sign in sign up
<<
Home , A Hundred Million Suns, Before the Worst, Mytown, Olympic Studios, The Script, The Voice UK (series 5)

in studio The Script Bible series presents

2014

Inside this issue:

Birthplaces of 2 The Script In Studio the first

The shed in 2 Special Edition for The Script Bible Challenge Olympic Studios 3 Thank you for playing the “hibernation” period. Us- Here’s to many more al- challenge with me this ing public interviews (and bums to be created, mem- winter, it’s been a lot of google heavily) I put this ories to cherish, songs to Science&Faith 3 fun to have all here. Con- together to try to give us sing. in Santa Monica gratulations for winning fans a little insight to how this special booklet, hope the we all love so Studios of the 4 you’re gonna enjoy it! much, were born. second album

The following stories were I’m so proud of the jour- Studio 3, through 5 published as a series of ney the lads have covered the eyes of The blog posts on The Script and really looking forward Script Bible blog in February, to the rest that’s still ahead 2014, right in the middle of us! #3 and The 5 Voice UK of The Script’s “The stories behind the Working on the music” 6 fourth album

About The Script Bible Special thanks for their help and support to: The blog started in Au- Family was a better dis- and precious. And if we  Frederica, gust, 2013 to share all traction than I could’ve can learn to accept and @fredericah20 those stories I’ve collected planned for had it been a love who we are through  Jasinta, during my obsessive re- conscious decision. The Script’s example (or @RKScriptLove search. I’ve always been through any example for  Laura, interested in the stories It’s all to share the love we that matter), I believe that @Me_not_B behind any music and last all have for the guys, not the world has become a year it coincided with a just for the music but also better place. This is the  And my relentless personal tragedy that gave for standing for who they thought that makes me put support team of Lyn- sey, Simo, Donna, me more time than I need- are. For being the best in all those hours into this Naomi, Emma, Ei- ed to survive those version of themselves in- love-project. Hope you, stead of trying to be some- leen, Janey, Andrea, months. Researching old too, can enjoy it! Agnes, Birgit— interviews, watching vide- one they’re not. I think couldn’t have done it os, talking to The Script we’re all different, unique Love, Andrea without you! Birthplaces of the first album

Venice Beach was where “the con- When he told them first that he was One of the first songs born out of dom of the music industry broke and a drummer, Mark didn’t believe those sessions was ‘Before The The Script was born” as Mark put it him. He’d seen Glen in Dublin as a Worst’. Seeing this video from 2007 bluntly. Himself and Danny, who guitarist and he thought that Glen gives a good feeling of what their were living in LA at the time, spent calling himself a drummer was jamming might have looked like. Fridays at their home studio, writing “fucking cocky”. So at the first chance or jamming out various musicians they put him on the kit to see if he from Pearl Jam to Nine Inch Nails. could swim. He sure did. They con- tinued their jamming the next day “We’d get messed up and that was our and the day after that and the day Friday night out.” (Mark) after that, rather ruining Glen’s holi- day but ending up with a couple of When Glen arrived from Dublin to solid songs. have a vacation in LA, he met the “The only Venice Beach I saw was on a guys in the studio and they started postcard on the wall.” (Glen) jamming together. at The Script’s home studio in Dublin The shed in Dublin

It was a celebratory moment. Three lads from Dublin, working hard all “It’s a paradox, because it’s so sad that the two of them aren’t their lives, finally signed a record deal in America. Of course it had here to see our success, but we wouldn’t have made the album we happened before with , and Mark and Danny were likely to hold did if it hadn’t all happened.” (Mark) back on the celebration. But then more shit hit the fans: news were received about Mark’s mother hav- fort from the fact that his mum saw it all, he was there one day, and gone the next. Writing music was ing terminal cancer. The band him fell in love and heard some of the outlet that helped them, “going moved back to Dublin, and they set their songs. up a studio in the back garden of into the studio was like therapy sessions”, Danny said, and the songs born in Mark’s mother’s house, just behind “In her eyes I was always successful be- that period reflected what the band St James’s Hospital where she was cause I was following my soon moved to. collectively went through. dreams” (Mark) One of those songs is the poignant “We were going through what felt like Within four months of Mark’s moth- the most joyous fucking days of our lives er’s death, the trio faced another ‘The End Where I Begin’ that and we now had this to deal with. She crisis when Danny’s father suddenly doesn’t focus on only the loss, but had cancer and there was no hope. It was passed away. Right in the middle of also the recovery. a kick in the fucking teeth.” (Danny)

