Former The Wilde Oscars front man Les Keye has released his new album, 20 Greenlea Road. We asked him the BIG questions . . .
Described as "one man's reflection on what it means to grow up Jewish and Irish in Ireland", the album is named after the street where his grandparents lived in Terenure, Dublin.
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Working in separate studios in two different countries, the album was written and recorded with Keye’s friend and sometime band member Joe Chester.
Lead singer and songwriter of Dublin band The Wilde Oscars, who released an album (Fish) as well as two EPs in the 1990s, Keye subsequently branched out on his own, releasing two solo albums, Breathe, in 1999 and Plan B . . . Again in 2004.
He is a member of the Dublin bands Eamonn Dowd and The Racketeers (which also features Horslips legends Eamon Carr and Jim Lockhart), Strand (with Niall Toner of The Prongs, and The Dixons), Duncan Maitland, (ex XTC, Picturehouse, Pugwash), Herm and Clay Dolls.
As a producer/engineer he has worked with Neil Hannon and Thomas Walsh, Cruel Sister and Steve Wickham and many more from his self-built recording studio, Arad Studio in Dublin.
Tell us three things about yourself . . .
I’m Jewish and my second name Keye is a made-up name. We were originally called Shlussel but during WW1 my great grandfather (who had emigrated to London - fleeing persecution from Russia) was tired of people smashing in the windows of his shop 'cos they thought it was a German shop. He converted the name to English- & added an ‘e’. I sing about this on the last track of the album, They Do Not Like Our Name.
My mother’s family are Catholic and hail from Kilmainhamwood. She has a famine poet - Hughie Brown in her ancestral line, as well as being doubly descended from the great blind harpist Turlough O'Carolan.
By the age of 15, I had been in 13 different schools, and lived in 11 houses, across three countries - Ireland, Scotland and Israel. (It’s really quite amazing I’m such a well-adjusted and balanced individual).
How would you describe your music?
Uplifting and inspiring songs about rivetingly depressing subject matter..
Who are your musical inspirations?
Gosh! So many - Jethro Tull, The Bothy Band, Kate Bush, early Genesis, Peter Gabriel, David Bowie, The Beatles, Thelonius Monk, Ali Farke Toure, Can, Zappa, Beefheart, Fela Kuti, Talk Talk, Autechre, The Prongs, Paul Simon, John Cage, Phillip Glass, Tinariwen.
What was the first gig you ever went to?
Queen - Hammer to Fall tour, RDS.
What was the first record you ever bought?
Adam and The Ants - Kings of The Wild Frontier.
What’s your favourite song right now?
Satan/Jacob Rose - Andy Shauf.
Favourite lyric of all time?
"Islam is rising/The Christian’s mobilizing/The world is on its elbows and knees/it’s forgotten the message and worships the creeds" - Armageddon Days Are Here Again by The The.
If you could only listen to one song for the rest of your life, what would it be?
It would be incredibly frustrating.
Where can people find your music/more information?
Spotify, Bandcamp, and through my recording studio, Arad Studio.
Alan Corr
