NZMM CATCH-UP: CITY OF SOULS

City Of Souls formed in August 2015 by guitarists Trajan Schwencke (Cold by Winter, In Dread Response) and Steve Boag (In Dread Response, Blacklistt). Vocalist Richie Simpson (New Way Home) found their existing tracks immediately captivating and joined the band. Guitarist Marcus Powell (founding member of multi-platinum bands Blindspott and Blacklistt) then joined, and the line-up was complete with Daniel Insley on Bass (Solstate) and Drummer Corey Friedlander (In Dread Response / 8 Foot Sativa).

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CHECK OUT OUR LITTLE CATCH UP WITH A COUPLE OF THE CITY OF SOULS GUYS BELOW:

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1. Happy NZ Music Month! How did you initially get into creating music?
Marcus: I Grew up in a musical family. Kava nights at home with the guitar. My brothers got me into the guitar and said they would give me one if I learned some Dire Straits… I also had software on a really old IBM, think it was called Rebirth… Early DAW… Got into audio engineering early on.

Richie: Being given an undertow tape at around 12 years old is what started the musical obsession for me.
Then by 13 I had an acoustic, playing pink floyd strums on that and eventually moved on to a crappy squire strat, that I stuck a homemade refill and felt tip slayer logo onto.
Then I bought a four track and began learning about vocal harmonies and layering guitars by recording a cover of Black Sabbath/Pantera’s ‘Planet Caravan’. I was singing through a flanger pedal and guitar through a metal zone pedal into an old Marshall 50w…circa 1995

Trajan: Happy NZ Music Month! I was 9 years old when my Dad took my to see AC/DC live at Athletic Park in Wellington 1991. I wasn’t too sure what I was looking at with this short school boy running around with a guitar but I knew I wanted to do it too.

Dan: My brother got a guitar & amp one Xmas when I was 11 or 12. I picked it up and played everyday. I must’ve annoyed the hell outta my parents because I cranked it up hard out. Then I got a bass around 14 and within two months I joined an original band with some older dudes. We were probably trying to be Tool in those days haha.

Corey: I started jamming with my old friend Lindsay Hamilton back when we were about 14 years old. We would jam Metallica mainly and then started working on our own material. He now plays in a really trippy psychedelic rock band called Vodun in the UK.

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2. Tell us about your inspirations & motivations?
Marcus: I’m motivated by solving problems. I get a kick at building things and creating things, music or otherwise. I get inspired by people doing rad shit. 

Richie: Finding new combinations of ingredients and making a whole new approach that may not have been done before, is what drives me. Taking an element of cannibal corpses riff writing for example but implementing it in a far less abrasive song. I absolutely love the alchemy of mixing influences and adding your own flavour as well as utilising all the life experiences and musical vocabulary of each band member 

Trajan: I’m always inspired by the other chaps in the band and that motivates me to be better at my craft.

Dan: Around 13 or 14 my brother started taking me to concerts, the Big Day Out and FNM would’ve been the first. Also all the bands playing at The Powerstation in the 90s (they had all ages shows then) really inspired me as a kid. I wanted to play up there and have people react like that to my music. 

Corey: Anything that moves me is inspirational. From music, films, and even a photo can put me into a creative state where I want to make something. Before I got into music I was heavily into art. Making animations, painting and moulding with clay. I wanted to create ever since I was little. I feel that with how little time we have here on earth it is important how we use it, and to use that time to create and inspire others. When my body is long gone I want to have something that remains for generations to come. I just want to inspire others to be productive with their lives and create together as a collective. Being in a band is exactly that. We inspire each other all the time with simple things like a cool riff or a nice 8 bar loop someone crafted up in their studio. Just hearing a few seconds of that can have me buzzing with ideas.

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3. What have you been up to in this lockdown and how has it affected you?
Marcus: I’m still working with Crescendo Trust. I’ve been using the technology to connect with our emerging artists. I created a new company for it as a ltd liability. So we will have an events team, record label etc – Partnership with Warner Music Group. Currently obtaining a new premises for the Trust as well.
Also building parts of my home, smashing my fitness, releasing a album for City Of Souls and writing new music. But most importantly being a Dad and partner to my girls. My work involved meetings all across Auckland so now with zoom I’ve eliminated travel time so I can be more present with family. It rules.

Richie: Recording new demos, playing a lot of guitar, singing, doing promo for the album and playing Far Cry 5!

Trajan: I work as a graphic designer/information designer with an independent company who has successfully trialed Plaquenil, Zinc and Vitamin C to cure Covid-19. They’ve been so successful they have now moved onto cancer trials with the exact same medicine. My job has been to take all the information and present it in a way that’s easy to follow. I’m hoping that the work I’ve done sees the light of day soon and it doesn’t keep getting squashed by mainstream media and their phony narrative. That’s kept me quite busy during lock down.