It wasn’t easy on anyone. Mark spent his nights with his mum and came back to the studio pouring all his pain and emotions into the songs. The others could do nothing but be there for him and manage the ups and downs of those 10 months Danny in the video as well as possible. Mark drew com-

Page 2 The Script In Studio Olympic Studios

The band finished recording The the most comfortable and happy Dogs here in 1973-74. Mark be- Script album in this studio that had there. ing the big Bowie fan must’ve more than 40 years of memory enjoyed that. edged into its walls. Olympic Studi- Paying attention to every detail, go-  Some tracks on Kaiser Chief’s Employment album from 2005 os were established in ing through every beat and every line with their have been recorded and/or 1957 and moved to its producing hat on, The mixed here. Their lead singer, current location in 1967 Script finalised their Ricky Wilson is now sitting in where it was built to be debut album ready for Danny’s chair on the best and compete release. UK. with the best. Having  , ’s other achieved that The Roll- “There’s a lot of throwa- popular band had their fifth al- at the ing Stones recorded 6 way music around nowa- bum, A Hundred Million Suns Olympic Studios, 1968 mixed here in the same year albums here and other days. We like to think of when The Script. famous artists include every layer that goes into  The Zutons, who The Script Jimmy Hendrix, , Led our records.” (Danny) toured with in 2008, had their Zeppelin, Queen – even second album partially recorded left their usual spot at Today the studio has been turned here. into a cinema but during its rich his- to record here. tory some familiar names pop up: was the last band recording in The Script all said that having pretty the studios in 2011 before it closed  recorded Diamond much grown up in studios, they feel down.

Science and Faith in Santa Monica “Once you find who you are, It’d been two years on the road with And the glue that holds it together? the first album that took the band to Tea, of course! it's really easy to be in a more than 20 countries from Ireland to Japan, America to New Zealand, "We love tea. Tea probably fuels all of band, and that's exactly what our songs. Yeah, tea and pota- supporting bands like U2, toes." (Mark) its amounted too, and if you and Paul McCartney. Before going on the road with American Idol win- As all three members play various change anyone in that mix ner, David Cook in November of instruments, it happens that Glen 2009, The Script took a break in San- comes up with a piano riff, or Danny you're going to get a different ta Monica. They were in and out the finishes the lyrics Mark started, or studio in between appearing on ra- Mark arranges percussion. They go sound.” (Glen) dio and TV shows like Ellen still back and forth between each other. promoting the first album. They’ve said that there’s not one main in the band, they all But what’s the songwriting process can do various parts of the songwrit- like in the land of The Script? ing process at any given time. Since they have different tastes in music, that mashup creates the unique “It can start with any number of things sound of The Script: happening, usually a guitar riff or piano part or a great lyrical line someone has come up with or overheard being said “We’re all into different types of music somewhere and then we just go with the and always feel like we’re collaborating Mark and Glen at when we actually work together within flow and jam out till we are all feeling Venice Beach it.” (Glen) the band.” (Danny)

