Hiya Martin thanks for joining us in the virtual RGM lounge today, grab a brew and take a seat.
Hello thanks for having me. It’s a pleasure to be here.
What made you decide that music is a thing for you?
As far back as I can remember I’ve always loved music. whether it was jumping off the fireplace watching Deacon Blue video tapes in my nappy or pretending I was Keith Moon on my first plastic drum kit, not that I knew who Keith Moon was that age right enough. I’d have to say that the first time I knew I wanted to do music was when I saw Guns and Roses’ video for Sweet Child of Mine. That was the first time I saw slash and the first time I really knew I wanted to play the guitar.
Introduce us to you all and your musical history.
I’m from Alloa, which is a small town just outside Stirling In Scotland. I first got a Guitar as a Christmas present when I was 10. When I went to high school I met people who were into the same kind of music as me and we started our first band.
We played in that band for two or three years starting off playing covers as almost everyone does and moved on to writing our own material eventually. When I was about 14 or 15 I started playing in a band called another broken record which was probably the first real band I was in. We fancied ourselves as a bit of a punk band and we played gigs all over Scotland, playing anywhere and everywhere.
It was around the time Towers of London had a TV show and we landed the support slot for them at the cathouse in Glasgow somehow. That was a pretty eye opening experience into what it’s like to play a ‘real gig’. It was also coincidentally the first time anyone asked me to sign their body which was a pretty surreal experience, I’ll not tell you where though. I studied at Berklee College of Music in Boston on their summer performance program for three years before I moved to Liverpool when I was 18 to study music at Liverpool university.
I didn’t do much studying in the end but had a great time playing in a band called Built on Tradition around all the local music venues in Liverpool and Manchester. I moved back home in my early 20s and after a short period of not playing very much I started playing acoustic sets at local pubs which kind of snowballed into a full-time job. I did that for a few years but I always had a home studio set up which I would use to write and record my own stuff.
When the pandemic happened, I ended up going through old hard drives and rediscovering old songs that I’d recorded when I was younger. I re-recorded a few of them and put them together into an EP and started releasing new music under my own name as a solo project for the first time in about 10 years. I started playing gigs with the solo project in 2022 and have been releasing music through that ever since.
We’ve played some pretty cool gigs, supporting the likes of Big Country, Vida, Wrest and Ben Ottewell to name a few. That’s the journey so far in a nutshell.
What’s the live music scene like in Alloa right now? Anyone we should be looking out for (Bar you of course)
The music scene is actually making a bit of a comeback. When I was younger it used to be great and there were loads of great local bands going around but that seemed to fade away as the years went on and there was nothing for a bit. Other than doing acoustic cover sets in pubs. Thankfully there are more new bands playing original stuff again with myself; Vida, who you already know, Tonto and Deltamanic to name a few so it feels like there’s a band scene developing again which is great!
I’ve seen a lot of people struggling for support recently online. What’s your view on the industry?
My experience of the music industry is only at a lower level but while I often see the music industry as this big complicated machine that’s constantly changing, I think at its heart, it’s probably much the same as it ever was. At least in my experience.
Technology has advanced so much and the upside is that makes it possible for anyone to release music. The downside of that is that anyone can release music. That makes it a busier place to be and maybe a little more difficult to stand out at times but I like to think that commitment to staying the course and consistency can help sway things in your favour.
If you consider how many artists and bands you see on social media everyday, it quickly becomes impossible to support them all. At least in any meaningful way. There’s so much fighting for your attention these days that if all you do is a single a year then I think you’ll drop down peoples list of priorities pretty quickly. Unless they love you of course!
I’ve experienced exactly that and while it’s not the best feeling in the world, I suppose it’s the reality of the situation. I think support is something that happens over time as you grow an audience and connect with people. Although if you could crack the code and find out why people are prepared to pay £300 to see Taylor Swift but won’t pay a fiver to see a local band then I think you’d be a pretty rich guy.
Where do you feel you currently sit within the music industry?
I’d definitely say grassroots level. Of course I’ve got aspirations to take it as far as I can and grow but at this stage, in the grand scheme of things, I’m still relatively unknown, especially outside my local area.
Tell us Two truths and a lie about you.
I was part of a group that had a number one in the Scottish Charts.
I’ve got a Racoon called Mabel.
I’ve got a third nipple.
Do you ever worry about people taking things the wrong way or cancel culture? Discuss….
