Q: Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how your childhood impacted your musical direction?
A: I was born and raised in Blackpool which is the UK’s biggest seaside resort. For some of your readers, Blackpool will be familiar as the location hosting the annual Rebellion Festival … at the Winter Gardens in the centre of the town.
When I was growing up, Blackpool was going through an increasingly difficult period socially and economically. Blackpool was once by far the most vibrant resort in the UK with lots of holiday makers and entertainment all across the town. With the advent of cheaper flight travel, people starting holidaying abroad and like many coastal towns it suffered as a result.
By certain indices it is now one of the poorest towns in the UK and generally gets a bad press, which is unfair. The media seems to delight in highlighting its negative aspects. That said I love the town and have always felt a deep connection with the place we refer to as The Gold Coast ….. always trying to champion and support its underground music scene whenever possible.
Some of my earliest memories are musical, just certain songs in the background on the radio. Songs were just always there.One vivid memory is a version by Joan Baez of the old African-American spiritual “Kumbaya, My Lord” when I was really young. Maybe it was the repetitive vocal assembly of the song that made it a personal earworm.
When I was a mature eight year old, my mum took me to see Slade play at the Blackpool Winter Gardens. I remember the excitement of hearing those songs played live, the noise, the energy and the joy are still with me.
This event and seeing similar bands on TV and in magazines coalesced to become the gateway drug which, in a few years’time, would send me down the rabbit hole toward punk and alternative music.
Q: How are you planning on growing your fan base and sharing your music with the world? What message do you have for anyone about to discover “Magic Of The Marketplace”?
A: My only strategy (if you can call it that) is to keep writing and releasing songs, keep putting them out there and hopefully some people will hear them and like them.
In terms of practical measures I add details to the www.jsntgm.com website and post the tracks on Bandcampand any videos on YouTube. The last 2 releases have alsofound their way onto Apple Music. I normally whizz releases around friends and WhatsApp groups, do a bit on social media and send a few review copies out to fanzines and webzines.
I don’t think we have a fanbase yet .. but in terms of reaching a wider audience that’s an interesting one. Once upon a time I thought everybody must surely like listening to new music and discovering new bands. I’ve gradually discovered that’s not the case and seeking out new music is a bit of a minority sport.
I don’t have a message as such, but am always interested in what people think if they take the time to check out my songs. I really enjoy talking about music and the ideas surrounding it and what people like and dislike, and why. I appreciate feedback, positive or otherwise, and am open to take advice to make my songs stronger and better.
Overall though although I have no well-defined plan or strategy, but the feedback on the first two releases has been pretty encouraging. I’m also really pleased with the number of views and positive comments the video for ‘When The Story Ends’, track 1 off The Spectators Are Leaving, has been receiving.
Q: Who is the most inspiring artist for you right now? And where do you find inspiration for making music?
A: Two of the many bands that have had a lasting influence on me are Leatherface from Sunderland and Hüsker Dü – everyone knows them and where they are from. Some great songs, melodies, energy which (to me) still feel authentic and honest.
I admire the songwriting of Bob Mould in particular, alwayspowerful and melodic.
My inspiration comes from trying to write and produce the best songs I can. If some people feel the same about my music as I do about the songs these artists have produced, then my mission is complete.
Q: Can you tell us about the story or message behind the song, “The Spectators Are Leaving.”?
A: There is a common theme running through the track “The Spectators Are Leaving” about presence and absence. The key element is the breaking point when people stop believing.
For me this theme plays out clearly in music, football (with spectators) and also in personal relationships when the exit strategy starts to be revealed.
I thought Mark Carney’s recent speech about what Vaclav Havel had to say about how the shopkeepers in Czechoslovakia removed the ‘workers of the world unite’ messages from their shop windows, the day after the fall of the Berlin Wall, encapsulated this really well.
A great social / political example of how the increasingly detached spectators leave the game. The shopkeepers never really believed in the game, but played it anyway.
Q: How would you describe your sound in one word for potential listeners?
A: Sorry but I’m hopeless at being brief and giving one word answers.
Maybe energetic with riffs and melodies.
The lyrics are observational and reflective.
