Electric Touch

Rock band Electric Touch were in Atlanta on their most recent tour and Shakefire had the chance to sit down and chat with the band. 

Shakefire: How did the band initially get started?

Shane Lawlor: I was in Austin, Texas as a musician. So was Christopher [Leigh]. He's from Houston. We all gravitated towards Austin; it's a big music town. We were hanging out there; we met through a mutual friend, the producer who did the first album in a coffee shop actually. And we just hit it off as friends and before too long the guitars came out and we started jamming and writing. We all lived together for a couple of years and just played music all day long every day. And now we have a new album which just came out and we just never looked back. It's been five years, and it's just gone very, very quickly.

SF: How did you guys come up with the name 'Electric Touch?'

SL: We wanted something that was a twist, an interesting juxtaposition. Something like A Clockwork Orange. And we talked about very human things and feelings and things like that and how it affects people. But we're also in the 21st century and there's lot of artificial stuff in music as well so we wanted something that was forward thinking and contain all that we're trying to do, which is join influences from all around and create songs that people can relate too.

Louis Messina Jr.: The name really describes the band, just perfectly. The energy from 'Electric' is thrilling and exciting while 'Touch' is passionate...

SL: To be affected by.

LMJ: Yeah, exactly. Affection.

SF: Where do your influences come from? Shane, you're from the United Kingdom while the rest of you are from the U.S., so how does that come across in your music?

SL: Music is very universal anyway, I think, and I grew up listening to a lot of American stuff and a lot of English stuff, and I think we all do now. Really, the inspiration comes from the world around us and those kind of human emotions you feel no matter what nationality you are or how big your house is or how little it is. It's the human condition we're talking about and that's where we draw our influences from. You know, tales from real life and stories from the city and the streets, put together with a rock and roll background. We like to have a lot of fun and the show is about having a lot of fun and so we take those inspirations and put them together in a good ol' rock and roll show.

SF: It sounds like it's all about the music.

SL: Yeah, always. We made a promise years ago to stay true to the song and do what was necessary for rock and roll and the song. That was what was most important. We try to let the music speak for itself but the heart of it is having a good time. Come and see us live and you'll notice that. People will have smiles on their faces; they're having a good time and being entertained.

SF: Who are some of your influences, band-wise?

SL: Stuff like The Beatles, The Stones, The Kings; that era. Then The Clash and the UK punk scene as well. Then Green Day, Aerosmith and The Strokes.

SF: You guys have only been around for five years, so that's still relatively young. At what point in your career did you guys say to yourselves that you could actually go somewhere with this?

SL: I think we believed that from day one, to be honest. I don't think that was ever a problem. The confidence was there because you got to believe in yourself to do something different like that. It was not a normal path, like a life choice that you normally do. So you just got to believe in yourself and I think all musicians do and they have to stick with it. That's the first thing you have to do, is believe. Then the ability and the practice and all that can come, but step one is believing you can do anything in the world, and we all do believe we can be the biggest band in the world and we try our hardest to get there every day.

SF: Would you say that's probably the most important thing about being a rocker?

SL: I believe that and application as well is very important. Hope and faith is wonderful and when you're a musician you have to believe in yourself but you want to also bring it about as much as possible so you try very hard. We rehearsed for ages, like eight hours a day for years just doing it for hours and hours. You've got to apply yourself to it...to do anything in the world really.

You can see Electric Touch next at the Houston Summer Fest in June, after which they will then be back on the road again. Be sure to check out their latest album, "Never Look Back," and for all you social media junkies out there, you can like them on Facebook and/or follow them on Twitter.