Q: Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how your childhood impacted your musical direction?
A: Well going to a Steiner School until year 10 meant music was very involved (and mandatory) in everyday life and everyone had to have a crack at it. We had heaps of school ensembles and it was really fun so I quickly fell in love with it. In year 8 we had the opportunity to do a year long project and I made an electric violin (it worked!!) and started exploring effects pedals and different/modern music. I then went to a music school in Melbourne and switched to Jazz studies and it escalated from there.
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 “Izzy Skinner”?
A: I am planning on doing gigs to grow my audience but I’m having trouble finding a good bassist! Otherwise Instagram and Soundcloud have been great tools to connect with people internationally! I also have vinyls of Mr. Wizard, which I sell on my websites and after gigs (eventually). I think a vinyl is a very fun thing and directly supports artists in this modern world of streaming platforms.
My message to those about to discover me would be… have you ever heard a violin shred? Coz you’re about to!
Q: Who is the most inspiring artist for you right now? And where do you find inspiration for making music?
A: I have to say I love the vibe of 70s rock as things started getting quite experimental. People like Led Zeppelin and Pavlov’s Dog. I think the tone of a lot of that music is very genuine, as the technology wasn’t too advanced. I mean that as in, you had to actually be able to play your parts as the technology available these days allows people to hide their mistakes and not understand the music they play.
Q: Can you tell us about the story or message behind the album, “Mr. Wizard.”?
A: I suppose the message behind it is that ‘I can do it’. You can do it too! It doesn’t matter if you don’t have a studio…or other musicians! You can make something you are proud of anyway.
Q: How would you describe your sound in one word for potential listeners?
A: Alluring
Q: Did you face any challenges while writing or recording “Mr. Wizard”?
A: Well it was a covid lockdown project. The Victoria lockdown was very strict so I didn’t play with anyone else for like two years! Mala Suerte was done in a studio with a real band at my uni before the chaos unfolded which is why it sounds a little different to the other tracks. On the bright side the lockdown gave me space and time to start composing and think about the kind of music I wanted to make. We had to send tracks to each other, play to a metronome and then send that track back to be put in the full mix, not easy, but the musicians I worked with brought their A game and I’m very grateful!
I mixed/mastered the other tracks myself which was a HUGE challenge but a good learning curve.
Q: What is the message of your music? And what are your goals as an artist?
A: I guess my goals as an artist is to support myself and share great music with people. The message is, it doesn’t matter what instrument you play or how you play it, if you love it other people will too, they just might take a while to find.
Q: Who is your dream artist to collaborate with? (dead or alive)
A: Ozzy Osbourne (almost dead) Mark Knopfler or the Dead South (who are very much alive, the banjo player is a beast)
Q: What is your advice for people interested in pursuing music as a career or for those trying to enter the industry?
A: Just give it a go! Musicians are generally a kind and open minded bunch of people. You have to start somewhere and the sooner you get amongst it the better it will be!
Q: If you could go back in time and give a younger you some words of wisdom, what would they be?
A: Maybe be angrier lol. I used to skip class to go practice and I think I should have done that more 😉
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