar parts, arrangements and some production. We brought in two amazing string players, Charlie Brown on the violin and Chris Worsey on the cello. I really enjoyed the creativity the studio gave me and loved venturing into the production and arrangement sides of it, which I will definitely be doing more of in the future”.
For the album artwork, Chantel wanted to reflect the darkness of the album whist retaining an eerily traditional feel. To make this happen, she contacted a friend of hers, Mark Eliades, who created all of the calligraphy by hand, which Chantel transferred into digital format to design the album cover. In addition to designing the cover, Chantel also did all the photography and visual effects. The imagery is all Chantel - from the voodoo doll, the scratched song lyrics and the gothic old door, all of which tie in into the Southern Gothic theme, reflecting the dark undercurrents and disturbing concepts of the album.
Tracklist:
1. Take the Power
2. Your Fever
3. Burn Your Anger
4. Anaesthetize
5. Southern Belle
6. Lose Control
7. Home
8. Killing Time
9. Eternal Dream
10. Walk on Land
Click here to pre-order the album.
Chantel McGregor - Track By Track:
“Take the Power”:
This stemmed from a track that I wrote a couple of years ago that I was never totally satisfied with, so I revisited it, changed the music slightly and re-wrote all of the lyrics and melody. The lyrical concept of the song is about religious and social cults, the idea of control (or loss of) from a higher power or person, which ties in with the title and theme of the album. Musically, I wanted it to be dark and grungy, emphasising the loss of control. I drew on influences from my youth such as Nirvana, Soundgarden and Stone Temple Pilots, who evoke the emotion of performing with passion and losing control.
“Your Fever”:
This was written on a metaphorical level. The initial idea for it being literally written in the garden on a day when we had a heatwave. It was unbearably hot. That was the literal concept, then I started to be creative with it, drawing on the Southern Gothic ideas, twisting it into a world of stifling desert heat, creating imagery of dust, bones, and the feeling of entrapment. I aimed to continue the heavy rock sound, once again drawing on the grunge influences previously mentioned. It was important for the track to be melodically interesting, especially with the lead guitar part. I wanted to create a haunting soundscape that reflected the concept of isolation in a desert amongst the bones of people past.
“Burn Your Anger”:
Continuing the rock sound to the album, this track was very much about creating a chorus that people can sing along to, backed with lyrical themes that people can identify with. I moved away slightly from the Southern Gothic concept as I also wanted to keep the album relevant to modern day life, thus the influence came from reading the book Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. Lyrically, it still touches on the overall theme of the album, centring on desperation and loss, centring on the breakdown of a relationship through infidelity.
“Anaesthetize”:
This is one of the more emotive songs on the album. I wanted to take the listener on a journey throughout the album through the heavy rock tracks, interspersed with the sensitive acoustic tracks, meanwhile weaving the concepts and lyrical themes throughout both aspects to tie it all together. With Anaesthetize, I wanted to explore the feelings of loss, guilt and desperation caused by substance abuse. This was incredibly hard for me to understand as I have never personally experienced this, so I had to research and attempt to emotionally connect and empathise with people who had undergone the experience, and try to see the world through their eyes, whilst remaining sensitive to the subject. I also drew on a character from the TV show True Detective who had deep rooted emotional problems, and tried to connect to the character in the song through him.
“Southern Belle”:
Following "Anaesthetize", I felt that I needed to bring the mood of the album back to a more rock feel. "Southern Belle" was my interpretation of debauchery and indulgence. I wanted to tie in the Southern Gothic themes of religion and loss of control, and the idea of rebellion seemed the perfect way to do that through this song. Musically, this is the most ‘bluesy’ track on the album, and probably the most ‘American’ sounding track, this being intentional to the overall theme of the album.
“Lose Control”:
The title track of the album, this is intended to really epitomise the concept of loss of control, through possession and being ‘out of your own body'. It can be interpreted on two levels, the literal level, a song about partying and losing yourself to the music, or the spiritual level, being possessed and losing yourself on a metaphorical level. I wanted the music to reflect the excitement of the subject matter, through guitar riffs and distorted vocals, and I feel that it encapsulates the concept.
