THE ICICLE WORKS

Snowman FC are one of the few rock bands in Ireland who can boast four vocalists. But that’s only the start of the wackiness. In addition to churning out some high-voltage rock allied to a melodic variant of art rock, a Snowman FC live gig can include lead vocalist Shane Clancy licking the faces of fans and fitting on the stage. Now why would anybody do that? According to Clancy it’s all unplanned. “We just believe that when you’re playing music like ours you should give it your all. Too many bands forget that. So I might wander into the crowd or be hanging from the ceiling. I could be singing the most beautiful love song and there’s a fan draped over my shoulder. I just get carried along by the music and do whatever comes into my head. We’re not a band who just want to stand there waiting for the audience to appreciate them. We have so much respect for our fans and we want to give everything we can at every single gig and if they want to go nuts and participate in the gig with us, that’s great.”

Clancy admits that winning the Irish leg of the JD Sets opened us fresh opportunities for the band. “It was a great break for us. We got to record and release our single ‘Butterfly’ and to support Director at the Village. We were the first ever Irish band to play the Legendary Jack Daniel’s Mash event in Lynchburg on the same bill as Hard Fi and Carbon/Silicon, the new band with Mick Jones from The Clash. That was also how we came in contact with David Barbe and got to record in The Tracking Room studio in Nashville for the CD we’ve just brought out.”
Apart from the apparent disappointment of finding that the JD distillery is somewhat incongruously located in a dry county, Snowman FC seem to have made the most of their visit Stateside. “We learned so much from the trip. For example, my brother Keith, who plays bass with Snowman FC, got talking to Mick Jones and he was really friendly but he was also pushing the band’s next gig! It was a lesson for us to see a man who’s basically a rock legend and yet he’s still so passionate about it that he wanted everybody to go to his next show.”
And how was working with producer David Barbe, who is mostly linked to REM. “He heard our music through the people over there who run the JD Sets and he liked it. As it happened, we have some new songs for our first album which we want to have out next year, so it was great to work with him on those tracks in Nashville. They’re on the new CD Live In Nashville-The Tracking Room Demo. I know, our music is quite removed from REM, but that’s the great thing of working with professions like David in that they can adapt to a variety of styles. It’s far more challenging and stimulating for us to work with somebody slightly outside our normal field than to do the obvious.”
And what’s so special about The Tracking Room anyway? “It’s a stunning studio, the number one digital studio in Nashville,” he enthuses. "It was a huge leap for us in terms of recording facilities. It’s quite big and yet it was a very warm place and very relaxed with such a great atmosphere. You felt this was a place where great music could be born. You don’t always get that in a recording studio. They were able to get our sound together so fast we were amazed. It inspires you to want to go on and be better. We learned so much. For example, we learned from talking to David that preparation before you go into a studio is so important. You have to know your songs inside out, just like playing live in that sense. You have to know on your head what you want and to be able to translate that so you can discuss it with the producer and whoever’s working on the session."
As for Nashville itself, it too had lessons to teach the Cork boys. “One thing we noticed was that there are musicians of the highest standard, no matter where you go. Some of them are even on the streets busking. It tells that if you want to make it in this industry you have to not only have the necessary songwriting ability but you also have to have that drive that gets you to the top.”

Snowman’s single ‘Butterfly’ and the EP Live In Nashville-The Tracking Room Demo are out now.