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Seems like only yesterday Kula Shaker were ruling
the charts.
They were The Strokes of their day.
But after their second album failed to set the
music world alight the group members went their separate ways.
Now Crispian Mills, the son of actress Hayley who
is the daughter of star luvvie Sir John Mills, is back.
He's part of a trio, The Jeevas, who've just released
their debut album 1,2,3.4 and will be playing in Nottingham in October.
Crispian's been speaking exclusively to us about
the Kula Shaker break-up, the new band and how he nearly died on
stage at Rock City.
| Crispian
Mills of The Jeevas |
Welcome
back. What's been happening since Kula Shaker broke up?
I had two and a half years of what can only be described
as controlled confusion, floating about in recording sessions
which came to little. I left Kula Shaker in August 1999 at the
time of the eclipse. I stared doing some solo stuff. I'm grateful
to God that I didn't release anything. |
So
how did The Jeevas come about?
I learnt a lot about music during this none-productive time.
When I met Andy and Dan they were helping me record. Within
48 seconds everyone was smiling, it was pure joy and I knew
this was the way forward. I realised what I'd been working on
was no good. We got together and put the 1,2,3,4 album together
in about five weeks. |
So
what's different about this music?
My solo stuff had been heading in a 60s, garage kind of
way - instrumental, stripped down acoustic but I always felt
there was something missing. Now it's full of energy and kicks
ass. I didn't really have to think about it. The Jeevas album
is spontaneous and to get that on record is a real pleasure. |
Is
it a world away from the Kula Shaker sound?
It's simultaneously the same and different. It has my involvement
but a different chemistry. There's a connection with Kula Shaker
through me but this is my next step. |
How
important is religion on this disc?
I'm more into the attraction purpose of religion rather
than religion itself. I hope to put my views over in my writing
and music. |
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| The cover of the debut Jeevas album |
Kula
Shaker played Rock City and it's a gig you remember for the
wrong reasons?
We played there in the 90s and I'm looking forward to returning
with the new band. It's a good gig to play. Lots of concerts
just merge into one but I remember Rock City because I nearly
got electrocuted last time, I was sweating so much. That kind
of thing sticks in your memory. You kind of remember times in
your life when you nearly died. I'll make sure I wear a rubber
suit next time I play there. |
What
will you be playing in October?
We'll play a mix, so yes, there will be Kula Shaker numbers
because they work well with our current sound. So it'll be a
mix, quite stew you could say. |
You
were a music press darling with Kula Shaker. Do you want to
return to those heady heights?
I'm going to sound like a footballer. We're just going to
take things one day at a time. There's an upside and a down
side to obscurity. I don't know what it's like to be a Spice
Girl. We'll just see what happens. No one's chasing fame at
the moment. What we're pleased about is we've done everything
connected with this record. |
But
can you achieve big success without major label clout?
It's not a confident time in the music business at the moment.
It's a great time for up and coming bands to get on the internet
and put out material. The music business has to change and hopefully
we can play our part. It's a bit like new wave in the 70s when
bands came through on minor labels. This time the web's giving
unknown bands like ours a chance to be heard. |
1, 2, 3, 4 by The Jeevas is released on Cowboy
Musik/Setanta records CDCOW003.
The Jeevas play Nottingham's Rock City on Saturday
12th October 2002. More information on 0115 941 2544.
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