Q: Hey, can you tell us a bit about where you come from, and what made you want to start a career in music?
A: I was born and brought up in a small town called Newtownards not far from Belfast in Northern Ireland. Since I was 2 1/2 there was an acoustic guitar at my grandparents house where we would stay for the weekend. It was my uncle’s in which he would play the odd thing on. He would allow me play about with it every weekend. You could leave me in the room for hours and I would just strum it and making all sorts of horrendous noises on it! I loved it! When I was about 5 and 6 I had 2 videos of live concerts, one of the local legend Gary Moore, and another of Guns n roses Use Your Illusion 2, I watched them on repeat, jumping around the living room with a tennis racket pretending to be Slash or Gary performing to the masses! When I was about 6 my dad bought me my first electric guitar. I knew it was what I was getting because he had showed me it a week or two before and I remember being so excited the night before I was physically sick! I haven’t put it down since!
Q: Did you have any formal training, or are you self-taught?
A: I am mainly self taught. I didn’t have any lessons. At the age of 12 I went to 1 lesson in which I was curious about learning the theory of what I was doing. The guy showed me song after song of which I could already play, though wouldn’t help me with the theory. I found it a bit pointless and didn’t go back, so I started to research for myself. I did however study a first Dip in Popular music performance when I left school at 16 but other than that it was all down to a deep love and intrigue of the instrument.
Q: Who were your first and strongest musical influences?
A: I would definitely have to say Gary Moore, Guns n roses, Queen and Dream theatre. I was quite eclectic in my taste though, and although these where my main influences, I listened to all sorts from jazz to classical.
Q: You have just released your new single, ‘Lost’. Is there a story behind it?
A: This song is the most personal and heartfelt song I have written to date. It was written just after a time in which I had difficult decisions to make and didn’t really know what was the right thing to do. My main concern was my 2 year old daughter at that time. It was a decision that would effect her in the long run and I wanted to put into words what I was feeling and how I wanted her to know that it was a decision made with her wellbeing at the heart of it, and I would always be there for here no matter what. I also wrote it in the hope that in her time of need, when she feels a bit lost and has to make any tough decisions, whether I’m around or not, she will hopefully be able to listen to it and know I’m with her in her heart. I decided to bring “Lost’ out because I wanted to share the message, that everyone goes through a time in life were they feel lost stuck, and sometimes thinking of those they care for or love the most can help give direction in a time of need.
Q: Can we expect a new EP or even an album from you in the near future?
A: Absolutely! I am currently working away on my albumin which I plan to release in June next year (date to be confirmed) named ‘Pebble in the Pond’. ‘Lost’ is a track from this album and over the next while, I will be releasing a few more singles to help lead up to the album, so follow me on Facebook, subscribe to my YouTube and website to keep up to date with any new releases!
Q: What do you feel are the key elements in your music that should resonate with listeners, and how would you personally describe your sound?
A: My main instrument is the guitar! I like to try and keep the guitar solo alive as it was always a thing I loved as a kid and still do. It’s not in them all though, the songs are intricately written musically, all with a different feel so hard to place the overall album into any one genre, each and every one has well crafted lyrics about some very personal and controversial topics each with it’s own hidden meaning to me, yet can relate to every listener in some way or another.
Q: Do you feel that your music is giving you back just as much fulfillment as the amount of work you are putting into it, or are you expecting something more?
A: I was talking to my dad about this the other day. It is a known fact it is very hard for independent musicians these days to get noticed and takes a lot of work, effort and can be disheartening.. I love my music though! It doesn’t feel like work. I know I am my own worst critic and feel fulfilled when I am on the path of learning, so I take all criticism if and when I get it, as a learning experience helping in my improvement, or all positive feedback and praise as acknowledgement I am on the right path with what I do. I simply put it out there because in doing so it becomes something I have created to the best of my ability and I love it! I have been on a journey of awakening which is what the main crux of the album is about, from the times of hardship to the realisation there is so much more out there, also the hidden negative energies that try continuously to stop us from seeing our true selves, and the power we hold when we raise our vibration above such energy. I feel it is important now more than ever, to share music in a positive way with messages of true love and light instead of portraying the hidden messages that seem so apparent a lot of todays music.
Q: Could you describe your creative processes? How do usually start, and go about shaping ideas into a completed song?
A: I always come up with my music first, I find that the easiest thing for me., i usually find when waiting for students, or in a quiet part of the day or night, a wee riff gets formed while noodling or a chord sequence develops that I feel might be good to create a catchy chorus or melody around, lyrics can come in minutes or can take the best part of a few years, it all depends what has meaning to me at the time. Lost took me about 3 hrs to write, from start to finish, and 8 years to perfect to the version it is now. On the other hand another song from the album was written in 3 minutes flat. Music, lyrics the lot. The longest part was getting how it sounded in my head to the record.
Q: What has been the most difficult thing you’ve had to endure in your life or music career so far?
A: In studying the National diploma for popular music I was applying for some of the great music universities of the world, I had an audition for the guitar institute London, and was applying for Berklee College Boston through help of my main tutor at the time. All this was riding on the results from my national diploma. My mum who has suffered from mental health issues most of her life with Bi Polar, had been going through a rough time in the summer between the first and second year and as there was just my younger sister and I, we had to deal with the whole ordeal. it had left me in a state of almost depression without realising it. I ended up not realising it until march of the 2nd year and I had not been keeping up with the work load as I was dealing with my mother, and in asking the tutors if I could resit that year after getting distinction in the first year they couldn’t accommodate as the whole course was changing and so I made the decision to leave instead of completely start again and miss my opportunity for these places. Not the smartest decision of my life but as a 16/17 year old with no experience, I gave up and turned to working in nightclubs and bars instead. I got into bands and still played, almost at one point getting signed in Edinburgh, but it seemed to knock my confidence for a long time. It took a long time for me to work through those issues and realise I made my own path in life and if I wanted something I just needed to focus my attention and put all my efforts into it. I am now working as a full-time self employed musician.
Q: On the contrary, what would you consider a successful, proud or significant point in your life or music career so far?
A: The minute I hit my awakening moment that made me see that I had complete control of my life! It took 2 times of meditating after being given depression tablets around 10 years ago in which I didn’t want to take. Someone advised me to try mindful meditation and as I was slightly ‘closed minded’ shall we say, I thought it a bit of a mad idea, one of which I knew nothing about. I did however try it and realised it was what I do everytime I practice the guitar, so I was extremely good at it to the point I had some extremely eye opening experiences with it and in the long run opened up a path of enlightenment, helped me connect body, mind and spirit and lifted my awareness from the depths of depression in which I haven’t had since. In this time I formed myself as a guitar tutor to help me with money and just allowed myself to ride the tide of whatever opportunity came up and set intentions along the way to guide it. It worked for me and here I am today. Introducing my latest single ‘Lost’ to you, doing it for myself, and loving life!
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