|
Website
| Album
Reviews | Unofficial
Website
Back
to interviews.
Q. Who's been your greatest
musical influence and why?
A. This probably sounds crass,
but my Dad and Mam, and they unwittingly influenced my choices
when I was young and those things stuck with me in a big way.
There are still things that I haven't yet listened to because
they thought it wasn't worth it- since Dad and Paul Simon made
up, I suddenly realised I had so much of that to catch up on
because I always avoided him out of solidarity! The people I
discovered very early on who haven't left me are people like
Bob Dylan, Lisa Ornstein, Ani Difranco, Walter Pardon, Little
Feat, Ian Dury, Queen, Ry Cooder, Sheila Stewart, Boney M...
you can never pinpoint who influences your music unless you
are in a tribute band, it depends how you feel when the question
is asked I reckon. Chris Wood influenced my fiddle playing to
start with then Nancy Kerr did. Julie Murphy influences me every
time she opens her mouth to sing.
Q. If you could be one
person in history who would you be and why?
A. I think it would be interesting
to have been Mozart, just to know what it feels like to have
all that music going on in your head all at once. Same for Shakespeare
and words.
Q. Where do you think the
future of the Music Industry lies?
A. I don't know if it does have
a future. I would hope it lies in decompartmentalisation (is
that a word? Seems awfully long. Spellchecker doesn't think
so!). The problem for the music industry is everyone being interested
in everything at once when they want nice easy age-related consumer
groups. Ugh. It may end up being an industry aimed solely at
children, which is a horrible thought, or it might end up that
we could all rely on what we find from the myriad of labels
available; i.e. the music, instead of the label, is what draws
you. Fancy that! It'll never catch on.
Q. What is your favourite
movie and why?
A. The Matrix comes pretty close,
but I saw Memento recently. Hmm...Blade Runner? Not Harry Potter.
Night of the Hunter. Don't know. The South Park film. I like
films that make you care about the characters, whether you like
them or not. Morpheus is starting to get on my nerves a bit.
Q. Can you tell me about
the new Album?
A. The old new album or the two
new new albums? Angels and Cigarettes is the manifestation of
three years of work and six years of growing up; as such it
goes through a lot of stuff (self-penned this time as opposed
to the trad): some self- reconstruction, some exhaustion and
frustration, some relief (aah...)! Musically it is mostly strings
and voice with guitar and drums live and programmed. There are
some quite epic arrangements and the whole thing is extremely
lush. Van Dyke Parks did one orchestral arrangement and one
for string quartet and I did the rest of the strings on the
album with Ben Ivitsky. I like it, I am really proud of it.
The other two are traditional
albums. Waterson:Carthy has a new album coming out in the next
couple of months on Topic. We have a new accordion player (Tim
van Eyken) and he gets a song too! It's quite dark. The other
is an album called "Dinner" with Martin Green who plays piano
accordion and keyboards in my band and trio. I did the research,
Martin did a lot of arranging, there are lots of three-time
tunes, 9/4, 6/4, 3/2, and some of our own compositions. Eddi
Reader sings on one song and there is some beatbox from a lad
called JC-001 who performs with Nitin Sawnhey. I hope to put
it out on my own label, Heroes of Edible Music, very soon. Whichever
of these comes out first will be my tenth album.
Q. Where was your most
memorable live performance?
A. I have been lucky to play
in some truly amazing places. The Getty Museum in Los Angeles
was one of the best, although my performance was short, as part
of the Harry Smith Anthology of American Folk Music concerts.
It was a full house I got to play for Elvis Costello and Kate
and Anna McGarrigle in the same song, and then Richard Thompson,
watched Van Dyke singing to his own string arrangement from
the side of the stage. I was so nervous for my one song, but
Ben and I managed to pull it off.
There was also the top-off concert
in Belgium, but we don't want to go into that.
Q. If you could use one
of your songs to promote something, which one would you choose
and why?
A. I would hate for one of my
songs to be used for a car advert or something like that. I
wanted to do a fish advert once but I didn't get the part.
Q. When you are not involved
with the band what do you spend your time doing?
A. Sitting on the computer answering
questions...watching films, playing the fiddle, trying to remind
my friends who I am! Cooking, drinking whisky, sleeping, playing
Boggle.
Q. Any venues that you
haven't played that you would like to play?
A. The Taj Mahal. Is it a venue?
I wish it were.
Q. If you could sit to
anyone famous at a Dinner party who would it be and what would
you ask them?
A. Peter Gabriel. Can I have
a million quid to start an English roots music label please?
Q. What was the first single
you ever bought?
A. Bad Manners' "Walking in the
Sunshine".
Q. What luxury would you
take with you to a Desert Island (Normal means of life was provided
and you were allowed an instrument).
A. A nice man, or pen and paper
maybe. An aeroplane!!!!
Q. What's your favourite
track or Album that you have written?
A. My favourite things I have
written are a song called "Fuse" from the last album and a tune
called "Game of Draughts" from Rice.
Q. If you could be remembered
for one thing what would it be?
A. I was going to say I would
like to be remembered for helping the English realise that their
ancient culture is a valid one but that isn't true, I would
like anyone to be remembered for that. I would like to be remembered
as a good musician and a nice person.
Q. What is the most embarrassing
thing that has happened to you on stage?
A. I am afraid it's a bit biological
to say. Thankfully I have never fallen over although it has
come close a few times.
Read another interview
Website
| Album
Reviews | Unofficial
Website
|
