Tell us a little bit about where you’re from?
I suppose where I’m from DOES NOT really come through in my music! A relatively affluent suburb of south west London – no West Coast sunshine or trans – Atlantic influences here! I think my unusual sound is more a product of the formative years of my finding a direction for where I wanted my music to go. Along with this, what also played a big part in it’s creation was the theory that life was somehow much better to be living in the golden, rock ‘n’ roll era in Sun – kissed California. A notion that I have some what re – evaluated since then! This came from my college years when along with my growing love of The Beach Boys & the music they produced, the whole hippy movement seemed like a pretty cool thing!
What genre would you describe your music as?
I personally would describe my genre as alternative rock with a retro – West Coast edge, but my latest album – ‘Postcards from Then…’ has been reviewed as intriguing, quirky & genre – bending. I do love finding ways to make the most unusual & unconventional instruments work in my songs. I suppose it could also be described as a refined mixture of the sounds & influences that have inspired me.
What are you listening too? What are your influences?
Generally, I like to listen to anything that I think is original & interesting. I can’t stand music where the melody doesn’t seem to go anywhere & the production is really corny – like a lot of the stuff you hear on the radio at the moment! Other artists that have made a big impression on me & the kind of music I make include Roy Orbison, The Eagles, REM & The Rolling Stones.
Where can we see you play?
I used to enjoy gigging all around London – from The Fighting Cocks in Kingston ( a venue Jimi Hendrix used to play when he was based in this country!) to The 12 Bar Club in Denmark Street. For a while now, though, I’ve been suffering from an undiagnoseable energy – sapping condition, which is a bit annoying! This makes playing anywhere a real effort at the moment, but don’t worry, once I get this sorted out, I’ll be back playing at a venue near you – if you’re in London – & don’t rule out further afield if the opportunity comes up!
Are there any evocative personal experiences that come through in your music?
I try to write music that suits the vibe of the song & that’ll convey what I was feeling when I wrote the lyrics. Same goes for the arrangements. Every instrument I use has to add a different emotion to the song when I hear it back. As far as the lyrics go, I can only write about something that means a lot to me at any given time. Some of my songs might be easier to get the meaning out of than others – when I’m struggling to find the way to make the lines rhyme & say what I want, I might resort to using metaphors! Perhaps one personal experience that does come through in my music is due to my circumstances – life threatening car crash etc. there might be a longing for a life that wasn’t so complicated & a desire to feel free from all the things that trouble me.
What’s next?
What’s next for me? Well, aside from getting my constant fatigue problem cured so I can start gigging & hopefully getting tours organised; I had quite a novel idea the other day: vinyl! I think that has to be done! Maybe I’ll try to sort out a limited release of this ‘Postcards from Then…’ album on vinyl! That’d be pretty cool & then further down the line…