MUEN: I'm loving the new single, "Jennifer Sometimes" and "Right The Wrongs" How's it doing for you?

Adam: Thanks! So far, so good. When we were deciding what to put on the first single we made a conscious effort to choose the 'right' songs, tunes that would put over what we're about. So part of it came down to how the crowds were reacting to certain songs at the gigs, and 'Jennifer Sometimes' always gets a good reaction.
Rob: But I think we'd all always really liked the idea of putting out a 'single'-like A-side before taking things off in a different direction...
Adam: And with 'Right The Wrongs', it was as new to us as it would be to someone listening to it as we'd only finished writing it while we were recording it. I mean, we hadn't even gigged it before we put it on the CD. I think we all just thought 'TUNE!' when we were playing it, and it kind of just wrote itself�
Rob: It's my favourite recording of a Juno Ashes tune, by far�
Paul: 'Jennifer' is one of my favorite song to play live, It's always well received and, for me, is everything Juno Ashes is about.

MUEN: Where was it recorded and who was the producer?

Rob: We recorded part of it in a church hall, on a sunny day out in the countryside. But we ended up playing quite a lot of football that day too, so we had to add to it and mix it in our mate Marc Hassall's studio.
Adam: We've all worked our day jobs with Marc and he plays in a local band, The People Involved, who we really get on well with. So when we were looking for someone and somewhere to record the tunes, he was really up for producing it with us. It's good too because he really gets where we want to go with this music.
Paul: I'm always really pleased with the way our tunes come out. Marc does a fantastic job of capturing the Juno Ashes sound.

MUEN: You were able to launch the CD at your Virgin Record Store. What was that whole experience like?

Rob: The best bit for me was actually getting up to the back door of the place because, as it's part of a big shopping mall, you had to drive through this big security gate and about a mile of tunnels just to load in. It was like something the villain out of a James Bond film would have for his secret base. Except it was a shopping centre really...
Adam: Yeah, I'd agree with that!? Seriously though, it was the perfect way to promote your debut single, playing a live set in the biggest music shop in Manchester on a Saturday afternoon. The best bit for me was the crowd because it was pretty packed out and everyone seemed to really get into it.
Paul: Doing a gig in Manchester on a Saturday afternoon is a weird thing, you play an amazing set to a great crowd supported by brilliant bands, sign autographs, shake hands, etc, etc, then everyone goes shopping!!!!

MUEN: Do you think that helped with the CD sales?

Adam: Yep, selling lots of records was a bonus!!
Rob: And Virgin were taking a donation from each CD we sold for the local charitable foundation that they support. I think we ended making some decent money for that, which was good.

MUEN: So, you are a pretty new band, but you really seem to have it together. What's your history and then how did Juno Ashes form?

Neil: I spent a good few years in Manchester band Puressence, releasing 3 albums and several singles, and touring uk and Europe.

MUEN: How did you come up with the name Juno Ashes?

Neil: It came from a song called Burn the Ashes, to which we added some Juno synth. I jotted down Juno Ashes as a working title and thought it looked cool written down.

MUEN: How would you describe your music to someone that hasn't heard it before?

Rob: Good question! Um�
Adam: Massive!
Rob: Yeah, that and� I also don't think we're ever going to be afraid of writing a tune.

Adam: I think the only way for people to get an idea of where we are coming from is to listen to the music. As Rob said we are not afraid of a tune and we're always trying to find new sounds. But we also always want to make sure people recognize one of our songs as a Juno Ashes tune.
Paul: It's like marmite, you either like it or you don't.

MUEN: There's a lot of new music coming from Manchester right now. Do you think that's a benefit to unsigned bands or is there a lot of talent getting lost in the whole mix of things?

Adam: I'd definitely agree with that. Sometimes being a Manchester band isn't to your advantage and there will always be a tag because some of the greatest bands ever are from here.I feel that there are some amazing bands in Manchester at the moment that haven't made it and probably won't make it to where they should because, like us, they don't want to walk the walk and talk the talk. I mean, there are still bands getting record deals and loads of hype but when you listen to them or see them live they just doesn't live up to it.
Rob: Maybe. But people actually go to gigs here, whether they're 'Manchester' bands or not. So, from that perspective, it's still a great place to be. I mean a lot more people watch live music here than I ever remember doing when I lived in Birmingham, Edinburgh, Glasgow or Dundee. And some of these cities have produced some of the 'biggest' bands in the UK over the last couple of years.
Neil: Good bands will generally always achieve recognition, sometimes it's a "tortoise and hare" where some bands get picked up very quickly but don't last the race!
Adam: I'm happy that we have come so far so quickly, as it would have been easy for people to say that we have done it off the back of Neil's past success. It was up to us to do it for ourselves and let people make up their own minds, which I think they are doing.
Paul: Being in a band in Manchester is great, cos if you've got something to shout about there's plenty of places to shout about it in, and loads of people who will listen.

