ALL FOR JOLLY Talk New Album, Favourite Instruments And More

Cornish Celtic folk punk rockers, ALL FOR JOLLY, will release their new self-titled album on 4th April 2025. Prior to the release, they chatted to JLTT about the new album, favourite instruments and more:

Who is in All For Jolly, how did you meet and what do they play?

Sammantha: Me and Jae are siblings and grew up together in Penzance, we have always got on really well. We met Steve on a night out in Plymouth; a few years later he happened to be living in the same house as our drummer at the time so when we found ourselves needing a guitarist, we asked Steve. We met Pete in 2022 when we first supported Mad Dog Mcrea, as he was their drummer. As soon as we announced that the two members left at the beginning of 2024, Nay messaged the band page asking if she could audition to be our bassist (we hadn’t even advertised for the role yet). We loved her attitude and when we met her we all got on so well. She was in.

Here’s our line up:

Sammantha Hannah – Lady of the Sea

● Vocals

● Mandolin

● Acoustic Guitar

Jae Alice – Captain

● Vocals

● Acoustic Guitar

● Ukulele

● Harmonica

Steve Sampson – Shipwreck

● Vocals

● Electric Guitar

Pete Chart – Chart Attack

● Drums

Nay Jessney – Nay-Vee Jones

● Bass

What is your earliest musical memory?

Sammantha: Me and Jae went to see Green Day play when we were younger and were so inspired by the music and energy on stage. They were so engaging and interactive with each other and the audience and it was amazing to be in a room full of people coming together to enjoy music. The energy was great. Me and Jae we’ve always shared the same music taste, enjoyed going to live music shows together, have played music together at family weddings and jammed at home. It is such a privilege to be able to share a stage with him.

You have the new single ‘New Era’ out now. What was the inspiration/story behind the track?

Sammantha: We had a lot of changes and overcame many challenges as a band in 2024. Just after our successful kickstarter campaign raising money for our second album (thanks to our wonderful fans), two of our members left. So last year we spent rebuilding our line up (Jae was a founder member who returned to the band and we also welcomed Pete and Nay as our new rhythm section), writing new music and even changed our band name from JollyRoger. All For Jolly & Jolly For All has always been our band motto due to our inclusive and community based nature and it was also influenced by the Cornish phrase ‘Onen Hag Oll – meaning One and All’, so we felt it was the right time to adopt our new name ‘All For Jolly’. So our first single ‘New Era’ very much reflects this exciting time for the band and we feel it encompasses our passion, energy and excitement moving forward.

The track is accompanied by an official music video. What was the thought process behind the video and who directed it?

Jae: We worked with the awesome Kyle Richardson and we are so pleased with the final video, it is awesome. We wanted to show our fans and the people that kept with us through all the changes in the band, who we are and who our new members are. We wanted it to feel like a live performance as that has always been a huge part of us, our energy on stage. It was directed by Kyle and ourselves.

Did you collaborate with anyone on your new music in terms of the writing?

Jae: We worked with Aubrey Blakeledge (musical comedian and front person of The Sweetchunks Band) for our song ‘Spanish Galleon’. They wrote and performed the lyrics for the song and did an amazing job. They managed to make the song fun and funny while also teaching me about history at the same time. You should definitely check them out.

In addition, your new self-titled album is released on Friday 4th April 2025. How did you want to approach the making of the album?

Sammantha: We ran a successful Kickstarter campaign to fund some of the recording costs (thank you fan base). We wrote songs over the year, some were old song ideas such as ‘Sword & Crown’, ‘Spanish Galleon’ and ‘SHiPS!’ and others were inspired by all the changes happening within the band at the time with the name change and new line up. We recorded demos at home and each added our parts and then did the final changes at practice sessions before heading into the studio. Some songs were recorded as we wrote them and some changed on the day!

Where did you record the album and who produced it?

Jae: We worked with the brilliant Ben Green at Studio 54 in Exeter. Ben is super hands on in the studio and got really invested in the project. We always love working with him as he’s the kind of person that is easy to bounce ideas around with and is all in when it comes to the songs he works on. We would swap ideas of production and instrument, styles and techniques and it’s always a creative day when we are there.

Do you have any interesting, funny or memorable stories from the album recording sessions?

Jae: Everyday we were together while making this album something funny or weird happened. It’s hard to think of just one that stands out. But something that I discovered was German Doner Kebab, one fateful lunch break we chose to get GDK and my life was changed haha. Seriously, you need to try it!