Dan: Mostly I’ve spent a lot of time with my family. I’ve really spent most days playing with my 5 year old daughter. I’ve never had the chance because of work. But putting down my phone or laptop and just giving her 100% attention has been fun for us both. I guess I realised we don’t really need all the extra stuff like fast food or malls etc all the time. I can’t wait to be able to interact face to face with others and play shows  that’s what I really miss.

Corey: Luckily I am able to still teach a lot online but I have also started a series for May Music Month on my DRUMSNZ youtube page, where I am doing one video lesson a day. All for free and just quick clips to get people going at home with some drumming. I have also been working on my 2nd COREZ electronic album due to release later this month called IZO. So ya, just keeping busy as usual.

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4. What do you think of the NZ music scene?
Marcus: It’s polarising. It seems rich on the surface and there is a lot going around but the consumption is quick and cheap. Meaning social media chews it up rapidly and the next best thing is a swipe away. The venues are dropping off and access to them including public transport is difficult so it is not easy for the paying consumer to get to shows. We were swamped in 2019 with international artists so for local acts, we had no choice but to compete with that. It will be interesting to see what happens in NZ after lockdown.

Richie: I think there are pockets of greatness. If people backed themselves a little harder instead of the old kiwi she’ll be right attitude and if we were less anti-self promotion culturally we’d be competing a lot more internationally.

Trajan: I see our geographical location as a blessing in disguise. We have no real threats to our way of life and I feel that applies to music as well. NZers do our own thing. We are similar enough to fit along side the rest of the world but we really are our own chill lovely people when it comes down to it. We have the talent in this country to compete with anything going on in the world.

Dan: I think it’s really going well at the moment. There is a lot of local fans supporting NZ artists which is driving our music to be world class. I’m loving seeing NZ artists getting out there internationally and showing our music live across other countries. The help of things like NZ On Air and the NZ Music Commission has really helped us get our music out to the world too.

Corey: I think there are a lot of hard working bands in the rock scene and many underground ones as well. I grew up in the extreme metal scene here in Auckland and wanted to become as good as the drummers who played in these technical bands. So that was back then I went to every metal gig I could. Now I don’t tend to go see as many local bands with my busy schedule but I will say this, It is very different in each scene (genre) and I just hope all the great venues are still running after this lockdown time. I do think we have a great opportunity for our local scene to thrive more than ever with the lack of overseas concerts that will be occurring for a while.

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5. Goal board time – where would you like to see yourself in a years time?
Marcus: Touring globally with City of Souls and have at least 1 new song with Blindspott out there. Just doing more rad shit.

Richie: With at LEAST two more albums in the bag and on some big tours with the likes of Devin Townsend, Gojira, Deftones etc

Trajan: Furiously working on album 3 and 4 at the same time. 2 is already well under way

Dan: I would love to be a able to treat music as a Full-Time profession. Being able to concentrate large amounts of time across all aspects would be amazing and I’m sure the results would show.

Corey: Off world.

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Auckland alt-rock outfit City Of Souls have dropped their mammoth 16 track debut album SYNAESTHESIA. Listen HERE

The band has been teasing the album with the singles ‘Sleep’, ‘Water’, ‘Long Gone’, ‘Wolf’, ‘Ferryman’, ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’, ‘Shimmer’ and ‘Cruelty’. Now with the release comes the brand new single ‘Whispers’.

A collaboration between City of Souls guitarists Trajan Schwencke and Marcus Powell, ‘Whispers’ is a dramatic soundscape that depicts the memory of a friend who took her own life.

SYNAESTHESIA has been an album five years in the making. Marcus Powell elaborates: “City of Souls have hit every single obstacle and block you can imagine. For us, this album is about endurance, passion, and a deep love for music.

“We have had these songs written and recorded with (producer) Forrester Savell for a long time but for whatever reason, our timelines and plans kept changing. What I love is the solidarity and persistence within the City of Souls family have pushed through. No matter what happened with the cancelled tours, shows, album deals and record labels we, as a collective, have stayed strong and loyal,” Powell says.

“To say we are excited to release this album is an understatement,” Powell continues.

“I am so proud of the boys and the extended families for sticking this out and being here for each other. I am grateful for the support of the fans for carrying us through as well. I can’t wait for everyone to hear and experience our journey to date. Thank you to City of Souls, the Street teams, the fans and everyone involved to bring this Taonga (treasure) to life!”

City of Souls has built a solid reputation as a live act to be reckoned with and developed a strong fanbase in New Zealand and across the world. With support locally including The Rock and Radio Hauraki, the band continue to push the envelope with their sound single by single, resulting in a solid collection of 16 tracks for the debut album.

The City Of Souls sound is a true amalgamation of the members bringing something from each of their projects. Creating one of New Zealand’s heaviest and most loved rock bands.

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