Interview With Dave McPherson

The musical landscape of the early 2000's was a peculiar place. TV channels like Skuzz and Kerrang! Had effectively replaced radio airplay and MTV in the UK. While this led to an oversaturation of Nu Metal and the like, it also allowed some opportunities for growing bands.

January 2003 saw the release of InMe's debut album 'Overgrown Eden' to acclaim. 4 singles came from the album, with the track “Firefly" in particular attracting the Essex trio new fans. The album mixed grungy riffs with a much tighter rock sound that seemed to catch a lot of attention. Now, 21 years later, the band have released a deluxe version of their debut, which now collects the various b-sides from the era. I was lucky to chat with the band's frontman Dave McPherson to discuss his memories of the time as well as plans for the future.

'Overgrown Eden' will be released on vinyl after 21 years which is really cool. Why do you think people you know continue to connect with the album?

Dave McPherson: Well, they must like it (laughs). The basics of it, I guess, is we caught something. It was a very real, honest, raw, you know, it was our first album. Hopefully we were doing something a bit different. I don't know, a lot of people connected with the lyrics, or maybe the sort of the raw emotion musically. But I think nostalgia plays a heavy part. What were you into when you were at college? What were you into, you know? So that plays a big part. But we've got it now where people are bringing their kids along, so it's kind of a generational thing, Maybe I don't want to know. I'm just pleased that people still connect. I think a lot of people, when they come up and they say how much the album means to them, they usually talk about the lyrics, I suppose there's something about that they like or the general vibe.

I remember first hearing you guys on Kerrang TV and Skuzz, and it immediately kind of captured a real kind of feeling at the time that nobody else in the UK seemed to be doing. Do you think you were lucky in that respect?

Dave McPherson: Yeah, I mean, luck plays a big part. But like one of my favourite quotes says, and I'm not trying to sound really pretentious, but luck is the residue of design (by the English poet John Milton). So, you know, good luck comes to you. The more you put yourself in the right places, or the more  you work hard at something, you're more likely to get good luck, and vice versa. If you don't do any you might just get bad luck. But, yeah, we did get lucky in many respects. But we were also working hard.

Whilst me and Joe (Morgan, their original bassist) were doing our A-Levels, Simon (Taylor, the band's first drummer) was a year behind us. We were doing that and studying whilst playing maybe two, three shows a week, and maybe rehearsing once or twice a week. We were just dedicated to the band. We were younger and we had so much energy, so we were able to do our A levels, or whatever we were all doing, whilst focusing on the band. We really wanted to take it somewhere. We wanted to do it full time. Basically, we loved the band and music, and so yeah, we just, we got lucky.

We were releasing this album through Music For Nations, who were the original label for 'Overgrown Eden'. We just played a show, and we were playing all these showcase shows. We were hiring coaches just to try and get play London. We thought we have to be in London. We played this one London show as support a friend's band and then Laura, lovely lady from Music For Nations just caught the last song, and a year later, we'd signed the deal. It was nearly three years later that we actually released the album. But it was just a bit of luck there, really. But she believed in us, it wasn't just that she was impressed.

I know a lot of hard work goes into things like that. I remember playing the Studio in Hartlepool with an old band, and seeing InMe as one of the upcoming bands on the schedule. So I know you guys plugged around on the low level gigging circuits.

Dave McPherson: Once we got the label, it was, you know, it was big. It had massive wings, because they were  the biggest independent music label in the world. But I think there's a bit of both. It was the right place, right time. People wanted that at the time musically. So there was the luck involved there, I guess, as well.

Obviously, the music industry has changed drastically since back then. How do you think that InMe would have fared if your guys were suddenly transported 20 to 25 years from then to the present day, how do you think your guys would have approached things?

Dave McPherson: We're kind of doing that now, yes, but it's just a completely different game. Like, everything's changed, like everything, every angle of it. So I wouldn’t know.

I don't want to be a content creator. I make videos of music stuff, but I don't know if I'd have to give the time. I don't think I'd have it in me to do that. So it's a completely different game, the internet in every single way, back when CDs were almost like a new thing.

