You each work with all manner of artists of differing levels of ability and at contrasting stages of their careers. Would you say that there is a common philosophy or ethos that you apply at Start Together in working with these various acts?
O'Reilly: We only ever want to work on projects that we genuinely care about. If we don't feel something is musically right for us, we'll say no to it and send them to another studio. We're not here to make money — we're making money to be here.
We've cut some ridiculous deals with artists to make records. I've personally worked on projects that have almost bankrupted me. We want to be involved in documenting the music of Ireland at this time and doing it with a certain style. There are certainly good enough artists here.
Do you think that this is a particularly healthy time for Northern Irish music?
O'Reilly: I definitely think it is. Even judging by the calibre of acts that I've personally had the opportunity to work with this past twelve months — In Case of Fire, And So I Watch You From Afar, mojoFury and Tom McShane to name just a few. There are great magazines like AU, radio outlets like BBC's Across The Line and Electric Mainline, and promoters bringing bands like The Flaming Lips, Headlights and Genghis Tron to Northern Ireland and putting Belfast artists on the stage with them. There are indie labels, like No Dancing and Smalltown America, putting out music they love from our little country — it's without a doubt the most exciting time I've experienced in Belfast.
Lahey: There are good bands playing everywhere, but the concentration of good artists in Northern Ireland at the moment is so striking. I believe that part of the reason for this is that there's really fuck all else to do in Ireland! You can't even really take up canoeing or mountain hiking or outdoors-type activities. So what else are you gonna do but go play music?
What sort of facilities and equipment do you have at your disposal at Start Together?
O'Reilly: We work from both analogue and digital platforms. We're running Pro Tools HD 3, we have a rack of really nice preamps and compressors by Avalon, Universal Audio, Chandler and API amongst others. We also have a great assortment of microphones, drums, organs, guitars, amps, synthesizers and an almost obsessive mix of old tape echoes. We're a collection of touring musicians who spend our afternoons off in music and charity shops digging out the most bizarre new toys we can find. We've also got a bunch of great rooms to work in. But it's something that we never really tend to shout about, because it's not the most important thing — the most important thing is the interaction between us and the artists that come to record here.
McAuley: Yeah — it's all great stuff, but we don't make it the focus of the recordings. As Rocky says, it's all about the people in the bands and what they do and about making sure that we get the best possible performance from them.
How do you go about fostering that connection between you and the musicians?
O'Reilly: It depends on the project. If it's a band who wants to track eight songs in one day, well, you're going to set them up in a good room and you're going to mic them up well and do the best you can in the limited time available. However, what I really love is when I get a artist that is willing to spend four to five months experimenting with layers and pushing the boundaries of what they think their band [is]. That's ideal for me — it provides the opportunity to create something new. But we can facilitate everything in between. The best thing always is musical interaction — it's like getting to be a member of the band. That's why it's important to work with artists that we care about — generally I'd say that 80 to 90 percent of the work that I do here, I go get it.
So you would actively go out seeking artists to work with?
O'Reilly: Absolutely. I don't wait for them to knock on the door — I seek them out and I bring those artists here. Over the last 12 months I've probably recorded only two acts that've just walked through the door. All the other acts — I've gone out and seen them play, hassled them, got them into the studio, shown them around and let them record a track for free. I pester them in the nicest possible way. We're all very active in the music scene — we go to shows and watch artists, other people see us performing with our own bands and it all comes together.
What characteristics are you looking for in the artists you work with?
McAuley: I don't know about the other guys, but for me, the most fun I have is when a artist is full of ideas. They'll come in and want to do a lot of stuff and I'm just there to take away obstacles, to facilitate whatever they want to do. Like Panama Kings — they are the sort of band who'll have a new idea every two seconds. I feel like I can just be there to set the stuff up and then sit back and press 'Go'. That's great — it allows me to just concentrate on making their music sound as good as it possibly can.