Page 3 The Script in studio Studios of the second album

The work started in Santa Monica, home for the Christmas holidays. was only released in 2009 in the in between some touring and promo Mark put it this way: USA, The Script went to New York in America, with playing with the for a couple weeks in March, 2010. first ideas and recording the first “Everyone really wanted to come home, songs. it was Christmas time and I guess we were hoping to come back and share our “It was amazing. We’d get up every success with everyone. But actually we morning and just jam. We got the guts of hit a very stark reality. Ireland has been three songs down very quickly. It started one of the worst hit when it comes to to come hot and heavy after that.” (Glen) recession. We had an economic boom in this country where we all had money and The Script worked in the studio of we didn’t really know what to do with it. Glen in the studio, New York Apogee Electronics, that was only And we found a lot of our friends and built in 2005 with the most modern families were literally stripped of that.” digital audio equipment of the com- pany. The whole building is solar This experience was written into the They appeared on talkshows, record- powered and the space is also used song For The First Time which was ed a live session for VH1 and had for the KCRW radio’s live sessions. The Script’s first number one single some intimate gigs. True to their Given the band’s long experience in in Ireland. It resonated so much with hard-working reputation all this did studio work, these little geeky details the country that it became equivalent not keep them away from the studio, likely played a role in deciding on with the Irish recession. continued the work in New York. the venue. The song also set the tone for the No wonder that when they came whole album in a way: back to , they felt enthusias- tic about the new songs. As their bio page said on their website at the “We may have an American, “I felt like it was something that could be time: a real flagship, to set the tone for what we want to talk about, emotionally. And polished sound, but we lived in the rest has spun off from The scene is a in Lon- there.” (Danny) don. (…) Danny and Mark cannot sit America for ten years. That’s still. They are leaping about to the music blasting from huge speakers, an addictive where I learned to produce Recording the album continued in blend of hip hop rhythms, flowing melo- Sphere Studios, central London, that dies, sparkling hooks and emotive, story- had seen successful artists like Du- spinning lyrics, with Danny’s mellifluous records.” (Mark) ran Duran, Northern Irish virtuoso soulful vocals riding high over huge, an- guitarist Gary Moore or will.i.am. It themic choruses. This is their forthcom- was a big complex with 3 main stu- ing second album, ‘Science And Faith’, dios and 7 writing rooms but it and it is fair to say the band is excited. In its short history the studio had closed after 13 years the beginning of The studio door flies open, and in bursts seen a long line of successful artists February this year. drummer Glen. “I’ve nailed that track like (who was on tour with lads!” he declares. “Wait til you hear it! The Script in 2009), Damien Rice I’ve got blisters on my hands!” (another Irish gem) or big names like Bruce Springsteen and The Rolling After some trips back to the US to Stones. As a side-business to their appear on the Today show and over manufacturing, Apogee Electronics to Spain the album was finished in donates all profits from the studio to June. Just a couple weeks later ‘For a Mexican charity that supports or- Sphere Studios, London The First Time’ has its radio debut phans and abandoned children. in the middle of July and was re- leased around the 20th of August. In Come the first months of 2010 The quick succession the album ‘Science Script worked in London and in Uncharacteristically the band took a and Faith’ was released on the 10th New York. But the biggest inspira- promo “break” from the intensive of September in Ireland. tion for the second album was going studio work. Since the first album

Page 4 The Script In Studio Studio 3, from the eyes of The Script

The studio was partly behind the My favourites are the ones that told album’s name: a little more about what was going on in the studio, serious work or not: “And the studio we were in was studio 3. It’s the third album and there’s three of us in the band so if we were gonna do it, the time is now. As we were moving along all those little idiosyncrasies of The band also prepared a video up- number three were crawling along. date. What did we learn? Danny’s birthday is on the third, he lives house number three, there’s just so many  They still don’t have proper jobs things that were paving the way of call- Mark burns water ing it number three.” (Mark)   Glen’s favourite part about re- More than previously The Script cording is to try out new ideas kept in touch during their studio  They took Mona Lisa from Lou- hours. Sometimes they were teasers vre to their studio (well, almost) about the new songs:  An album is never finished: they’re still writing TMWCBM.

