5 minutes with...DIEM
Please introduce yourselves to ilovecf. com and describe your music.
J: We're Diem and together we have the foundation of a very well known joke considering we have an Englishman, a Welshman and a Scotsman.... All we need now is an Irish bassist and we'll be complete!
With Dan on vocals and acoustic guitar, Ben (aka muffy) on lead guitar and myself James (Cowboy) on drums, we would describe our music as, well I’d find it hard to define properly but I’d probably choose something near bluesy southern rock (ish).
M: I have no idea where to start with describing the music. Maybe by saying it's an acoustic backed, heavy drummed, rock guitar mixture of all our influences thrown in together that seem to fall into place in a way we like.
How did you all meet?
D: Muffy and I met through a mutual friend Barney. When I was going to move back to Cardiff from Reading, He gave me Ben's mobile number. James just turned up while we were out and told me he was going to be our Drummer!
J: Well I met Muffy randomly whist staggering home from a club after a night of JD and ended up becoming friends with Dan through muffy.
M: I met Dan in Reading train station carrying a guitar over his shoulder whilst I was sat with a friend. We got introduced and I was told he was moving to Cardiff and it turned out he was moving to a house about 10 minutes down the road from where I lived. We went out for the night for his girlfriends birthday and somehow formed a band. I met James when he randomly came up to my Girlfriend and I after a night out and he just walked up to us and said "You guys look pretty cool, I'm gonna walk with you"... then he didn't go away.
J: like I said it had been a good night with Mr Daniels.
What's on your mind today?
D: Wow, we have an interview, is this real?
J: How do they get those little boats inside the bottle?
M: Who is Allen and why did he need such stupid shaped keys?
How did 2008 treat you?
D: A bit mixed really, We spent all year rehearsing old material, we had to sack our Bassist and felt like things weren't really going anywhere. We done a charity gig to showcase a couple of new songs, that went down well, and decided to give it all or nothing for 2009!
J: Same here, it felt like a lot of time being spent not getting anywhere, but we have put our energy into sorting out our sound and working on new material and I’ve put a lot of time into our recording process and it seems to be paying off, but 2008 is done and gone so I think we are all just concentrating on moving forward and seeing what we can achieve in 2009.
M: Redundancy, new job, new guitar, new effects, new debts, new fun, new stresses and a year that passed far too quickly! And this also kinda kicked me into gear to get things sorted out. We shall see!
Cardiff, and South Wales in general, is a hotbed of creative talent, why do you think this is so?
D: Capital City, attracts every one and I think Cardiff and South Wales have got a new spark from Television Productions which is attracting a whole new generation.
J: I think it's because there is such a mix of people in the city itself, plus in the music scene everyone seems to know everyone else so it's quite easy to find people who are up for getting together and having a jam that kinda seems to develop as you get further And bands are always willing to support each other when they start that way because they all just want to get out, be heard and enjoy playing their music.
M: Cardiff has a few interesting places for music like Cafe Jazz, The Globe, The Point, St David’s Hall, The CIA, etc, so it seems to attract local bands and open mic nights most of the time. I think we should have more places and nights for live music though and less night clubs doing the same things. I also think it's something in the water and the beer.
J: or the JD?
M: That is water moron...
J: ......
M: Heh Heh....
J: This sentence has been censored for the younger readers.
Who are your musical influences?
D: Tom Petty (Sound), Matchbox twenty (Sound), Kelly Jones (Lyrical Ability), hmmm... Even Serj Tankian sometimes, (Lyrical Ability) depends what mood I'm in and what I want to say really.
J: I don’t even know where to start on that. I guess I’d have to say I was brought up listening to the likes of Cream and Deep Purple, And I have to choose Zeppelin over The Who (Bonham I choose YOU!), Fleetwood Mac, etc. If I had to pick a few who come to mind first off I’d have to say Dave Grohl for his style and energy, both behind the kit and as a front man, maybe a bit of Nickleback thrown in and a bit of older stuff like Soundgarden and maybe Faith No More. Just the kind of stuff that I was listening to when I was going through school. Definitely some Gary Numan and some Nine Inch Nails, but my influences also come from more than music, places I’ve been and people I’ve met have had a lot of effect on my life.
M: I have many influences from musicians and bands like Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, John 5, Paul Gilbert, Dream Theatre, Led Zeppelin, Days of the New and Alice in Chains right through to Michael Hedges, Rodrigo Y Gabriela, Santana, Martin Simpson and Tori Amos. The list could go on and on!
