Leapfrogtown is a London based duo of actor Chris Guard and producer Stuart Walton that joined together when the former wanted to put his musical aspirations into actuality. They came up with a very well-written arty pop/rock album that came literally out of nowhere, but it is very satisfying to even the most discriminating ears (ie ours haha), so we contacted Chris to further inquire about their release and future plans...
Hi Chris… I’m glad to have you on Grande Rock. First of all, do tell us how did the idea to form Leapfrogtown come about?
C: Stu and I were in The Bloogs ‘til 2012, but the drummer and singer had personal problems and following some great festival appearances things got really slow, so I thought “Let’s leapfrog over all this and start a side-project with no restrictions”. So Leapfrogtown was born, I stepped up to front the band and now here we are.
And what about the name Leapfrogtown? How did you come up with it?
C: Oops! Looks like I just answered that one. Leap!
What kind of music did you have in mind to play with Leapfrogtown? What are your main influences as a songwriter?
C: Music-wise we just said let’s take our best songs, the ones we like best, regardless of style, and produce them in the way that suits them best. I used to write a lot like The Beatles, like Gallagher does, but recently I’ve used blues traditions more often. Simpler chord progressions and more grooves. More like The Stones. Desert Island wise, I’d definitely take “Stop Making Sense”, the live Talking Heads album, Led Zep “2” and Bowie’s “Aladin Sane”.
How would you describe Leapfrogtown’s music style to someone who hasn’t heard of the band at all?
C: Eclectic, eccentric, electric. The blues meets post-punk meets art rock.
Are there any hidden messages behind the album title “Dreaming in Public”?
C: It’s synchronicity really. Acting as you think. Using the third eye at all times. Came to me running the art club at my daughter’s school. It’s the wavelength I get on with the kids.
Do give us a hint about each track…
C: “Fear”: Like a lot of songs on the album, it’s about what happens as we grow, especially as children. The “empty room” is our open-mindedness before it gets jammed up with irrelevant crap. Fear isn’t natural, it’s taught to us.
“Seven”: Perfect love-song for me. Still remember how Julia Shepherdson made me feel when I was 7. And she did it again when I was 17. First love. Incomprehensible. Irrevocable.
“Enough is Enough”: Back to innocence please. Food, love and shelter. What else do we really need? Sick of sophistication in the name of progress. Whatever you’ve had enough of, this is your song.
“Fill the Space”: Wrote it for my partner Cath, but I gigged it shortly after I lost my mum, so it’s her song too. And when I was rehearsing today I thought of David Bowie and Alan Rickman, whom I knew personally.
“Bed Forever”: The best rebellion of all. If you’re happy stay where you are. At whatever price.
“Turn Me Off”: Obsession. With another person, with the waves of thought they create, with the futility of lost love.
“C Vitae”: Telling the truth is fun and no-one believes you anyway. If we’re all pretending to be something else in order to impress someone else, the mirrors crack on the inside.
“Anyone’s Game”: Digital hell or paradise on earth? Children will live to tell the tale. The giant index finger, tapping its way to the surreal apocalypse.
“Promise”: The beautiful awareness of your child inheriting some of your talent, and taking it to higher places. Humility.
“In the Dark”: Love in the deep subconscious. A sweet, dark smiling.
“Dreaming in Public”: Feel, think, do. Wait, wonder, watch.
“Double Trouble”: Inspired by a Hitchcock documentary about doppelgangers. A flight of fancy with spies and weird attraction.
“Poppy”: Any addiction you care to name – substances, people, obsessions. Poppy could be morphine or alcohol or a lover. Love/hate.
“Words are Cheap”: I was let down badly. Social media is no substitute for flesh and blood. It’s like, this isn’t Narnia, this is real time. If you want to play in this band… be here.
Where did the recordings of your debut take place and who handled the mixing, the production and the mastering of the album? Are you totally satisfied with the final outcome?
C: At my home. We moved everything out of our studio in a Safestore building into my back-room. We even recorded drums here. We used a room analyzer to help with monitoring, and LANDR for online mastering. Stu worked miracles. We just kept listening until we were satisfied. There’s always things you’d have done differently, but that’s just hindsight. We achieved the impossible and that’ll do for now.
4 videos have already been released, “Fear” & “Seven” are from “Dreaming in Public”, “Flora Town” is a track from the “Seven” EP (that also contains the homonymous track in different remixes) and “The Room” is from the new single, which contains the aforementioned track along with “Flora Town”. Those two tracks are not in your debut, so how did you decide to release a video for them? Will there be any other video release at some point?
C: We had a lot of material to choose from. “The Room” was a one-off single. We wanted to give the “Flora Town” video another outing so we put it on the “Seven” EP but not on the album. I love that song, but I like it having a life of its own. Floating about mysteriously. We’ve just made a new video for the song “Dreaming in Public”, featuring a household name in an unfamiliar guise. Online very soon. (i.n.: The video is out now! Watch it below.)
