Interview conducted with Hillary Burton and Kevin McGovern
Shock Treatment: Let's start off by telling me how you two met and decided to collaborate for The Trouble Seekers?
Kevin: I think we met in person back in the summer of 2014 at a honeychain show in LA somewhere. I was writing for the Long Beach Independent and doing Fear and Loathing in Long Beach. I had recently done an interview with Kim from the Muffs and found out she was producing honeychain’s full length. I checked out the Futura EP and loved it. I got in touch with Hillary and checked out their show. It was phenomenal. Once we started talking we discovered we liked a lot of the same bands and sounds.
Back in 2022, I was looking to do something different after the Prostitutes Shapeshift 7” and asked Hillary if she’d be interested in doing guest vocals on a song. She said she was down , I literally wrote Cruel Summer that night. We really liked working together, bouncing ideas off each other, so we decided to keep going.
Hillary: When Kevin asked if I’d be interested in lending vocals, I was super excited by the idea. It’s crazy that it led to a bona fide project with so many songs under our belt!
Shock Treatment: Correct me if I’m wrong, but you two don’t live close, but work together online to create the songs for Trouble Seekers yeah? Both of you having been in traditional bands, what do you find as pros and cons creating music in this way?
Kevin: I’m constantly relocating every 2-3 years because I’m a neurotic mess lol, no rhyme or reason. With modern technology I get way more written and accomplished with a DAW than I ever did at a live band practice.
It’s a different approach but it makes you more cognizant of the songwriting process than just bashing out chords in a live rehearsal setting where the distortion drowns out all imperfections lol, for me at least. It forces me to think outside the box a lot more which I really like, plus our songwriting process always brings new ideas to the table which is really cool. There’s no limit on creativity.
Hillary: It works quite well to collaborate this way as we communicate really well in terms of sharing ideas. Kevin is the mastermind behind the instrumentation, mixing and mastering, which allows me to think less about ‘how’ to execute ideas and more so just throwing things out knowing he is able to translate ideas into really cool parts, sounds, etc. It's cool to send a vocal track knowing that Kevin will integrate it in a really cool way.
Kevin: That’s true. We were in the planning stages a few years back and still want it to happen. There’s quite a few Trouble Seekers songs I’d love to play live. It requires a bit of a different set up live and a lot of orchestrating, planning. It’s definitely on the horizon at some point.
Hillary: Yes, definitely itching to play live! I think the songs deserve to be brought to life with live performance. We just have to figure out logistics and when, where, etc.
Shock Treatment: How does the actual song writing process work for you two? For example your new track “Blackout” that just came out. How did that come together?
Kevin: One of us will have an idea or guitar part. If I do, I’ll share it and if we both like it then the songwriting process begins. Lots of experimentation, demos- work in progress type stuff. It’s fun and challenges you as a writer.
As for “Blackout” I had the main riff recorded but that was it, Hillary wrote the pre chorus and chorus. It came together pretty quickly actually. I think we spent around 3 weeks on it, getting the song arranged, recorded, mixed etc.
Hillary: All songs start with Kevin. Sometimes he will send an idea or a part of a song, and sometimes a nearly complete song. Regardless of the state of the song he sends to me, he is always open to ideas. I think one of my strengths in the songwriting process with Kevin is to hear melodic parts to add, dynamics to integrate or different ideas for drum parts (since my first instrument is the drums). I am also really good (thankfully!) at convincing Kevin when his vocal alone works best in a part of a song and not to let mine get in the way.
Shock Treatment: I want to step back a bit and discuss your personal influences. What band or musician first made you want to pick up an instrument and learn to play and write music?
Kevin: That’s a tough one. I remember obsessively listening to 45s back when I was 6 years old. My aunt had given me her old 45 collection so I was listening to all kinds of crazy rock and r&b from the 1960s and 70s. My main inspiration for starting a band when I was 13 had to be either Generation X or the Ramones. I could somewhat play along with the songs so I thought I was good to go. It seemed like something I could actually do.
Hillary: One of the first influences that inspired me to want to be in a band and write songs and perform was Blondie. Followed by teaching myself to play the drums to all of the songs on Beauty and the Beat by The Go-Go’s. My dad is a musician so there were always instruments around and when I was a teenager he taught me basic chords on the guitar and taught me to use his 4 track reel-to-reel which spurred my multitracking songwriting.
Shock Treatment: I know I have my favorite Trouble Seeker songs, but I’m curious, if you had to pick a song that best represents this project to you or that you’re most proud of, which song would it be and why?
Kevin: I’m proud of all the songs we’ve done, the many moods of the Trouble Seekers. It changes all the time but I’d say Out of Order captures the overall vibe. It’s simple but complex all at the same time.
Hillary: I am lucky to say there are so many cool songs by The Trouble Seekers but if I had to pick one, it would be Cruel Summer. I love that song and am sentimental as well about it being our first.
Kevin: I’m proud of all the songs we’ve done, the many moods of the Trouble Seekers. It changes all the time but I’d say Out of Order captures the overall vibe. It’s simple but complex all at the same time.
Hillary: I am lucky to say there are so many cool songs by The Trouble Seekers but if I had to pick one, it would be Cruel Summer. I love that song and am sentimental as well about it being our first.
Shock Treatment: And speaking of your songs, I want to go back to your 2022 LP. You cover Cheap Trick’s “He’s A Whore” and Madonna’s “Borderline” and rub Trouble Seekers all over them and brilliantly make them your own. What led to the decision to cover these songs?
Kevin: Thank you. It’s crazy because we had talked about other covers and demoed some ideas. I think we chose Borderline because we had to reimagine it completely, in order to make it our own.
The Cheap Trick track came together last minute when we were recording the album, it just worked beautifully. Up until that point, we had a few bare bones demos for some cover songs by Flesh for Lulu, Psychedelic Furs etc.
Hillary: Exactly what Kevin said about being able to reimagine covers, as The Trouble Seekers’ sound gives us freedom to pick some pretty cool covers. Stay tuned as I foresee more covers in the future.
Shock Treatment: Trouble seekers have been releasing music since 2022 and you’ve been releasing digital singles and EP’s every year since. Do you like putting out your music this way as opposed to holding on to the songs and releasing them all at once as an LP?
Kevin: I love recording albums but it’s obviously a massive undertaking , with releasing singles it’s more in the moment and impulsive, we’re impatient lol
Hillary: Yeah, we are definitely impatient and so far feedback from people has been super positive about our approach to releasing singles. That said, our first full-length that was released on vinyl on Ruined Records sold out relatively quick if I recall.
Shock Treatment: What’s coming down the road for The Trouble Seekers in the near or not so near future?
Kevin: Anything and everything, make it up as we go along. The best way to do it.
Hillary: ditto
Shock Treatment: Where can people go to listen to your music or buy your records?
Kevin: Thanks! Our releases are available on all the usual suspects - Spotify, Apple, YouTube etc.
thetroubleseekers.bandcamp.com
Instagram: @thetroubleseekers
Kevin: Thanks! Our releases are available on all the usual suspects - Spotify, Apple, YouTube etc.
thetroubleseekers.bandcamp.com
Instagram: @thetroubleseekers