Review Fix Exclusive: Kavanagh’s David Emmons Talks ‘Neon Baby’ And More

Review Fix chats with Kavanagh’s David Emmons, who discusses his origin in music, what makes the band special and their new single, “Neon Baby.”

Review Fix: How did you get involved in music?

David Emmons: I think if any kid’s taken to a concert when they’re young, they’re going to want to join a rock n roll band. All 5 of us have memories like that. We all met at school, all had the same exciting idea, and yeah – the rest is history. 


Review Fix: What’s your creative process like?

Emmons: We all get in the studio, start having fun, and the songs seem to write themselves. Sometimes I’ll have a vocal line, or the guitarist will have a riff. Then all 5 of us will jam to it, until we’ve created something beautiful. It’s great fun.

Review Fix: What inspires you?

Emmons: As a whole, I suppose we’re inspired by our idols. The people we want to be, the places we want to go. Pioneering rock bands, new and old. But on a personal level, inspiration can come from anywhere. I’m constantly writing lyrics, and even the most mundane things can trigger a verse. Most of the time I find that the most boring, everyday things can hold the most feeling. So when I say that anything can inspire us, I really mean it. 


Review Fix: What does music mean to you?

Emmons: Music as an art form, I adore it. It’s so expressive and pure. No need for a canvas, it’s straight from the soul. In that sense, music is everything. It’s a way of expressing emotion, of showing feeling. I use it to understand myself, and others. I definitely couldn’t live without it. And the feeling of creating music, with people you trust and love, it’s a high like no other. 

Review Fix: How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard you?

Emmons: Now that’s a hard one. Grunge or garage rock n roll, alternative rock covers it I suppose. We like to call it NitRock. We’re loud, of course we are, there’s 5 of us. But we can be really gentle too. We’re a proper mix.


Review Fix: How are your live shows different from your studio work?

Emmons: We’re definitely a live band. That’s where we have the most fun. Give us a packed venue over an empty studio any day. It’s more raw, it’s the real deal, with all the scabs. It’s of the moment. I like the connection with the crowd, you can’t recreate that in a studio. It’s always going to be a copy of the experience. 


Review Fix: What inspired your latest single?

Emmons: The latest single ‘Neon Baby’ is about accepting that you’re a part of the modern world. You are the future, part of modern life. The chorus I wrote stoned whilst staring at a Dali painting in my friend’s flat. He’s not around anymore so those words are important to me for that reason too. It’s fast and punchy, just under three minutes, and I like it a hell of a lot. 


Review Fix: What are your goals for the rest of 2020?

Emmons: The rest of 2020 is time for us to get back into the studio and finish the material we’ve been working on. A few exciting single releases, working with some exciting people. So keep your eyes peeled for those. We’d love to get a load of gigs scheduled in, but I’m not sure how likely that’s going to be. We’ll hit it hard next year if not. It’s got to be done.


Review Fix: Anything else you’d like to add? 

Emmons: We’re working with esteemed producer Mike Bennett at the moment, and look forward to supporting Fat White Family on tour. So keep your ears to the ground and you’ll definitely be hearing much more from us in the months to come.

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 13819 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

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