Happy release day to WOULD-BE-GOODS!
When Peter Momtchiloff interviewed Jessica Griffin for chickfactor 13 in Y2K, we wonder if he knew he would become partners with Jessica in music and life? Either way, we are happy the Would-Be-Goods restarted as a live and recording pop group in the early 2000s and have played at many of our events, releasing a number of fantastic (albeit) underheard albums on the Santa Barbara label Matinee Recordings. During the pandemic, Jessica wrote a song a day clocking in at 173 songs in total, and just today the wonderful Tears Before Bedtime has been released on vinyl and CD via Skep Wax Records. The current lineup of Would-Be-Goods is Jessica Griffin, Peter Momtchiloff (Heavenly, Railcard), Debbie Greensmith (the Headcoatees), and Andy Warren (Monochrome Set, Adam and the Ants).
chickfactor: Is it just me or did the entire UK media just discover the Would-Be-Goods? BBC radio! How does it feel to finally get some press in your home country? It’s about time!!
Jessica Griffin: It’s exciting but also a bit strange. It takes me back to the él Records days, when the Would-be-goods got quite a lot of media attention in the UK (although I think we sold more records in other parts of the world).
The upcoming tour dates seem like the biggest tour you’ve done in ages or ever. Are you excited to hit the road?
Very. I’m a travelling player at heart, and I love being on the road with the band. We’ll be doing shows in parts of the country we’ve never played in before, as well as going back to some of our favourite places. (I’m thinking of Glasgow…)
You became incredibly prolific during the pandemic, writing 170 songs or something. Did that carry on? How regularly do you sit down to write? Do you have a schedule or ritual? Where does it happen?
I’d have carried on happily but after 173 songs I thought it was time to take a break and release some of them as EPs on Bandcamp. That meant doing quite a bit of work on the original demos to turn them into something I felt happy about sharing. It’s hard to keep switching between editing mode and writing mode—one requires tight focus, the other needs the opposite.
I haven’t done much songwriting since then as we wanted to finish the studio album. Then I had to sort out the artwork, make videos, do interviews and so on. But I’m sure I’ll start writing songs again soon—the melodies that come into my mind (especially when I’ve just woken up) are becoming rather insistent! I’ll probably use the same strategy as I used for my song-a-day project, i.e. sleeping on a title and giving myself a tight deadline to finish the song. I usually write them in my head as I’m pottering round the house or walking around the neighbourhood, stopping to record my ideas as voice memos. I get quite a lot of the lyrics this way but at some point I have to write them out so I can look at them and see what needs changing. Then I make a rough demo on Garageband with a programmed drum track and a guitar track.
How was recording this album different from previous ones?
It took much longer, not only because of the pandemic but also because other members of the band were busy and Debbie now lives some distance away. It wasn’t easy to find times when we could all get together to practise and record the songs.
We approached recording in a different way this time. Usually we’d put down guide guitar (to a click track) and guide vocals, then we’d record the instruments and vocals in layers, starting with bass guitar and drums, but for this album the whole band went into the live room and Jon recorded us playing the song together. We’d do a couple of takes to make sure we had good bass guitar and drum tracks. Other guitars, vocals and overdubs would usually have to be redone or added afterwards. This way of recording captures more of the energy of the band, I think.
Another difference is that I recorded most of my vocals at home, something I learned to do during my lockdown project. I’m more relaxed when I’m singing on my own and the result is more intimate, which people seem to like.
How has band activity changed since Mr. Momtchiloff retired?
Peter’s new-found freedom meant we could finish the album more quickly, as he was now free to go into the studio with me on weekdays. He’s been very busy with his other bands too, recording albums with Heavenly and Railcard.
What kind of potions or elixirs do you use to soothe your singing voice?
I don’t have any secret formulas! Hoarseness hasn’t been a problem for me since I took some classical singing lessons and learned how to support my voice properly, using my abdominal muscles. (I was surprised to learn that I’m actually a soprano, although I don’t tend to use the upper part of my range for the Would-be-goods.) The only potion I drink is tea, which isn’t the best thing for the voice as it’s quite acidic. I make sure I drink plenty of water the day before I have to sing, I never drink alcohol before a show and I’ve never smoked.
Let’s talk ageism. You are at the top of your game like many women of a certain age so why does society treat us all as if we are invisible?
I don’t know. The older women musicians I know are far from invisible—they get plenty of appreciation and respect. I’ve always had good examples of strong older women in my life and make a point of seeking out good role models now.
What’s on your reading table? What art shows have topped your list lately?
I’m reading ‘The Art Cure’ by a London-based academic who has spent her life studying the effects of making and experiencing art (including music, dance, all forms of visual art, and more) on our minds and bodies. It makes you realise how short-sighted it is of governments to make cuts in the arts as if they’re a luxury, when they really are fundamental to our happiness and wellbeing.
Our last art show was ‘Radical Harmony’, an exhibition of neo-impressionist paintings at the National Gallery). What really stood out for me were Seurat’s drawings and the luminous portraits of Dutch-Indonesian artist Jan Toorop (who later went full Symbolist and became a massive influence on Gustav Klimt).
Can you cook? What’s your specialty? Peter’s?
I’ve cooked since I was a small child – I think it’s an essential life skill. In those days it was mainly baking (bread, scones, cakes, etc) but now I make pretty much everything. Peter is a very good, instinctive cook but his New Year resolution was to cook from recipes. I gave him Fuchsia Dunlop’s book on Sichuanese cooking for Christmas and he is working his way through that (to my great delight).
Any new cats on the horizon?