Have you considered the fact to give a few gigs to promote “Dreaming in Public”?
C: We’re in rehearsal with a young international rhythm section and keys player. Really excited about getting up on some big stages again.
What are your future plans regarding Leapfrogtown?
C: Press and radio interviews, a new album and a live tour in 2016.
What are your imminent personal future plans?
C: Running the art club at my daughter’s school, looking after her while my partner is making a TV series, looking after the new dog, painting and writing songs.
It’s time for our Weird Questions!!! If you were an animal, which animal would you be and why?
C: Definitely an otter. I had a dream that I was an otter in a former life, even wrote a song about it, called “I Am an Otter”. They’re happy on land and water, courageous, bright and playful. That’s what I aspire to.
Beloved TV series that you watch this season?
C: The Charlie Brooker Wipe – sharp, quick and funny.
Best pick-up line that has worked for you several times in the past?
C: “What’s the matter?”… “Nothing”. “Well, give me a kiss then”…
What’s the worst thing you can say right after sex?
C: Where’s the remote? (i.n.: Hehehe…)
You have the opportunity to sleep with a movie-celebrity/porn-star of your choice. Who would it be & why?
C: I’ve slept with one! Don’t ask me why! (i.n.: Can I ask with whom?!)
Were you obliged to give just one album to extraterrestrials that would represent the whole human music, which album would it be and from which band/artist?
C: The Beatles “White Album”…
If you had the chance to travel in time… where would you choose to go? To the past or the future and why?
C: Future past. Modern rural. Small is beautiful, keep it local. Life at the pace of the seasons, lots of holidays, sleepy winters, but with cool, modern science to cure all diseases and recycle everything.
Who is the sexiest female Rock Star of all time?
C: Debbie Harry…
Which one of the Seven Deadly Sins you consider yourself to be?
C: Lust…
What do you think about this “Views, tweets & Likes” mania of our time?
C: It’s a silly phase, like the steam train and Margaret Thatcher.
Is the “free downloading issue” the main reason why the music industry has taken the downhill or there are others, more important reasons for that?
C: Not enough courage or eccentricity. Homogenized bands reading books about how to write songs. Dylan and Lennon didn’t do that. Neither did Bowie or Lemmy. Don’t blame the media, blame the content.
Imagine that your girlfriend/wife is selling your whole album-collection just to buy an expensive ring for herself. How would you react?
C: With a call to the local mental hospital. On behalf of us both.
It’s always a pleasure having you on Grande Rock, Chris. Say anything you feel like saying before we close this interview. Take care!
C: Thanks for ‘getting’ what we were doing with the album. Means a lot. See you at Wembley!
C: Stu and I were in The Bloogs ‘til 2012, but the drummer and singer had personal problems and following some great festival appearances things got really slow, so I thought “Let’s leapfrog over all this and start a side-project with no restrictions”. So Leapfrogtown was born, I stepped up to front the band and now here we are.
And what about the name Leapfrogtown? How did you come up with it?
C: Oops! Looks like I just answered that one. Leap!
What kind of music did you have in mind to play with Leapfrogtown? What are your main influences as a songwriter?
C: Music-wise we just said let’s take our best songs, the ones we like best, regardless of style, and produce them in the way that suits them best. I used to write a lot like The Beatles, like Gallagher does, but recently I’ve used blues traditions more often. Simpler chord progressions and more grooves. More like The Stones. Desert Island wise, I’d definitely take “Stop Making Sense”, the live Talking Heads album, Led Zep “2” and Bowie’s “Aladin Sane”.
How would you describe Leapfrogtown’s music style to someone who hasn’t heard of the band at all?
C: Eclectic, eccentric, electric. The blues meets post-punk meets art rock.
Are there any hidden messages behind the album title “Dreaming in Public”?
C: It’s synchronicity really. Acting as you think. Using the third eye at all times. Came to me running the art club at my daughter’s school. It’s the wavelength I get on with the kids.
Do give us a hint about each track…
C: “Fear”: Like a lot of songs on the album, it’s about what happens as we grow, especially as children. The “empty room” is our open-mindedness before it gets jammed up with irrelevant crap. Fear isn’t natural, it’s taught to us.
“Seven”: Perfect love-song for me. Still remember how Julia Shepherdson made me feel when I was 7. And she did it again when I was 17. First love. Incomprehensible. Irrevocable.
“Enough is Enough”: Back to innocence please. Food, love and shelter. What else do we really need? Sick of sophistication in the name of progress. Whatever you’ve had enough of, this is your song.
“Fill the Space”: Wrote it for my partner Cath, but I gigged it shortly after I lost my mum, so it’s her song too. And when I was rehearsing today I thought of David Bowie and Alan Rickman, whom I knew personally.
“Bed Forever”: The best rebellion of all. If you’re happy stay where you are. At whatever price.
