Civil Twilight is a rollercoaster of a band, taking the listener from intense rocking heights and then back down to the ground with some powerful mellow tracks, and they are clearly masters of both altitudes. They are purely rock, though, through and through.
It all started in 1996 and in Cape Town, South Africa, where the journeymen first started their sojourn. It is where brothers Andrew and Steven McKellar joined with longtime friend Richard Wauters to form what would eventually become the powerhouse alt-rock band that is making catchy and commanding music today. It began in a simple and humble garage, as many impromptu teenage bands do. Since then, Civil Twilight has made the long voyage from South Africa to America and has released two albums, with this spring’s Holy Weather being their newest LP. Even more recently Kevin Daily joined the trio, using his keyboard talent to support Civil Twilight on the road, and his presence only adds to the magical sound that Civil Twilight calls their own. Now that they have settled into the States, they are steadily achieving their dreams.
Civil Twilight has long since moved from the garage to the stage, as they are currently on tour with alternative rock group Mutemath, busy travelling across the country. You can see them open for Mutemath this Thursday, September 20 at the Majestic Theatre.
Many have compared Civil Twilight to bands like U2, Radiohead, and Coldplay, but their sound is something truly unique. I can see how lead singer Stephen McKellar’s vocals are similar to those of Bono, but I would like to put Stephen in a class of his own. Stephen sings in a hard, rough, and occasionally falsetto manner, and the way his voice mingles with the sometimes atmospheric, sometimes rock, and always emotional music of the group as a whole creates a sound all their own.
Civil Twilight’s sound is solely their own and something any hard or alternative rock fan would enjoy. As much as their music is what makes them amazing, Civil Twilight’s lyrics are just as strong. Stephen is the lyricist and general songwriter of the group, and his outrageous talent is evident in the deep and powerful lyrics of each and every song. One of my favorite songs from their first album Soldier, which tackles the intense and almost taboo topic of war. Stephen shouts to the listener, saying “I take those shots, but I have no authority / I take those shots, but I’m not guilty / I’m just a soldier in another war / It doesn’t matter who I’m guilty for.”
Try your hardest to see Civil Twilight on Thursday at the Majestic, especially if you are prepared to get lost in their formidable rock melodies and moving songs. I spoke with Stephen McKellar last weekend:
Where do you get your inspiration for your music? For your lyrics?
“Ah, gosh, a lot of things, really. I think traveling. Personal experiences, movies. I think for us, stories too. For me, I get a lot of inspiration from a good story. I guess it’s a combination of real life… and traveling… and stories. And experiencing new cities new people. I really enjoy it. I think people are the biggest thing, and people’s stories.”
Do you bring any of your South African roots into play?
“Yah, I think you can’t really help but do that. We grew up there, and I think it just comes through your subconscious when you write or perform. It’s definitely there.”
Many compare your music to the sounds of U2, Radiohead, or Muse — but, in your own words, what sets you apart from everyone else? I think you guys have a great, unique sound, but what would you say makes you different?
“Gosh! That’s really hard to say! Because we’re so… so subjective, you know? I would definitely say that because of my voice and the sounds that we create, it’s music that people are just drawn to, yeah?”
A lot of your songs have been featured on TV shows and films, like House, One Tree Hill, and The Vampire Diaries. How and why did you choose to use your music for these?
“We kind of fell into it by mistake, really. We had the release of our first album, and maybe two years after that we had a company come up to us wanting to help us promote our songs. So, they started putting our songs on television and we started getting the word out there, and we’re probably going to start focusing a little more on that. It’s great, it’s just fun. Like I said earlier, visuals and movies, I think we are really inspired by that, and it’s clever as well, the image and the music together.”
With a new album just released this past March, what does the future hold for Civil Twilight? Any major plans? Dreams?
“Well, I think we’ll focus on this record for the next year or so. It depends on things go, in terms of singles and stuff. We’ll just keep touring next year, and like I said, we’ll probably focus a little more on TV soundtracks. We’ll keep touring and we’ll visit South Africa soon, which is great because we’ll get to see family. And then we look forward to making more music! We’ll just keep making music!”