Early Morning Rebel
Early Morning Rebel have had a rise so fast, it’s a wonder they’re not constantly light headed, having come from non-existence to darlings of the fashion world in under a year.
With designers clamouring to use their music and Francesca Marotta even tailoring a collection around the band’s music, as well as their music being featured on Grey’s
After their appearance at London Fashion Week and the Salford Music Festival, we talked to lead singer Nathan Blumenfield-James about the band’s climb, their links with fashion and why having famous fans is no big deal to them.
So you just played at the Salford music festival, how was that?
I t was really good, we'd never been to Salford, we spent some time in Manchester before and we got a really, really good reception, It's hard going to a city you've never been to before, you never know what to expect but it actually went really well and was one of the better gigs of our trip.
So, how would you describe your music style?
We have a couple of different styles going on at once actually. We have some stripped down stuff that more emotional and then we have the full band stuff that has a little bit more of a rock edge. It's pretty melodic I'd say but I has some darkness to it, we have some friends who describe it as 'pop noir' because of its darker qualities.
So, you're going to Paris Fashion Week and you've just been at London Fashion Week, how was that?
We're headed to Paris tonight so we're really looking forward to that' we've never been to Paris Fashion Week and this was our second time at London Fashion Week which is pretty amazing. Once again, it just felt like a really good fit for us. Hanging out with the designers, getting our music into a lot of the shows and seeing them present their lines has been really fabulous, we've been having a great time.
What's it like when you get designers tailoring their shows around your music?
It's an honour. It's just like getting your music on a TV show or a movie. Music can really dictate the feeling of something, so when they ask to use your music, it's a privilege and a big honour. We also got to sit there and see it happen, watch the models work it with our music in the background and it's a great moment, really humbling.
Did this love of fashion come from being raised in LA?
Yeah, absolutely. Growing up in LA you're kind of immersed in everything from fashion to art to theatre as well as television, film and music. We have a lot of friends who are designers, and we could see that the music was working and being really well received by the designers and the brands we know. We like to be surrounded by that sort of thing, it's really inspiring, it's where we want to be so we pointed in that direction and it's going really well.
Ever thought of designing something yourselves?
Absolutely, that's a dream. I feel in ways like it's a very similar creative outlet as music is. When yoiu listen to a song, there's a nostalgic quality to it and when you see someone wearing something there's a very similar feeling. They're almost like cousins.
I feel like creating something that feels really good when you put it on and making something you listen to that feels really good, there's a lot of similarity to those feelings. It would be a dream for us to create some clothes that people would be into. We've actually kind of started doing that, we have a few pieces that we just give away just for fun right now and those have been going down really well, so it's cool.
So what was it like then when Grey's Anatomy picked up Lifeboat?
Grey's Anatomy is kind of renowned for having really great taste in music. They break a lot of bands and they really know how to use music in their show which is really which I think is really important. So when they called and requested to use Lifeboat it was really a big moment for us. Obviously we jumped at the opportunity and we were honoured.
It also worked unbelievably well and since then we've seen the power that music has in cinema and TV. We really, really love that world and we've had a few more come up.
We just had a Dr Drew rehab show on VH1 that used it a couple of nights ago. We've had music on the Kardashian show, we've done a couple of promo's here in Europe, so it's always fun to have the music dictate the feeling of the picture.
Early Morning Rebels have only been going for a year, has it been a bit of a crazy rise so far?
It's been really great, there's been a lot of momentum. You're writing and recording, in the lab so to speak, you hope that it's received like this because you just never know. But when we put it out and Greys Anatomy happened, it was a great affirmation and since then we've had these great motivators that have been saying we're going in the right direction. We're just enjoying the ride right now.
You and Dustin Bath have known each other for longer though right?
Yeah, we've actually known each other since we were 14 years old.
Does that help, as you know each other's rhythms and tastes?
Oh big time. We've done a number of music projects, produced a bunch of stuff and directed short films and music videos. We have our own studio in Venice (LA) and that's where we do all our music, we have a great base for our partnership.
You've got quite a few big name fans, Orlando Bloom and Kirsten Dunst to name two, does that help you guys?
You know, I don't really pay attention that much. It's kind of the nature of the beast and we're kind of desensitised to it. I grew up in the television and movie industry so to have talented friends who are very successful is where it kind of stops for me. I don't know if it hinders or helps, these are just people who are in our lives, they dig the music and it's kind of that simple really.
What was it like being asked to be a Designers Against AIDs ambassador?
It's great. To make a positive change in the world or have some sort of influence to try and help is always a huge positive for us. So when they asked if we would be a part of it, it was an obvious yes. They're doing such a great thing so we just wanted to lend a hand.
How's work on the new album going?
We've been really busy; we've only been going for a year, so we've been in the studio pretty relentlessly. We have about 16 songs in the can and fully done, so we're heading back to LA in a week or so and jump back in the studio and get a few more.
Then it's just about picking which songs are going to be on the record and figure out if we're going to go with a label to help support it. The record's going to be really great and we're so excited about it. We're just wrapping all of the loose ends up right now on it.
So what are the plans for the second year of Early Morning Rebels then?
I think the dream is to just continue, hopefully the reception continues to be as good as it's been. We only hope that we can be supported by some of our successes and victories. Obviously we want to be playing really big shows, that's a huge part of what we do, we want to come back and do all the festivals. That's a big goal for us, to land some big tours and then jump back in the studio and do it all over again. That's the cycle that we'd love to jump into.
FemaleFirst Cameron Smith
Tagged in fashion Paris Fashion Week Grey's Anatomy