Interview With Chris Medhurst of The Commoners

July 28, 2024 — Recently we chatted with frontman Chris Medhurst of The Commoners about a number of topics. You can read what Chris said to us below. The Commoners latest studio album, "RESTLESS" is now available at all the usual outlets. The album can be ordered online HERE. The album can be streamed HERE.

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Need406: “RESTLESS” was released on July 5, 2024 [via Gypsy Soul Records] was there a particular reason for releasing the album on this date?

Chris: We wanted to give the people a summer album that we could bring on tour around the world.

Need406: When The Commoners went into the studio to record “RESTLESS” how many songs did the band have written and how many of those songs made it onto the album?

Chris: All of them. We wrote the album in about a two week period after our first tour in the UK in April 2023. The only outlier to that is Body and Soul which we had since recording the previous record, “Find A Better Way”.

Need406: How did The Commoners decide on the album title “RESTLESS”?

Chris: The song 'Restless' seemed to encapsulate the theme of the entire record. It’s coming from a place of brutal honesty from the perspective of a touring band. There are a lot of ups and downs on the road and the song expresses the push onward to the next show while your life at home continues without you.

Need406: With the success of “FIND A BETTER WAY” did The Commoners feel any pressure when it came time to record “RESTLESS”?

Chris: Not really. We had a lot that we wanted to say after our experiences in the last two years and overall it was a very cathartic experience.

Need406: How did The Commoners decide what the track order would be on “RESTLESS”?

Chris: We carefully study the way our album flows to the listener. We love vinyl and take careful consideration in making sure to curate an interesting experience for the listeners that prefer to process an album front to back.

Need406: Can you tell us something about the creation of “RESTLESS” that you haven’t told anyone else on planet Earth?

Chris: What happens in the studio, stays in the studio.

Need406: Can we please get your take on what the songs ‘Devil Teasing’ Me’ and “Too Soon to Know You’ are about?

Chris: The 'Devil Teasing Me' is about inner turmoil and fighting with the parts of yourself that long to be self destructive and damaging to the people you love. 'Too Soon To Know You' is about meeting someone at the wrong place in time and reminiscing on what might have been.

Nee406: After the first time you listened to “RESTLESS” in its entirety what exactly went through your mind?

Chris: Listening to the record in its entirety is always a very gratifying experience. As musicians we become so absorbed in the process of making an album that it’s really great to be able to step back and see the forest for the trees.

Need406: Hollywood usually makes sequels to successful movies which song(s) off of “RESTLESS” do you feel would warrant a sequel on a future The Commoners album?

Chris: 'Too Soon To Know You' is the one song on the album that is written as a very cinematic piece. There could definitely be a continuation of that story.

Need406: The Commoners are scheduled to play several shows in the UK in 2024. Does the band have a “B” rig they store over in the UK /Europe?

Chris: Thanks to Hiwatt and Gibson we have some allies in the UK that help us source gear for our live show.

Need406: Was there a particular concert or moment in time when you knew being a musician was your calling in life?

Chris: Our first tour in Europe was a very challenging experience. Going through that together really brought us all closer and solidified our path.

Need406: Using five words or less can you please describe The Commoners concert experience to us?

Chris: Raw, visceral, vulnerable, passionate, loud.

The Commoners are a four-piece band hailing from Toronto, Ontario. The band's latest album, "RESTLESS" is now available at all the usual outlets. The album can be ordered online HERE.
The Commoners are: Chris Medhurst (Vocals/Guitar), Ben Spiller (Bass), Ross Citrullo (Lead Guitar) and Adam Cannon (Drums). They are often joined by their friend, organist Miles Evan Branagh.