“Turn Me Off”: Obsession. With another person, with the waves of thought they create, with the futility of lost love.
“C Vitae”: Telling the truth is fun and no-one believes you anyway. If we’re all pretending to be something else in order to impress someone else, the mirrors crack on the inside.
“Anyone’s Game”: Digital hell or paradise on earth? Children will live to tell the tale. The giant index finger, tapping its way to the surreal apocalypse.
“Promise”: The beautiful awareness of your child inheriting some of your talent, and taking it to higher places. Humility.
“In the Dark”: Love in the deep subconscious. A sweet, dark smiling.
“Dreaming in Public”: Feel, think, do. Wait, wonder, watch.
“Double Trouble”: Inspired by a Hitchcock documentary about doppelgangers. A flight of fancy with spies and weird attraction.
“Poppy”: Any addiction you care to name – substances, people, obsessions. Poppy could be morphine or alcohol or a lover. Love/hate.
“Words are Cheap”: I was let down badly. Social media is no substitute for flesh and blood. It’s like, this isn’t Narnia, this is real time. If you want to play in this band… be here.
Where did the recordings of your debut take place and who handled the mixing, the production and the mastering of the album? Are you totally satisfied with the final outcome?
C: At my home. We moved everything out of our studio in a Safestore building into my back-room. We even recorded drums here. We used a room analyzer to help with monitoring, and LANDR for online mastering. Stu worked miracles. We just kept listening until we were satisfied. There’s always things you’d have done differently, but that’s just hindsight. We achieved the impossible and that’ll do for now.
4 videos have already been released, “Fear” & “Seven” are from “Dreaming in Public”, “Flora Town” is a track from the “Seven” EP (that also contains the homonymous track in different remixes) and “The Room” is from the new single, which contains the aforementioned track along with “Flora Town”. Those two tracks are not in your debut, so how did you decide to release a video for them? Will there be any other video release at some point?
C: We had a lot of material to choose from. “The Room” was a one-off single. We wanted to give the “Flora Town” video another outing so we put it on the “Seven” EP but not on the album. I love that song, but I like it having a life of its own. Floating about mysteriously. We’ve just made a new video for the song “Dreaming in Public”, featuring a household name in an unfamiliar guise. Online very soon. (i.n.: The video is out now! Watch it below.)
Have you considered the fact to give a few gigs to promote “Dreaming in Public”?
C: We’re in rehearsal with a young international rhythm section and keys player. Really excited about getting up on some big stages again.
What are your future plans regarding Leapfrogtown?
C: Press and radio interviews, a new album and a live tour in 2016.
What are your imminent personal future plans?
C: Running the art club at my daughter’s school, looking after her while my partner is making a TV series, looking after the new dog, painting and writing songs.
It’s time for our Weird Questions!!! If you were an animal, which animal would you be and why?
C: Definitely an otter. I had a dream that I was an otter in a former life, even wrote a song about it, called “I Am an Otter”. They’re happy on land and water, courageous, bright and playful. That’s what I aspire to.
Beloved TV series that you watch this season?
C: The Charlie Brooker Wipe – sharp, quick and funny.
Best pick-up line that has worked for you several times in the past?
C: “What’s the matter?”… “Nothing”. “Well, give me a kiss then”…
What’s the worst thing you can say right after sex?
C: Where’s the remote? (i.n.: Hehehe…)
You have the opportunity to sleep with a movie-celebrity/porn-star of your choice. Who would it be & why?
C: I’ve slept with one! Don’t ask me why! (i.n.: Can I ask with whom?!)
Were you obliged to give just one album to extraterrestrials that would represent the whole human music, which album would it be and from which band/artist?
C: The Beatles “White Album”…
If you had the chance to travel in time… where would you choose to go? To the past or the future and why?
C: Future past. Modern rural. Small is beautiful, keep it local. Life at the pace of the seasons, lots of holidays, sleepy winters, but with cool, modern science to cure all diseases and recycle everything.
Who is the sexiest female Rock Star of all time?
C: Debbie Harry…
Which one of the Seven Deadly Sins you consider yourself to be?
C: Lust…
What do you think about this “Views, tweets & Likes” mania of our time?
C: It’s a silly phase, like the steam train and Margaret Thatcher.
Is the “free downloading issue” the main reason why the music industry has taken the downhill or there are others, more important reasons for that?
C: Not enough courage or eccentricity. Homogenized bands reading books about how to write songs. Dylan and Lennon didn’t do that. Neither did Bowie or Lemmy. Don’t blame the media, blame the content.
Imagine that your girlfriend/wife is selling your whole album-collection just to buy an expensive ring for herself. How would you react?
C: With a call to the local mental hospital. On behalf of us both.
It’s always a pleasure having you on Grande Rock, Chris. Say anything you feel like saying before we close this interview. Take care!
C: Thanks for ‘getting’ what we were doing with the album. Means a lot. See you at Wembley!