We were sort of near the sort of end of the physical age, in a way, what was to become a more digital age. I think for this album, 'Overgrown Eden', we worked with Colin Richardson, and we were one of the first bands to record digitally when before it was on tape. And now social media has completely changed everything, for good or bad, you know, just completely. It was an analogue world really. Yeah, we had message boards for the audience to chat about the band, and that was about it. But I think a lot of great young bands are doing it, all the different aspects.

Yeah, it's almost like it's encouraged a real DIY kind of approach to everything.

Dave McPherson: Yeah. So I'm pretty bad for advice (laughs). I really don't know what you're supposed to do. Just make sure you love what you do and do what you're comfortable with.

That really comes through your music. I’m  a fan of your solo work, and I remember at one point you did a project, where was it 365, songs of the year.

Dave McPherson: Yeah, silly things. I shan’t be doing that again (laughs). Now I've gone the other way, as my whole goal is more, you know, work on a masterpiece. I want to make masterpieces. I want my music to be remembered. I want to create my favourite, you know, music that's timeless. So, yeah, much more the other way now. But yeah, it was a very fun, interesting project. A lot of people got involved with it and probably helped my song writing.

It's almost like its a good exercise to try and do, and it's very brave to put it out in a public space in the way that you did. You get a few musicians who kind of go, yeah. I write every day.

Dave McPherson: Any writer does, because you're just inspired by life. And so whether it's melodies or whatever. And that's the great thing about the phone. I don't necessarily write on the move or whatever, but if an idea comes to me, it's a voice memo. If a lyric comes it's a note. You've got all these ingredients to work with when you actually sit down, right?

We've kind of touched on things a little bit as well there with sort of like social media, and you've always been really quite open with your fans and the people who follow you. Do you think that's been a real help to you in the past few years? Because I know you've kind of said that you've gone through a few things, and you've kind of changed your outlook a lot.

Dave McPherson: I know every artist says that we really love our fans, but they have been amazing. My own mental health, went rock bottom, and then it went rock bottom (gesticulates lower), and then it went to whole new depths of hell. I got sober, and that's when I came more present in myself and could actually sort of really get back to the basics of me and rebuild myself in a really positive way. That sounds all sorts of like idealistic stuff, but it is true. That's been the big life changer for me. I'm in a very good place and just on the right path, moving forward in a good way. So, but the fans.....I don't like that term, because a lot of them are actual friends.....but they were so supportive and just made me feel like I'm not alone.

It's good that there's guys out there like yourselves doing that, it's helpful.

Dave McPherson: The way I've approached it, really, is to be honest, and that way people know a bit more why I was in such a bad way. And hopefully it'll help. It can help people I know, a lot of people struggle with whatever it is, whatever addiction problems they may have, or mental health problems, and it's helped me a lot.

I think my dad probably suffered with many of the same things, but it wasn't quite as common in that culture and around those times to talk about this stuff. I don't....I don't feel weaker for letting people know. But definitely don't hold things in, because, trust me, it ends bad. I'm confident now everything's behind me. Maybe that can help people, that there are people to talk to.

I completely agree. A counsellor I spoke to once told me that every time you have a negative episode or a negative thought, it's like you're putting a little penny in your back pocket, which feels like nothing. But, after a while, you can really feel the weight pulling you down, and every now and again, you've just got to go scoop in, take all that stuff out.

Dave McPherson: Oh that’s a good one. But yeah, I just think it's really healthy to talk about it. I was telling people, what if you're suffering, and you're working it out on your own. You might have just a little bit of help to get somewhere where you can start working on yourself. I don't know. I'm not an expert. But don't be afraid to say, I'm hurting. it was surprising but there's a lot of kindness in the world.

So, this new kind of approach over the past few years, how's that informed your writing approach? Because you've got the new album 'Demons' coming out next year. Has that kind of has that gone into its writing?

Dave McPherson: Yeah, absolutely. Since I stopped drinking and became sober, man, my life is just better in every avenue. And writing? Once I got sober, I had a lot just to sing about that I was going through, such a shape in my mind and my heart, and I was feeling things I've never felt. I was taking care of myself, so that changed things. My music was very self loathing. And that's good, you know, people use that as a release. Sad songs make me happy, I think it was a month after I officially got there I was healed, or healing? I'm always healing.

