EP: Where does the name Montauk Hotel come from?
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Claudia: We were trying to think of what our music would look like if it was out there somewhere…A name that would evoke an image of some sort in people’s minds. We had spent some time in Bray together and we had a real fascination for places like the old houses on the beach and the old hotel there. That linked in with one of the band’s favourite films ‘Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind’ where some of the scenes took place in a beach house in Montauk. The story of the film is full of recurring elements like memory, affection and time. These would all be themes that come up in our songs.
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EP: How long have you been performing together and how did you all meet?
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Aoife: Myself and Shell played in a band together a few years back. We met up again some time later to form another band. We found Claudia through a friend on Facebook and Karima plays in another band with me and agreed to come in to try out for the drums. The rest is history!
Shell: After our first band finished, me and Aoife eventually met up to jam and write songs… But it was just the two of us jamming with guitar and bass for months. Though we wrote the bones of our first single ‘Black Dress’ during this time! We went on the hunt for a singer and when we found Claudia it just fit so perfectly. Karima had taken a few drum lessons a few years back and we asked her to play with us… And we wouldn’t let her leave! We’ve had this line up for almost a year now.
Claudia: Basically, Karima was bullied into playing drums for us!
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EP: What’s the best advice anyone has ever given you – in life or in regard to music?
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Shell: “Good artists copy, great artists steal”. We take a lot of inspiration from our influences, and they in turn took a lot of inspiration from their own idols. I think it’s important to learn from what other musicians have achieved in order to create something of your own.
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EP: Ireland has a population of just under 5 million and so much amazing music has come out of the country. What’s your take on why this is so?
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Aoife: I think it is something that is built into Irish people. A lot of Irish musicians get inspiration from Ireland’s hard times, both past and present, and are just not afraid to address them and turn them into brutally honest, heartfelt songs. So basically, I think a lot of Irish musicians and songwriters are not afraid to be honest, We’re a great country for poets and writers and I think this is similar to the country’s strength in writing music.
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EP: What’s next for Montauk Hotel?
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Shell: We have had a super busy and successful Summer so we want to spend a good bit of time writing and playing about with our sound a bit more!
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Karima: It would be nice to get back into the studio to do some new songs. That album won’t write itself!
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EP: What question do you wish someone would ask you in an interview, but nobody ever does?
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Shell: It would be great to be asked more questions about our sound, the gear we use and our approaches to songwriting.
