Hey there everyone its your old friend DJ Dizzy here with an interview as done by band. Tokyo song who sat with me to talk about their musicial origins
How'd you get started in music?
I've always had a head full of music that's been itching to get out of me... I was tinkering with some layered wall of sound orchestral indie when training to be a producer back in the late 1990s, and a chance meeting with Clint Boon (Inspiral Carpets) and him being bowled over by the weird Beach Boys, Nick Drake tunes I had gave me the belief maybe I had something. Through a few more chance meetings with different folk led to a deal with the Beastie Boy's Grande Royal, festival tours and putting out some songs internationally as the 'Justin Lewis Orchestra', fast forward three years and the label closed and I was back to square one..
Who are your inspirations or influences?
Oh so many, I've already mentioned a couple... I really need a t-shirt that says 'I don't believe in God, but I do believe in Mahalia Jackson', Flaming Lips, Tim and Jeff Buckley, Aretha F, Radiohead, Portishead and lots more besides. In the more modern world I'm super hyped about hey nothing and find their passion, honesty and song writing beauty, Olivia Dean is bringing something special and Jacob Alon is soothing my speakers right now. Love artists that write from the heart.
What advice would you offer aspiring performers?
The most important thing is to be yourself and know you don't need to be perfect first time. Finding yourself as an artist and a singer is a process - and the important bit is to stay in that process. Bad shows, recordings that don't go anywhere or times when you are unsure where you are heading are all part of it - but just keep heading somewhere, keep learning and don't get too distracted by what works for others. This is your journey as an artist and what works for others isn't what will work for you - stay in the process and find out what special thing you bring to the party, and then attach big bright lights to that and sing it loud and like your life depends on it.
How do you set yourself apart from other bands or singers?
I don't sing like anyone else and I'm more of a singer and a songwriter than a musician. With Tokyosongbird I play everything - which brings it's own challenges and charm, on a good run great things happen by accident and everything falls neatly into place... on some of the stuff you wont hear it's like one of them Bob Dylan songs where he asks everyone to switch instruments. The thing is I'm always looking for beauty and emotion in everything I write. Songs just appear through me and I spend my time trying to do the music in my head justice, and deliver the vocal performances these songs deserve. Maybe in this stretching to find the right quality and capturing the emotional meaning and these struggles adds to the unique emotions of my songs.
How would you say that music has inspired/made an impression on you?
I suspect I would be in trouble if I didn't have music. Listening to the opening bars of Ok Computer or Mahalia Jackson singing at Louis Armstrong's 70th birthday concert, having had to leave her sick bed to get up on that stage. In the modern day we've managed to cheapen music and let it become way too much about posh kids from stage school - but nothing grabs your like great authentic music written from the heart, nothing transports you like a singer giving everything, or a band just reaching their peak.
I've an album almost finished, but I feel like you have to earn an album these days as an artist so suspect that will be next year. My next single in the autumn is going to be a duet about a couple of high school sweethearts that broke up and re-meet in middle-age, both single again and finding the flame is still burning - and rather fine it is sounding too.
Special thanks to Lee Christian & Grace Williams for their help in this & you can check out Tokyo Song's music via the following links. So until then I'll catch you on The Flipside!
TokyoSong Music
No comments:
Post a Comment