Hiya Marky from Pray Silence, thanks for joining us in the virtual RGM lounge today. Grab a brew and take a seat.
Thanks for joining us today…
What’s the live music scene like in Edinburgh right now?
Musically it’s great, plenty of talent in really diverse areas. In terms of infrastructure… could be better – venues keep getting closed, either thanks to the council, developers or greedy landlords. For a city famous for its arts festival you’d think there’d be more support the rest of the year, but unfortunately not.
Anyone we should be looking out for (bar you, of course)?
Local bands like Dr. Salad, Racer, Diet of Worms, Happy Daze, Only You are all pretty cool. Quite a varied scene.
What are your ambitions for the band?
Punch people in the gut, heart and brain with our music then make ‘em sweat and bounce with our live shows. At the largest scale we can, while still being us.
Whats your favourite social media platform to use and why?
Bluesky. The lack of algorithm means nobody else’s whims drive what I see, so I can just have a nice time.
We believe its essential to have a presence on Facebook, Instagram and X to introduce yourself to all the different types of audiences out there, what’s your thoughts on that?
Facebook and Instagram are a necessary evil. TikTok too. X absolutely not though. Elon Musk is a force of enormous evil in the world and even having an account on his platform comes too close to endorsing what goes on there. Social media is pretty depressing to use.
We’re songwriters and musicians not marketers, and the attention economy does not favour anyone without a big marketing machine trying to put music in front of people who might like it, with its arcane algorithmic biases. Of course it’s a different story when there’s a fanbase already, then it can be fun communication.
What’s your view on the Music industry today?
For us little guys? A bit… bleak? All business, very little music. It feels like the industry’s walls are up even higher now everyone can distribute their music without a record label too, almost out of spite. And then it seems social media numbers are favoured over music far too often, which is really hard for newer bands.
The fans and enthusiasts *are* out there, but reaching them directly is a challenge. And it’s basically financially unviable to be a full-time musician now, so it’s day jobs all round.
Whats your thoughts on AI generated music?
An abomination and an insult to life itself.
Whats the biggest thing you have learned recently as you progress with your music?
It’s not exactly recent knowledge, but you’ve got to love it and trust your own voice and make yourself proud creatively, not attach it to dreams of success or – god forbid – stardom.
What’s currently in your ears and on rotation at the moment?
Sam listens to a lot of stuff like Wargasm, I’ve been enjoying the likes of Arcane Roots, Jamie Lenman, PRESIDENT, Bad Omens, Sleep Token, Deftones, Biffy Clyro. I also love good pop (genre snobs are boring ), so I’ve been particularly enjoying Olivia Rodrigo’s last album.
What was your worst experience on stage? Any funny stories to share?
I have had to rein in my tendency to throw myself around too much on stage due to semi-regularly finding myself off-balance and nearly falling into the drumkit. Worst experiences generally tend to come from not being able to hear ourselves or each other properly, but that doesn’t necessarily come across to the audience!
I hear you have new music. What can you tell us about it?
We’re putting out our third single, ‘Liminalland’. Sam and I have been friends for a very long time, and working on music for a good chunk of that, so everything that’s coming to fruition now has been a long time in the making. But this song is a relatively new addition and actually jumped ahead of what we’d planned to release next because it’s a bit of a banger. Without getting too specific, It’s kind of about being stuck in a lonely limbo of your own making.
What was the recording process like?
Like everything we’ve released so far, the recording is just me and Sam. I play all the instruments and sing the backing vocals and Sam does lead vocals. I have a background in music production, so it’s all recorded and mixed at home. Pretty relaxed! That said, I did re-record the guitars at least 4 times as I wasn’t happy with the tone…
Would you change anything now it’s finished?
If we stumble across a bigger budget at some point there are some producers/mixers I’d love to work with, but as it stands, I think it turned out great!
Is there anything else you would like to share with the world?
It’s all about the people, not the gatekeepers. They are few but we are many.
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