The Luck Of Eden Hall - Tour and Interview with Greg Curvey.

Chicago's The Luck of Eden Hall have been a mainstay of the pop-psych scene for many years now, treating listeners to some pearls of shimmering psych with tinges of prog. Many listeners will be aware of them through their successful association with Fruits de Mer, having provided some cracking tunes, and Curvey supplying the artwork for the upcoming 'Side Effects' boxset

Surprisingly TLoEH have only toured the UK once in the 25 or so years of their existence, but thanks to a successful Kickstarter campaign (to raise funds for airfare, lodging and rentals) that is to be rectified in the coming days, with the band undertaking a tour on July 30 @ 12 Bar Club, London England. The full dates are:

July 30 @ 12 Bar Club, London England

Aug 1 @ The Rocking Chair, Sheffield England

Aug 2 @ Radfest, Wales

Aug 3, 4, 5 @ MWNCI Studios Wales, recording a live album for Fruits de Mer Records

Aug 6 @ Bannerman’s, Edinburgh Scotland

Aug 7 @ Nice n’ Sleazys, Glasgow Scotland

Aug 8 @ The Magnet, Liverpool England

Aug 9 @ 13th Dream of Dr. Sardonicus Festival, Cardigan, Wales

Aug 11 @ The Half Moon, A Seance At Syd’s book release show, London

AS if this wasn't enough the band have a new single, in collaboration with author Neil Gaiman, based on his best selling novel 'The Ocean At The End Of The Lane'. There is a Kickstarter campaign ongoing in order to fund it's production and release, and there are some great perks for contributors. The campaign can be found at www.kickstarter.com/projects/1353737515/neil-gaiman-and-the-luck-of-eden-halls-7single

I recently had the honour of catching up with Greg Curvey via email.

Q: Hi Greg…..Thanks very much for taking some time for this. How are you doing?

Curvey: A bit frazzled getting everything in order for our tour, but all is fantastic.

Q: First of all, congratulations on a successful Kickstarter campaign. How did you find the process?

Curvey: Kickstarter campaigns can be a bit overwhelming, but we've found it to be a great way to sell our merchandise and raise a lot of money in a short period of time.

Q: Affirming in that people obviously wanted you to tour over here, or frustrating that you had to undertake it at all?

Curvey: Not frustrating at all. I'm filled with gratitude and looking forward to playing for you all again.

Q: More and more bands are using Kickstarter or similar, is this a result of the hegemony of the major labels making it difficult for smaller labels to release good products.

Curvey: Once again, it's just a great way to conduct a mass sale to raise money to be able to fund another project. We work with two fabulous labels in Europe, Fruits de Mer and Headspin. Both are a vital part of our team and have helped TLoEH tremendously.

Q: The new single is a collaboration with Neil Gaiman, inspired by his novel ‘Ocean at the end of the lane’….how did this come about?

Curvey: I thoroughly enjoyed Neil Gaiman's book The Ocean at the End of The Lane, and was inspired to write a song. I've done a few film soundtracks recently and sort of utilized that same creative space to bring this story to life musically. I was very happy with the end result and decided to approach Mr. Gaiman, through a mutual friend, to see if he might be interested in collaborating on the project by creating a drawing representing his awesome story for the cover of our 7" single. To my amazement he agreed, and I'm truly honored.

Q: Chicago has a thriving psych/neo-psych scene, and I know you have worked with The Red Plastic Buddha (on the ‘Songs For Mara’ LP), it would appear, at least from the outside, to have a real community spirit about it..is there a lot of jamming and 'cross pollination'?

Curvey: I love Tim Ferguson. He's one in a million. I'm sure there is quite a bit of cross pollinating going on. Sometimes Lofgren and I play in Umbra and the Volcan Siege, our keyboardist Jim Licka's band.

Q: The forthcoming Fruits de Mer ‘Side Effects’ box set has some truly stunning artwork by your good self. Do you have a background in art / design? and with which does your heart truly lay...music or art?

Curvey: My heart definitely belongs in the music camp, but I've been drawing and playing music my entire life. Unfortunately I make a lot more money drawing and painting. It's my day job, if you will.

Q: The band has had a long and productive association with Fruits de Mer, how did this come about?

Curvey: I was approached by Keith's old partner in crime Andy Braken, about covering a song for the A Phase We're Going Through LP. It was a lot of fun and I've been hooked ever since.

Q: Where did the name 'The Luck Of Eden Hall' originate?

Curvey: I came across this tale of a middle eastern vessel that faeries and elves put a spell on in an occult dictionary I'd picked up at a used book store, and it was a perfect fit. Later I discovered the vessel had been inspiring artists for a couple hundred years.

Q: TLoEH have been an entity for some 26 years now....did you set out to be a 'psychedelic band' or was it more of a natural evolution?

Curvey: Popped psychedelic rock and rollisms is what I've been calling it since our inception. You can hear it in “Secret Garden,” one of the tracks off our 1989 release on Sound Cloud.

Q: How has the psychedelic scene changed in that time? and how has the band evolved?

Curvey: I'm not quite sure how the scene has changed. I try to steer clear. And one of the key elements in the evolution of our sound has been the addition of James and his giant Mellotron.

Q: What or who have been your own influences artistically?

Curvey: Life and all of it's experiences. Painful crushing events like the passing if my Mom, beautiful events like the birth of my daughter, science fiction and classic horror.

Q: What are the dynamics of the band and the recording process? Does everyone have a 'job' or is more of a collaborative exercise?

Curvey: Generally, Lofgren and I both bring songs to the table for a new album and see what ones work together. Sometimes all of the parts are flushed out, sometimes we help each other out, then bring the demos to rehearsal for the band.

Q: Of which of your records are you most proud? My personal fave is the 'Victoria Moon' album...a lovely mix of shimmering pop psych and prog.

Curvey: Thank you, I'm glad you like it. I put a lot of time into the production of that record and I'm very proud if it. When The Clock Starts To Wake Up We Go To Sleep has a special place in my heart as well.

Q: It's good to see you back in Blighty, this is your second UK tour, what are your memories of the first? Did you enjoy it?

Curvey: Yes, I enjoyed it very much! The last tour was one of the most gratifying experiences I've ever had, and the reception you folks gave us was outstanding.

Q: What's in the pipeline for TLoEH?

Curvey: Finishing up our next album The Acceleration of Time is my top priority after finishing this tour, along with making our The End of the Lane Kickstarter campaign a success. Then I've been asked by Dreaming Tree Films to create another film soundtrack for a new Sci-fi film they're shooting. It's about time travel and string theory.

Many thanks for your time Greg and all the best for the new single and the tour.

Curvey: It's been a pleasure!

For more details go to the band's website here and take some time to check out the bandcamp page for some fine sounds.