Hey guys! Hope you all had a good weekend! I'm back this week with a new online interview. This time from a solo artist Steve and the Sea. Once you've read what he has to say about himself as a musician go and check out his new EP over on his bandcamp page which will be linked down below. For now though, on with the questions:
When did you start recording as an artist?
I guess technically I first recorded an EP when I was 17, but the less said about that the better! I was very naive about the whole writing and recording process. The result was a mess but a learning curve nonetheless. In the 10 years since then I've recorded in various other bands, playing guitar in a post-metal band, drums in an indie-pop band, and now on my own as Steve and the Sea.
How was the name created?
I guess I just didn't feel like my own full name was quite catchy enough, and in a search for ideas I realised there were a lot of nautical metaphors in my music so it just seemed to fit. I've always wanted to live by the sea, hopefully I will one day...
How would you describe the music you create?
I hate to sound like another pretentious, unaware musician but I always struggle with this. I started writing solo stuff coming from a background in much heavier music - picked up my acoustic because it seemed appropriate but I wouldn't say I'm influenced by folk or many other singer/songwriters. I guess the closest matches would be Jeff Buckley, Ben Howard, Lucy Rose... Just not quite as good! People usually tell me I sound like different artists, usually people I haven't actually heard of so I think that's a good sign.
It's a sort of melancholy, atmospheric sound that builds and layers itself up. I use a looper pedal in my live set and that has had a huge impact on how I write.
What are some of the themes and messages that come across in your songs?
Shamefully, a lot of my songs are about relationships and love (or a lack there of), which is really not something I'm proud of. It seems so obvious and self indulgent, and it's very overdone. I use songwriting to reflect, writing songs like letters that I never got to send but I try to look at the bigger picture too. That said, some of my songs play on the idea of growth, the journey of life and finding direction - something that seems to have come to a critical point in my twenties. tripwire for example is primarily about being too nervous to talk to someone, but also the idea of missed opportunities, and how reacting differently in a single second can have a massive impact on the rest of your life. I'm fascinated by chaos theory and determinism.
Shamefully, a lot of my songs are about relationships and love (or a lack there of), which is really not something I'm proud of. It seems so obvious and self indulgent, and it's very overdone. I use songwriting to reflect, writing songs like letters that I never got to send but I try to look at the bigger picture too. That said, some of my songs play on the idea of growth, the journey of life and finding direction - something that seems to have come to a critical point in my twenties. tripwire for example is primarily about being too nervous to talk to someone, but also the idea of missed opportunities, and how reacting differently in a single second can have a massive impact on the rest of your life. I'm fascinated by chaos theory and determinism.
My future releases will no doubt move away from this though. I have a plan to write an album about strangers, playing with the idea of story-telling, and I have a lot of strong political views that I'd like to discuss too; protest music certainly has a bit of a shadow cast over it these days.
What are your plans for 2016?
Well that's all hanging in the balance at the moment. Hopefully more gigs across the country, maybe another release if I can find some time. There are a few non-music related plans that I can't discuss right now, but they could have a massive impact on where the music goes. Sadly music can't be a full time thing. At least not yet....
Where can people find you on social media?
I'm on Facebook (fb.com/steveandthesea) Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat (@steveandthesea), SoundCloud (soundcloud.com/steveandthesea), bandcamp (steveandthesea.bandcamp.com) or on my website which is also a Tumblr page (steveandthesea.com).
Finally, if there was only one album you could listen to for the rest of your life which one would you choose and why?
Tough one but I think I'd go with Seldom Seen Kid by Elbow. Guy Garvey's lyrics give me shivers, and I love putting it on and singing along at the top of my voice! The whole sound of that album is perfectly orchestrated and it's a huge inspiration.
BandCamp link to Steve's new EP 'Stay Dry, Stay Warm' here: http://steveandthesea.bandcamp.com/album/stay-dry-stay-warm
Thanks to Steve for answering these questions! If any other artists or bands want to be featured on this blog please email me at rachelcolley@msn.com and I will send you the questions. Thanks again to Steve for this.
Hope you enjoyed this blog post,
Rachel.
No comments:
Post a Comment