Hey, super nice to have the chance to chat with you. What have you been up to over the past year in this big old mess?
Hi, nice to chat with you. Last summer I wrote and recorded the songs for what became Delay Decay. I was going through a phase of recurring violent nightmares and anxiety dreams. This all channelled into the music and inspired the lyrics. By September, I had expressed myself enough, maybe too much, and put those songs away. Did something else for a while, went on a break. When I got back I listened to the songs again with fresh ears and saw how they all fitted together. I mixed them in a couple of weeks in January and here it is.
I’m very interested in how you started your adventure with music, and did you know from the beginning that this is what you wanted to do?
I became obsessed with the electric guitar at first sight. Not so much enough to become a virtuoso, but to make noise and, eventually, to create atmosphere. I loved lyrics and imagery from an early age. It is what I always wanted to do, but I have always been very stubborn that it has to the kind of music I want to do. I never dreamt of a career in music.
Congrats on the release of ‘Delay Decay’, the album sounds great. What was the inspiration behind it?
Violent nightmares and anxiety dreams. I think the subconscious tries to resolve our anxiety as the body repairs through sleep and creates a twisted narrative. The writing process was taking on that narrative.
What’s your favorite track on the album and why?
‘Soaked in Fever’ is my favourite song, but I really like the guitar parts on ‘Fried Ground’ and ‘When You Are Around’.
What are you doing to ensure you continue to grow and develop as an artist?
I follow my feelings and try not to over think the process. I listen to a lot of music. Make a lot of music. I’ve been reading and watching a lot of interviews on music production recently. Some of it is over my head and my budget, but occasionally something is worth trying and clicks.
What should we expect from your next releases in terms of style and sound? How different are they going to be compared to your previous works?
I have quite a lot of new tracks in progress, though I haven’t written a lyric for six months, so they might have to be instrumentals! Sound-wise they are more developmental than major a change. I spend a lot of time trying to make guitars sound unlike guitars.
Where are you based? Can you tell us how the music scene there has inspired your sound at all?
I am between Liverpool and Manchester in England. It would be impossible to not be affected by the music scene. There are too many bands to list. An unbelievable number of creative guitarists from such a small part of the world who shaped how I saw the instrument: Bernard Sumner, Will Sergeant, Billy Duffy, Johnny Marr, Craig Scanlon, John Squire. My favourite guitarist, John McGeoch came here as a student.
If you could perform at any venue in the world, where would it be and why?
The Roadhouse in Twin Peaks: The Return. Small, intimate, not too busy and an audience of characters only David Lynch could create.
Finally, have you got anything to share regarding upcoming gigs, and what have you got planned for 2023?
Nothing fixed. I have a video ready for ‘The Logician’ that I will put out soon.
I haven’t worked out how to make Mort Jardin live. I should probably focus on that a bit.
