Midlands based 5 piece Blacktop Coalition have recently recorded an EP and are currently playing gigs around the Stoke area. I got the chance to talk to the band (consisting of vocalist Jacko, rhythm guitarist Brendan, bassist Mark, drummer Joe and lead guitarist Chris) before their gig at The Talbot, Stoke supporting Scottish band The Draw. Read on to find out about their musical tastes, their CD and Oliver Reed...

How long has the band been together?

Mark: Me and Brendan started it off two years ago, about February.

How did everyone else end up joining?

Brendan: There's a story to everything!
Mark: Yeah, Chris joined from an advert in the paper, then we got Jacko who was handpicked out the freezer department in Tesco, 'cus he had good hair and good shoes, and then after the departure of the other drummer, we got Joe in, again with an advert in the paper.

How would you describe your music?

Mark: Fucking ace! (lots of laughing)
Jacko: A bit indie, a bit rock.
Chris: It's more rock n roll than that, isn't it? I think.
Brendan: It is quite old school rock n roll at times.

What kind of music are you into? What are your favourite bands at the moment?

Mark: The Libertines, all the way.
Chris: Roses. The Stone Roses forever.
Joe: Blacktop Coalition.
Jacko: We're all into different stuff, aren't we? I suppose.
Brendan: Tony Bennett! (Laughing) I really like Tony Bennett!
Jacko: What was the last CD I bought? Jet.
Brendan: Oh yeah, I like Jet and Kings of Leon, if you're talking new bands it's ones like those.

How about all time favourites?

Chris: The Stones. Mark: Oasis, can't forget them, can you?
Chris: It's just the Stone Roses for me, all the way. So is my hero, John Squire.
Joe: I don't really listen to anything! (Lots of laughing)
Brendan: What's your favourite band?
Joe: I like The Libertines too, and stuff like Blink 182 and Weezer.
Jacko: The Quantic Soul Orchestra
Mark: Yeah, a bit of soul and that.
Brendan: I like a lot of chilled out stuff as well, like Zero 7. I like a bit of variety in life!
Mark: We just like what's good! If it's good, we like it. Bob Dylan as well.
Joe: I like Bob Marley.
Mark: Bob Marley's sound as well. All the Bobs. Anyone with a name like Bob is good by me.
Brendan: Bobby Davro? (Laughing)
Jacko: Bob The Builder!
Chris: Bob Monkhouse.
Mark: Bless his soul.

What's your favourite track to play live?

Brendan: Always the latest one.
Jacko: Probably the new one.
Brendan: Jeffries, I think.
Chris: Carousel for me. That's our signature tune, I reckon.
Mark: Is this covers or our own?
Joe: I like Rocks.
Brendan: I like Wham Bam myself.

Do you ever get nervous before you go onstage?

Mark: I don't get nervous before I go onstage, I get nervous before I get smashed, and then I'm alright. (Laughing) As long as there's alcohol about, I'm alright onstage.
Brendan: I get excited, I don't get nervous.

How about the first time you played a gig?

Brendan: I was, yeah.
Mark: Pissed as a fart. (Laughing)
Brendan: Yeah, I was pissed as a fart, we knocked over the mic stands and all sorts!

Who writes the lyrics and how do you start writing the songs?

Mark: Basically I've got nothing to do with it until they get somewhere good and then I'll tell them where they're going wrong. Brendan does all the lyrics, he's the man for the moment.
Brendan: Then Jacko's second.
Mark: We all chip in.
Brendan: Jacko's got a tall order to live up to, to be fair to him. And Chris will sometimes do a couple of riffs and then we'll take them home for a few weeks,
Mark: And then forget them. (Laughing)
Chris: It's true!
Mark: He'll come up with a tune and we're like, "Nice one! So anyway...!"
Chris: I'll take them somewhere else!
Mark: No, between them., Chris and Brendan come up with some guitar riffs, then they'll dance around with Jacko chucking some lyrics in.

If you could meet anyone, dead or alive, who would it be?

Brendan: You've got to think about that one, haven't you?
Mark: Are we talking music based? People always say never meet your heroes, because they'll let you down. So I suppose I'd just meet someone who's interesting.

So who are your heroes?

