Tenderhooks are the hottest new 'concept' band, having earned rave reviews and been heralded as the new 'Gorillaz'. The band consists of singer and songwriter Markus Leinweber, producer Phil Saatchi (the brother of the famous 'Saatchi brothers') and guitarist Mike Wilton. You can sample some footage
here.
Music News joined the in-demand gents for an exclusive chat...
Welcome to Music-News 'Tenderhooks'... we hear you have a few A-list celebrity fans and supporters, care to drop any names? Markus Leinweber: Yup we have a bunch, but not names we’d like to divulge.
There seems to be a huge amount of media interest in 'Tenderhooks', does being regarded as the 'next Gorillaz' come with a huge level of burden? Markus: Only in a good way. In the first Tenderhooks animation, Tenderhooks is washed up on a beach, 'Devil Rides White Horses' is the track playing. It’s the start of his story, so it’s an open book as to where he goes, how his band come together, what they look like. Hey, with animation you can go crazy and you could have an alien in the band. We want the fans to get involved. We’ve had loads of sketches sent to us, really cool stuff which we could use. He’s just a black and white dude looking for action, so we can do what feels right.
Are you enjoying your time in the spotlight? Markus: Yes, it is very cool! We’ve put in some hard work to get this far and so a bit of red carpet treatment is alright by us.
Your music straddles a huge variety of genres, do you think that makes it difficult for the press to pigeonhole your music? Markus: The thing is, with the download phenomenon going on, folks listen to our tracks online, or hear us on the radio, and they grab the songs they like for their iPod. There are plenty of folks that love an eclectic mix of songs on an album. The Beatles were doing it 40 years ago. Good songs, that is the key.
How was the 'Tenderhooks' project born? Markus: Down on the south coast, in Brighton. Mike and I met first and had some really good sessions in my studio. Then Phil came on board as co-producer and all the other great stuff he does.
Who are your musical heroes? Markus: I have got a list as long as my arm, and I’m sure Phil and Mike would agree.
Markus: For me, Talking Heads, B52’s, Bruce Springsteen, The Beatles, Blur, Squeeze, there’s just too many.
Your live shows have received major critical acclaim. Have you any plans to push the envelope even further for upcoming shows? Markus: We are piecing together a big 'in your face' interactive show, having the animations screened, even talking back to the audience and the band. It would be a great time to introduce another character into the story line, stuff like that, big visuals and great music. That is what we are all about - expect to be blown away.
You are involved with GreenPeace and heavily support environmental issues, does your music carry any important messages you want people to hear? Markus: Not in a massively active way, but we did call an album Eco Warrior. Tenderhooks gets his battle paint on and he’s ready to crusade! Eco Warrior and Take A Walk are the only tracks that go down that route. Every little bit helps, right?
Phil, with two rather creative brothers involved in the arts, why do you feel your life steered towards the music world rather than the art world?Phil Saatchi: Both my brothers are creatively driven in their way, but my 'creativity', from a very early age, always lent towards music. It was, and still is, my driving force.
What do you anticipate that the next twelve months will hold in store for Tenderhooks? Markus: We’ve got a whole bunch of tracks waiting to be recorded. We’ll keep playing and building up our fan base.
How do you feel about the current state of the music industry - do you feel it is very difficult for new acts to break through because of the financial difficulties faced by the major record labels? Markus: Boy, things have changed. Anyone can have a song for sale on iTunes in a couple of days. So, you need originality, great songs, and a shed load of luck.
Following your arrival on the scene, have you had the chance to perform or record with any of your musical heroes yet? Who would you like to get into the studio with in 2009? Markus: Nobody - we just want to do what we do best, with ourselves first, alone in the studio with Mike and Phil, making perfect music. Bring it on.
'Tenderhooks' is a musical animation concept, if he had to step in the wrestling ring with the 'Gorillaz' who do you think would come out on top? Markus: Hey there are four in the Gorillaz so they’ll have to wait until Tenderhooks has his band again. It might take a while but when we’re ready it could be like Alien verses Predator!
www.myspace.com/tenderhooks4u
