Miles Salter: Gang leader of Miles And The Chain Gang
YORK band Miles And The Chain Gang will release new single Road To Damascus on July 18.
“It feels like an Americana classic with shades of blues and soul, but with the energy and swagger our fans have come to expect,” says frontman Miles Salter, York songwriter, musician, poet, storyteller, podcaster, presenter and festival programmer.
“The song first came out in 1995, when I made an album of songs called Time To Credit Marvels. I think I pressed 200 copies of the cassette. I was living in Hull at the time and the sleeve was done by a back-street printer with mixed results. It was before I started to put CDs out. Those tapes were always a labour of love!”
The new version of Road To Damascus was recorded in York at Young Thugs Studios, where Miles has recorded nearly all of his songs since 2018, working with producer and musician Jonny Hooker.
“Jonny is very patient,” says Miles. “I get a bit perfectionist-neurotic in the studio; I can’t bear doing stuff that’s ‘nearly but not quite’, so I keep going back to something until it’s right. It can be frustrating, but I honestly feel the catalogue of songs we have now is really good.
“So when something comes out, it has to be as good as I can get it. If that means re-doing the vocal five times, so be it.”
As for the lyrics, is this a tale of love as redemption? “Yes,” affirms Miles.”The idea that love can save you. Saint Paul had his ‘Damascus Road’ experience, but not everybody, these days, gets the reference. Biblical and classical ideas are less available to people than Marvel superheroes.
“There’s a link between spirituality and love. Think of I Say A Little Prayer by Aretha Franklin, or Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen, although I wish I could write lyrics as good as Leonard’s – he’s in the premier league of songwriters, as far as I can see. He closed the gap between poetry and lyrics.”
Joining Miles on the new recording are a talented bunch of York musicians: Stomp! percussionist and drummer Billy Hickling, bass player Tim Bruce, York pianist par excellence Karl Mullen and saxophonist Fay Donaldson. Holly Taymar-Bilton provides backing vocals and York blues enthusiast Paul Winn plays harmonica.
Miles And The Chain Gang have released ten songs in total, reaching listeners in the United States, Canada, Australia and Europe as well Great Britain via indie and internet radio. “The internet is a mixed blessing, but it’s cool to know that people are listening to the songs around the world,” says Miles. “We’ve racked up more than 30,000 listens on Spotify and 50,000 views on YouTube too.”
Emma Scott, radio presenter and PR guru, praises Miles’s tunes. “They’re very good songs,” she says. “Miles has an ear for hooks, and that’s what rock and pop is all about at the end of the day: those little earworms that keep coming back for more.”
Road To Damascus will be on Spotify, Apple Music and other platforms from Friday. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOVSoAjRBm4