Book of revelations
After an eight-month hiatus to refine their craft, Dublin five-piece The Chapters talk to Craig Fitzsimons about their new EP and overcoming ego wars.
Craig Fitzsimons, 28 Nov 2006
Three years into their existence, The Chapters – always a promising proposition – have finally located their voice, and, as their new EP Four Thorns demonstrates, it’s surely just a matter of time before they join the ranks of the Irish heavyweights.
The Dublin five-piece have evolved slowly and steadily, taking their time without diving headlong into the live fray, but guitarist Simon Eustace thinks he can pinpoint the moment that they truly turned the corner.
“There was one time where we all sat down for a couple of hours before a gig and watched The Last Waltz,” he explains, “and it totally blew our minds. Maybe it was just a coincidence, but I think that was the first gig where we really clicked and got lost in it. And The Band have led us to other stuff – Creedence, Dr. John, Dylan.”
At the mention of His Bobness, frontman Ross McNally takes up the theme: “It’s so incredible that at the age of 65 or whatever, he’s suddenly the coolest thing on the block. I went to see him in Kilkenny and I was blown away. I wasn’t expecting to be blown away, I’m not a Dylan freak, but this was stunning.”
As suggested by the names mentioned thus far, The Chapters’ sound is a profoundly American one, drenched in Wilco and Neil Young influences, with Bruce Springsteen’s masterpiece Nebraska a particular touchstone for the gang. McNally is unrepentant about their fondness for relatively obscure Americana.
“We really don’t pay massive attention to the modern musical landscape,” he says. “We prefer to do our own thing. As far as stuff that’s come out in the last few years, nothing really stands out. I listen to Sufjan Stevens – I really admire his balls in making that statement about an album for every one of the fifty states. He’s said it now, he has to deliver. Though I’m sure if he only gets to 20 or 30, people will forgive him.”
What is it that’s so inherently romantic about America?
“It’s the freedom,” reckons Simon. “The space. The vastness. Listening to Nebraska, you’ll know what I mean. The sense of travel and possibility, of freedom to define yourself. There’s almost certainly an element of myth and bullshit about it, but it’s an appealing one, and very romantic.”
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