MUEN: You were on a TV show called "City Centre Social" and performed "Burn the Ashes" and "Spires". How was that for you? Nerve wracking or fun? And what's that like compared with performing a show at a club?

Adam: It was great. I mean having your songs played on the Radio is the most important thing to any band but it's good to do things like that so people get an idea of what you're like live. It's weird watching that show now because it was quite early on for us when we did it. We have come a long way musically since then. It was fun to do though, no soundcheck. Just 3, 2, 1 and you're away, don't make any mistakes! It was really different to playing a gig in a venue because you don't have the crowd's enthusiasm to feed off.
Paul: It was very strange leaving the studio and then watching yourselves on TV an hour later !!. Like adam says, there's no one to vibe off so you don't know how you've done till you see it on TV. I think we did a good job.

MUEN: I was reading a review for one of your gigs and it mentioned that the keyboardist (Rob) was hidden behind some speakers. Must have been cozy! Do you prefer the small intimate venues or the bigger ones? What's your favourite venue to perform at?

Rob: Manchester Academy is my favourite venue in town. The engineers in there are ace at what they do and you always get a decent sound on stage. Most times when we play live I can hardly hear what I'm playing� Or what any of the other lads are playing, come to think of it� I'll put in a special shout out to The Witchwood in Ashton-Under-Lyne though, that was ace too. And the Ritz was good, just because it was the Ritz (laughs)�
Adam: Bigger the better as far as I'm concerned. The gigs at the Academy have been amazing, especially when we've played with The TIDES. I think we share a similar fanbase with them so it's been a full house in there both times.

MUEN: You were named "Best Unsigned UK Band" by Playmusic/Pickup Magazine this year (Congratulations btw!!) Is your ultimate goal to become signed with a label?

Adam: No. (Laughs)
Neil: Maybe.
Andy: Yes.
Rob: (Laughs) Well, a label deal would be great if it meant that as many people as possible got to hear our music. And it would also be great to get the opportunity to work on our stuff full-time, to develop as a band and musicians over the course of a few albums. I reckon we've got at least one great album in us, for sure. But to get the sort of deal that means you get stuck on the shelf for three years, unable to put anything out, unable to play any gigs other than the ones you get told to etc etc? No. I'm with Ads on that one�
Adam: I don't think record deals have the same meaning for bands as they used to. I mean, these days with iTunes, Myspace, Facebook etc? If you put the time in you are able to promote your band's music as effectively as a label could, just in a different way. Obviously it would be great to have the financial backing when we want to release something or promote a tour. But at the moment we are our own bosses and I guess we have the first say on anything we do.
Paul: I agree, I don't think a record deal is high on our list of thing to achieve. But if the right kind of deal came along that allowed us to be as creative as we have been so far then we would have to give it some consideration.

MUEN: Are you currently working on any new material? Any plans for an album?

Rob: Well, working on new material is my favourite part of being in this band. There's usually loads of ideas swimming about.
Adam: We are always working on new ideas. We'll often go down to the rehearsal room and someone will have an idea and we just kind of jam it out and see where it goes! That's how a lot of the songs have become what they are now. We have never hit a brick wall coming up with ideas so we have a few things on the go!
Paul: The key to writing new material is no big egos !. If something isn't working then we move on, you can't force a tune. On the other hand if something works we go with it and see where it takes us. We don't put boundaries on our style or sound.

MUEN: Anything else coming up that you want to share with us? Or just anything you want to say to your fans?

Adam: Just a massive thankyou to everyone who has bought a copy of the single and been to see us live. Also to everyone who has taken the time to visit our Myspace page and get in touch with us to tell us what they think of the songs, So far its always been positive which obviously motivates us to come up with good stuff. Thanks so much for taking the time to talk with us!

Interview by Lissy MacMillan