Hiya Harris, thanks for joining us in the virtual RGM lounge today. Grab a brew and take a seat.
What was life like for you before you got into music?
Pretty non-existent, it’s all I’ve known. My family always has music on around the house and my dad can play guitar, so it was only a natural evolution that I’d learn myself and that somehow snowballed into what you see now.
What’s the live music scene like in Lancashire right now? Anyone we should be looking out for (bar you, of course)?
It’s thriving but struggling really, there’s an abundance of amazing artists and talents but there’s always a push towards the big city like Manchester which sometimes kills the “local band” attraction. Other artists to watch out for? I’d say my top 3 are : The Juice, Zoltar and Josh Jaxon, Josh in particular is someone I grew up with and Is immensely talented and someone I need to start writing with and you need to look out for !
It seems like being a social media curator has become added to the many jobs of a musician, how do you feel about this?
I’m that generation that used to make silly YouTube videos as a kid so it honestly feels like a re-awakening of that childish ambition, it’s tricky and frustrating but it’s also been fun to have a go at!
How do you manage engagement on your socials?
I try to be very personal and just treat everyone like a mate, I’m not at a point where I have to uphold a character I can just be myself so that’s all I do. I’m grateful for the support I receive so it’s important that I express that gratitude.
What’s your view on the Music industry today?
There’s more noise than ever, you’ve one person saying do this and the other the opposite and they both think they’ve got it figured out! I think the one universal factor nowadays is consistency which is what I’m going for.
Where do you feel you currently sit within the music industry?
Like row Z, I’m a long way off but I’m aware of that so I’m making every approach and effort to progress and that starts with social media, If you could see who knows I might be “on the pitch” one day, that’d be mint.
What’s the biggest thing you have learned recently as you progress with your music?
Someone always knows better. Always walk into a room and look to learn or connect. That attitude makes you so much more amiable and helps you grow so much quicker than looking to prove something to someone I think.
What was your best experience on stage?
My first time with my band “The Yum Yums” was so monumental for me it felt a real culmination of my growth as a solo artist and was so good to be there with so many talented local artists, it’s a personal one but definitely my proudest moment.
What was your worst experience on stage?
I did a gig and a hen do from Wrexham came up and stole my mic. That was hard cause I couldn’t tell what they were saying either, I was only just starting out as well so they ran riot for a solid 5 minutes because I was too awkward to stop them.
Tell us something about you / each member that you think people would be surprised about.
My drummer on the track, Karl, was once the World Pogo Stick Champion! That’s a lie but I did once get in the Burnley Express for eating a pie, that was a proud moment for the Rafferty’s.
I hear you have new music. What can you tell us about it?
Duck Duck Goose! It’s my second single and simply put it’s an Indie Rock tune about the vicious cycles of life we find ourselves in with tongue-in-cheek lyrics and dangerously catchy choruses. It’s reminiscent of 90s Britpop but sits in the Modern Indie rock scene.
What was the recording process like?
I’m very lucky to have a great group of musicians come in and record Duck Duck Goose and help realise my vision, I’m only one man and a guitar after all. It was done over quite a long period as we’ve been intertwining lots of other projects and I’m really happy I did it that way, it allowed our sound to develop and also myself as an artist which I think is really crucial to what you hear.
What was the biggest learning curve in writing the new tunes?
We had a real battle between catchy and cheesy as it was important that this song had that hook and repetitive line, but we never wanted to enter that territory of overdoing it and becoming “cheesy” and annoying, so that was fun to experiment with and has really taught us a lot going into our other songs we’ve been recording
Would you change anything now it’s finished?
Nothing springs to mind which is a comforting thing to say out loud, the product is exactly what we wanted, and I can’t say much more than that, I hope that’s not a boring answer! Maybe a Donald Duck duet would’ve been cool?
Is there anything else you would like to share with the world?
Apart from the fact my song “Duck Duck Goose” is out now? My socials are pretty cool you should go check them out! My final message to the world is your favourite artist was once playing small gigs, so go support your local artists, who knows am I right?
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