This week we had Death by Ambition in the studio

(Mark; Bass, William; Guitar and Vocals, Heather; me- presenter, Chris; Guitar and Vocals, Jack; Drums)

Awww don't they look lovely! And this is officially their first picture together as a band!

So the boys came into the studio and played two live songs and two recorded songs. As they're quite a rock-esque band, I think you need to hear their recorded stuff to get a feel for their music. "Sit and wait," and "Contrast and compare" are up on the band's myspace if you fancy a listen. There's also a list of their upcoming gigs, the first was last night, which I'll be doing a review on later on this evening! Definitely worth a swatch.

I normally get bands to fill our a wee questionnaire before they come into the show, just so I can get an idea of what music we'll play and what questions to ask. I have to admit, William's answers are spectacular! The best I've had so far! We didn't really get much of a chance to chat about them on air, as we were too busy gabbing and playing great music, so I thought I'd put a couple up here for you to check out:

Who are your biggest influences?

Our most major unfluences are certainly the artists who have all inspired us individually; in life and as musicians of course, in the band. For me (William) and Jack (our drummer) canadian power-trio Rush are certainly one of thee greatest inspirations for us. Being a drummer Jack feels indebted, as should any self-respecting drummer (!) to the wonders of Mr. Neil Peart, arguably thee greatest drummer alive today. The technical aspects of his playing combined with his talent for subtlety and real impact are phenomenal! For myslef, Alex Lifeson's colour pallate, by that I mean, the really insanely colourful brushstrokes with which he paints on Rush' truly gorgeous canvas, are more inspirational than I can explain. The guitar parts he creates have a dynamic response and feel which I think, for me, is unrivalled by any other living guitar player.

For Chris, a more modern, rootsy, homegrown aesthetic of band's like Biffy Clyro, Succiopero, Frightened Rabbit, Dananananaykroyd, Pulled Apart by Horses and local Glaswegian band, Endor are essential. The type of angular, jarring and encapsulating melodies these artists create and really make their own is both inspirational at a level fully understandable with Chris, due to his passion for being in the band and writing music that comes from a really honest, homely place. Scotland itself is of course important to a band whose indentity is firmly placed within the city and therefore, Chris feels these bands represent these ideologies extremely well. Of course, Biffy Clyro's musical talents cannot be denied and on a musical level, provide the band with many an inspirational riff, topic or idea when it comes to writing.

For Mark, an eccltic blend of vintage British and American blues and jazz plays a huge role is his own role as bassist within DbA. The likes of pioneers like Charlie Parker and Chuck Berry moving along to Miles Davis and the british Bluesbreakers like Clapton et. al. are so essential to his own bass sound and obviously were forefathers of the progression of music from jazz, through blues and to the modern rock we hear today. Smaller, lesser known acts like The Greenhorns are perhaps closest to Mark's love of a really homebrew aesthetic; bands making music with and from very little in terms of technology--recording to wax disc, playing a railroad sleeper makeshift guitar and using a broken beer bottle neck as a slide etc! Taking this up to date, the likes of The White Stripes, White himself in particular is some of Mark's most crucial listening.

What’s your karaoke song?

Gary Numan - Cars, every single time! Since I sang it in a SERIOUSLY dodgey bar in Greenock before a gig in the Lava Lounge once!

(This is a repost of a blog from November 2010)