Hiya My Turning Point, thanks for joining us in the virtual RGM lounge today. Grab a brew and take a seat.
What made you decide that music is a thing for you?
When I was born (1974), there was no television in our house, there was only a turntable, a cassette desk, an amplifier and a large pair of speakers. Music was the language of my childhood and my mother was a 70’s rock/hippy so I was brought up and breast-fed on all the classic late 60’s, 70’s rock of that era.
A large proportion of my childhood memories are dominated by albums and album artwork rather than TV shows or films.
Introduce us to you and your musical history.
I was born in Aberdare, South Wales, UK in February 1974. Grew up in the same town and sphere of social influence as the Stereophonics.
Growing up my memories are dominated primarily by two albums: Pink Floyd – The Wall and Jeff Waynes – Musical Version of War of the Worlds. Also, Journeys ‘Escape’ and ‘Infinity’ albums and Supertramp.
When I hit maybe 10/11 years old and started to discover music just for myself, I gravitated to the mid 80’s rock and metal. The first album I ever bought for myself was the double cassette Iron Maiden “Live After Death” album. Although the first album I was ever given was the year before which was Saxon’s Wheels of Steel.
By 15 I desperately wanted a guitar and Kerrang magazine back in those days had adverts for “AXE” guitars which was £90. I would leave Kerrang open on that page and leave it on the living room coffee table hoping my mother would get the hint (she didn’t or ignored it). Instead, I saved birthday and pocket money and managed to buy my first guitar at 15/16 from the local second-hand shop for £40. A pink Strat copy by Hohner guitars.
Around this time a friend in school gave me a cassette with Metallica Kill Em All on one side and Ride the Lightening on the other side. This was the beginning of love affair with metal/thrash etc.
Started playing in bands from around the age of 17 and wrote my first song at the age of 17 as well.
However, during my final year of high school, one of the boys in my art class brought in Tesla – “Five Man Acoustical Jam” and that album (along with a year or two later, The Eagles – Hell Freezes Over) completely changed the course of my musician journey and I fell in love with the acoustic guitar.
During my deeply insecure 20’s and 30’s I still flagellated myself into trying to me a ‘metal’ guitarist by I had neither the genetic capacity for James Hetfield-esque down-picking speed nor the desire for the ‘dress-code’ and outward aggression that comes with the genre. My melancholic, deeply introverted personality was getting in the way and I was attempting to deny who I really was because ultimately I was trying get validation from other people and not find it within myself.
After my first marriage failed, I was finally able to embrace what I really aspired to be and set aside the electric guitar and loud amp and focused solely on the acoustic guitar. This resulted in a very personal 5 track EP under my then artist name “Leon Live”.
Life changed after the end of that first marriage and playing music became a rather painful, confusing realisation that I was doing it for the wrong reasons and was using it as a way of getting validation.
I walked away from it for 10 years until Covid hit the world and the desire came flooding back with an older, more self-aware, “I know who I am” mentality that allowed me for the first time to truly embrace who I am as a musician.
What’s the live music scene like in (Cardiff) right now? Anyone we should be looking out for (bar you, of course)?
Due to my age (51) and my work/family life, I have not played live since about 2011 so I could not tell you what the scene is like unfortunately. I am very happy being a singer/songwriter in my home studio, joyous in the fact that I no longer have to lug amps and speakers and PA equipment up and down flights of stairs at 2am I the morning!
I’ve seen a lot of people struggling for support recently online. What’s your view on the industry?
The industry is as corrupt and gate-kept as it has ever been. The barrier to entry still comes down to how much money you have.
The difference now is that “post-streaming”, “post Napster” music has lost nearly all of its cultural value. The market is flooded and saturated with so much music that it is almost impossible to find anything of genuine sincerity/authenticity as everyone is trying to go viral with some ‘gimmick’ or other or is just posting something that will satisfy the 30 second attention span social media has devolved us to.
Where do you feel you currently sit within the music industry?
In a hole 2 miles deep
Tell us two truths and a lie about you.
My mother is a witch
My father was a Butlins Red Coat
My grandparents are Desmond & Molly Jones from the Beatles song.
Do you ever worry about people taking things the wrong way or cancel culture? Discuss….
Yes.
People have lost the ability to disagree emotionally.People have gained the ability to call people out on unacceptable behaviour. There is a middle ground in there somewhere.
Do you sign up to any conspiracy theories? If not, why not?
No, I believe is Science.
What was your best experience on stage?
A tiny talent show night in the middle of Wales in a tiny pub where myself and my other guitarist were invited to just play acoustic songs in between acts. We got a standing ovation and I was on a natural high for 2 full days all weekend and I have chased that sensation ever since and never experienced it.
What was your worst experience on stage?
One of the bridge screws on my Floyd Rose came loose during a gig and my B string just went completely slack during a guitar solo. I never played Floyd Rose ‘trem’ guitars after that.
Tell us something about you that you think people would be surprised about.
I used to be able to play “Eugenes Trick Bag”
What are the next steps you plan to take as a band to reach the next level?
I don’t have the money for a next level, I have a family and a mortgage and a full time job so unless the universe gifts me with some blind luck and the right person listens to this song at the right time I am just writing, recording and releasing these deeply personal songs to prove to myself that I can do that.
I hear you have new music. What can you tell us about it?
The Eulogy is the new single of my brand new (2nd) album “APATHY”.
I woke up in the middle of the night back in December where a dream kinda jolted me awake with the words “trauma bond”, that was all I could remember, but it triggered this rush of emotion and memories so I stumbled half asleep for my phone on the bedside table and wrote out these lyrics that were sleepily falling out of my at about 3am.
I woke up in the morning and this song was just sitting there on my phone.
I was already working with an acoustic guitar chord progression and the two just slotted together perfectly like some Japanese master carpenter joining two pieces of beautifully carved wood together.
What was the recording process like?
Highly emotional. A lot of crying while recording the vocals (which are the takes that are on the final song)
The song is a real eulogy to a lost lifelong friendship. There was never meant to be piano in it. It was just meant to be a simple guitar/vocal arrangement. The piano just came out of nowhere during the tracking process.
What was the biggest learning curve in writing the new tunes?
Always getting the mixing and mastering right. That’s a lifelong journey that never ends.
Would you change anything now it’s finished?
No, it’s who I am as an artist, flawed, imperfect, but totally honest, sincere with my heart on my sleeve.
Is there anything else you would like to share with the world?
Be kind to each other, re-learn how to listen and respectfully disagree with each other while still calling out the genuinely horrible behaviour (especially of those in positions of power and privilege)
Seek our real musicians who still make real music, we are buried under the endless gimmicks and 30 seconds viral narcissism.
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