The Saw Doctors Are Planning A House Call

The Irish Examiner Interviews Leo Moran Before The Band's August 23rd Gig On Governor's Island

By Aine Fox

From Galway to Governor's Island, the Saw Doctors have travelled a long way. In this the 20th anniversary year of their formation the band, often described as 'rootsy rockers', have toured Europe and will play 14 dates in the US this summer.

Leo Moran, guitarist and songwriting partner of lead singer Davy Carton, spoke to the Irish Examiner about Tuam, touring and even Bebo!

Speaking from his home back in Ireland, Moran is a friendly chap who, despite years on the road has lost none of his Galway accent.

He jokes that he may up and leave it all one day and move to New York such is his love for the city. "I like wandering around and seeing what's happening. We've been here a lot over the years and it's a great place".

A band known for enjoying the craic and a few beers of a night Moran admits his fondness for the Irish bars in the city, "I like them all to be honest, I couldn't pick a favourite!"

Looking forward to their US dates this summer, Moran singled out the Governor's Island gig on August 23 as an exciting prospect for them, "It will be an unusual experience for us, it's a completely new venue and is pretty spectacular."

The band will headline the concert series this summer on the 172-acre island, just 800 yards from lower Manhattan.

Whether it be an intimate gig in Amsterdam or bigger crowds at home in Ireland and here in the US, Moran says he, Davy, Anthony, Kevin, and Eimhin look forward to every concert. "The smaller venues are great because you can really get the audience involved and have the craic with them, but then the bigger gigs are great too, you just have to get the crowd going a bit sooner."

Speaking of their European tour earlier this year, Moran said he enjoyed the trip. "We would definitely like to go back and get our foot in the door over there. There are a lot of nice cities. Germany in particular was impressive, it's a very classy country."

So how do Danes and Germans react to one of the most intrinsically Irish bands around? "We write about falling in love, and being broke. Everyone empathises with those things, not just Irish people. We have had a really good reception anywhere we've been on tour this year."

Any of the specifically Irish references, which the Saw Doctors' songs are famous for are actually a selling point Leo believes, "When audiences hear something about somewhere they've never been it sounds exotic. Even Tuam sounds exotic believe it or not!"

Probably the most exotic of these is the description of the stone walls and green grass of Galway's N17 - a romantic memory of an emigrant trapped in the hustle and bustle of big city life. Themes like that, written years ago remain timeless.

The dynamics within the band are crucial to produce their distinctive sound according to Moran, "The speed at which we get through ideas with this present line-up of the band is a pleasure - we've got a team that understands the essence of the songs, what makes them work and what they might need as regards touching up."

Although they've been on the road for two decades now their fan base, perhaps surprisingly to some, includes a good proportion of young people.

This fact is confirmed by their slot at the hugely popular Oxegen music festival in Kildare this summer. "It's important to renew your audience and we are gaining new younger fans all the time."

Their latest song taps into this generation's undoubtedly favourite past time. 'I'm never gonna go on Bebo again' puts an amusing slant on the unwanted attraction of random stalkers on the popular networking website.

Ironically the band have their own regularly updated Bebo sites. "I think in order to move with the times you have to be involved in all the modern forms of communications, and Bebo is one of the biggest nowadays."

Moran is also a fan of the modern phenomenon of blogging, using the official website to inform fans of the bands experiences all over the world. "I really enjoy writing on the blog; the posts usually coincide with times I'm feeling healthy and full of energy. Then as the tours go on and the nights get longer it usually ends up that I tend to write less."

He is determined to keep the US tour blog consistent though, charting their experiences from Massachusetts to Buffalo.

The band see touring as the highlight of their job, "Of course there are times when you're knackered but as soon as you get on stage you get new energy. We never get fed up with it, it's what we love."

Writing their songs for themselves and from their own personal experiences means they enjoy the performances and in turn so do the audience. "Some of the modern bands like Coldplay are, well, a bit cold to be honest. I think some of them take themselves too seriously. Not all of them though, I like some Killers stuff and the Kings of Leon among others."

Aside from family the band don't find themselves pining for home when travelling. "We love being home obviously, but touring allows us to see new places, enjoy new food and all the rest."

Being away from family doesn't become an issue either for the most part. "I have a 17-year-old son and he tries to get out with us as much as possible." An aspiring rocker too perhaps? "Well he plays guitar and loves music but I've warned him that lightning doesn't often strike twice. He really enjoys the whole thing though and I believe we should encourage kids to do what they like doing so I definitely wouldn't discourage him".

Moran always wanted to go into music. "I never thought of any other career." Along with lead singer Davey Carton, Moran had been involved in the local punk scene.

Both in separate bands, they then came together to form 'The Saw Doctors' (a working title, which became their lasting name). "We always loved writing songs and went from there."

Just as their namesakes travelled Ireland repairing worktools, the band have travelled the globe perfecting their craft - entertaining audiences with songs about anything from teenage crushes to depression and growing up in Ireland's wonderful West.

Twenty years, three Irish number ones, a UK top ten album and a Meteor Lifetime Achievement Award later, they're still going strong. "We've been playing songs together now since the mid 80s and we still get the same satisfaction about getting things in such a way that they work for us and for the audience and we still have the same desire to come up with new songs."

A major factor in their longevity is something very simple - they genuinely like each other. "We get on particularly well, as I suspect, we would have to, in order to keep things on the rails for this amount of time. I can't imagine how some bands keep going when they have notorious personality clashes within the organization."

As for the next few years, Moran is reluctant to say too much, "The future is always a dangerous area and one that we've never liked to talk too much about."

The rest of the year is fully booked with a UK tour scheduled for November and December, beyond that they are cagey, "we won't be planning too far into 2009..."

Whether or not they carry on for another twenty years, one thing looks likely judging by their growing popularity with younger generations, their music will be around for decades to come.

The Saw Doctors play Governor's Island, NY on August 23. Their full tour schedule is available at sawdoctors.com