A Chat with The Lost Trades (15.03.23)
Drawn together by a mutual love of modern folk and roots music, UK-based trio The Lost Trades take listeners on their own modern folk adventure with a unique sound. We speak with singer-songwriters Jame Hawkins, Phil Cooper and Tamsin Quin about their album Petrichor, winning the lottery, and future plans.
OSR: How did The Lost Trades form?
The Lost Trades: All three of us have been solo singer-songwriters for a while and playing on the same local circuit we got to know each other, appreciate each other’s songs and became friends. Occasionally we would jump up on stage with one another until eventually the three of us ended up on stage together and started harmonising in three parts. After that, there was no looking back!
OSR: What inspires you to make music?
The Lost Trades: Like a lot of songwriters, we use music to express emotions, feelings and thoughts that we might struggle to express in other ways, and our lyrics are very important to us. It might be something personal and from the heart, or it might be a way of exploring something a bit more universal, anything can inspire us to put words to a melody.
OSR: What does music mean to you?
The Lost Trades: I think it means something different to each of us, it’s a very personal and spiritual experience, whether we’re listening to it or creating it. That’s really the beauty of music, it’s simultaneously a collective and universal thing, and yet it touches each of us in different ways. It’s also a way to connect with other humans, heart to heart, which can be quite rare in modern life, but it is so wholesome when you can connect with strangers through song and lyrics.
OSR: What can you tell us about your album Petrichor? Is there a backstory or theme to the album?
The Lost Trades: Petrichor is our second album, following on the heels of our debut The Bird, The Book and the Barrel. The word petrichor means the pleasant smell of rain on hot, dry ground, and a lot of the songs on the album deal with themes of making a fresh start, using the past to create your future, awakening the senses and so on.
OSR: What is your creative process?
The Lost Trades: We’re lucky to have three songwriters in the band, so generally, one of us will bring a song to the group that is anywhere between 50% and 90% finished and then the group will work to make it a fully finished “The Lost Trades” song. Usually, that starts with working out the vocal harmonies, since that’s the most important element of our sound. After that, we’ll work out what else the song needs in terms of arrangement and instrumentation. We’re a band that loves to perform live, so we try to make sure we create something that can be reproduced live.
OSR: What do you think makes The Lost Trades unique?
The Lost Trades: We’ve been told time and again that the blend of our three voices is what makes us unique. There’s a certain magic to those close three-part harmonies that seem to make people sit up and take notice. We can’t really explain it and don’t really want to, we’ll just enjoy it.
OSR: Do you believe Petrichor shows a change in your sound?
The Lost Trades: Most definitely. Our debut album was the sound of three singer-songwriters making an album together, but Petrichor is a much more collective and collaborative effort. We’ve learned how to get the best out of each other, and built up a trust in each other’s ideas and instincts, and that really shines through on the album.
OSR: If you had one day left to live, what would you do with it?
Hawkins: First, I’d make sure I finish whatever book it is I’m currently reading (can’t go out on an unfinished story!), then I’d gather all my friends and loved ones for music, laughter and many beers.
Cooper: It’s not really something I’ve thought about, but I think I’d just want to spend as much time as possible with the people I love, laughing and living in the moment.
Quin: I’d take my dog and my beloved to a secluded coastal bay in Devon with a nice bottle of wine, a campfire and a big blanket and swim nude in the sea, write letters to my loved ones, dance around the fire like a mad witch and watch the sun go down with a tipple of whiskey.
OSR: If you won the lottery, how would you spend the money?
Hawkins: I’d buy a big camper van and go on an adventure.
Cooper: A big house in the middle of nowhere with a huge recording studio attached.
Quin: I’d buy a nice bit of land where friends and strangers can come and stay and we can grow our own veg and live off-grid in a massive commune with a bunch of crazy hippies!
OSR: Are there future plans for The Lost Trades?
The Lost Trades: Try and stop us! We’ve got plans to do loads more touring, music festivals and eventually another album. We’re having too much fun to stop!
OSR: Do you have a message for our readers?
The Lost Trades: If you’ve been affected by anything in this interview, support is available. Please find us at thelostrades.com or @thelosttrades across all social media.
Many thanks to Jame Hawkins, Phil Cooper and Tamsin Quin for speaking with us. For more from The Lost Trades, check out their official website, Facebook, Instagram and Spotify.
This artist was discovered via Musosoup #sustainablecurator
