In this exclusive interview, Judas Goat and the Bellwether delve into the creative journey behind their latest single, “There is Always a Dawn.” Touching on themes such as climate change, the interplay between modern life and nature, and the mystical elements in their music, the duo offers a compelling narrative. The duo discuss their philosophical and artistic inspirations, the importance of reconnecting with nature, and their unique creative process. This conversation promises a deep dive into the minds behind the music and the messages they strive to convey.
Judas Goat and the Bellwether, your latest single, There is Always a Dawn, is a sublime slice of folk poetry, which strikes a deep chord with its metaphorical address of climate change, what inspired you to use a parable as a medium for this important message?
I (Sara) am a philosophical romantic who has been seeking truth and wisdom ever since my sister died in a car accident in 1989 and my quest has led me to a metaphorical oak door where I was guided to knock and seek out the buried pearls of wisdom within our Christian heritage, and thus wondered if I could write something which might have a bit of cultural weight to save “the green and pleasant lands” as did Blake’s poem “Jerusalem “ when it was put to music particularly!
What was it about William Blake’s Jerusalem poem that lit a creative spark?
The term “dark satanic mills”, which revealed his prodigious insight into the perils of replacing handcrafts with machines and reduced one’s purpose to being cogs in a machine day in and day out, removed from innocence and creative freedom.
How did it feel to win a recording session at The Bert Jansch Studios in Frome after this single was voted a runner-up in the Climates Songwriting Competition?
Great! It really helped us raise our game, recording in a world-class studio.
In your opinion, what is the importance of bridging the gap between the modernised and digitised human experience and the natural world?
Incredibly important. If we’re online all the time it wipes us out and we need to get out into nature for at least half an hour a day apparently, otherwise we lose connection with our soul and get depressed; and all sorts of evils flourish out of our disconnection including addictions, mental health issues and self-destruction!
How did you integrate the lyrical content and musical elements in There is Always a Dawn to enhance its spiritual and mystical appeal?
We didn’t have to think about it too much as the art flows rather effortlessly between us luckily. Pete composes a riff and sends it over to me and then I find the words, and then we work out the shape of the song together and add layers as we go along.
What’s the story behind your moniker, and how does it reflect your artistic identity?
When we first met we somehow got on to the dark subject of the Judas Goat and how it’s a real thing! It’s a trained goat which befriends sheep and leads them to their slaughter in abattoirs. The goat is then sometimes rewarded with tobacco so it has addiction issues too! Pete thought it would be a good band name and added the Bellwether (lead sheep).
I thought about it for a bit and then realised it could be a really good platform for facing some of the darker, sadder realities of life which Pete’s moody and ominous chord changes evoke (a bit like Pink Floyd), and then we could shine some light and hope on things, as with this song.
As a duo, how does your creative synergy come to fruition?
As I mentioned earlier, we have a magical connection (most of the time!) – quite peaceful, graceful and poetic; if something has legs it flows easily luckily and we don’t have to think about things too much.
What’s next for Judas Goat and the Bellwether?
We have five songs essentially ready to go and we’re working with Ben Scott, a producer at Axe and Trap Studios in Wells, Somerset to get them recorded. We’ve also recruited Jim Scriven on bass and hope to find a drummer soon.
Then when we’re ready to go we hope to get out to play as much as we can. I’d particularly like to play in America as I’m foundationally influenced by the 60s counter-culture and Canada as they have a revolutionary micronutrient supplement for mental health issues which I’d like to research whilst I’m there, and Berlin is Pete’s spiritual home…
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Stream Judas Goat and the Bellwether on Bandcamp and follow their journey on Facebook.
Interview by Amelia Vandergast