At the age of 19 Kevin Hines (HBO’s The Bridge) attempted suicide by way of thrusting himself off the Golden Gate Bridge- and the 245 foot fall (which he miraculously survived) changed not only his own life- but the lives of many, including Friends Of Emmet frontman Mark Leddy.  Leddy, so moved by the story wrote “Coming Apart” as a tribute to Hines’ day surrounding the almost certain tragedy.  After hearing the backstory, and listening to the song- I definitely had to head over the hill and through the canyon to see what all the commotion was about.

Listening to Friends Of Emmet for a good part of the day yesterday, getting amped for their Viper Room show, I was more than slightly shocked to see them on the bill with several hardcore bands.  Leave it to the boys from Ireland to bring even the harshest of rockaholics to a complete standstill, enthralled by the emotionally charged tracks and entrancing vocals of Friends Of Emmet.

After the set that had metal heads entranced and girls glued to their cell phones hoping to snag videos of not one- but all of the songs, I headed out onto Sunset Strip (apparently my home away from home) to catch up with Mark Leddy, waiting for the other boys to jump into the interview mix!

BNB:  So you hail from Dublin, Ireland- which is where the rest of your band still lives, but you’ve moved out to L.A.- main difference between the music scene across the pond as opposed to here?

ML:  I think the optimism- people are just more optimistic here!

BNB:  Think it’s the weather maybe?

ML:  Maybe it IS the weather!  Maybe it’s the celtic druid in everybody…

BNB:  So lets talk about the title track “Coming Apart”- what inspired you about that particular story?

ML:  What really inspired me about that story was Kevin Hines- I saw him one night and “The Bridge” came on the television and the story really struck me as one of hope.  So we found out a bit more about him- and what he’d been doing since, the positive good work he’s been doing across the nation speaking on behalf of suicide prevention- giving people hope who are in that situation.  So that inspired the lyrics to the song- which is about his day, the day he jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge.  So we sent the song to him and he loved it, and we struck up a friendship with him.  It’s pretty incredible really- the power of music.

BNB:  The song really was incredible and moving- and you could tell that you were really emotionally involved when singing it.

ML:  Well, his father was in the audience here at the Viper Room- Pat Hines.

 

BNB:  So the last song you ended the set with- you wrote three weeks ago, in Dublin, Ireland- how does the song writing process work with you all?

ML:  I don’t know- you know, it comes from the ether!  It comes from out there wherever- you just gotta sort of grab it, get it down.  It takes a little bit of discipline.  The song’s got a beautiful, haunting chord change.  The lyrics- I was actually in the studio on the day of my fifth wedding anniversary- so the lyrics are kind of personal, and kind of an apology to my wife at the same time!

BNB:  Pretty sure she’ll forgive you!

ML:  Well, I hope so!

 

BNB:  Favorite venue to play here in L.A.?

ML:  The Viper Room actually, it has the best sound!  And The Whiskey as well- we like the sound there too.  But the crew at the Viper Room are all great- very musician friendly!

BNB:  It’s a little more intimate as well- perfect for tonight’s emotionally charged set!

ML:  Yes, absolutely.

 

BNB:  So you switched back and forth between guitar & piano with quite a bit of ease- how many instruments do you play?

ML:  Just the two actually- guitar and piano.  I play quite a bit of both, and not a lot of either!

 

BNB:  So getting back to the new stuff- you guys are back writing again- can we expect a new album soon?!

ML:  Well we have the songs pretty much slated for the second album- we’re actually going to do a re-release of “Coming Apart”- a deluxe set which will have headlines on it which you won’t get on the original, and a couple of bonus tracks!  We did a remix of “Young Americans” with Daniel Ash from Love and Rockets- so that’ll be on it, and probably a song called “Restless” which is just a really intimate acoustic kind of song.

 

ML:  The lads are here!

BNB:  Hey!  I thought you were all just going to interrupt me and jump on in!

FOE:  We’re too polite for that!

 

BNB:  Okay so now the rest of you- Keith, Brian, and Paul- all currently live in Ireland- what’s YOUR favorite venue to play here in L.A.?

FOE:  Well it has to be the Viper I s’pose!

KG:  I love the Whiskey- right good venue, the history behind it.

FOE:  He’s scared of it though.

KG:  Well I had quite a bit of a weird experience there at The Whiskey!

BNB:  Do tell!

KG:  Oh- you don’t want to hear that story!  I met Jim Morrison in there- in the toilets.  I’m convinced he haunts it- honestly.

BNB:  You realize I will no longer be going to The Whiskey unattended now!

KG:  Well, it was the mans toilets- so I don’t expect you to go in there!

BNB:  In that case I’m totally safe then!

 

BNB:  So now that we have all of Emmet’s friends present- are there any pre-show vices or rituals you guys always do?

PD:  Lock me in the car.

FOE:  Yeah we put him under lock and key- put him in the trunk, so he doesn’t get into trouble!

PD:  I hope you weren’t expecting a serious interview, were ya?

KG:  So now can I interview you?

BNB:  It’s alarming how often people want to interrogate me!

 

BNB:  So now you guys have another show coming up!  Details, please!

FOE:  Yes, we have a show at Swinghouse Studios this day next week (September 23) and we’re on stage at 8:00 p.m.  It’s an invite only- but people can go through the band’s website if they want to get tickets!

(Note to reader:  I HIGHLY recommend doing so.)

FOE:  So yes, next week- at Swinghouse Studios where we recorded the album.  It’s a special place for us- every time we’re in L.A. we rehearse there, we record there.

BNB:  Home away from home!

FOE:  Definitely home away from home!  They’re really cool over there- they look after us.

BNB:  Will Kevin Hines’ father be there as well?

FOE:  Actually he will- and Kevin Hines as well.  He’s flying down from San Fransisco.

 

BNB:  Closing remarks to friends and fans?

FOE:  Just please go out and buy the album on itunes- we need all the support we can get at the moment- and watch the video for “Coming Apart.”  Emmet needs more friends.

Though “Coming Apart” is definitely the title track- make sure you make a mental note to check out “No Surprise”- with a Beatles-esque intro, and “Amazed” a song written by Leddy for his wife- that had EVERY girl in the Viper Room gravitating closer to the stage to be lulled by the sweet serenade.

Check out their next show at Swinghouse Studios next Thursday (I SO recommend getting there- I was just there to hear Underoath’s latest and greatest and the venue is awesome!) and check back at www.myspace.com/friendsofemmet to keep up with the lads.  I definitely recommend being a friend of FOE.