Joe Bailey, who followed a hard-hitting Mark Anthony K collaboration in Dark Monarchy with Ghosts, joins Preston Frazier for a Something Else! Sitdown touching on the U.K.-based prog-rocker’s new solo project, his creative process and plans for another Dark Monarchy album:
PRESTON FRAZIER: How does your latest release, Ghosts, differ from Less Than Nothing?
JOE BAILEY: Overall, I think Ghosts has a simpler, friendlier attack on the ears. Less Than Nothing was a bit more over the top, with longer songs, and a generally longer running time.
I also think the new album has a fresher, more modern sound, and is maybe a little more experimental at times.
PRESTON FRAZIER: The lyrics and music were written from end of 2019 until July 2020. Did the pandemic have any impact on the content?
JOE BAILEY: After concentrating largely on the pandemic for the writing sessions of the Dark Monarchy debut, I consciously tried not to focus on it this time around. I couldn’t fully escape the urge, however, and “Rat Race” was born! I think with the impact the pandemic had on everyone, it’s normal to be troubled by it, and natural to feel compelled to write about it.
PRESTON FRAZIER: How are the themes different from Less Than Nothing?
JOE BAILEY: The lyrical themes are actually very similar to those on Less Than Nothing. There are themes of inner demons, hopelessness, religion and my general observational ranting. This just seems to be the way I work!
PRESTON FRAZIER: Did you initially conceive of a theme, or did you decide on it after the first song?
JOE BAILEY: The theme just generally came together as the album progressed. I think the term Ghosts can be used broadly to summarize the album, and I like to think the word can be interpreted in many ways.
PRESTON FRAZIER: Which was the first song written for the album? Did the songs result from a dedicated writing session?
JOE BAILEY: If I remember correctly, I think “Rat Race” was the first lot of music I wrote, in December 2019. The rest of the music was written between March and May, the title track being the final composition. My writing sessions normally finish with a completed piece of music, but occasionally it might take two sessions. I knew that “Haunted House” was going to be the opener, and that “Ghosts” was going to be the final track, even before the lyrics were written.
PRESTON FRAZIER: Discuss your writing process. Do you write on a keyboard, guitar?
JOE BAILEY: I have various techniques when it comes to writing. My main technique is to sing melodies or riffs into my phone when they pop into my head. From there, more melodies are born throughout the day.
Then I write them into Guitar Pro, and build the music from there. I might use the guitar to write, but it’s quite rare that I do. I find it far more productive using my computer to write.
PRESTON FRAZIER: Do lyrics come first or music?
JOE BAILEY: The music nearly always comes first. And I write a lot of music, sometimes 14 or 15 tracks over a short period of time! Then I have to quite viciously narrow down my favorite pieces of music, and write the lyrics one by one.
PRESTON FRAZIER: What guitars, basses and keyboards were used in the recording process?
JOE BAILEY: I have a small collection of instruments, all with their own individual character and uses. I tend not to horde guitars, so if I buy a new one, it tends to be because it does something that the others don’t. Like the eight string I got not so long ago! I used one guitar for this album, my beautiful Schecter C1 Classic, the same guitar that has been used since the debut. The bass I used is my six-string Music Man Bongo 6 copy, which has been professionally setup and plays beautifully. As far as keyboards go, I use a Nektar midi keyboard, which I use to control a vast array of virtual instruments.
PRESTON FRAZIER: What software did you use to record the album?
JOE BAILEY: I used Acoustica’s Mixcraft Pro Studio 9. I have been using Mixcraft for 15 years, and I have never seen any reason to jump ship. I know the software inside out, so I just upgrade whenever a newer version is available.
PRESTON FRAZIER: How does the writing process differ than that you employ with the Dark Monarchy?
JOE BAILEY: Well, the main difference is that I write on my own for my solo music. Mark [Anthony K] and I share writing duties with the Dark Monarchy, almost 50/50. We each start a piece of music, and then the other completes it. Writing music like this with Mark makes me think of ideas that I wouldn’t necessarily have come up with on my own. However, I do still approach the writing session in the same way as I would my own.
PRESTON FRAZIER: What is next for you after promoting Ghosts?
JOE BAILEY: Next up is the second Dark Monarchy album! This will be called All Roads Lead to Rome, and is due for a July release. We will be releasing the first single with an accompanying music video very soon.
PRESTON FRAZIER: Finally, what are your Top 5 favorite albums?
JOE BAILEY: Wow, a very big question, indeed! My favorite album of all time is Cradle of Filth’s Midian, followed by Milliontown by Frost*. These are a concrete first and second place. After that, I am going to say: Anathema’s Judgement, the Flower Kings’ The Sum of No Evil and then Nevermore’s This Godless Endeavour
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