“Home”:
As well as writing songs with a strong theme and concept, I wanted to write a personal song that I could really reflect on my own life with, whilst using imagery connected to the rest of the album. This song was written about spending time on the road away from home, growing and evolving as a person, and looking back on things which I’ve done. It was important for me to perform this song with true emotion, and I used cellos and violins as well as subtle electric guitar to meander in and around the classical guitar and haunting vocal lines, to give tenderness and depth. Whilst working with the string players, I drew on influences from the iconic artist Nick Drake, who used strings to emphasise the emotion of his music.
“Killing Time”:
At the time I wrote this track, I was listening to a lot of contemporary rock bands, such as Royal Blood, Band of Skulls, Black Keys, who all use heavy rock riffs to punctuate their songs. The concept of the song is about being a serial killer. It was fitting to make it riff based rock to emphasise the viciousness of the concept.
“Eternal Dream”:
The inspiration for this song was an artist who I have loved for years, Jeff Buckley. I’ve always been captivated by his music and his story, and I wanted to put that into a song. I used a lot of techniques evident in his music within the song musically, such as dissonance and falsetto vocals. This is my tribute to him.
“Walk on Land”:
I have always had a passion for Progressive music, purely down to the fact that I love the technicality and intricacy of it. I listen to a lot of Steven Wilson and Porcupine Tree, and both heavily influenced this track. I wanted to create something technically interesting to provide a different angle and texture to the album. Experimenting with different time signatures, interesting instrumentation and backing vocal arrangements has always been a passion of mine, so this song is an important part of the album to me. It was also great fun recording the improvised guitar solo at the end of the track in one take with the drummer, I aimed to capture the excitement and spontaneity of improvisation within the constraints of a very structured song. The theme behind the song is an observation of how live moves on and the world keeps turning, yet somethings in life never evolve or move on. The subject matter reflected the progressive sound of the song.
Tour Dates 2015:
Sat 15 Aug 2015 The Pier Worthing, UK
Fri 11 Sep 2015 Zephyr Lounge Leamington Spa, UK
Fri 11 Sep 2015 Zephyr Lounge Leamington, UK
Thu 17 Sep 2015 100 Club London, UK
Sat 19 Sep 2015 Hessle Town Hall Hull, UK
Sun 20 Sep 2015 Whitby Pavillion Whitby, UK
Fri 25 Sep 2015 Riverhead Theatre Louth, UK
Sat 26 Sep 2015 Central Station Wrexham, UK
Thu 01 Oct 2015 The Institute Birmingham Birmingham, UK
Thu 01 Oct 2015 The Temple at The Institute Digbeth, UK
Fri 09 Oct 2015 Playhouse, Halifax Halifax, UK
Fri 16 Oct 2015 Doncaster Dome Doncaster, UK
Wed 21 Oct 2015 The Greystones Sheffield, UK
Thu 22 Oct 2015 The Caves Edinburgh, UK
Fri 23 Oct 2015 Nice N Sleazy Glasgow, UK
Sat 24 Oct 2015 The Venue Carlisle, UK
Mon 26 Oct 2015 Salisbury Arts Centre Salisbury, UK
Tue 27 Oct 2015 The Phoenix Theatre Exeter, UK
Thu 29 Oct 2015 Komedia Brighton Brighton, UK
Sat 31 Oct 2015 Engine Shed Lincoln, UK Tickets
Wed 25 Nov 2015 Spirit of 66 Verviers, Belgium
Sun 13 Dec 2015 The Cluny Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK
Tue 15 Dec 2015 Brudenell Social Club Leeds, UK
Wed 16 Dec 2015 The Tunnels Bristol, UK
Thu 17 Dec 2015 The Flowerpot Derby, UK
Weblinks:
www.chantelmcgregor.com
www.facebook.com/chantelmcgregor.co.uk