Q: Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how your childhood impacted your musical direction?
A: My background is Dutch (the Netherlands) – Irish and I spent the first part of my life moving from country to country with my parents before settling in England. Although I’ve been away for extended periods of time, London has been my home for more than 10 years. In my entire extended family I only have an aunt and uncle that play a musical instrument (the piano, which I never touched). So I’m not an artist that “grew up surrounded by music” as so often is the case. In school I failed music so it didn’t seem like I had any natural talent for it either. However some friends of mine started a band and that inspired me to pick up the guitar. That, and wanting to write my own songs. I had ideas for lyrics before I could even play a single chord. My influences are numerous but the end result seems to be a punkier, funkier Elvis Costello with a dash of 1980s New Wave and Post-Punk.
Q: How are you planning on growing your fan base and sharing your music with the world? What message do you have for anyone who is about to discover “Cornelis Gerard”?
A: Of course I’m out there performing gigs both solo and with my band and I’m active on all the social media platforms in order to create an authentic space in a sea of pretence. For something a bit different you should check out my YouTube channel where you’ll find my Gig Diary. That’s where I take you along with me to small shows of upcoming bands and artists. I also post travel vlogs about my trips around Europe. Whenever I travel I try to experience some of the local music scene so that’s always a part of the experience that I share, whether as a spectator or a performer. My message for people is that I’m all about using music to create a space of authenticity and sincerity. I write songs about daily life in gritty and glorious detail, whether aggressive, introspective, silly or serious. My motto is: ‘True Stories + Living Music’. It’s the soundtrack to my life. Maybe yours as well?
Q: Who is the most inspiring artist for you right now? And where do you find inspiration for making music?
A: I’ve recently been listening to XTC a lot. It’s a Post-Punk / Indie-Pop band from the late 1970’s to 1980’s that I’ve been vaguely aware of for years. But I only ever heard a couple of their singles. A friend recommended them as an underrated band so I’ve been listening to everything they put out. The music spans several genres, is catchy but deceptively layered and complex. It’s funny that I never really took a deep dive into their discography because I’m a big fan of the music of that time period. Somehow I had overlooked them.
Q: Can you tell us about the story or message behind the song, “Can’t Sit Still”?
A: It’s about being stuck in a situation that you know you need to change and being aware that there’s a big world of new possibilities out there for you. It’s about dealing with fear, self-doubt and unsupportive people and believing in yourself to make a positive change.
Q: How would you describe your sound in one word for potential listeners?
A: Living
Q: Did you face any challenges while writing or recording “Can’t Sit Still”?
A: The challenge was in finding the people with the right skills to make the recording feel visceral, organic and alive. I needed musicians that could straddle the line between funk, jazz and indie-pop and that were able to make use of the chord changes, tempo changes and other peculiarities of the song while keeping it accessible to the listener. Sean De Souza did great work with a funky, jazzy bass line. Leo Mollon brought his experience of playing in a variety of drum styles outside of standard indie and rock conventions. Brant Tilds played trumpet and brought to life the vision I had in mind for so long . When playing the song acoustically I would sometimes mimic the sound of a trumpet, telling people how great it was going to sound. It turned out better than I could have imagined. Glen Strachan of Strawport Studio recorded, produced, mixed and mastered the song and made it really sound and feel like four people making music together. You can really hear each of our personalities in the performances. It sounds so organic and alive and takes you on a musical adventure in a way that isn’t common at the moment.
Q: What is the message of your music? And what are your goals as an artist?
A: The core values I want to communicate through my music are truth, authenticity and sincerity. There’s too much cynicism, and insincerity around, especially in the arts and that isn’t a healthy energy to put out into the world. Too many people are afraid to express what they really think and feel. Always allowing themselves the get-out clause of being ironic or that they weren’t being real or were not really trying. It’s a shield to protect oneself from being criticised or hurt. With my music I want to create a space of sincerity for people to tap into. That doesn’t mean being super serious all the time. I’m sometimes silly, playful or irreverent in my lyrics. But I want to tell the true stories that we all experience day to day and match that with music that makes you feel alive and present.
Q: Who is your dream artist to collaborate with? (dead or alive)
A: Burt Bacharch if he was open to writing some Indie-Rock songs!
Q: What is your advice for people interested in pursuing music as a career or for those trying to enter the industry?
A: You have to enjoy making music (or working with music) in the most fundamental and real way. If you don’t get enjoyment from performing in a pub on a rainy Tuesday evening, or get excitement from discovering new music, or accidently spend hours working on a song well into the night, then I don’t think you’ll get far. You can’t rely on people thinking you’re cool, or wanting fame or anything like that to sustain you in the long term. I’m not a full time artist (yet) so I don’t have much advice to give other than: just get involved (in whatever way speaks to you), do it in an authentic way, have fun with it and create a community around what you’re doing.
Q: If you could go back in time and give a younger you some words of wisdom, what would they be?
A: Play the bass. Loads of bands need bass players (and drummers) and you can still write songs. Also, play live with lots of different people. Don’t try to pin all your aspirations on one thing, like being in a band. Play in a covers duo, play in an originals band, perform solo at open mics. Do it all. And in general, just try to be more authentic in everything you do.
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