Ben Coleman (Hunting Lions – vocals)
SPB: You’ve played with many musicians in your career. In this band, whose songwriting process or stage mannerisms were the biggest adjustment for you to adapt to?
Coleman: Between the spark of an idea and the realization of 2 or 3 minutes of music, can be moments, months or even years.
Not to go all “poor me” on you but, I feel that I have a particularly hard time because I don’t play an instrument. I won’t bore you with why, other than to say that I have what has at times my life been crippling ADHD. Playing an instrument is a skill that takes focus, and I have none.
So for me the songwriting process has usually gone something like this: I have jotted down a few lines, or a few paragraphs of words. They are either words I think sound good together or words that mean something in the moment or as commentary.
Oftentimes I will have have tried to hum the words, searching for a melody that I like and that suits the words. I collect these in either my phone or computer, sometimes going as far as to sing a little snippet into voice memo.
Then comes rehearsal day or, as I used to like to call it, “where good ideas go to die.”
Not playing an instrument, at this point, is a real drag. Historically what happens is I would have to try to cram the words that I had written into the musical framework of whatever riff or rhythm or tune one of my fellow band mates came up with independently. Sometimes this would result in a spontaneous gem. A rare occasion where words and music meld perfectly. It can be like fucking magic that is totally unexpected. That feeling like you’re turning over an engine you built for the first time and it fires. But more often than not, a really good piece of music or song needs development. It requires massaging the lyrics and the riff to create cohesion. Other times you have to kill your babies, completely abandon what you thought was great and come up with something that works with what the other guys in the band have brought to the table. This can be tough in real time.
So, in answer to your question: When putting this band together I sought out musicians whose material I had always admired. Guys that had been in bands where song development and songwriting skills were obvious in the music they put out.
One tough part for me was trusting in my instincts with melody. I had written melodies for songs so many times and had so infrequently been able to have my bandmates write music that matched up to it, that I was beginning to doubt that I had that ability. That changed with the addition of Jay Harrington. He can hear what I think, melodically speaking. He and J Remi have worked together before and so together they seem to pull killer shit out of the air. The other big problem I have is patience. ADHD is not a songwriter’s friend. Greg Utter and Jesse Spite were instrumental in helping me to slow down and focus on writing a good tune rather than just chasing that endorphin rush that comes when the engine starts unexpectedly. Another thing that cripples songwriting in a band setting is ego, or fear of others’ egos.
If one is not able to say what they really feel about a particular part, riff or structure due to fear of hurting someone’s ego, it’s stifling. In this band, Chris has been fearless around calling out filler and the sub-par.
So, I don’t know. This whole band has been an adjustment, but also a major place for growth and creativity. I guess I just dig these guys.
