An Interview with Fly Lazurus Fly

North Wales musician, Fly Lazarus Fly is a label mate of mine on Binary Indy which led me to check out his music.  Having been impressed by his recent debut EP 'The Rundown' I thought I'd ask him a few questions about how he goes about making his music.  

So in the beginning, what made you want to write your own songs?

To be honest, I only really write for myself. If others like it and are interested then great! If not...  no worries. I like to play around with sounds and chords and try and make something that I myself would be happy to listen to.

Who influenced you as you began writing?

I'd probably say the 'Britpop' generation of music was my biggest influence (Blur, Oasis, The Verve, Cast) - then gradually I became more aware of other artists through these bands.

Do these people still influence you?

 

Do these bands still influence me?... hmmm... I would say only if they changed or varied their sound on each different album. Whichever band I listen to, I always hope that there is a different sound and 'feel' to each new release.

What’s you’re instrument of choice?

The guitar. It's the only one I'm averagely ok at. Looking back I wish I'd learnt to play the piano as well.

What do you say your muse is, what inspires you when you write?

Anything and everything. If there's something that I find particularly interesting then I'd try and incorporate it into something. Although at the moment, I would say there is a certain seasonal elements that influence the songs.

How do you approach song writing, do you find it is different each time or do you have a formula?
I generally just play around with different chords or sounds and try and fit words to it. It's a sloooow process though and can mean that sometimes it takes months to get something that fits and 'feels' right.


How would you describe your music, genre wise?  A lot of musicians struggle or are reluctant to categorise their music.

I don't really know and don't really mind. If I had the production facilities I would certainly like to add more instruments, but for the moment, acoustic is probably what best describes the current E.P.

You can listen to and download 'The Rundown' on Binary Releases here.

The Folk Revival, Revival.

The 1960s saw an unprecedented revival in folk music in the United States, fueled by student culture coming to grips with difficult social issues they felt strongly about.  The discovery of music by American folk musicians such as Woody Guthrie & Pete Seeger, who's politically charged songs resinated as much if not more in the 1960s as they had in the 1930s.  The 60s saw the Folk become intertwined with the Civil Rights Movement and the Anti Vietnam protests.  Tom Paxton, Pete Seeger & Peter, Paul & Mary, Joan Baez & Bob Dylan (pictured left) , and countless others began work on a body of songs that have stood the test of time, discussing the difficult topics of race, social strife and nuclear war.

As the 60s slid into the 70s this revival of the Folk mutated into Folk Rock with bands like The Byrds and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (pictured right.) blending Folk melody and vocal harmonies with Rock's electric guitars and drums.  By the mid 70s this Folk Rock sound had become a comercialised stereotype of it's self with band's like The Eagles working to the Country/Folk Rock formula.  By the end of the 70s the Folk Revival had petered out and returned to the shaddows.

Mirroring the resurgence in Americ, the British Folk scene gained new momentum with the late Davy Graham (pictured left)astounding listeners with his eastern twinged folk arrangements of Traditional & original compositions.  He pioneered the use of the DADGAD guitar tuning.  Opening a whole new avenue to guitarists in the 60s.
Graham along with groups like Pentangle and other solo artists like Bert Jansch & Nick Drake.

But whereas in America Folk music just sat on the back burner, with hundreds of dedicated Radioshows, Folk slipped from the mainstream in England.  However it's back. The London 'Nu-Folk' scene has spawned a whole slew of Bands that have risen to prominence including Noah & The Whale, Laura Marling (below),

Mumford & Sons, Emmy the Great, Alessi's Ark & Johnny Flynn and the Sussex Wit to name afew.  Noah & The Whale's 2005 debut album charted at #5 in the UK, While the Mumford & Son's (pictured below) debut charted at #7.  But the charts mearly indicate the trend, the music of this Folk Revival - Revial has been critically acclaimed.  Laura Marling was recently described as 'a female Bob Dylan' - praise doesn't get much higher than that for a songwriter.

I find it interesting to note the influences of these bands.  While London bands like Mumford & Son's draw heavily from American roots music other bands like The Unthanks, from Northumberland, draw from traditional English folk music. I think this resurgence in popularity for this kind of music is great and the diversity of the music being produced is inspiring.


Folk music is dead.  Long live folk music.

Follow this link to listen to a spotify playlist specially compiled for this post!

The First Review of 'The Sea'

 The Sea is Matt Moss’ first foray into the solo acoustic world and damn is it a successful one. The EP is short and sweet and contains upbeat songs like “The Sea” and “Love me More” and the darker stuff like “Half Empty Glass.”

The EP builds nicely in excitement and intensity, a rare thing these days, which is hard thing to do. It does have the benefit though of no songs sounding the same as the one it follows. Lyrically the EP is quite impressive, "The Sea" (the song) perfectly seems to convey the emotions of a troubled long distance love affair. Moss played every single instrument on this production and the fact that they all blend well is quite an achievement.

On the other hand, in some tracks the mix feels a bit full which detracts from the emotions in the songs. The final song on the EP also drags a little but oddly didn’t in my first listen and that was when I wasn’t being critical. A great song to get lost in.
I look forward to the debut album.

By James Butler.
More of James' reviews are well worth a look and can be found on his blog here: www.globalripper.tumblr.com

An Interview with... Me

I haven't interviewed myself that would be slightly egocentric! But when my EP was released a couple of days ago the label I'm on asked me some promotional questions here they are in full:

1. When not making music what do you do?

I’m a history student at Liverpool University, UK so that takes up a lot of my time, I also teach people to play the guitar which is pretty satisfying, but not as satisfying as writing music.