Chris: Don't go for Nelson Mandela, everyone picks him.
Mark: Mandela? He did his bit, like...
Brendan: Steve Marriott from The Small Faces. I'd want to meet him.
Mark: Yeah, I want to know if that fire was hot.
Jacko: That's a bit harsh, isn't it?!
Brendan: Keith Moon, good old Keith.
Mark: I'd like to spend a day with him.
Joe: John Bonham.
Mark: Drumming legend.
Brendan: Who's that bloke? Keith Moon's mate, an actor.
Jacko: Oliver Reed?
Brendan: I'd like to spend a day with him.
Mark: In a tank, shooting at helicopters and stuff. That would be a good day out.

If you had the chance to tour with any band, who would you choose?

Brendan: I'd go with The Tonics, Oasis and The Libertines. And then we'll bring Jet in for a laugh.
Chris: Kiss.
Mark: Kiss? Yeah I'd like to see them in their jumpsuits and face paint!

You've got a CD out at the moment. What's it called and where can people get it from?

Jacko: Eponymous.
Mark: Come on, tell us the story behind this, was it a Chris and Doug collaboration?
Chris: Yeah.
Mark: It's just a sneaky way of...
Chris: It's a sneaky way to get out of thinking of a title.
Doug: If art is explained, it ceases to be art. So if you explain it...
Jacko: Basically, Eponymous means 'self titled.'
Doug: He's explaining it anyway.
Jacko: An eponymous titled album, that's where we've tripped up I think. I can't quite articulate what I'm trying to say, but...
Doug: You shouldn't!
Mark: To get it, basically go to blacktopcoalition@hotmail.com in about 2 weeks, email us with your address, don't forget your postcode, and we'll send you a copy.
Brendan: It'll be in the stores next year!
Mark: Oh yeah, don't forget to send a cheque for four quid, if we get a cheque and cash it, then we'll send it to you.
Jacko: Yeah, if it bounces like a ball then we won't send it you.
Chris: With a self addressed envelope.
Mark: Yeah, do we need one of those jiffy ones so it doesn't crack in the post?
Joe: How much are you going to charge for postage though?
Mark: A pound, so let's say five quid. A cheque for five pounds and a jiffy envelope. Don't send a fiver in the post, we wanna get it! The posties will be nicking it!

How long did it take you to record it and were there any problems?

Chris: It took about a week to do it, on and off.
Mark: How long did it take to put the drums together?
Joe: Not long, it took about 2 days. About 14 hours.
Mark: So you had 14 hours to do the second lot of drums, to replace the drums we had from the old drummer, on top of that about 5 days, I think. There were some problems, the sound on guitar and bass had to be redone. We can't forget Tim at Bad Apple Studios, make sure he's in the interview!

If you could star in the remake of any film, what would it be and who would you play?

Brendan: The Italian Job, Michael Caine.
Mark: "You're only supposed to blow the bloody doors off!" (Laughing) Who would everyone be?
Jacko: Shrek!
Mark: Shrek?! (Laughing)
Jacko: No, scratch that! Edit!
Joe: The Sound of Music, Gretl. (Laughing)
Chris: Luke Skywalker. Only in The Return of the Jedi, though.
Jacko: I'd be the man on the scooter out of Quadrophenia, I think. I've got the hair for it, so yeah, I'd be him.
Mark: I'd be Ace Face out of Quadrophenia, it suits me down to the ground. I'm already living the dream!

What has the band got coming up? What would you like to do next?

Mark: We're going to take a break for a bit, aren't we? We've got people searching the world, Chris is going to search his soul.
Brendan: He's going to find something, and he's not coming back until he finds it. He doesn't know what it is yet.
Mark: Apart from that we've got the website being designed by a couple of people so we'll see what goes on there.
Brendan: We're going to get some more songs sorted then schedule for just after Summer,
Mark: Yeah, we'll try and get some gigs sorted out about September time.
Jacko: Over the summer it's sort of out with the music,
Mark: Yeah, we watch the football and go to festivals and then we'll regroup,
Chris: Over the next season,
Mark: Of ramming it down their throats!

Thanks a lot to the band for answering my questions! You'll be able to find out more about them when their website goes online, but until then if you want to hear their CD, don't forget to email them at: blacktopcoalition@hotmail.com. You can read my review of their set here. Also, Contact Blacktop Coalition here.