Jessica: I’m very tempted but my last cat had health problems which stopped me from travelling for years. I want to enjoy a bit of freedom before succumbing again.
Peter: I’ve told her she can get another cat when she’s 70.
If we came to your neighborhood for one day, what should we do?
I’d recommend a stroll along Golborne Road and the north end of Portobello Road. There are still some interesting independent shops, cafés and restaurants. Further north, next to Regent’s Canal, there’s a lovely little place called Meanwhile Gardens, created many years ago on waste land by volunteers. A walk eastwards along the canal towpath up to Little Venice is a nice thing to do on a sunny day. Portobello Road on a Saturday is much too crowded for me but if you go during the week, I’d recommend popping into Books for Cooks on Blenheim Crescent, a specialist cookery book shop which has a test kitchen at the back, serving very good-value lunches from Tuesday to Friday. (Get there well before 12 and be prepared to queue outside!) There’s a lovely little Swedish bakery, Fabrique, on Portobello Road, and a good Malaysian restaurant called Makan under the Westway flyover.
Who is the comedian in the Would-Be-Goods?
Peter, Debbie and Andy are all very funny. Andy loves word play (especially puns and anagrams) and all three are good at witty ripostes. I don’t have that quick wit in conversation – I can only think of the perfect come-back long after the moment has passed.
Talk us through your stagewear protocols.
It’s usually a last-minute decision: ‘stripy or black?’ We branched out at last year’s Paris Popfest and wore black trousers with white shirts. I thought we looked rather chic but one French reviewer said Debbie and I (who both wear glasses these days) looked like kindly librarians from a fictional English country village. Actually, that’s not a bad look.
What’s it like being on Skep Wax?
It’s great. I don’t think there can be a label that is more enthusiastic about its artists and bands and which works harder to get their music out there. I think being veteran indie musicians themselves gives them a huge advantage.
What is your favorite London pub and why?
Jessica: It would have to be the Betsey Trotwood in Clerkenwell, epicentre of the London indie scene. The owner and staff create a friendly, relaxed atmosphere, the beer is good (I’m told), and the ground-floor bar is the perfect setting for informal afternoon gigs as well as the occasional party.
Peter: I also like the Lexington of course, the musical hub of London. A fine old-fashioned pub for social drinking, if there are not too many of you, is the King Charles I in King’s Cross. And in young people’s London, I think of two pubs which are great music venues but also great for a social: the Cav in Stockwell and the Victoria in Dalston.
Do you pay attention to popular music? If so, any songs you enjoy? Or other bands/albums by anyone currently?
Jessica: These days I don’t get to hear much new music unless it’s by bands and artists we know in real life. It’s not that I’m not interested – I keep meaning to listen to the radio more but I go to bed very early these days.
Peter: Strangely, my two favourite albums of last year were by men from Kent: the High Span and the Penrose Web. I also liked Baxter Dury’s record and, getting a bit closer to Chickfactor territory, Former Champ from Glasgow, whose melodic punch and conciseness reminded me of a less lairy Guided by Voices.
Would-Be-Goods tour dates:
Feb. 21: The Water Rats, London
Feb. 25: The Just Dropped In, Coventry
March 5: Ramsgate Music Hall, Ramsgate
April 3: The Gate Arts & Community Centre, Cardiff
May 29: The Central Bar, Gateshead
May 30: Glad Café, Glasgow
10 tips for budding songwriters by Jessica
1. Feed your mind. Read – not just contemporary fiction. Listen to music from different times and places. Watch old films. Go to art galleries. Everything you experience will combine and ferment and something strange and new will come of it.
2. Keep a notebook of words and phrases that appeal to you – the title of an old film, a chapter heading in a book, a fragment of a poem, a scrap of conversation you’ve overheard. Take the notebook to bed, pick something out before you turn off the light, and sleep on it. Your brain will get to work on it overnight.
3. Try different ways of sparking musical ideas. Strumming chords on a guitar or piano doesn’t work for everyone. Try taking an intro from an old song and imagining a different course it could have taken, or borrow a bar of a melody and see what you can make from it.
4. Make yourself write a song every day for a month. It can be a very simple song, even a silly song – it doesn’t matter. The important thing is just to produce something. It’s the best antidote to perfectionism, which leads to writer’s block.
5. Don’t have rigid ideas about the sort of songs you should (or shouldn’t) be writing. Accept whatever comes up and work with it.
6. When you’re in songwriting mode, go for long walks by yourself. A large park is ideal but city streets are just as good. (Take care when crossing, though!) I find the rhythm of walking helps my thoughts flow.
7. Record all your ideas, no matter how small: snippets of melody on a voice memo, a line or two of lyrics in a notebook. You think you’ll remember them later but you won’t. This applies especially to ideas that come to you first thing in the morning when you’re half asleep, which are sometimes the best.
8. Sing your lyrics aloud from time to time as you write them – what sounds good to your inner ear might sound clumsy when you’re actually singing it.
9. Be careful about who you play your songs to, especially when you’re just starting to write. It can be discouraging if the response is lukewarm, or if they love what you’ve written, you may find yourself writing to please them rather than yourself.
10. Never compare your songs to other people’s. It can discourage you, or lead you astray. Just keep doing what you do and feeding your mind, and your songwriting will get better.
Tears Before Bedtime – out today!
01 The Gallopers
02 Dr Love
03 Tears For Leda
04 The Back Of Your Bike
05 The Tears Of Cora Pearl
06 The Rose Tattoo
07 Don’t Come Crying To Me
08 Witch Hazel
09 Old Flame
10 Carmilla
11 The Bride Wore Black
12 Madame X
13 Away With The Fairies
14 The Moon Doesn’t Mind