Interview : Spotlight on The Travellers

November 2015 – an email drops into my inbox asking if I’d be interested in working with a Maltese band. They wished me to style their upcoming music video, for their song ‘Semplicita’, this was to be their first launch. My initial thoughts were to decline, I was already swamped and I didn’t think that adding on more work would be the best of ideas. However, something about their name, their apparent organised methods – call it a gut feeling – something intrigued me. A bit of social media exploring, a few questions here and there and I was hooked. I had this feeling that this project would be something new, different and exciting – I wanted to magically find time to work on it.

This is a band whose songs are composed of entirely Maltese lyrics, who have an upbeat tune that’s simultaneously catchy and mood-evoking. The members of this band are in themselves already quite remarkable, they are all either studying full-time at University or working at demanding jobs. They are all also still relatively young yet really dedicated. What impressed me too, is the attention to detail they give everything.

Instead of simply posting a link and a few still shots of the music video, I thought that an interview giving a bit more insight into who these people are would be a bit more interesting – so read on to learn all about The Travellers.

Still from ‘Semplicita’ ph Androo Camilleri

What is The Travellers’ main goal?

The main goal was and still is to present the Maltese language in a contemporary musical setting. We wanted to create the following scenario – you’re driving in your car to work, a Maltese song starts playing on the radio formed of Maltese lyrics and you sing along, happily. Listening to songs in Maltese should automatically help the Maltese listener relate to the music and to the lyrics. Have we managed? We’ll let the listeners decide.

How did you meet and form a band?

We have actually been around for a couple of years, mostly writing original material and occasionally gigging. In 2013, Chris (Vocals), Joseph (Trumpet), and Clayton (bass) wanted to take music more seriously and they started working on a new project. As a result, Andrew (Guitar and Backing Vocals), Sylvano (Saxophone) and Michael (Drums) joined the band. From day one, the main aim has always been to create original material using Maltese lyrics, something which is different to what we were used hearing on our local radio stations.

Still from ‘Semplicita’ ph Androo Camilleri

Healthy eating vs Junk food?

Andrew: Junk Food
Clayton: A balance of both
Chris: Healthy Eating
Joseph: Junk Food
Sylvano: Healthy Eating
Michael: Healthy Eating

Exercise vs couch potato?

Chris: Couch potato with some exercise
Clayton: Exercise
Joseph: Exercise

Favourite artist(s)?

Can’t really name a favourite band or artist, we all listen to different bands and artists. However, some common inspirational artists that we all listen to are Hans Zimmer, Snarky Puppy, Jojo Mayer, David Sanborn, Paolo Nutini, and Ed Sheeran.

Daytime jobs/education/ lives

Chris Gatt: Programme officer
Andrew: Teacher
Michael: Reading a B.A. in music and Maltese at the University of Malta
Joseph: Graphic designer
Sylvano: Reading a Medicine Degree at the University of Malta
Clayton: Restoration and Conservation (full time)

Hobbies apart from music

Chris: Swimming and Travelling
Andrew: Football
Clayton: Sketching & Drawing