Noise.
Once Killing. Then Killed. Now Reincarnated.
By Ilsa Wynne-Hoelscher.
Just quickly…
Business card: The Verses
Past alias: Killing Heidi
Worldliness: Ella Hooper, 27; Jesse Hooper, 29
Way back when: The musical journey began – Ella, 8; Jesse, 10
Shtick: Singer/Songwriter – “not genre driven”.
Meat or veg: Carnivore (x2)
Strictly siblings or actually besties: “A blend… both!”
You might remember some band named after some lass Heidi. Or perhaps you remember that cool chick with the dreadlocks? What about ‘The multi-platinum, ARIA-winning pop-rock sensation of the late nineties/early noughties… ring a bell? Well you can forget that Aussie pop-rock group, as quite frankly Killing Heidi has been killed by none other than its own creators. Sounds pretty juicy, hey! Wrap your head around this muso profile as I make the comparison – Killing Heidi vs. The Verses. Or maybe, quite romantically indeed, The Verses is just an evolution of the ol’ Heidi – Heidi who nowadays may occupy those dark stage wings, admiring the journey of singer/songwriter duo and siblings Ella and Jesse Hooper. Or maybe that’s just me, as I listen to The Verses’ debut album Seasons and dream of that backstage occupancy.
So what exactly happened? How did Ella and Jesse (the core of Killing Heidi) disappear one day from the music scene to then reappear years later singing a different tune? “After the third Killing Heidi album (in 2004), we spent the next two-and-a-half years writing,” Jesse says. “We wanted to muck around with style and format,” adds Ella, “breaking it down to guitar and vocals, building it up to a six-piece outfit.” In February this year, the duo found themselves in a LA recording studio with Mitchell Froom (of Crowded House and Paul McCartney fame) behind the desk, Elvis Costello’s rhythm section holding the beat and Jackson Browne’s guitarist as sweet melody. Talk about making a sweet comeback! Hardly recognisable however, as the two siblings have lived a little and further matured, making the natural evolution from pop-rock to a more earthy genre of storytelling. A similar evolution to wine I suppose – only getting better with age.
So what is The Verses all about? With influences from Fleetwood Mac, Neil Young, and Bruce Springsteen, and recording in the States with American fellow musos, a natural mid-southern American sound results… all hail Americana! “The album just sort of formed itself,” muses Ella. “We just brought to it what we felt, expressed, planned, but the outcome was just organic. There’s no point repeating the past.”
“We loved Killing Heidi but the chapter had played out, it was time to evolve. It was like squeezing toothpaste out of an empty tube,” Jesse adds whilst concluding on the old days. So not only had Ella and Jesse bravely closed a successful chapter (not due to failure but change of heart only), they have managed to almost pick up from where they left off, with a fan base and following even before they make the Australian debut. To add some more butterflies to their bellies, The Verses inspired and scored their idol music producer Mitchell Froom to turn this dream into reality. “We sent our demo to the States and got a call one day from Mitchell, telling us how he felt from our music and what he could do with the tracks,” Ella recalls. “We just thought YES! A gut feeling… and he has always been a dream producer to us!”
“So you still call Australia home?” I ask, hoping that we haven’t been forgotten way down here in the Southern Hemisphere. “Of course! We live here!” they both exclaim down the phone at once. It all began for Ella and Jesse as they played when they were young to kill the time living in rural Victoria. “There were no close neighbours, a perfect excuse to make some noise!” Ella admits. Both parents were heavily into music also, thus providing a rocking upbringing and great support. Playing anywhere and everywhere it all gradually and naturally just fell into place and now they’re preparing for their debut Australian tour with their new act.
I don’t know about you, but I have always been intrigued by the art of song writing. As much as I want to delve into this creative form, I just have no idea where to start. And so I asked the inevitable question that most musos are bound to be asked at some point during their career – “How do you write a song?”
So here you are fellow culturists, the answer! Calling all you creative types (even if you’re not a musician, you’re reading this article and therefore to me you are creative enough to appreciate a wee bit of expression here and there) – here lies the secrets to unlocking your inner expression…
Song Writing 101
With your musical guides, Ella and Jesse Hooper
1. Accept nothing is perfect straight up. It requires layers and drafting to perfect your
final story/expression.
2. After dismissing your inner artist’s ego, it’s time to jot down any thoughts, feelings,
concepts, words, emotions and moods, and just let the gates of imagination and personal feelings open and the contents land on paper.
3. What have you discovered is the mood or obvious story, and is there a genre
dictated by the page of note taking?
4. Now it’s time to refine! Mull over the jotted notions and ideas and get the feel for
the story of the moment… catch the moment so you can share it with others. This is when you find the exact lyrics. Is it a story requiring structure? Follow some basic rules to song writing. Or is it free? In this case no rules apply, see what evolves.
5. Now that you know what ‘story’ you’ve got and how you want it to be told, it’s
time to shape it into poetry. Find your instrument… or your helpful muso friend!
6. Choose: Minor chords (for more emotive sounds) or Major chords (for more
structure and upbeat notes). Now work with some music to find the right chord progression… the mood told through the music, all of which is to complement the lyrics you produced.
7. Shape the song by finding the melodic structure for your lyrics to match with the
desired music you just created. This is trial and error, but trust your instinct and ask for opinions of others if needed.
8. Finally, it is time to play, express, practice and perform (if desired)… and just
remember to write down the final music and lyrics for your future reference. Or who knows, perhaps your future fortunes for such a beaut tune loved by many!
The Verses’ debut album Seasons will be released by Warner Music Australia on 13 August 2010. For further updates on The Verses and info on the Seasons Tour, check out www.theverses.com.au and follow on Facebook, Twitter and MySpace.