A Chat with The Remedy Club (30.05.23)
Described by Hotpress Magazine as “Ireland’s best kept musical secret”, husband-wife duo The Remedy Club are sharing their heartfelt music with the masses. We speak with KJ EcEvoy and Aileen Mythen about The Remedy Club, their new album Back To You, good advice and much more!
OSR: What drew you to music and how did The Remedy Club come about?
Mythen: We have both grown up in musical households. My parents were in a band for most of their lives while also working full-time jobs and I grew up listening to Emmylou Harris, Patsy Cline, Linda Ronstadt, The Beatles and many more.
McEvoy: I grew up listening to classical music in the household but then my sister, Marion, introduced me to the guitar and the works of Bob Dylan and there was no turning back! We immediately started playing together when we met as we felt there was chemistry both on and off stage. We started a blues band called B & The Honeyboys and then changed direction and renamed the band The Remedy Club.
OSR: What inspires you to make music?
The Remedy Club: The opportunity to connect with ourselves and others. Music has always been a source of great solace for us both. It has gotten us through some rough times and has the ability to bring you to places that few other things can.
OSR: What can you tell us about your album Back To You? Is there a particular theme or backstory?
The Remedy Club: Back To You is our third album and takes us to a different chapter in our musical journey. A lot of the songs were written in lockdown and are a reflection of experiencing isolation and anxieties that we felt at that time (‘Your Light Shines’, ‘Say A Prayer’, ‘Write Me A Letter’). As always there are songs about love in all its forms and also the highs and lows of parenthood (‘Back To You’), being resilient and hanging in there despite the odds (‘Roll With It’) and randomly there is a groovy song in there about Ann Boleyn (‘Boleyn’s Blues’), which we weren’t expecting.
OSR: You mention that Back To You sees you broaden your sonic palette. Do you believe this is an evolution in your sound and does it represent The Remedy Club as it is today?
The Remedy Club: Absolutely! While our second album was recorded in Nashville, musically this new chapter sees us heading towards Memphis and New Orleans with nods to Fleetwood Mac along the way. With this album, we kind of wrote what we were given and once we walked into the studio we allowed things to unfold naturally. Other musicians brought their feel and energy to our songs, which is always really interesting when looking at how the song progresses from its original state to the released version.
OSR: You collaborated with several artists on Back To You? Tell us about it.
The Remedy Club: Yes, Gavin Glass co-produced the album along with some incredible playing of various instruments. Gavin is extremely talented at what he does and we knew he would be a great fit for the music we do. Aongus Ralston (The Waterboys) played bass. Aongus has played bass on most of our albums since the early days of B & The Honeyboys and has such a great groove.
Mark Colbert (Damian Dempsey) and Binzer Brennan (The Frames) played drums. We have played with Mark for a few years now and love his playing along with the fact that he’s such a nice guy and Gavin introduced us to Binzer as they go way back. Our friend, Liam Bates arranged the strings and we were very fortunate to have a wonderful string quartet, which was a first for us. We were also very lucky to get Ronan Dooney and Michael Buckley (Van Morrisson) on brass. It was exactly the sound we were after.
OSR: What do you hope people take from the album and your music?
The Remedy Club: We would like to think that people will connect with the music and lyrics in some way. We are not the only people who have felt these emotions so we hope that it gives some relief and joy to other people out there.
OSR: What do you believe makes The Remedy Club unique?
The Remedy Club: That’s a difficult one. I think we are all just trying to make our mark in some small way and spend time in life doing what we feel we are here to do. I would like to think people can really feel the joy we feel when we perform and the connection between the two of us. We have always been true to writing and performing the kind of music we love whether it’s in or out of fashion. We are definitely in it for the long haul.
OSR: It’s a difficult one but what is your favourite album of all time? What could you listen to every day and never become sick of it?
Mythen: Car Wheels on a Gravel Road – Lucinda Williams.
McEvoy: Exile On Main Street – The Rolling Stones.
OSR: What is the best advice you have ever received?
The Remedy Club: ‘Enjoy it’. People give us this advice all the time and it seems blatantly obvious but you can become bogged down with the day-to-day running of a band, tours, release dates, social media etc. So a little reminder to just sit back and enjoy what you do is the best advice we have received.
OSR: Are there future plans for The Remedy Club?
The Remedy Club: We are very busy with the release of Back To You and touring Ireland and the UK over the coming months. After that, we will be taking a break and then we shall see what the creative Gods have in store for us next.
OSR: Do you have a message for our readers?
Mythen: Thank you for taking the time to read this interview. What I have been trying to remind myself on a regular basis is rather than waiting for something to make you happy, get happy first and wait for all the good stuff to come in! I wish that for everybody.
Many thanks to KJ McEvoy and Aileen Mythen for speaking with us. For more from The Remedy Club, check out their official website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Spotify.
This artist was discovered via Musosoup #sustainablecurator
