Exposed Vocals sits down to an exclusive interview with 1so-static
Exposed Vocals: How did you hear about Exposed Vocals? What made you decide to sign up?
It dropped into our Twitter at a time when I was looking for an alternative to Bandmix and Myspace.
Having long believed that quite a lot of media aimed at artists, benefits the site more than the artist
Myspace has become total liquid brown arse gravy of the first water. So far it’s real positive and if EV keeps developing it’s going to quickly make everyone else irrelevant.
Exposed Vocals: So tell us your story. Where did you grow up? What made you decide to become an artist?
Grew up on Royal Air Force airbases coming from an aviation family. Left academia, became an electronic systems designer, ran up bills …etc….etc.. I’d been writing songs on and off for years with no real direction. I just happened to be in the studio one day, Gee, the studio owner, stuck me on the business end of a microphone and said, “let’s hear it, then”. After a bit of protestation and a bit of name calling, he worked my voice with exercises and scales, then I belted out with the voice you hear now. At the time there was a bit of “where the heck did that come from”? .
Exposed Vocals: How did you come up with that name? What was your inspiration behind it?
Two things – the way I felt at the time musically, directionally and socially stuck (One so static) and isostatic to do with gravitational equilibrium with two forces applying equal stress. Well that’s been me all along. It looked good as a logo too.
Exposed Vocals: What do you think about online music sharing? Do you ever give your music away for free? Why?
I think the business model has changed from buying the asset or sale of goods in the conventional way to moving and exposing the asset. I can see a day where the revenues to artists come from more exposure, connectivity, attracting other business interests and strategies. As long as the artist sees a financial slice of this to continue their efforts there’s enough in it for everyone..
Exposed Vocals: Since everyone was a start-up once, can you give any smaller or local bands or artists looking to get gigs and airplay some tips?
First one…Do not listen to the “doomsayers” …the “Oh it’s all been done before” brigade. They are so wrong. There are other frontiers in music, there are new things to develop. That includes the changing times with electronic media and how we use it. I see a time when if you’re going to miss that concert because you’re late from work; You won’t because I can jump onto a website with a portal and pay to watch from my PC, tablet or mobile. The whole world is recordable and obtainable – your talent has a value and it can be recognised.
Exposed Vocals: Do you ever make mistakes during performances? How do you handle that?
I’m not the most consistent guitarist – I’m not a robot like some who never drop a note or bend slightly too sharp.
Do it like you meant it.
Exposed Vocals: Do you tour? Anything interesting happen on tour that you think our readers would enjoy hearing about?
Not yet – what I have in mind is a tad ambitious; yes I can create an album that is like Jeff Wayne’s War of the worlds with dialogue and music; but it has to see the stage Nosferatu’s Dream and Papillon are two stage musicals that carry strong stories. At the moment I’m proving the work by getting it all recorded first. The bit after that is going to need some time to overcome the barriers and challenges and new investment.
I worked out that it takes two solid days of expletives to do a 5 minute track; I’ve often thought I’d probably get a quicker uplift in audience if I were to record the studio banter in its raw form and post that. I’m sure with the output from three potty-mouthed gits full of disgusting jokes, if the internet had a “bleep” machine like they have on TV, it’d run out of bleeps. There’s an innovation for EV – a bleep machine for the video upload.
Exposed Vocals: Where do you usually gather songwriting inspiration? What is your usual songwriting process?
At the moment it’s pouring out of me…but I had a good schooling being a huge fan of Pink Floyd, Kate Bush, Jethro Tull etc. with a heap of self-belief coupled with a new confidence instilled into me by Gee (Owner of Songbird Studio); Papillon is inspired directly from Henri Charriere’s memoire so that was very easy to write the lyrics, set in context and loaded with metaphors of incarceration and injustice.
Nosferatu’s Dream took on a different process more had to come from MY imagination. Often it starts with a line, I’ll pick up my Fender Sierra Vista (that writes most of the songs for me) find a key and time signature. I like cocking about with 3:4 to 4:4 and 7:4 to 4:4 changes – though when recording, Paul is real good at either having it pop out at you if it works that way, or hiding it so you can’t hear the transition.
I love writing lyrics; I guess I like a good story, I hope the audience does too..
Exposed Vocals: What are some really embarrassing songs that we might find on your mp3 player?
Eeek…Alphaville is pretty cringeworthy enough…oh, and Buggles Plastic age… Lady Gaga’s Poker face….naughty girl
Exposed Vocals: If you were given half a million dollars and a year off, what would you do? How would you spend it?
I know this is going to come over as trite; but it is the truth…I’d Jump out from the day job (something that is deplorable) …and aim to get Nosferatu’s Dream on a West End or Broadway stage recording the stage performance into album form.
Exposed Vocals: Any planned studio upgrades? What are you working with now?
I need instruments – more differently voiced guitars – I’m building my own synthesizer right now.
Exposed Vocals: How do you find ways to promote your music? What works best for you?
Because where we are is up to date, It’s been a case of Soundcloud and Myspace and talking with people connected to the West End theatre scene Am I getting anywhere? It’s easy to say not…but I say keep knocking the mountain down a rock at a time…eventually there will be no mountain. It’ll happen if I keep at it.
Exposed Vocals: If you could perform anywhere and with any artists (Dead or Alive) where and who would it be with? Why?
Holy Moly; what a question…Bush or Bowie? Gilmour or Gabriel …somewhere in there is the right one
Kate Bush because of the haunting character she can deliver especially with a piano and her vocal. David Gilmour is an obvious choice for me; the amount of anguish he can wrench from his guitar is astonishing.
Exposed Vocals: So, what’s next? Any new upcoming projects that you want to talk about?
In the “to do” list there are nearly 60x songs from 2x stage musicals and 2x albums to be finished. My problem is
figuring out which tough challenge to head for first.
Exposed Vocals: If you weren’t making music, what would you be doing?
Chef…my first choice of career that I wanted; things of course didn’t quite work out that way; I ended up in the microelectronics industry….eek…go figure.
Exposed Vocals: Do you remember buying your first album? Who was it? What was going through your head?
That’s an easy one… “On The Threshold of a Dream” by The Moody Blues…go look it up… one of the pioneering concept albums; surely anyone my generation or the next will love the intro to that. This was in the days, oh young people, when you had to grab hold of a stick with a rock on the end of it, and drop it on to your vinyl disc.
I first heard this on someone else’s deck. I was 11 at the time – that intro set the scene and direction for me.
Exposed Vocals: How do you juggle the rest of your responsibilities while trying to stay ahead in your music life?
Tough. One can replace money; one can’t replace time.
Exposed Vocals: What should fans look forward to in 2016?
New things – it hasn’t all been done before; yes all these super-groups have done their bit; but you/we are all taking it where they left off and beyond. Hopefully the music management machine in the industry will turn around and begin to work better and more effectively operating on more refreshing business models that work for both artist and industry.