INTERVIEW: Mighty Oaks on their latest music video, 'All Things Go'
Mighty Oaks released a music video for their newest single ‘All Things Go’ which describes the story of member Ian Hooper’s parents and how they met in Munich. Their close friend and collaborator, Andrew Saunderson, directed the music video which captures the essence of the song’s feelings of love and connection. Their upcoming album ‘All Things Go’ is set to release February 7th, 2020.
Check out our chat with them below!
Ian Hooper has explained that ‘All Things Go’ is about how his parents had met in Munich. Was it special and more meaningful knowing that the song was influenced by your bandmate’s parents?
If you look back through our songs, you’ll find that there are various references to Ian’s life, recounting memories from friends, family, and places that mean something to him. I think that’s where the weight and depth of our music often come from. We know how personal these stories are and how much it means to Ian, and we try to support and interpret those feelings through the music. I remember when we first went to visit Ian’s dad in the US as a band, we suddenly got to go to all of these places that we’d been singing about for years, and it was a really special feeling. Hopefully someday we’ll be able to make it to Mullingar. Ireland is a place that we’ve yet to discover or play as a band, and it’s an important piece of Ian’s history, because of his mother’s side of the family.
‘All Things Go’ was accompanied by a fitting music video for the track. Who directed it and how was the experience creating the visuals?
The video was directed by our very good friend and long-time collaborator Andrew Saunderson. Andrew has done music videos for us in the past, he also shot our documentary about where we all come from, where he got to spend time in each of our hometowns, and he and Ian also lived together when they were studying at college. He’s about as close to us as our own families! So it was an easy decision for us to give him the song and see what he could conjure up. The whole visual idea came from him. The final video is basically the first draft he sent back to us, and we all loved it. He captured the mood perfectly.
How can you describe the difference in your concerts when you’re playing acoustic?
Well for once we’re sitting down! It definitely demands a bit more attention, from the audience, and we also played a lot of seated venues on our acoustic tour, so people are listening and taking it in in a different way. That’s not to say we can’t bring the energy though, and often at the end of the acoustic concerts, people were up on their feet anyway. It was a good exercise for us to really strip the songs back to their core, put the emphasis on the vocals and a few key instrument elements. In that way it made it feel special for us in comparison to anything else we’d done up until that point. We’re looking forward to hitting the road again with the full show now though! New songs, drums, electric guitars. We’re lucky that we have the chance to do both.
After releasing your debut album Howl in 2014, you had the opportunity of touring with Milky Chance and performing at many festivals such as Latitude and Way Out West. How did you guys feel after having such a successful and decorated two years in 2014 and 2015?
It was all a dream. Our debut album was received with great praise and it opened a lot of doors for us back then. Every band wants to see success with their first release, but it is a slippery slope. We did well, but we didn’t completely blow up, and that was ultimately very healthy for us as individuals and as a band. The best part of it all is that we were able to hit the road and establish a stable and loyal fan base.
You recently just toured with The Lumineers across Europe. What are some of your favorite parts about touring? Anything specifically about touring Europe itself?
Getting out in front of a crowd is the best thing we can do as a band. We are best live, and that is something that really wins people over. The energy and the dynamics of a show really help us to create a connection to people each night. The Lumineers took us around Europe and, after seeing our first few sets, became fast friends - playing on parts of our set, and inviting us up for the last song of their set each night. It was beautiful.
You guys formed Mighty Oaks almost 10 years ago in 2010. Did you think that you would have grown to the popularity that you have now? Is there anything that has surprised you after looking back over those 10 years?
Back in 2010 it was just a hobby, something we did after work or on the weekends. It wasn’t until 2013 that we started to take it seriously while working for the first time in a studio. I had big aspirations, and I still do, but the music industry is fickle. I try to appreciate every opportunity we get, and it’s been a fun ride so far. That said, we’ve worked really hard to get to where we are, and I know we are going to have to work even harder if we want to grow more. There’s a lot of competition out there.
Did you have any sort of inspiration while growing up from any certain artists or genres? Have those inspirations helped influence the sound or style of Mighty Oaks in any way?
We all listened to quite different eras and styles of music, and I don’t think any one artist or genre influences our music. Claudio absolutely adores Radiohead, but it doesn’t shape our sound. Same for Craig and Soundgarden. We all enjoy different albums from Red Hot Chili Peppers, and I think you can hear that a little bit on the new record!
