Hi there!
I thought I’d take a minute to share something about where I’m coming from as a songwriter and musician.
Much of what I do is inspired by the 50s and 60s rock ‘n’ roll I heard on AM radio as a kid. Those years of listening gave me a taste for simplicity, and for trying to do the most with the least.
As a writer I’m attracted to notions of darkness and ecstasy. Considering my youthful immersion in Catholic iconography, followed by years of listening to old blues records, it makes sense.
Touchstones include American greats like Jim Thompson and Allen Ginsberg, as well as 19th century English poets like William Blake and John Clare.
I love experimenting with vocal phrasing. Inspirations include Billie Holiday and Robert Johnson.
Film noir’s fatalism and sense of danger have been a huge influence on me. Those old movies depict a world that feels inseparable from what I do.
I never get tired of the AAB verse form used in old blues songs - it’s as simple and as powerful as can be.
Records I love include:
1. Ravi Shankar - Sound Of The Sitar
2. Various - American Primitive, Vol 1
3. The Rolling Stones - The Rolling Stones Now!
4.Billie Holiday - Golden Years Vol 1-3 (Columbia)
5. Captain Beefheart - Trout Mask Replica
6. Bert Jansch - Rosemary Lane
7. Bo Diddley - Chess Recordings
8. Bukka White - Parchman Farm (Columbia)
9. Ornette Coleman - Change Of The Century
10.Lou Reed - Legendary Hearts
11. Public Image Ltd - First Edition
12. Charlie Patton - Complete Recordings
13. Blind Owl Wilson - Mississippi Records Comp
14. Bob Wills - The Tiffany Transcriptions
To be continued…
