Interview with Thompson Square
by Christian Lamitschka for Country Music News International Magazine & Radio Show
Christian Lamitschka: How was the last year for you? What were your highlights?
Thompson Square: “It has been a dream come true, not “like” a dream come true, but the real deal. We are so thankful for all the things that we have been able to experience. The highlights are far too many to list but here’s a few: playing the Grand Ole Opry, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Conan, having our first number 1, being on the road with some of the best people we’ve ever known and most if all being able to do it all with he one person that means the most to us…each other.”
Christian Lamitschka: Tell me about the making of your debut CD, how it’s doing and your response to the success it’s received?
Thompson Square: “We were able to make this record with some of our really good friends. Their company is called New Voice and they’re a great band and producers as well. Everyone played as well as produced together so theres a real “band” vibe to the whole thing which we love. We couldn’t be more proud of it. It’s so cool to see fans at our shows singing all the songs on the record. it’s cool to know that many people are buying our music. With money always tight it’s good to know people care enough about what your doing to spend a little “hard earned” on it.”
Christian Lamitschka: What’s the story behind the name of Thompson Square (also the name of the album)? Why did you decide upon that as your band name?
Thompson Square: “Naming your band is one of the hardest things to do. After trying many other names we decided to use our last name and since there’s two o us we thought squared would be cool. After a while the “d” got lost and here we are.”
Christian Lamitschka: Please tell us about the songs on your album (influences, etc).
Thompson Square: “We wrote 9 of the 12 songs on the record And those came from personal places and things we’ve experienced over the years. We found 3 great songs from the outside that we had to have on there as well, “Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not” being one of them.”
Christian Lamitschka: What do you feel was/is so special about “Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not” that made fans embrace it so much? What do you think the appeal is for the Top 10 “I Got You?”
Thompson Square: “We’re not sure what the appeal is for ‘Are you Gonna Kiss Me Or Not.’ If I knew that we’d write a lot more if them! It just moves people the way it moved us when we first heard it. ‘I Got You’ is just a fun song that we love to sing and play in our show. Again we pick music based on how it makes us feel and hope the rest if the world will like it too.”
Christian Lamitschka: What kind of songs do you like to record the most?
Thompson Square: “Anything that puts you in a good memory.”
Christian Lamitschka: There’s a lot of work that goes into a number one hit. What did it take to make it in your case?
Thompson Square: “It took God, a ton of great people working endless hours and everyone having the same focus on that goal. And maybe a little luck.” 🙂
Christian Lamitschka: Fans are always hungry for good road stories. Do you have one you can share with us?
Thompson Square: “You know what they say – what happens on the road stays on the road. Maybe we’ll write a book one day an reveal it all!”
Christian Lamitschka ( Ch.Lamitschka@t-online.de )