I used to, but not so much anymore. I read something a few years ago and there was a quote in it that said “You’ll care less about what other people think of you when you realise how often they do” and that stayed with me. I found it to be pretty true.
We all have a different view of the world based on our influences, our lives and experiences to this point which to a large part are outwith our control. I might not share your outlook or views on certain things but I won’t villainise you for it either.
Both extremes can be damaging and divisive. I believe all we can really do is be true to ourselves and understand that you’ll never please everyone, not everyone is going to agree with you, not everyone is going to like you and when all is said and done, that’s okay. What a boring place it would be if we were all the same.
Do you sign up to any conspiracy theories? If not why not?
I do like a good conspiracy theory! I could get right into the weeds on some of them and lose hours on some obscure netflix documentary about how we’re all living in a simulation and aliens walk among us and Nessie is real. As entertaining as some of them are, I’d have to say no. Although how cool would it be if Elvis was still alive somewhere!
What was your best experience on stage?
The first time I ever stood on a stage and had someone I didn’t know or bribe, sing back the words to something I wrote was an experience I’ll never forget.
What was your worst experience on stage?
There have been a few but I once played a gig at Zanzibar in Liverpool with a knackered back. Shouldn’t have left the house kind of knackered and I moved all of two steps most of the set, much like the cure. I soldiered my way through it but on the second to last song, one of my two steps was on top of my guitar lead which came out shortly after the intro.
Completely unable to move to pick it up, I had to stand for the rest of the song looking like my lottery numbers came in and I forgot to put it on. It still haunts me from time to time. Thankfully, a very kind gentleman leaned over the barrier, picked it up and plugged me back in. Massive thanks to the drunken bald scouser, whoever you are, you saved the day!
Tell us something about you that you think people would be surprised about.
I hate the sound of my own voice so once I’ve finished working on a song, I don’t listen to it again. At least for a while. By the time a song is released I’ve probably heard it a couple hundred times.
What are the next steps you plan to take as a band to reach the next level?
The last few years have been me trying to find my feet as an artist and learning to write, produce and release my own material. I’ve done some gigging back and forth but I think now is the time I’d like to put a lot more focus into live stuff and get out and play to as many people as I can. Some festival stuff would be cool as well.
I hear you have a new music, what can you tell us about it.
Yes I do. The new single is called holding on. It’s a pretty full on rock record which captures most of my influences like Green Day, Foo Fighters and Jimmy Eat World pretty well. It’s written about watching someone you know go off and chase their dreams and wondering if you can stay the course to see it through with them.
Everyone talks about chasing the dream but forgets that there’s another side to it. It can get pretty all consuming at times which can make you pretty insufferable at times and it also makes it difficult for friends and family to come along on that ride with you.
What was the recording process like?
I was pretty fast to be honest. This song came from a couple of older ideas that I had, I reworked them and put them together to make this song. I recorded the whole thing in my home studio so I was able to do all the tracking in one day and the mixing and mastering process the next day which made the whole process pretty streamlined.
What was the biggest learning curve in writing the new tunes?
The biggest learning curve I’ve had recently is that done is better than perfect. I used to spend weeks, months, years even trying to write the perfect song and never releasing it to anyone.
The outcome of that is that no one listens to your music because it’s not there for them to listen to. I’ve learned to live with the imperfections of each recording, accepting them as some sort of character. It’s better to have recordings released to the world that have imperfections that likely only I will notice than not to have anything at all because of my own perfectionism.
Would you change anything now it’s finished?
I already have! It’s very frustrating but quite often after I’ve finished a song, as I play it live or even listen back to the recording, which I rarely do, I’ll get new ideas or a new take on the song and wish I’d done it that way. In days gone by I’d have scrapped the recording and started again which is probably why it took me so many years to do anything.
These days I work a lot quicker. I’d rather get it done and out than the old way and get nothing done. I suppose it’s only natural as a creative sharing a relatively intimate part of yourself that you’d want everything to be perfect but I’ve learned to live with it now.
Is there anything else you would like to share with the world?
I’m starting a podcast early next year called the indie music road map. It’ll be focusing on providing advice and guidance for new bands and artists, with guests including more established artists, managers, publishers, producers, booking agents, record labels etc.
The aim is to clear up some of the mystique around the music industry and show, in real terms, what these people do, how you can work with them, and how you can become one if a career in the music industry as an artist isn’t what you want.
FOLLOW HIM HERE
PRESAVE HIS NEW SINGLE HERE
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