The Godfathers – The Alpha Beta Discussion

1. Why did it take you five years to release the new album?

Peter Coyne – Everything takes time! The last studio album by The Godfathers ‘A Big Bad Beautiful Noise’ was released in 2017 & we spent two years promoting it by playing concerts all over the world. Then after that I decided not to work with the people who made that album (far too many details to go into about why…) and I asked drummer Billy Duncanson, guitarists Richie Simpson & Wayne Vermaak & former Damned bass player Jon Priestley to join the band. Together we did a lot of touring & writing new songs & then the Covid pandemic stopped the world completely…every member of the band including me got Coronavirus too at different times…so all that delayed the new album ‘Alpha Beta Gamma Delta’ being released by about 18 months…

2. Why did you decide to name the album Alpha Beta Gamma Delta?

Peter Coyne – It’s obviously a really strong title but it will have very different meanings to lots of people…it’s not our job to ever tell people how to think – they can make their own minds up & do that themselves

3. Since the title of the album is the 4 letters of the Greek alphabet, do you have any memories of your last visit to Greece?

Peter Coyne – it was as always fantastic! We played the Street Mode festival in Thessaloniki with one of my favourite bands Electric Six & the day before we’d played a massive festival to 80, 000 people in Turkey. The food in Greece & Turkey is excellent & one of my favourite drinks is ouzo, so I was very happy…the Greek people have always been very lovely to us & extremely supportive of The Godfathers over the years & it’s a total pleasure to play concerts there!! We have played many great tours of Greece & we really LOVE Greece & the people there. We are planning to play again in Greece this December…

4. Why do you describe the album as “a sonic tour de force”?

Peter Coyne – We all put a lot of effort into writing really great songs for ‘Alpha Beta Gamma Delta’ – we wanted to create something ultra special, one of the best albums The Godfathers have ever recorded. I don’t believe there’s a single second wasted on that record…it’s great number after great number with touches of the unexpected here & there. You think you know The Godfathers? Think again!! I am super proud of that album.

5. The album includes some pretty cool guitar work. Congrats on it. Where and how did you record the album?

Peter Coyne – Thanks! Wayne Vermaak & Richie Simpson are fantastic guitarists & our bass player Jon Priestley (who also produced the album) plays excellent guitar too! We recorded ‘Alpha Beta Gamma Delta’ at Jon’s studio in Warwick just outside Birmingham & because of Covid restrictions it was recorded in separate stages…whenever we had 3 or 4 great numbers we recorded them & then spent time adding musical & vocal parts & a little bit of magic until we were happy! Then slowly but surely the whole album began to take shape & we finished it.

6. Alpha Beta Gamma Delta is the first Godfathers’ album to feature the new line-up. How do you feel about it, and what are the new elements that this line-up brought?

Peter Coyne – These guys are all fantastic musicians & it’s been a total pleasure writing songs together & then recording them. I think ‘Alpha Beta Gamma Delta’ sounds very immediate, very fresh because we all brought such enthusiasm into the studio for this project – everyone was determined to create something really magical, to make our own statement to the world. The Godfathers have made what some people would consider true classic albums in the past & we wanted to at least equal that or better it.

7. Which is the “dark and dangerous” side of the album that you refer to in the press release?

Peter Coyne – Rock & roll is meant to be dark & dangerous! It’s there in the playing, the attitude & the lyrical themes to most of the songs on ‘Alpha Beta Gamma Delta’. We try to encapsulate what we feel about society or what’s happening in the world today, if we hadn’t done that it wouldn’t have been honest…we won’t pretend that everyone & everything is fine & normal when it’s obviously not. But it’s got to be entertaining, it’s got to be exciting.

8. How did the COVID-19 era affect your songwriting for this album?

Peter Coyne – it had the effect of delaying recording & finishing the album for sure, but we used that lost time wisely by writing even more songs so that eventually made ‘Alpha Beta Gamma Delta’ even stronger.

9. Why do you hate the 21st Century, as you mention in the lyrics of the self-titled song?

Peter Coyne – Just watch the news on TV, hear it on the radio or read about it in the newspapers…or ask your friends, family or neighbours. These are very dangerous times we are all living in & we wanted to capture some of that confusion on the songs on the new album. The 21st century is no fun at all, if there’s not one thing designed to mess you up or cost you money there’s always another…

10. Which was the initial goal when composing this album and did you finally reach it at the end of the recording process?

Peter Coyne – to make the very best album we could, something ultra special & truly exciting…I definitely think we achieved that!!