London rock band Mumford & Sons posed as a Beatles cover group for a 2012 Saturday Night Live skit comedian Jason Sudeikis wrote, creating a working bond and growing friendship between the two sides. After appearing in Mumford's "Hopeless Wanderer" video with Ed Helms and Jason Bateman, Sudeikis conducted a video Q&A with the group.
Responding to fan questions from Facebook, the foursome detailed their electrifying decision to ditch the banjo on its latest album Wilder Mind, making art for personal gratification as opposed to fame and which family members they trust enough to brainstorm musical notions with, reports Rolling Stone.
Your Wilder Mind questions & more answered, with a little help from our friend Jason...
Posted by Mumford and Sons on Thursday, June 4, 2015
"It was happening already," bassist Ted Dwane said of the folk-to-electric transference. "On the last record, we were sort of on that path, and this feels like a continuation of that journey. And, you know, the fourth record will be a hip-hop album."
"Yeah, it's gotta be!" Sudeikis agreed with a smirk. The Horrible Bosses star further explained that because of the band's success with their first two studio albums Sigh No More and Babel, Marcus Mumford, Winston Marshall, Ben Lovett and Ted Dwane may be able to experiment while holding curiosity and maintaining their fan following.
"We grew up playing electric guitars and drum kits, electric basses and keyboards, so these are like our first instruments," Mumford said. "I think we want to just keep trying different things, because if you just do the same thing again and again, it gets a bit boring. Amongst the four of us, and especially because we're all songwriters and all play different instruments, we want to keep changing things up. So, it's whether or not people come with us for that; but if they don't, I think we'll still do it."
"'I bought the banjos, I bought the Londoners playing banjos, that I get,'" noted Marshall in the video Q&A. "'But now, Londoners playing electric guitars?!'"