If you had to review your last gig, what would you write?
D: Kicking off with Tomorrow Will Take Me and Falling At Your Feet, the band kept to some of the old material for devoted fans by choosing two of the better tracks off the previous acoustic set. Tomorrow Will Take Me, in particular, was a great start to the gig with our Lead Guitarist, Ben Knight, Livening up this delicate, emotion fuelled tune, before the latter song brought in their rocky, anthemic side.
J: I'd just say that we had a damn good time and the crowd seemed to enjoy themselves too and that made it awesome for us.
M: I'd agree with that. We just played and threw everything into it which in turn meant we got more and more lost in the music and threw in even more. It was awesome having it at that volume and not having to think about it being too loud for the neighbors as well! The gig was a charity event with bands playing throughout the day and we knew most of them so you could say it was almost like a party where we all jammed and had an awesome time. That was a good day!
Which of you is the best musician?
J: Well that would have to be me, I keep these two held together and in time. Nah, not really. In honesty I find the stuff Muffy (Ben) does is amazing and sometimes I have to listen closely to figure out what I’ve just heard, but on the other side Dan comes out with things no one else would think of and sometimes I find myself pushed to come up with something to do justice to what he's written. Personally I try to keep things simple but solid so I don’t think anyone is the best, but we all have strengths of our own that bring out the best in each other's playing.
D: I think we are each individually better in different ways for different reasons.
M: I'm the best at what I do in the band, Dan is the best at what he does in the band and James is the best at what he does in the band. We all compliment each other and all get lost in our own ways which creates an atmosphere that drives what we do even more.
Do you think you have a Welsh sound?
D: No, but if enough people get interested, I think we could have the next Welsh Sound!
J: what would you call a welsh sound? Wales has produced so many types of musicians that I think it would be unfair to say there is a typical welsh sound, I mean you have everything from the Stereophonics to Tom Jones to the Manics to Charlotte Church. how do you define that?
M: I don't think there is a particularly Welsh sound, just vast talent waiting to be found in Wales. All you need to do is go down to open mic nights and places like Clwb Ifor Bach, Cafe Jazz and 10 Feet Tall to hear some of the undiscovered talent there is in local areas around Cardiff to hear music you wish you could buy in the shops.
Which is your favorite Cardiff venue to play?
D: The Point
J: Yep The Point, the sound is amazing and so loud you feel the stage shake with the drums.
M: Definitely The Point so far for the BIG sound and I really enjoyed Bar Tafod for the intimacy and more contained and tight sound.
J: Yeah the sound guy at TLCIII was pretty good!
M: He was alright... (James was the sound guy!)
Tell us your plans for the future.
D: With the release of our E.P. titled 'Who Knows?', for the next three months we'll be busy promoting it with gigs. Then in March, we're looking at recording some more new stuff.
J: Like Dan said we've worked hard to get the E.P. ready and now it's time to get out there and play, enjoy ourselves and refine our live act and also work on some more new stuff.
M: I'm really looking forward to finally getting out there and being heard. We've worked hard and hopefully this year will be one that gives us the opportunity to refine everything and work better together. And I have to go to more gigs! AND WE MUST GET A BASSIST!
What is your favorite restaurant in Cardiff?
M: Nando's, Thai Edge, Dim Sum, Pizza Express, the 'old' Old Orleans with all the musical instruments!
J: Cliché but it's got to be hard rock cafe!
D: I'm not a restaurant person.
What is your favourite bar?
M: The Funky Buddha!
J: Nosda, chilled and relaxed.
D: The Queens Vaults.
What is your favourite club?
D: Fuel.
M: Bogiez when all your friends are there!
J: It's a tie between fuel and Bogiez.
Where would you take someone on their first visit here, to show them Cardiff at its best?
D: Firstly, Cardiff Castle for a bit of history then Sophia Gardens, it's a nice place to get away and think.
M: Roath park, Bute park and the Castle grounds. It's also great to rehearse there during the summer sat under the trees next to the big Troll!
J: I’d try to show them around the city it's self, while Ben is a hippy and loves tree's and imps and pixies. I just love cities at night. Weird maybe, but that’s me!
Thank's guys and good look for the future.
Check out Diem's myspace site at: myspace.com/diemuk If your band would like to featured on ilovecf.com, send us an email or use the contact page.
