I’m feeling rather lovely and tired and jaded after my weekend – a certain sign that it was a good one – as I cheerfully burnt the candle at both ends. It was a joy and privilege to support Tom Robinson as a venue in my town – as well as sampling the 14 other original musicians the MusicWirks Team had assembled. It’s a proper demonstration of grassroots music created and supported by ordinary folks. For me this is the future of real music – not algorithms and virality. I’m realistic that without all tech we use to get music, out independent musicians wouldn’t be able to get their songs out to the wider world. But I don’t think humans should be changing their behaviour to suit an algorithm. I feel with the rise of AI, the challenge is to be as human as we can possibly be. So I’m all in favour of doing things the old-school way – working your way around venues, getting support slots, building a following – above enjoying, learning and perfecting your craft.
Tom was on form, and I was fortunate to hangout with the great man for a but and shoot the breeze, but that wasn’t a patch on his gig. As you might expect with a musician of Tom’s pedigree the songs are rock solid but so are the stories about and between the songs. I was struck by how open Tom was about his life and experiences, I guess that’s what becomes of being the subject of many a tabloid sting. In the current age, it’s not usual for musicians to share details about their life outside of music in a very confessional manner. Those in the know will tell you that using social media in this way is a must. People don’t “buy in” to just the music but the person behind the music. I’m sure the people who advocate this approach know what they are talking about. But I’m just not sure if it’s for me.
On a personal level, It’s just something that I can’t see myself doing. I can hear my mum’s voice in my head “don’t wash your dirty linen in public” and other working-class sayings from the 1940s. I usually hide behind the concept of the “muse” rather than revealing the true source of my lyrics – and I tend to focus on explaining the source of certain phrases or very brief anecdotes when I introduce a song. I’m reluctant to go into the details of my life, and how I got to be where I am – but one day when the time is right/ready I might just do so. I think the reason there’s a justification – was I saw how Tom related his personal experiences to the cultural and political situation when he was growing up and a young man. Right now, the time isn’t right for me – so I will keep it hidden in the words… but maybe someday – who knows?
On Sunday evening took a drive thru the Peak District to get Springbank Arts, New Mills to see Frankie Archer (its a glorious venue – and the Trustees & Volunteers have much to be proud of). It was a lovely drive – the sun was shining and I was accompanied along the way by Maddie Morris’s album “Skin” on the way there, and Jack Badcock “Cosmology” on the way home. I quite like my gig drives – as that’s when often when lyrics come to me – and I have to shout to SIRI to make notes as drive along. It’s also handy to be locked in a metal box listening to music – without any distractions except for the road in front of me.
Anyhow, Frankie was marvellous. If you have not seen Frankie I would really recommend you do so – I think Frankie came on my radar through the nexus of folk musicians I follow – but she really is very uniquely bringing modern music tech (samples, midi, sequences, loops, effects) together with folk with her gorgeous fiddle playing. I first saw Frankie at live Bishops House, Sheffield (an adorable Tudor House which as an intimate vibe) and feel she is just growing in strength to strength. Frankie does all of this on her own – playing fiddle, vocals triggering samples, loops and effects – and even sampling the audience to create the layers to the music – she really is the one-person band. And it was funny to hear her introduce the “members of the band” which is a staple of many gigs.
There will be some who will say this digital approach takes away from musicianship. They would be dead wrong. I often feel like music is a bit like rubbing your tummy and patting your head – you’ve got your instrument and usually vocal (and other band members). Doing those two things together is a challenge for most of us, but Frankie manages to do all that with aplomb whilst adding all these other soundscapes in real-time. If you’ve ever played and sung in any context – you’ll know this takes hours, weeks, months, and years to perfect – and doing it all so confidently and with a smile on her face takes real talent (and dedication). It was lovely to see Frankie smiling away and enjoying every moment – just as much as the audience.
I managed to overcome my fears of talking to people I musically admire. I usual settle for a very brief “thank you that was brilliant” – before making a quick exit. I dunno why I sometimes feel so clumsy and awkward with other musicians whose work I admire. I guess I want to avoid being seen as the weird superfan type (which is what I am). It is very odd, given how everyone knows what inordinate gobshite I really am once I’m in my comfort zone. Anyway, I found my comfort zone of being nerdy and asking Frankie how she records her stuff. A lot of solo musicians I follow – gig solo, and then for recording will bring in various friends or well-known musicians – what makes Frankie different is how does all that stuff on her own. I was thinking bring in other people or even laying down all the parts in sound application would somehow “lose” the magical quality. Frankie said the vast majority of what she uses is the same material – and does mean how she sounds live is very close to what you hear on the record. But there are some parts on the record that are hard to reproduce and it does vary from song to song. I also quizzed Frankie about upcoming releases – she told me she plans another single, then another EP. Folks like me who are ready for an LP will have to wait a little longer as it’s a big undertaking.
On the subject of EPs, I got chatting to a couple behind me on the 2nd row. They were surprised at how popular EPs are still – in fact increasingly popular. The model seems to be a combo of singles, EP dotted between albums. Of course, a fan is going to have everything – like I’ve got every single single, EP and album of Lucy Farrell. What I’ve end up doing is burning a CD of all the EPs and singles – into a single CD I can play in the car – and also a playlist on my phone. It means a couple of EPs end up being listened to as LP in the car or at home.