It works because of the wonders of digital recording but also I know I can trust them to understand what I’m looking for.
In reality, many of these people have never been in the same room at the same time and don’t even live on the same continent. I’m always on the look-out for new people but try to keep it to friends or friends of friends. JA: Bit of both really – there are few ‘lifers’ including my sister-in-law Sarah Vallance, Richard Bell and Jonathan Roberts. PB: There are a number of musicians involved in the latest album, is this a settled line-up or just a loose collection of musicians you picked to bring your songs to life? In effect all of the four albums I’ve made over the last 18 years are by The Feedback File. The first couple of albums came out under my own name but I decided that, because of the input from the rest of the guys and in particular with Tom (Linneen) being the lead singer on a large number of the songs, I wanted to create a more collective name. JA: I've been writing songs for most of my life but started taking it more seriously in the mid 90’s when I got a little 4-track recorder. PB: How and when did The Feedback File come together as a band? ‘The Earth Beneath Our Feet’ isn’t the first album to come out under the band name is it? There didn’t appear to be too much information about The Feedback File or John Almond out there so when the opportunity arose to put a few questions to John Almond to fill in the spaces we eagerly accepted. This is a collection of real songs that will stand the test of time, one of those albums that you return to time and again to let the magic of music get you through. Such was the impact of ‘The Earth Beneath Our Feet’ that we felt it was just too good to be left in the pile of great albums of 2015. While a mellow, laid-back vibe informs most of the album it’s obvious even from those early listens that Almond and his chosen bunch of musicians have pulled in elements of jazz, country, folk and even funk to create what really is an album that is constantly throwing up new surprises with each listen, while never losing that feeling of familiarity. Although titles such as ‘Back In The Canyon’ give some indication of the sound the band create, other song titles like ‘Vera Lynn’ and ‘Hey, Didn’t You Used To Be Bill Fay?’ gave notice that maybe here was a band that was going to be hard to pin down to any one genre.
Knowing that Johnny sadly passed away some years ago had me wondering and intrigued, could there be two musicians with the same name, capable enough to infiltrate any musical barriers that might still surround me?Įven early plays of ‘The Earth Beneath Our Feet’ revealed that John Almond, along with a generous list of musicians, had hit a warm, inviting yet eclectic groove with the eight original songs on the album. Digging around a little revealed that John Almond was the main man behind ‘The Earth Beneath Our Feet’, a name that will never be forgotten by this writer as ‘Johnny’ Almond’s sax and flute playing (not to mention his mouth percussion) blew my young mind when he was part of John Mayall’s band, the very first gig I attended way back then. When an album landed on the desk from The Feedback File there was little to indicate what treasures it contained. To rediscover those little gems that shone for a few weeks before something bigger and brighter took control but there are those albums which were never far from reach, those that didn’t just define a particular place and time but made such an impression that you knew instantly that they were going to soundtrack your life for years to come. Which is good as it gives us a chance to look back on the year that has just passed. The opening weeks of a new year are usually, musically, quite barren.
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