Interview: Amble Teaches a Lesson on the Art of Song

Fresh off their weekend one performance on the Tito’s stage, the members of Amble, one of indie folk’s fastest rising groups, chatted with Afterglow about their love for each other and how they make their music come to life. 

Written by Joseph Gonzalez

Photo courtesy of Amble

Amble was formed in Western Ireland by guitarists and vocalists Robbie Cunningham and Oisín McCaffrey, as well as mandolin player Ross McNerney. The music, infused with the members’ rural Irish roots, and the lyrics, ingrained with raw vulnerability, seem like they could have been written centuries ago. The trio and its backing band made its way to Austin City Limits on Friday, Oct. 3 and gifted Austin with an exciting and uplifting early-afternoon show.

Afterglow:  You all come from different parts of Ireland and have had your own unique experiences, but you work together musically in a beautiful way. What would you say each other's strengths are in the band?

Cunningham: I think Oisín’s biggest strength is his ability to play instruments, his ability to sing beautiful harmonies, and his songwriting.

McCaffrey: Ross is, and we probably dismiss it too much, but technically [he’s] one of the best musicians I've ever met. Secondly, stage presence. He has too much of it. He's putting us to shame. Thirdly, he’s the brains. He runs the ship. He's the captain. O Captain! My Captain!

McNerney: l’ll talk about Robbie. I say never doubt that man, and I mean it in so many more ways than just one. I'm never worried about Robbie. Robbie will rise to the occasion. He'll give everyone the best of himself, and he won't leave anyone behind. I think that's just a gift. It's something that most people don't have, and Robbie has it. I think also, naturally, I can't avoid the voice, because myself and Oisín, we write songs but they go nowhere without Robbie's voice. Robbie's voice is just one of these ones that when it gets in your ears, you're like, “give me more,” and he's one of the kindest people I know. 

All three of you pursued non-musical careers, Robbie and Ross taught and Oisín was a data scientist, before fully committing to music. How did those experiences shape you or your music?

Cunningham: I don't think they shaped my influence or how I think about music, but they definitely shaped the passion because when you're a teacher, you're very lucky in the sense that you get to pursue other passions. It doesn't take over your life. You're finished at three o'clock. For my whole life, I wanted to do something like acting or music, and with teaching, I was able to pursue that. I tried to be an actor for a little while, but it didn't work out, and then I met these two guys, started playing music, and the minute I met them, I was like, “This is what I want to do,” but teaching teaches you a lot. It's great to be working with kids. It teaches [you] a lot about empathy and life as well. I think that definitely blends into the songwriting side of things.

McCaffrey: We all come from families where they just wanted to make sure we were okay, we were educated, and that we're happy and healthy to be honest with you. Music was a fun thing that we were passionate about, but my family just wanted us to have happy lives, and if it was in music, all the better, but it could have been in anything.

McNerney: I think for me, I'm still doing the same job, just on a bigger scale. I think for teaching, you have a message, and the message is given to you. As a musician, you create the message, and it goes to the same audience, if not bigger. I've always viewed it that way. I was passionate about teaching, and now the songs and what we're creating are as important as teaching.

Cunningham: You get to have a huge impact on people's lives as a teacher, and you see it now when we play shows. You look down to the crowd and you see how much certain songs mean to different people and it's beautiful.

How does playing larger venues far from home compare to the small shows in Ireland you played when you were just starting out?

McCaffrey: I think playing music in the U.S. in general is a privilege. The audiences here are really receptive. There's more of a reverie about it and the gigs are always special. People have paid money to see us and I think even in the U.S. people are flying to see us. It’s very special, really.

McNerney: I think it hits us more in the U.S. to be honest because, at home, you know people and it's a small country, but when you're over here and you're playing this sold-out show in Dallas,and you don't know anyone in the place, it just hits you. What we're doing is important.

Cunningham: I think if you let us three get on stage anywhere in the world, we're going to try and have as much fun as we can and play the songs as well as we can. We always do that. No matter where the stage is, our outlook on the gig doesn't change. It's the same wherever we are. Get the three of us on a stage and we're going to give it socks.

The band really has a knack for telling beautiful, meaningful stories through the lyrics. How did each of you craft the ability to tell stories through lyrics, and what gives you inspiration to start writing lyrics?

McCaffrey: I always describe it as more of a compulsion. It's more of like you are living your life and sometimes you go home in the evening and you [have] a desire to write it down. I know the two boys are the same, and I don't know if you can learn that, or if it's just a part of who you are as a person. You have to want to [write].

Cunningham: I think it's an art form and no matter what type of person you are, if you're a creative person and you feel happy, or you feel sad, or you feel lonely, you want to express that in some form of art. Some people paint or write poems, but all I really knew was that I liked picking up the guitar and playing music. I try to tell how I'm feeling through loads of different songs.

McNerney: I remember someone described our music as being vulnerable. They were like, ‘You're vulnerable men, what you tell is vulnerable, and how you play is vulnerable,’ and I loved that. We don't realize we do it, but we just tell our stories and … wear our hearts on our sleeves. We go out and we play, and there's a vulnerability to that that feels lovely.

McCaffrey: And I think what happens is everyone is thinking this way. Everyone is thinking about these lyrics, and they're seeing us up on stage going, ‘Thank you for saying that. We all feel this way, and we were glad you said it.’

McNerney: We say them and we mean them and that’s it. That’s what a good song does.

Listen to Amble on Spotify and Apple Music.

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.