Cardiff acoustic duo Zervas and Pepper play The Sugar Club in Dublin on 23 January 2014.
Cardiff acoustic duo Zervas and Pepper play The Sugar Club in Dublin on 23 January 2014. In a brief chat, they give an insight into how they formed, what their influences are and much more.
How did Zervas and Pepper form?
We met when whilst performing as solo singer/songwriters in a Cardiff club called the Toucan back in 2004, we made the move to merge our songs and finally form around band in 2008
What was your earliest memory of wanting to write songs/record?
Paul was writing songs and recording in his mid teens on an old 8-track reel to reel recorder. Kath started to write at 17 after learning the guitar.
What artists/musicians influence your style and songs?
We both take influence from the classic songwriters such as Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, CSN&Y, Paul Simon.
You have some great support from radio stations in the UK and Ireland like BBC Radio 2 and 6, while you have RTÉ in Ireland, that must be a big boost?
Yes absolutely, we continually see a direct link between the radio play and our audiences, Radio is still a great place to connect with music fans and we’ve picked up many listeners from it.
Your Dublin show in The Sugar Club will be an intimate one, is it your first Irish show?
Yes, This show is our very first in Ireland, We’re looking forward to it immensely and we’re hoping this will be the start of many trips to the Emerald Isle.
What sort of gigs are your favourite to play? Theatres, Music Clubs, Festivals?
They all have their own merits but the music really comes to life in the Theatre environment. Certainly the acoustic material works better, It’s important to have a really great sound system so you can get into the intricacies of the songs, and the audience then won’t miss a single note.
Do you have a gig rider/requests? or If you had one, what would you have?
Hahaha, We do get quite particular about the brand of Crisps on offer and No Bananas!!!
What are the main influences in your record ‘Lifebringer’?
‘Lifebringer’ is very much a collection of short stories, Lyrically the songs contain a cast of characters, The mystic shaman of ‘Buffalo Crow’, The round-eyed Cult Leader of ‘One Man Show’ etc. Back in 2012 we took a trip to California, And LA in particular provided inspiration with its many diverse walks of life. Musically we were listening to everything from the Beach Boys to Ennio Morecone’s cinematic epics. We didn’t want boundaries, Lyrically or musically.
You’re playing The Sugar Club on 23 January, what can people expect at the show?
This will be an acoustic show,two voices and one guitar, it’s a great way to experience the songs in their rawest form. It has a 60’s folk house kind of vibe.
Where can people get their hands on your music?
You can purchase our album in CD format direct from our website or its available digitally from iTunes and Amazon Mp3.
What’s next for Zervas and Pepper?
We’re currently writing what will eventually be our next record. In the meantime we have some great shows planned throughout the year. We like to keep busy.
RobMoro 
Cardiff acoustic duo Zervas and Pepper play The Sugar Club in Dublin on 23 January 2014. In a brief chat, they give an insight into how they formed, what their influences are and much more.
How did Zervas and Pepper form?
We met when whilst performing as solo singer/songwriters in a Cardiff club called the Toucan back in 2004, we made the move to merge our songs and finally form around band in 2008
What was your earliest memory of wanting to write songs/record?
Paul was writing songs and recording in his mid teens on an old 8-track reel to reel recorder. Kath started to write at 17 after learning the guitar.
What artists/musicians influence your style and songs?
We both take influence from the classic songwriters such as Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, CSN&Y, Paul Simon.
You have some great support from radio stations in the UK and Ireland like BBC Radio 2 and 6, while you have RTÉ in Ireland, that must be a big boost?
Yes absolutely, we continually see a direct link between the radio play and our audiences, Radio is still a great place to connect with music fans and we’ve picked up many listeners from it.
Your Dublin show in The Sugar Club will be an intimate one, is it your first Irish show?
Yes, This show is our very first in Ireland, We’re looking forward to it immensely and we’re hoping this will be the start of many trips to the Emerald Isle.
What sort of gigs are your favourite to play? Theatres, Music Clubs, Festivals?
They all have their own merits but the music really comes to life in the Theatre environment. Certainly the acoustic material works better, It’s important to have a really great sound system so you can get into the intricacies of the songs, and the audience then won’t miss a single note.
Do you have a gig rider/requests? or If you had one, what would you have?
Hahaha, We do get quite particular about the brand of Crisps on offer and No Bananas!!!
What are the main influences in your record ‘Lifebringer’?
‘Lifebringer’ is very much a collection of short stories, Lyrically the songs contain a cast of characters, The mystic shaman of ‘Buffalo Crow’, The round-eyed Cult Leader of ‘One Man Show’ etc. Back in 2012 we took a trip to California, And LA in particular provided inspiration with its many diverse walks of life. Musically we were listening to everything from the Beach Boys to Ennio Morecone’s cinematic epics. We didn’t want boundaries, Lyrically or musically.
You’re playing The Sugar Club on 23 January, what can people expect at the show?
This will be an acoustic show,two voices and one guitar, it’s a great way to experience the songs in their rawest form. It has a 60’s folk house kind of vibe.
Where can people get their hands on your music?
You can purchase our album in CD format direct from our website or its available digitally from iTunes and Amazon Mp3.
What’s next for Zervas and Pepper?
We’re currently writing what will eventually be our next record. In the meantime we have some great shows planned throughout the year. We like to keep busy.
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