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| Image compliments of GC Photographics |
launch which is to take place on the 16th has been as a result of a bit of perseverance by the brain of
the band, Chris McConaghy. “The album, there’s been a bit of a delay in getting it out to be honest
with ye, it’s been a couple of years getting it out.
At the time when we started recording it, me and my girlfriend had a baby as well so I took about eight months out, which added time on to it obviously. When we got back to it and got it all recorded then I contacted a guy called Sam Williams, I worked with him before when I was in Red Organ Serpent Sound, he recorded our album then. I got in touch with him to see if he wanted to mix a song maybe, like a single, but he said he wanted to mix the whole thing so that was good.That added another six months onto it but we got there eventually. Whenever I started working with Smalltown America, they sort of advised me to take a year and hold back a bit before putting it out. I’m very happy with the album and just glad to get it out there at this stage.
Chris explains that some of the local media have played a key role in enabling him to take his music
forward. "It was actually Stephen McCauley, gentleman that he is, he knew Andrew Ferris (Director
at Smalltown America Ltd). He’d been playing my stuff and seemed to be a bit of a fan and he
thought he’d set up a wee meeting between the two of us and I gave Andrew a few tracks to listen
to. It turned out then that he wanted to work with me. There’s been two singles out and now there’s
a third, I’ll never Learn to Say Goodbye, out there on the 9th Nov in the run up to the album which is
out a week later. The single was available to buy already that we recorded earlier on in this year but
it was never officially put out as a single."
Some artists pursue and covet the glitz and glam of big labels but Chris has mentioned that part of
what he loves about Smalltown is its intimate family feeling, their ability to do big things on a small
budget and their genuine approach of putting the artist first. “They know all about funding and know
exactly what they’re at but as well there’s a very, sort of, family atmosphere in the office. It feels like
a wee family. They are very artist centric about the deals they do, you know like instead of giving
you a massive advance, which you owe back and giving you kind of crappy returns on royalties, you
would have really good royalties where you’re doing better out of it than they do.
Of course Chris is no newcomer to music, he has been involved in a number of line ups, one of
which, Red Organ Serpent Sound, left audiences anticipating an album but this wasn’t to be as there
was a bit of trouble in paradise. “Red Organ Serpent Sound, we had serious problems between the
singer the record label so I knew that things were going to go pear shaped. We were meant to be
putting a record out but everyone fell out and I think the record label just thought, “that’s it” and
they dropped us. I was self employed for a couple of years, had invested a lot in it, and then that just
sort of fell apart and I found myself back on the dole and thinking right what do I do know. That was
about 2007, it started off with writing songs again, started up Our Krypton Son alone, just doing solo
gigs and then I did that literally for years before getting a band together and making an album.
Upon making the decision to get involved with a band again Chris knew he could count on musicians
he’d played and studied with in the past, those who had become close friends. Both Conor Mason
and Robert Elliot had played in line-ups with Chris before doing original material. Chris gives details
of some of the high points for him working on the album and where he’d like to see Our Krypton Son
in the future.
“There are a couple of songs on the album that would’ve come together, would have nearly written
themselves. I suppose there are a couple of songs on the album that are quite personal. If you were
to ask me maybe about the song that I enjoyed writing the most it would probably be, maybe,
Catalonian Love Song or Plutonium because they would have come together, sort of, very fast, sort
of fully formed which is nice when that happens, it doesn’t happen that often.”
“That track that we put out as the third single, I’ll Never Learn to Say Goodbye, the recording of
that was good fun, it was done separately from all the other tracks. It was done earlier in the year
where Smalltown set-up this thing which was like 24 hour recording session where a song would be
recorded, mixed and mastered and then available to download all within 24 hours. Then at the same
time the art work was done live and a couple of mixes by local DJs were done live and the whole
thing was filmed and all that, class, good fun.”
“In a year, I don’t want to take half as long with an album as I did this time. In a year I’d like to have
a second album out. Maybe a couple of EPs, maybe working on a third album, it would be great
to spend a lot of the year touring and raise the profile of the band, get some good support slots
and stuff in and ye know , just get better.” There are some gigs to look forward to, in particular the
album launch in Sandinos back room on the 16th November. Our Krypton Son will also be supporting
Paddy Casey in the Nerve Centre on the 15th December. “I have a wee gig on boxing night in
Bennigans which is bound to be a good night. I have a really big gig coming up soon too but I’m not
allowed to mention it yet.” That’s one to keep an eye on for!
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