Do you use any particular instruments, microphones, recording equipment to help you get a particular sound/tone for the album?

Sammantha: We all used the instruments that we play at our live shows. We wanted to get that live energy across in the album so we recorded most of the songs together without using a click track. We used an SM7B microphone for some of the vocals. We also added some more random instruments throughout, including congas and xylophone.

Which of your new album tracks hear you at your a) happiest, b) angriest and c) most reflective?

Jae:

Happiest – Get Rid of the Shit
Angriest – Pass The Mead
Most Reflective – New Era

Who created/designed the album artwork?

Jae and Sammantha: Our wonderful and very talented Mum (Kate Kanakanaka) does our artwork, including this album, our first album and other singles etc…

Was it a difficult album to write?

Sammantha: The short answer is that each song kind of has its own journey. Usually, me or Jae will present a song idea and everyone adds thoughts and parts and we develop it from there. Thanks to my ADHD, I fall into times of hyperfocus and side quests. I was supposed to be writing 50 word descriptions of each of the upcoming album tracks the other week and I ended up writing a 20,000 word short ‘behind the songs on the album’ story. This gives insight into the details of how each of the songs from the All For Jolly album came into fruition. If you are interested in finding out more, you can check out our brand newPatreon page to help us continue to fund this DIY dream musical journey and I think the plan is to release a chapter a month on that (in text and audio format). Just head to patreon and search for ‘All For Jolly’.

What two things do you hope to have achieved once you have left the stage?

Sammantha: I’m not planning on leaving the stage any time soon, live performing is our favourite bit! We are definitely a live band. But we do have some things on our band bucket list e.g. playing at Download Festival, Bloodstock Open Air, Rock Am Ring, the Flogging Molly Cruise and supporting Dropkick Murphys. First though, we need to figure out how to make this band financially sustainable, please check out our patreon! haha.

Do you have any favoured stage instruments, effects, pedals, microphones etc?

Jae: Personally, I love my SM58 microphone. I know most people use them but it is just so reliable and is also one of the first expensive bits of kit I bought myself when I started taking my music career seriously and investing in it.

Where is your hometown and could you please describe it in five words?

Jae: Our hometown is Penzance, Cornwall, UK

Pirates
Fishing
Farming
Closed
Pretty

How do you look after your voices?

Jae: Admittedly, probably not as well as I should, but basic warm ups before shows and quitting smoking.

You are given the opportunity to write the score for a film adaptation of a novel that you enjoy. Which novel is it and why?

Jae: For me it would have to be ‘Cujo’ by Stephen King. Purley because it is my favourite book and I would love to be able to try and emulate the feelings I got while reading it, into music. I think it would be a fun challenge..

Who are some of your musical influences? Do you have any recommendations?

Sammantha: We have so many! Some influence our sound, some our performance, some our song structures, some our lyrics. It would be interesting to hear what you can hear in our music. Here’s a few – Dropkick Murphys, Green Day, Royal Republic, Good Charlotte, Billy Talent, Foo Fighters, System of a Down, The Offspring and our good friends Mad Dog Mcrea (check them out).

Do you have any live dates planned in the UK/Europe in 2025?

Jae: We have our first full headline ticketed UK tour coming up in April and May 2025! It starts on 4th April (which is also album launch day!). We are also doing a little European tour in March. Our main support for these gigs will be our good friend James Spencer who fuses country, folk and rock. We are so excited to go out and show the world our new sound and pla our first tour with our new line up and can’t wait to see what 2025 brings! You can find tour dates and info on our website www.allforjolly.com , if you can, please grab tickets in advance to help our grassroot venues stay alive and also to lower my anxiety. It’s going to be GREAT!

What makes All For Jolly happy and what makes you unhappy?

Sammantha: It can be tricky getting noticed as a DIY self-representing band. Many festivals and events are applied for and we don’t often hear back. It can get quite discouraging at times. Also, finances can be a stress. There is so much we want to do. We work super hard every day. Tasks involve promoting the band, running the socials, organising the merch, designing, writing songs, booking gigs, planning tours, practicing, writing songs , recording demos and so much more. We love our job but it is tough. Our happiest times are when we are playing a great show to a great audience! Hope to see you at one of our upcoming shows!

Feature Image Photo Credit: Onyx Images

ALL FOR JOLLY’s latest single ‘New Era’ is out now.

Their self-titled album is released on Friday 4th April 2025. Pre-save the album here: https://ditto.fm/all-for-jolly

For live dates and more information visit the band’s official website here: https://allforjolly.com/