The Len Price 3 took time to answer our questions about their music and their songwriting. Let’s see what they have to say!
First off, What’s up with your name? Is there a story behind it?
No one in the band is called Len or Price. When we started, we wanted a name that sounded like an old jazz outfit.
Tell us about your musical past, would you tell us about your early years?
We got together in about 2001. I (Glenn) had been in a band with Neil in the 90s called The Wogans. A year or 2 after the band split, I started writing some songs and asked Neil to help record them. We decided to do some shows, so wevrecruited Steve on bass and away we went. Our first practice was in a pub in Maidstone, Kent. The landlord said we were too loud and told us not to come back. We booked in the following week under a different name.
How would you describe your sound?
Noisy but nice. We’re a 3-piece guitar band with punk and 60s pop sensibilities. We’re intense and energetic with vocal harmonies. Clash and Ramones meet the Kinks and the Who. That kind of thing.
Which artists have the biggest influence on your sound?
Beatles, the Kinks, the Who, the Clash, the Ramones, Medway bands like the Prisoners, Graham Day and the Gaolers, Thee Headcoats, Buff Medways and a little bit of Guided By Voices here and there.
What’s the last song you listened to?
Chicken Fat by Mel Brown
What’s your source for hearing new music?
BBC 6 Music, Shindig Magazine, Ugly Things Magazine, Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and the world around us.
Who is your dream producer?
Jim Riley. And we’re lucky enough to have worked with him a lot over the years.
If you could collaborate with anyone, who would it be?
Iggy Pop. I like to think we’d have a great laugh.
What led you to music, and what motivates you to keep making it?
When I was about 13, a friend at school gave me a tape of 3 Chuck Berry songs he’d recorded from his dad’s vinyl collection. The songs were Johnny B Goode, Roll Over Beethoven and Run Rudolph Run. It was the mid 1980s and I was surrounded by FM radio hits of the period – Madonna, U2, Dire Straits, Bon Jovi and that kind of stuff. Hearing the crackle of the vinyl and Chuck’s guitar cutting through was like hearing a signal from another dimension. I felt like I’d been hit by a bolt of lightning and knew that was what I wanted to do.
I keep doing it now partly because I can’t stop. It’s also one of those things where when I’m doing it, I’m 100% in the moment and being authentic. It’s a spiritual thing really- when things are real.
Tell us about the songwriting process. How does it all come together?
I (Glenn) come up with the ideas, write a melody, verses, chorus etc and I take them to rehearsal where Neil and Steve help work the song into shape.
How do you connect with your audience?
By talking to them at shows. Social media – Facebook and Instagram mainly. By writing songs about common human experiences like love, death, happiness and loss.
What is the easiest way for them to connect with you?
Any of the above
The Len Price 3 (@thelenprice) | Instagram
What’s next for you?
Playing shows in support of Chinese Burn which is out on vinyl for the first time thanks to Wicked Cool. We’re playing shows in the U.K. and Europe throughout Spring and into the Summer and we’ll be announcing some US dates soon. We’ll be crossing the pond in October. We’re also recording a new single in a couple of weeks.
Anything else you’d like to add or let us know about?
I think it’s mostly covered above.
All the best
Glenn