2. What was the first album you ever bought?

I’m having to think really hard about this. It might have been an Oasis album? Or it could have been Bob Dylan’s Highway 61 Revisited, I think it was Oasis, Dylan came later.


3. Who are your biggest influences?

I’ve had so many different phases of influence, when ever I discover new music it seems to spark something new in me when I’m writing songs. I’d have to say the band that made me want to pick up the guitar was Led Zeppelin; Jimmy Page is a brilliant guitarist. Zeppelin’s acoustic stuff like Hats off to Roy Harper, Bron Yr Aur and Battle of Evermore led me to folk music. I found Bob Dylan, he’s probably one of my biggest influences his lyric’s ability to create imagery are incredible. Neil Young too he’s in the same league as Dylan for me.

4. Favourite piece of equipment, software or instrument for getting your
sound?

I’d be lost without my guitar I'm rarely parted from it. Software wise Steinberg’s Cubase 5 is what lets me capture everything I make.

5. What is the biggest challenge you face in getting your music out?

The biggest challenge is getting it to the people who want to hear it, I’m on most of the major social networking sites. For a long time even my friends didn’t know I wrote music. But I found Myspace a few years ago and that changed things. But I think lately Myspace has been in decline so I’m trying to find new ways of making my music available. It’s a matter of the people who are passionate about music, discovering you I have to make it as easy as possible for them.

6. What was the most memorable party you have ever played at or been to?

The most memorable place I ever played was a festival in Liverpool, my band played a set in the pouring rain, in front of maybe a dozen people but that didn’t matter it was probably the first time I enjoyed playing live.

7. What's your opinion on the current copy right system, is it working
or does it need to go?

I think the music industry as a whole is suffering from a lot of problems. The copy right system we have at the moment does need some reform. I think the Creative commons license concept is great though. Things have to be fair, fair to the consumer and the musicians making the music.


8. If you weren't making music what would be your outlet?

I used to like art in high school and I often thought about studying art at college. I like creative writing too, short stories that sort of thing. So maybe I’d try those.

9. Where do you want to be in 5 years time?

Ideally I’d like to be making music, whether it’s paying my bills or not isn’t really important at the moment. I’m studying for a degree so that’s my fall back.

10. Anything else you want to tell people?

Hmm. I guess if you’ve read this you’re interested in my music and who I am so thank you very much.

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My EP is available to preview now along with 2 free downloads.  It's on sale for just £2, please go and download the free tracks!   CLICK HERE NOW

My New EP - The Sea

It's been released today on Binary Indy, it's available here. 

Here's the spiel from Binary:  "The Sea is a wonderfully honest EP of British Folk and acoustic music. Combining Low-fi recording techniques with his own soulful instrumentals and vocals Matt has created something reminiscent of early Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground. If you like wispy vocals, acoustic guitars and soulful vocals this one is for you."   (I thought it was very flattering)

Basically this is my first proper EP, I'm very proud of it, even though there are lots of little things I pick up on that I'd like to change.  But I'm like that with a lot of things!  I'd just like people to hear it, it documents a section through my life.  I really enjoyed making it, I'm working on the next one as we speak, if you click the link you can listen to previews of all 5 tracks and download 2 free ones.  For £2 you can buy the whole thing, I hope you enjoy what you hear.  That's the main thing.

Available here.

Neil Young

Neil Young.  His music has had an unprecedented impact on me.  He creates vivid imagery with just a few lines and is undoubtably one of the Rock's rawest guitar players, often being sited as the Godfather of Grunge.  His work transcends genre ranging from Folk to R&B, Country to Electronica & Blues to Rock & Roll.  He has created a body of work which has confounded critics as he constantly reinvents himself often releasing music wholly different from what is expected of him.  After the massive success of his best known album Harvest, the 'ditch trillogy' began; a complete u-turn in musical and lyrical terms.

I won't go on to write a complete biography of Young's life, you can find that on Wikipedia here, however if you're a fan you may be interested in reading Jimmy McDonough's biography Shakey, I've read it an I found it fascinating.   Young's career began with Buffalo Springfield in the mid 60s, when the band split he began to work as a solo artist releasing 2 albums before collaborating with Crosby, Stills (who had also been in the Buffalo Springfield) & Nash in the early 70s.  1972 saw Young's seminal album Harvest, he continued to release albums throughout the 70s and 80s covering numerous genres from Rockabilly to Electronica.  The 90s saw a resurgence in popularity as he toured and recorded with  Pearl Jam.  He has recently released an archives collection spanning the first 20 years of his career.


I don't pretend to like every song Young has ever released, I don't, but the vast majority of his music is worth delving into.  The Songs I'm going to share with you here are among my favourite, I like far too many of his songs to post.  If you have Spotify, you can find a playlist to accompany this post with all of my favourite Neil Young songs here.




In Roughly Chronological Order:

Mr Soul



Cinnamon Girl

Down By The River


Tell Me Why


Southern Man


Helpless


Ohio


Heart of Gold


Old Man 


Alabama


Walk On


My My, Hey Hey (Out of the Blue)


Like A Hurricane


Cortez The Killer


Keep On Rockin' In the Free World

I hope you've found this interesting, I've been meaning to write a post about Neil Young for a while now, I hope that you will watch a couple of the videos and find something you like.  Young's music is well worth discovering. 

You can find the Spotify playlist to accompany this post here.