We'd already written 12 tracks over about four years, and I think I've just settled on something. I'm so complacent with most areas of my life, and I couldn't see the wood for the trees or whatever it is. And I just was so focused and so dedicated to making the best possible thing ever. So we'd already read these 12 songs, so I went and made another album, which would have been the album after 'Demons' and I worked probably three, four days a week on this thing. I was just here in this room, writing and working, until after seven months, I finally got these 11 demos together to showcase and present to the guys. I sent them the songs, and then it was like, “Oh, that was a scary day”, and they just all were completely blown away. And I still listen to those now, and I'm really proud of what I did. So it was like, “Yeah, okay, there's some of these songs we have from before, they are not good enough”. I'm a completely new person, basically. And that showed and the guys all upped my confidence, the guys having confidence in me (puns unintended).I was like, “Okay, let's make this album. You know, this is the one we're coming back with. Let's make this the best possible thing we've never done”.

So now we've refined it. 12 songs. Completely reworked all the stuff since I got better. So really, it's a five year in the making album, and it travels through a lot of hardship, a lot of milestones in our life, like so many different people have left this world in our lives that were close to us, relationships have ended, so its just quite powerful for all five of us, like all five members of the band. We're like, “We are the strongest unit we've ever been”. I'm in a band with four best friends on this album. If no one likes  it, I'm still gonna love it, and the guys are still gonna love it.

Now I need to tell myself to keep breathing and enjoy what you're doing, thinking, “What's next? What's next?” You know? So, yeah, very exciting.

Will you be incorporating some of the new material in the upcoming tour, especially with it being called the Overgrown Demons tour?

Dave McPherson: Yeah there's only three dates, but three very special dates because last year we did 'Overgrown Eden' shows, playing the album in full. And to be perfectly honest, it's great, and it's great for our listeners, but, I am kind of done with playing the whole album front to back. So we've done nine songs from the 'Overgrown Eden' era, including 2 b-sides, and then three new songs from 'Demons'. So, the old and the new, because we do want people to know we are still a current band and with future music coming, and that mix just worked for us.

We're going to be playing a lot of songs from all the albums as well. It's a 20 song set this so they're going to be pretty big shows. We wanted to tie in that re-release with the tour, but we also want to be looking to what's next. It's really tricky.

We're finding a happy ground these days where, because I was playing guitar as well. I was singing over this, remembering all the lyrics, all the pedal changes, all the crazy fret work, whilst entertaining a crowd. There, there, there, lights, blah blah, adrenaline. It was impressive to watch but it's no fun to play. You're just concentrating intently. You can't really enjoy the moment. So now I'm just a singer live. I play guitar and write guitar and record guitar quite a bit for the for the studio, but live, I'm just focusing on being a front man, to sing the best quality I can and be the best entertainer I can for the band. So now I just run around like a crazy guy having the best time. Same for the other guys, they can just properly let themselves go.

So is there anyone that you're listening to at the moment or that you're reading that's informing your writing?

Dave McPherson: I try to stay away from that. If I get addicted to a song, and I just can't stop that on Spotify or whatever, I won't go and write a song in a similar vein. I get inspired. For the for this album, 'Demons', there's bits, and I'll go, “oh, that sounds like that”. But it's more showing my taste in life. At the moment, I'm more listening for something I want to find that isn't in our music.

I mostly listen to film scores to be honest. I'm massively into film scores, and I mean the real good stuff, John Williams obviously being an absolute legend, I find them so moving, and it's moving music and it's produced to the best high end, like 60 of the best musicians in the world, for these high budget movies, So I listen to that, and it's sort of, it's quite a fun way to go through life. I'm in this sort of mood, and I want to a song, to pick me up, get ready. Or I'm feeling I'm being a romantic mood then this is a nice romantic song.

We kind of have a secret member of the band, guy called Andy Wilson Taylor. He lives out in France. We've worked with him quite a bit. He was in a big band called Midgar, and he's done quite a bit with my solo music. He's got a crazy degree or whatever, a genius of classical composition and stuff like that. He knows how to write like John Williams, to score something and he makes it sound real. He'll add real violins. He knows how to manipulate it so it sounds like an orchestra. The guys, now, they get annoyed because I just say the word cinematic all the time. I really want this to be cinematic. I want this one to sound cinematic but like James Bond style music, or this one to be more like old Celtic music or whatever.

The only thing with bands, I guess, is I love an evil, really well thought out techie progressive band. So we are subconsciously, probably inspired by just lots of different music.

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