Life, Interrupted

Inspiration is a funny thing. There is no right time or place for 'the muse' to rear its temperamental head. John Lennon probably said it best: “Life is what happens to you when you're busy making other plans”. A heinously overused phrase, yes, but relevant nonetheless to the origins of soul/funk/blues/roots group Bonjah's new single, Evolution.

“It was really intense,” sighs the band's bassist David Morgan. “This fan came up to me and Regan [Lethbridge, guitarist] individually and she held out her hand and looked deep into my eyes and told me how she went through this really dark time a few years ago. She told me she was struggling with depression and was really close to ending it, but said that our music was the only reason she didn't go through with it. After the gig, Regan and I shared the story with the rest of the guys and we all found it really inspiring.” 

And, ready for this? The whole incident occurred at a time when the band was struggling through a block – not knowing whether they should turn off the touring light and bunker down to write or to soldier on with the live scene.

“Two days after that happened, Glenn [Mossop, lead singer] sent through this email to all of us saying, 'That story has inspired me to write this song,' and the song was Evolution. He said he sat down and wrote it in about four or five hours, then put the tune on GarageBand and sent it out to all of us. We didn't need to change a thing – we were all like, 'That has some good energy, brother.'” The single's title is somewhat ironic, given the band's sound has almost devolved from its most recent incarnation of soulful rock, back into their original direction of bluesy rock. “That wasn't really a conscious decision,” Morgan admits, in his slightly faded Kiwi accent. “The sound that we have now is just what's come out of the writing process really. That's just the way the music has developed naturally.”

The single was produced by pop-rock aficionado Nick DiDia, who has also helped shaped the wares of the likes of Powderfinger, Pearl Jam, Rage Against The Machine and Bruce Springsteen. “He was great,” gushes Morgan, “just knowing that he would bring his years of experience – all that international experience, working with all those bands. We just sort of knew that he would be able to take ideas of sound that we had and know how to create and record them.” Morgan says DiDia's artistic background added to his allure, as they were hoping to evoke a rougher, dirtier sound for the release. “We didn't want it to be too clean and crisp. I guess that's because the song warranted that. It didn't need a real pop sound 'cause it's got flavours of those old '50s and '60s rock songs.”

Joining DiDia was Leon Zervos (Muse, Beastie Boys, Eskimo Joe) but, unlike DiDia, Zervos, who mastered the single, was given a little more direction. “You know, we just sort of gave him a little bit of direction, but told him to work his magic and we said we want it for radio, so to keep it hi-fi. He did such a great job.”

Having toured extensively here and overseas, does Morgan think making the “really hard decision” to put their live lifestyle on hold and go back to writing was the right choice to make? “Financially, it's not ideal to stop touring. But I think overall, everyone was quite keen to get together and write some new stuff,” Morgan candidly admits, before adding, “We just want people to walk away with a fun vibe, not take it too seriously.”