The Coronas has been Dublin’s greatest rock ’n’ roll secret for a decade. If the music business were different, they would be as well known as certain other bands from the region like Scotland’s Simple Minds, England’s Coldplay or fellow countrymen U2. They are that good.
Need proof? Check out their latest CD, “Trust the Wire,” for a pure slice of ecstatic rock. Or better yet, see them live when they play DC9 in the District Nov. 12, where the magic really happens.
In advance of you witnessing the band’s majestic power for yourself, I spoke to Danny O’Reilly, the band’s lead singer, via telephone from Ireland.
Question: How has the band evolved over five albums?
Answer: I think we have evolved very naturally. When we started out we had a sort of naivete that was endearing. We didn’t know where we were going or what were doing.
We left university and said, “OK, let’s give this band thing a go and see what happens.” All of a sudden it started to move for us here in Ireland. It wasn’t really till we go to our second album that we started to think of anything outside of Dublin, really. We started thinking in the broader spectrum of what we wanted to do.
Q: Have you grown as songwriters as well?
A: Our songwriting has changed naturally. We’ve obviously gotten older. Our influences maybe might have changed. Our surroundings have changed. Our outlook on the industry.
We’ve changed naturally with each album.
Q: What, if anything, did you do differently when recording this album?
A: We locked ourselves away in a quiet little corner of Ireland. Very chill headspace. Very different from the last album, which we did in the middle of London in a very busy room with bands all over the place. [Instead of] the hustle and bustle of a big city, [being] locked away in remote part of Ireland straight away made a difference.
Q: Why is it called “Trust the Wire”?
A: That is lyric in the final song of the album, “Look at All the Lovers.” The theme throughout the album is about trusting yourself, believing in yourself, reminding yourself if you do things for the right reason, and try not to get too worried about the industry, that it will work out.
Q: You’re an Irish band, but the sound is rather international. Is that intentional, and how do you achieve that sound?
A: No, I definitely agree with you. I don’t think we sound Irish. We definitely have folk elements, and maybe someone could argue that my voice possibly has a folk element to it. We don’t sound Irish, but that wasn’t something we tried to do on purpose. I love traditional Irish music and we’re proud to be Irish, but we definitely consider ourselves a rock band that is not simply Irish.
Q: Who were The Coronas’ main musical influences then and now?
A: There are some common influences that we will always go back to, like The Beatles and Radiohead, Jeff Buckley and Fleetwood Mac. When we started out, there was a wave of guitar bands coming out like The Kooks and Arctic Monkeys. We couldn’t help but be influenced by them at the time.
Now there is a different sort of brand of music we’re into. We love The National. They have definitely influenced me as a writer. Arcade Fire, Bon Iver and acts like that.
Q: The band is independent, but the last record was on a major label. Why did you decide to go back to being indie?
A: For our last record, we signed to a big label called Island Records and got caught up in the big industry machine. We were trying to write singles and maybe lost sight of what we’re best at. “Trust the Wire” is about that and reminding ourselves why we do [what we] love to do.
Like a tightrope walker: You have to trust that the wire will be there when you take the next step. There is a lot of freedom working this way.
Q: When you picked the band’s name, did you know about the Mexican beer, and have folks ever confused the two?
A: There hasn’t been any confusion with the beer. But there has been confusion because there is a band from Spain called The Coronas. When we tour in Spain, we have to be “The Coronas with From Ireland” in brackets.
We started the band when we were 15, and the drink wasn’t big at all. Of course, it has gotten big since then. We’re [actually] named after an old typewriter called Corona Smith, which we thought was cool. That came from the movie “Almost Famous,” one of our favorite movies. The main character in that writes his article on an old typewriter.
Luckily with the drink, there hasn’t been any confusion or issues copyright-wise.
Q: How is touring in America different from Europe?
A: European audiences are really quite reserved. They stand back in a more respectful way. American audiences are a lot like Irish audiences. They get into it really. They sing along and dance. That’s what we love.
Q: Do you get downtime on tour? If so. how will you spend it in D.C.?
A: Sometimes we’ll have a day off in the city. But even when we don’t, I like to go for a little jog around after we load in the gear to get a sense of the place —wander and lose myself in the city vibe.
If we have a day off, we will usually do the tourist thing. We also tend to find a nice cozy Irish bar and have a couple pints. Enjoy the city that way.
The Coronas play DC 9 on Nov. 12. Tickets are available at Ticketfly.com.
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