Q: Did you face any challenges while writing or recording “The Spectators Are Leaving”?
A: The main challenge with the writing was getting the right song structure in place and keeping the songs as direct and concise as possible. I have a habit of shoehorning differing intro’s, breaks, riffs and outro’s into each song to make the music more interesting.
The main challenge with the recording process is that (apart from Luke Hesketh who plays the drums) is that I record all the instruments and the vocals separately. I do these one by one and this takes time. I listen to the different takes and I’m always experimenting with different ideas, which extends the process. That said I think the formula has worked ok.
Also one challenge is not playing live with other musicians, so the songs miss out on the input of others (apart from James Routh – engineer – who is great). I’ve tried to get people involved, but unfortunately apart from Nige (SICK56 – ex-One Way System) who helps with some backing vocals it’s not really worked out. People are wither busy or not motivated .. or maybe a bit of both.
Looking back from schooldays onwards I’ve always been a bit of a loner musically. I’ve played in quite a few bands over the years and enjoyed collaborating with different musicians, but for one reason or another those projects never really lasted.
When I started Magic Of The Marketplace I decided to stop waiting for the band or the musicians to appear and instead focus on finally recording some of the ideas I’d had sitting around for years.
Q: What is the message of your music ? And what are your goals as an artist?
A: No specific message, nothing profound, although I hope the songs provide some positive messages and enjoyment …
My main motivation / goal is really just getting the songs out there. Some of these poor old songs have been waiting around patiently for years, incarcerated inside me, so it’s high time they were liberated.
I’ve been releasing music as an artist (I always hesitate to call myself and artist btw) and for other bands via JSNTGM Records, for what now feels like many, many moons. The latest ‘The Spectators Are Leaving’ is the label’s 46th release. Some of the releases do ok, others not so good meaning there are loads of as yet unwanted vinyl and CD’s stacked high and still awaiting a good home.
I guess there is a message in all this with activity in terms ofits punk DIY ethic, whereby anyone can do it, play it, release it, write about it.
So currently Magic Of The Marketplace is my main project. I’m already working on the third release, and hopefully over time the project evolves from a solo effort into something that I / we can take the music out into the world.
Q: Who is your dream artist to collaborate with ? (dead or alive)
A: I’ve never thought of this. I can’t even seem to find local musicians in deepest darkest corners of Blackpool, to collaborate with.
Maybe Chris Wollard (The Draft, Hot Water Music), Frankie Stubbs (Leatherface), Bob Mould (Husker Du, Sugar), Jello Biafra (Dead Kennedys) and John K Sampson (Weakerthans) would be a good selection.
What a great 5-a-side line up, with me as substitute, that would be ….
Q: What is your advice for people interested in pursuing music as a career?
A: I’m reluctant to give advice as I don’t feel that I am qualified to and I’ve never pursued music as a career or a business … it’s always been a hobby and something that I enjoy.
As a musician, writing, practising, recording and sloshing around the country playing gigs takes time and energy. The gigging wasn’t normally as exciting as I’d imagined it would be, so I guess keeping perspective and keeping motivated is key to whatever you plan to do.
Running a label is probably the closest thing I’ve experienced to the business side of the music industry. The process of working with bands, getting the recordings, the artwork, the pressings and then the distribution, which is never easy for a small label, was something I just leapt into without any advice. Hence the attic full of homeless records.
I recently watched an Epitaph documentary about how Brett Gurewitz started his label and how their bands took off in the 90’s. That went stratospheric from nowhere and spawned other labels such as Anti and Hellcat. Imagine that, must have been a crazy journey.
I do admire the zine writers and bloggers who find the motivation to keep scribbling for years and years. If you can write I’d always encourage that as I love fanzines, proper DIY in your bedroom stuff. The likes of Gadgie, MRR, Razorcake, Ox and Suspect Device to name a few have been around for ages
Q: If you could go back in time and give a younger you some words of wisdom, what would they be?
A: Go with your gut instinct and don’t worry too much about things … most things tend to sort themselves out.
In terms of music, I think it chooses you more than you choose it.
It’s hard to deny or ignore what precedes logic.
