COSMICK BLAST: Interview with Unholy Alliance Guitarist Nick Jackson-Wynch (Former member of English Dogs)
By Mick Michaels
COSMICK VIEW: Hello, Nick! Welcome to The Cosmick View’s “Cosmick Blast”.
Thank you for taking some time out of your day to chat with me, it's greatly
appreciated.
CV: Would you say fast and angry music is apropos
for the times and current generation of music listeners?
Nick Jackson-Wynch (Guitar): In my opinion, it fucking should be! There's so
much shit going on at the moment that is being covered up, lied about and then
there's the blatant fuck you we don't care about you attitude…”we are better
than you syndrome” we all see way too much nowadays. As for the current
generation of music listeners, well that's a very big spectrum, most main
stream Pop and radio friendly music is the same relentless dribble we've heard
for the last 40 years. I mean, I don't care what car you have or how much ya
fucking trainers cost, ha ha… I've only got two pairs of shoes and they were
both under £40!! I do have a comfy pair of slippers though! As for OUR genre, it's
a shame there isn't more youngsters getting into it, but everything comes round,
and at some point, they will get the gist and want some rebellious music to
nestle into and help them get rid of the angst put there by the very people who
have been spoon feeding them the social morphine they accept every day!
CV: How do you see Unholy Alliance
differing from English Dogs in your opinion? Besides a band name, what
separates the two?
NJW: Well it differs from English Dogs because it
isn't English Dogs!! Yes we all have history with it but hell, we are a very
different animal now! We play a lot harder now…infact at this moment in time we
are in the process of writing the second album called...Oh Fuck , I nearly gave
that away!!! Ha ha…you'll have to wait for that, but this next album is
progressing from the first in the fact that we getting dirtier and faster in
our playing…writing on different subject matters and kinda getting to know each
other's styles a lot better now! Myself, Tat and Grizz already played well as a
Punk outfit but by Christ we do it well as a Metal outfit too! We never really
scratched that before and with Adie on vox, it's just great. Also getting to
know how Adie works as well is great, we keep pushing him to find his limits, we
haven’t found them yet!!,
NJW: Hmm, I think the some of the Punk bands now
are a lot harder hitting than before. There are those who stay in the
"friendly" zone and then it stretches right through to the "pure
aggressive in ya face " zone. Also, you gotta remember, there's much
better equipment now…I remember playing through a Vox ac 30 with a Star Force
2000, basically a really cheap guitar with shit pickups and any effect pedals I
could get my hands on, beg, borrow or steal!!!
On saying that, the old school sound can't really
be recreated now. For some reason it just worked…maybe the attitude that went
into it combined with substandard equipment? And of course, maybe because the
recording gear was not the standard of studio gear today…Dunno, but it did
work.
CV: Do you feel that music genres, or more so
specific songwriting styles, have a standard to them to be considered a
particular type of music? Or can styles run the gamut and still be considered
genre specific?
NJW: Oh, you’re talking to the wrong people here! We couldn't give a toss
what genre, style or standard within styles or genres music is, if it's good
and We like it, that's it…if a band wants to experiment with another style then
great. Should they be re-labeled? Should they be labeled at all? Look at the
Cockney Rejects, they did Heavy Metal for a while…so.... Are they an Oi Punk band?
Of course. Are they an Oi Punk band capable of Metal? Fuck yes! Rancid, Ska, Ska
Punk, Oi or straight forward Punk? All We would say is if you want to
pigeonhole a band, that's up to you, We personally think the question should
be, DO YOU LIKE IT? The End.
CV: The COVID pandemic has rocked the
world in a way nothing ever has... socially, economically, politically. What do
you see as the biggest effect the pandemic will have on the music industry as a
whole long-term?
NJW: Venues. They have and are gonna suffer immeasurably. We have very
close friends who run venues in the U.K. And have seen them shit themselves
over whether they will lose everything they worked so hard for. I'm pretty sure
when the restrictions are lifted the venues that are left with be rammed but,
unfortunately, a lot will never reopen. It's incredibly sad.
CV: Do you see digital technology and its
streaming capabilities replacing and becoming the new touring medium for bands
following the lift of the “stay in place” order?
NJW: No. Who in their right mind wouldn't want to go to live gigs?
CV: What can fans expect to see from Unholy
Alliance post COVID-19?
NJW: OK, well, when we get out gigging again, we will be playing some of
the new tracks from the upcoming album. These are an insight to where we are
heading. A couple of the new ones in the bag at the moment are fucking
brutal.... really fast, aggressive and quite technical…there's also some old
school Metal and Punk mix sounding raw with splashes of new school in there and
of course an Oi track. There's so many ideas flying around and we can't fucking
get together to get them down. ARRRGGH!!! I've got about 40 odd riffs ready and
waiting to be accepted or rejected, recorded on my iPad. Just need to get into
a rehearsal room.
CV: Thank you again Nick for spending some time talking and sharing with our readers.
It was a pleasure. I wish you all the best and continued success.
NJW: Thank you Mick for asking
us to do the interview…hope to bump into ya soon when we actually get over to
the States as we were due to come over for a tour over the PRB period, but that
orible bastard Covid 19 robbed us of that, so, hopefully see ya soon and have a
pint or four!! Cheers mate.Check out Unholy Alliance at:
Bandcamp: www.unholyalliance1.bandcamp.com/
Spotify: www.open.spotify.com/artist/2kCfhBpQPYzDByojKvSEJR?si=HCCU9-GMTu6l2bMMbrXITw
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My name is Mick Michaels...I'm an artist, music fan, songwriter, producer, dreamer and guitarist for the traditional Heavy Metal band Corners of Sanctuary. Writing has always been a creative outlet for me; what I couldn't say in speech, I was able to do with the written word. Writing has given me a voice and a way for me to create on a multitude of platforms including music and song, articles, independent screenplays, books and now, artist interviews. The Cosmick View is an opportunity to raise the bar and showcase artists in a positive and inspirational light. For me, it's another out-of-this-world adventure.
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