Other times they were just updates about how good things were going:

One thing’s for sure: it’s never bor- ing in The Script studio!

#3 and The Voice UK

#3 was born under unusual circum- When going in studio, there was touring in the years before the birth stances. During the day Danny already an approach in mind that the of the album made the band more coached hopeful contestants in the band wanted to stick to: confident in their sound, resulting in first series of the Voice UK (and some depths they hadn’t achieved causing quite a stir on the gossip “We had a working ethos in out head before: columns), during the night he joined that we wanted to make music for the the band for some song-writing ses- head, heart and feet – music that you can “They may not be the right things to say sions. think about, feel and dance to.” (Mark) but you just have the confidence to own up. And I think that is what is on this “Sometimes I’d be filming from 9am It was different from the heartbreak- album more than before as I think we until 9pm, but I’d go straight to meet related songs that the band became have always second-guessed how people them and we’d work ’til 2 or famous for, but all of them embraced were going to perceive these songs. I guess 3am.” (Danny) the opportunity to get played in bars over the course people have just loved our or even in clubs. The success and the honesty and our song-writing and that is

Page 5 The Script in studio something that we never ever shied away liver the album two months before “Not many bands would even contem- from with this album we just wanted to schedule. plate doing what we did, but we ended be completely honest and open as a up delivering the record two months ear- book.” (Danny) ly, which is unheard of. We were mili- tant in our attack.” (Danny) The Script was used to hard work but it was the first time in decades The end-result was an album that that Mark and Danny worked sepa- was a step away from their original rately: style and marked the first collabora- tion with another album. “Nobody has separated us as a produc- tion team since we were kids.” (Mark) “We decided to venture down that road because we wanted to really aim for Top It was also the first time for the band 40 radio” (Glen) to work with Jimbo Barry, a young Irish producer who worked with The album peaked only at number 2 them on 5 tracks. in the UK charts but it scored The Script’s first number 1 song, Hall of

Thanks to their focus and positive Fame. attitude The Script were able to de- Working on the 4th album

The band announced at V-fest 2013 The Way You Lie and other familiar that come autumn they head for an- names from Snow Patrol, Morissey, other round of studio work, aka Kanye West or Black Eyed Peas. “hibernation”. Temple Lane was not the only stu- But work on the new songs started dio they worked in though. Another earlier during the summer. After the American tour with Irish studio, the Edge Studio also Train The Script worked in confirmed that The Script worked Dublin’s Temple Lane studios there and they also wrote on their (in motivating closeness to the blog that the band is working again famous Wall of Fame that dis- with Jimbo Barry. plays Dublin’s most beloved It looked like The Script started with musical acts). full steam writing the new songs. Already in the beginning of October they tweeted about having three An interesting fact: a song songs done: named “The Man Who Couldn’t Cry” was recorded in the Temple Lane Studios in 2004 by Jack L.

Not even a minor traffic accident The place is an old establish- curbed their enthusiasm about writ- ment, it has probably witnessed ing new songs: many fascinating moments of music history in its 30 years with Rihanna recoding Love

Page 6 The Script In Studio Working tirelessly all night long: with the songs and it wasn’t gonna The release date was not confirmed happen not any time soon: for a long time, although the band mentioned September in various informal conversations. As the last two albums were both released in that month, it seems to be a comfort- able timeline for The Script.

More important than the release date is the approach that Danny shared in an interview in March:

“We feel like we want to go back. It's like a prequel to the first album. It's really In January Danny was already talk- nice. It's a lot more stripped back." ing about singles but he didn’t give It’s hard to find any fans who are not any planned date away: excited hearing this.

Despite all that effort the band was not any kind of rush.

Mark said in December they won’t stop until they’re completely happy

This concludes our overview of how The Script works and worked in the studio according to these snippets dropped over the years. One thing that will always be hard to put into words is how that particular magic that is the birth of a song actu- ally happens. And that’s probably for the better. A little mystery never hurts.

Page 7 The Script in studio