Ryan Jacob (left) and Tom Hancock (right), founding members of Dollars Trio. Pic: Lucy Snell.
Dollars Trio, a live band from Hackney, talk about their latest EP, River in the Sky, the influence of old Western films, local music venues at risk of closures and working with musical virtuosos.
Ryan Jacob is a classically trained trumpeter, with a background in producing music commercially, he played in many bands before forming Dollars Trio, with his close friend Tom Hancock, after the two bonded over their love for Western film soundtracks from the 60s.
Dollars Trio is an eight-piece live band, which formed in Hackney five years ago, their latest EP River in the Sky was released at the end of September.
The band is formed of an eclectic mix. For their latest EP, they had three trumpeters playing on the tracks including Ryan Jacob, Joe Auckland and Steve Pretty. The other permanent members of the band include Tom Hancock on guitar, Spencer Brown on bass, John Maiden on drums, Joe Glossop on keyboard and Adeleye Omotayo on vocals. Omotayo is a Nigerian-born singer, who grew up in Hackney, in the past he’s worked with popular artists like Amy Winehouse and Gorillaz.
Jacob told ELL that Omotayo recorded half the set for the latest EP, and the other half is instrumental. Omotayo’s vocals feature on two tracks, Groundhog Day and I Won’t Look Back.
Dollars Trio feat. Adeleye Omotayo performing Groundhog Day, a new single from their EP. Video: Owen Tozer
Their euphonious sound merges a range of genres from soul, funk, and jazz to elements of hip-hop, groove – and spaghetti Western soundscapes. This sub-genre of Western films, which pioneered Dollars Trio’s sound, was first coined by foreign critics when European, particularly Italian, directors started making Western movies. It first emerged in the mid-60s, when Sergio Leone’s filmmaking style received international box-office success.
Their new EP encapsulates sounds like the scores of spaghetti Westerns, that Hancock and Jacob spent much of their first years as friends watching and listening to in their Hackney flats. Zabriskie Point, Michelangelo Antonioni’s 1970 film is Hancock’s favourite spaghetti Western. “Surreal, trippy and has a fantastic soundtrack. It’s music that transports you to a different place. A lot of the spaghetti Western was composed in the 60s and early 70s, that is our aesthetic and sound,” Hancock says.
EP cover for River In The Sky. Pic: Dollars Trio
The two musicians said they are also influenced by a range of modern-day musicians, including Canadian instrumental band BADBADNOTGOOD and psychedelic rock band, Khruangbin.
Hancock recounts seeing an early gig of Khruangbin playing at grassroots venue Grow and being inspired by the three-piece band. He reached out to the venue to organise Dollars Trio’s EP launch to be held there.
Jacob said Grow “has a great heart behind it”.
Not only are they working with Grow for creative benefits, but the Hackney-based venue also “offers good [financial] deals to artists as they don’t go through a promoter”.
“Money can be difficult when you’re dividing between to eight members… so [Grow] looks after you well”, Jacob adds.
But these kinds of venues are increasingly at risk of closure. Grow recently started a Crowdfunder to avoid being closed down, including securing licenses for longer opening times, a new awning, building solar panels and starting the process of becoming a Community Interest Company.
Grow said in an Instagram post: “We’re still considered a venue at risk. The actions taken this year have eased the pressure off, but we still need you to come to Grow this Autumn and Winter.”
Jacob told ELL: “After seeing a lot of London music venues close down over the years, it’s encouraging to see places like Earth, Hackney and Grow programming interesting music, and how that develops the scene”.
Dollars Trio works on many other projects alongside their band. Hancock said they are “consistently writing” and almost have completed their next EP, which they told ELL exclusively will be called “Death Valley”.
“We often have tonnes and tonnes of stuff we’re working away at and polishing, I think we feel quite inspired to get it out there, it’s exciting to see the EP come into fruition and people are hearing it”, Hancock told ELL.
Jacob said: “It’s increasingly hard for bands to make a living from one project”.
“We’re hoping to make some income to synch with film and TV, and there’s some company out there looking to sign the rights for that, so there’s hopefully a new revenue stream.”
Perhaps we’ll hear Dollar Trio write the score for their very own spaghetti Western film.
