Q: Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how your childhood impacted your musical direction?
A: I was fortunate to have a happy childhood, being brought up in the environs of a small Cornish town. I had a musical bent from a young age and was lucky that both my primary and secondary schools were very encouraging musically, as were my parents. From the early years at school I learnt some recorder, guitar, sang in the school choir and then from the age of seven I started playing with the local brass band learning the cornet and I also succumbed to the joys of pop music around the same age. So music was around me the whole time throughout my childhood and has never left, though it might have become a second cousin twice removed at times over the years as the demands of life take over, the passion for it never dwindled and it is now very much front and foremost in my life.
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 “The Gleeman”
A: By doing whatever I can for my music to reach people; social media, radio, press, performing live etc. In fact, as I work towards releasing my debut album ‘Something To Say’ next year (available for pre-order very soon!), I have some great gigs coming up over the next few months as special guest for the likes of Ian Prowse, Damien Dempsey and Starsailor, which is a great way to reach a new audience, and something I hope to be
doing more of. My message to anyone about to discover The Gleeman is – Where the bloody hell have you been until now, you’ve been missing out and have got some serious catching up to do, get cracking!
Q: Who is the most inspiring artist for you right now? And where do you find inspiration for making music?
A: Any artist making music is inspirational, whether that music appeals to my personal preferences or not. Music is powerful, we would all be lesser beings without it. Every person out there creating music where there was none is inspirational; we need it in the world for the cognitive and well-being benefits that it brings. Like most artists I’m sure, my inspiration for making music comes from anywhere and everywhere, all of life’s
experiences inform it and I’m well endowed in that department as I’ve had a lot more than some at my age.
Q: Can you tell us about the story or message behind the song, “Somebody.”
A: Somebody forms part of a collection of songs which come under the banner of ‘The Ballad Of Aaron & Amy’ that feature the same protagonists and weave a single narrative across them. After losing the love of his life 10 years prior, Aaron is conflicted and torn. On one hand he continues to feel lonely and desires to share his life with ‘Somebody’. On the other he is trepidatious that he will be betraying his former partner if he moves on. In his desperation for a resolve, he beseeches through the ether for a sign from her that it’s OK.
Q: How would you describe your sound in one word for potential listeners
A: Nostalgicallysupercalifragilisticexpialidocious.
Q: Did you face any challenges while writing or recording “Somebody”?
A: Somebody came about in a different way compared to the majority of my songs. It was one of those times where I woke up at stupid o’clock in the morning with a melody in my head not knowing where it came from. It happens fairly often, I used to ignore it but I started getting out of bed, going into another room and recording a quick voice memo, otherwise it all tends to go. For this one I also strangely had some lyrics in my head, the “got to get to know somebody” was there, as was “I’ve been a long time on my own” and some others (I’ve just played back the recording!).
In terms of challenges, my songs usually start with some music on the guitar or piano and the melody and lyrics then follow. Having a melody to begin with I find far more challenging in terms of crafting the music around it, as was the case with this one, but it all turned out pretty well in the end. There were no particular challenges while recording, apart from that it was done in 2020 with all the restrictions in place that were affecting everyone, which meant the likes of the drums and brass were recorded remotely by people I have actually never met!.
Q: What is the message of your music? And what are your goals as an artist?
A: Individual songs certainly have their own unique messages, but my music has no singular one. As an artist you ultimately want your music to connect with people and to bring something positive to their lives, in whatever form that may take. My ultimate goal as an artist is for complete musical world domination (Mwah-ha-ha-ha), why bother getting out of bed for anything less…
Q: Who is your dream artist to collaborate with? (dead or alive)
A: I can’t deny that Pete Burns and crew’s “You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)” isn’t a sound 80’s classic, but no, my dream artist to collaborate with is not Dead Or Alive.
Q: What is your advice for people interested in pursuing music as a career or for those trying to enter the industry?
A: Hmm, I could write a book on that one! It’s not for the faint hearted and you need to go in with your eyes fully open. I can tell you from many years working in the “normal” commercial sector, that unless you are lucky enough to be in the top few percentile, from an artist’s perspective and especially for anyone entering, the music industry is completely broken. There is an endemic culture of a lack of accountability, many people’s shoulders are so slopey they could be black diamond ski runs and if you take out the major record labels and those whose pockets are primarily lined by them, too much of the rest of the industry survives and thrives from making its living directly off the creators of the art rather than the recipients of it. Also, as an artist, be aware you will be spending more time on admin and marketing activities than you will be creating or performing music. But – if it is your calling and one true passion then go for it, but do your due diligence and be choosey who you work with, there are fortunately some diamonds out there in the rough.
Q: If you could go back in time and give a younger you some words of wisdom, what would they be?
A: “Take the blue pill from Morpheus, don’t go down the rabbit hole.”
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