Harmonious Journeys: An Interview with Motel Sundown

From the vibrant city of Liverpool comes Motel Sundown, a captivating Americana harmony band that has been making waves since their formation in 2018. Consisting of three talented songwriters—Karen Turley, Naomi Campbell, and Robert Johnson—Motel Sundown seamlessly blends the classic sounds of The Beatles, Paul Simon, and Bob Dylan with the rich, three-part harmonies reminiscent of Fleetwood Mac and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Their unique sound and engaging performances have earned them the accolade of “a band to watch in 2024 and beyond” by Fatea Magazine.

Having supported both local and international artists such as The Hanging Stars, Ashley Campbell, The Chapin Sisters, and Grammy-nominated Courtney Marie Andrews, Motel Sundown has carved a niche for themselves in the music scene. In 2023, they graced the stage at the prestigious Black Deer Festival and embarked on a successful UK tour, culminating in a sold-out show at the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall.

With the release of their latest EP, *El Dorado*, the band has continued to enchant audiences with their lush, vintage sound and dynamic harmonies. This summer, they are set to perform at the Liverpool Celebrates Festival alongside headliners The Jacksons, further solidifying their reputation as a must-see act.

Join us as we delve into the musical journey of Motel Sundown, exploring their influences, achievements, and what lies ahead for this remarkable trio.

1. Your new EP "El Dorado" features a lush, vintage sound with three-part harmonies and evolving dynamics. Can you discuss the inspiration behind this EP and how you developed its distinctive sound?

El Dorado is a combination of all of our musical influences as three songwriters. Whilst we all have a shared interest in Folk Rock bands of the 70s we also blend together different genres that we have grown up with separately such as Blues, Rock, Soul, Indie Traditional and Country. This may be a factor in what gives our EP its distinctive sound as well as our signature three part harmonies. 

Some of the tracks are personal and written separately whilst others we finished together. We went with El Dorado as the title track of the EP as it encapsulates the themes of escapism and romanticism explored in the five tracks. 

2. Recorded at the renowned Motor Museum in Liverpool, how did the studio environment influence the recording process and the final production of "El Dorado"?

Recording in the studio is always an exciting process as we are able to layer up different sounds and discover new elements to the track that weren’t in the demos. Working with our producer Ben Harper in Motor Museum was great as we had his fresh outlook on the tracks and he added lots of hidden gems to the EP whilst also maximizing the sound that we had in mind to its full potential. 

Being in a recording studio in general knowing how many great records have been made in between those walls in the past is also a great inspiration in itself!

3. With highlights like winning the Black Deer Emerging competition and performing sold-out shows at the Philharmonic Music Room and Green Note, how have these achievements shaped your band's journey and growth?

These achievements have been great for us as it gives us a boost to know that there is an audience for our music, particularly Americana fans who have been really supportive of us since we started back in 2019. We were then invited back by Caffe Nero to play Black Deer 2024 which was great. Being able to say we played a sell out show at our hometown in a prestigious venue such as the Liverpool Philharmonic is a great feeling and it encourages us to do more! 

4. Your music has been described as a "stunning dreamscape of sound" and a "melodious melting pot of Americana and Folk-Rock." How do these genres and influences, like CSNY, Fleetwood Mac, and Bob Dylan, impact your songwriting and musical style?

They probably impact it quite a bit as we always try to make sure the harmonies are evident on any song, which is where CSNY might come into it. We try to give the music that old fashioned feel with a modern twist and we tend to draw on all of these influences for each track. One song might have a Fleetwood Mac feel but be more of 90’s Indie or pop melody, so every song is different. It ends up being a nice blend of all of our interests. 

5. "El Dorado" includes a mix of ballads and energetic tracks. Can you share the creative process behind crafting such diverse songs as "Midnight Blue" and "Lost Time"?

It’s usually just a case of what ideas come to you, naturally it’s easier to write a ballad at home acoustically and in a band room more likely something more rhythmic. Both are slightly unusual though in the way they camera about. For “Midnight Blue” it was an old unused song that already had lyrics and then these were moved over to a piano piece with a new melody. “Lost Time” started as a bit of a country shuffle but we purposely decided to add a riff at the start to have something different about it and then it evolved from there into more of a swamp rock idea but this version never really came into being. Of course we wanted to have a bit of diversity on the EP or else it’s just a string of ballads and no one wants that!

6. With upcoming gigs at major festivals and supporting well-known artists, how do you prepare for live performances, and what can audiences expect from a Motel Sundown show?

Like any other band, we just try to practice before any show and make sure the set is down. We want to feel comfortable with each song and have it be second nature, rather than just remembering parts. You can expect lots of harmonies and layered acoustics, with a good amount of silly banter between us ha!