The Stills :: Interview With Tim Fletcher

Has logic ever changed your heart?

The Stills answer would be positively in the affirmative. Their aptly titled, debut album, "Logic will break your heart," is out now on Vice/Atlantic Records. Their presence, however on this side of the pond is yet to be enhanced to its full potential, but all that's about to change.

With a string of UK dates scheduled for April, the band are set to win over a whole new generation of fans. Their radio friendly rock evokes fond memories of The Smiths and has made them the latest "bright young things," to emerge in to a market which is becoming increasingly cyclical. At a time when chart dominance lies with Pop Idol/Fame Academy winners and losers, the likes of Snow Patrol, Jet, Keane and Franz Ferdinand, whose often ballad-driven, semi-acoustic rock with repetitive, yet not annoying chorus' format is refreshingly inspiring and enjoyable to listen to. The Stills are almost certain to be added to this list.

Songs such as the striking, "Lets Roll," the tender tear-jerker, "Still In Love," and the foot tapping, catchy stadium showstopper that is "Yesterday Never Tomorrows'," are destined to equal the success of their contemporaries. This young four piece from Montreal, Canada are going places. If you get the chance to see The Stills, I suggest you take it, before they really take off...

Skiddles' very own Adam Lewis and Richard Dyer caught up with Tim Fletcher (guitar, lead vocals) from The Stills during their current UK tour.

A.L So before we talk about the band, what would you be doing if you weren’t entertaining the masses musically?

TF: Musically? Weren’t? Oh.

I’d probably be playing and recording music at home, avoiding more serious jobs, probably working with something to do with music or film, or a really easy job like a restaurant or something.

I’m sure you’ve been asked this a hundred times, but why call yourself The Stills?

I think there’s quite a lot of cool photographic, or cinematic references with movement that appear from the word ‘stills’ which is reflected in our music, images generated from words. Something like that. Also ‘Moonshine’ was made in stills in Tennessee, and as we’re quite a heavy drinking band I think that’s quite appropriate. Quite an arty name really.

Guys, I hear the song writing has largely been down to Tim (Fletcher, vocals, guitar) and Dave (Hammelin, drums), who I gather have been friends for years. To what extent has the recruitment of Greg (Paquet, lead guitar) and Oliver (Crowe, bass) changed the song writing process - is it more of a team effort these days?...

Dave does a lot at home, songs and lyrics, in a way he would like to put his message across, I do the same. Oliver and Greg then listen and change, play stuff in a different way than we would ever think about. From this we develop and grow, pushing each other musically, progressing and maintaining the originality.

The album has been described as "schizophrenic," in that the melody of the vocals is often met by the darkness and edge of the music. The songs are all very different. For example, on "Allison Krausse," the lyrics spit out a discernible feeling of hurt and resentment, whilst the tender mantra of "Still in Love," sounds confused between self-belief and self-delusion. To what extent was this conflict intentional or was it just a natural element of the song writing?...

Again it’s all about progressing, and new directions with the music. The album took about three years to write in total, and with this came the natural progression of the music. If you listen to the newer stuff compared to the old you’ll see a complete change, if this wasn’t there I think people would be suspicious of why it all sounds the same and nothing is changing.

So natural, but in a deliberate kind of way.

The new single (“Changes are no good”) is out on Monday. What’s it all about?  Sell it to me…

Well, Dave wrote, “Changes are no good,” when we were first in New York, and all of our shows we’re filled with all kinds of people in the music industry. It overwhelmed us the way it was all done, we asked ourselves is it bullshit, what are we doing? So I guess that’s what it was all about, we didn’t want to change because of the pressures and feelings all the time. Changes are no good.

Finally I plan to spend the summer in a tent watching bands in the sunshine. Will The Stills be appearing at any UK festivals?

Glastonbury and T In The Park maybe, definitely Reading and Leeds. We were there last year, its just amazing, like a family atmosphere, all the bands getting along with each other and all the fans, just everywhere, they love it! Like the perfect natural high, from music!