Riveraire is a collaboration between Australian born songwriter and performer Caroline Loftus (pictured left) and British writers Paul Carr and Paul Nolan. Mr. Nolan recently took a moment to let us know what they've been up to.Tell me about how you originally got into your craft.
One of those light bulb moments, strumming along with the guitar class to Lay Lady Lay aged 15. I had an electric guitar but no amp so I thought I sounded great, until I got home.
What is your favorite thing to do in the whole wide world?
This is going to sound really cheesy, but hearing a song come together in the studio with Caroline’s vocals on those big, in your face, speakers. Woofers, tweeters and all. It’s one of those goose bump moments.
How do you describe your music to people?
“Pure, pleasure, pop” is our motto, so I guess we’re all about songs with big, sweeping melodies and words that linger. A bit like those friends you find asleep in your bathroom the morning after a party.
That stray ‘e’ at the end of our name is there for a reason. We hark after the river Aire in Yorkshire. It’s a bit murky – we could be the new Muddy Waters.
What is your biggest challenge when it comes to running your business?
The sofa in the studio we use (run by the magnificent producer and arranger Ian Catt). It’s so comfy we’re in danger of being swallowed alive and literally becoming part of the furniture.
When you were a kid, what did you think you were going to be when you grew up?
Music or writing – I had all the talent but the wrong feet to make it as a professional footballer.
In what way has your community impacted your development as a musician?
Growing up in a small Yorkshire town, the people and the places, meeting other musicians like Riveraire’s Paul Carr, moving away to the city – I’m sure they’ve played a huge part in my music. Caroline Loftus, our amazing singer, comes from the other side of the world in Australia, and that just adds to the huge melting pot of ideas and influences.
What other artists out there do you love?
Brandon Flowers and The Killers
are a fave. 'All These Things That I've Done'
is a defining song for me . There’s another great US band called Slow Runner
- I really love the track ‘Trying To Put Your Heart Back Together'
from their current album, Mermaids.
And for sheer spine-tingling raw emotion, 'Song Beneath The Song
' by US songsmith Maria Taylor
always get me.What does your future hold?
We’ve got lots of new song ideas spinning around in our heads, waiting to be finished. That’s always the challenge but it’s also really exciting to see where the next song might take us.
