Interview: WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR, Nashville Meets London

I spoke to William the Conqueror’s Ruarri Joseph in an interview that ranged from Elvis, grunge music, and hard to follow support acts. Have a read below to see what else we chatted about!

Ciara’s Country (CC): I’m here with Ruarri Joseph of William the Conqueror after his set at the Nashville Meets London festival in Canary Wharf. So first of all, thank you so much for joining me today.

Ruarri Joseph (RJ): You’re welcome.

CC: First off, how did the show go for you today?

RJ: I really enjoyed it. I think it went well. We sold out records at the merch stand, so I guess it went well. I don’t know! I enjoyed it.

CC: From where I was standing, it looked like there were a couple of people dancing up at the front too.

RJ: They were loving it! Especially the dude with the Elvis legs.

CC: Seemed like everyone was having a very good time! Can you tell me a bit about the name you perform under, William the Conqueror.

RJ: Yeah, I could. I mean there’s a truth to it and then there’s a hard to explain answer. It sounds cool though, right? William the Conqueror is a cool name. Maybe that’s the short answer to go with it, that it sounds good. There’s a complicated, long explanation in their somewhere about my childhood and innocence, and coming up with a name like that for yourself when you doesn’t really know anything about the world. But it’s a long one, that one. It’s more of a podcast kind of answer, that one!

CC: Well I suppose that kind of story to tell element fits quite well with the genre.

RJ: Yeah, yeah, I suppose.

CC: It terms of a musical style, it’s been described as kind of Americana – would you agree with that?

RJ: I don’t mind that, I think it’s as close as you’re going to get. If you have to have a label I suppose that’s a good one to have because it’s rootsy and it’s raw and we sing rom the heart and everything.

CC: And what kind of influences did you have that helped you to find that style?

RJ: I don’t have a memory from my childhood that doesn’t have Bob Dylan playing in the background from my dad’s record player, so that as a kid, but then you know, the first music that I really got into myself was grunge – electric guitars and heavy stuff, and then somewhere along the way, the two worlds kind of merged for me I suppose. I like the songwriting elements of Americana and folk and country but I like the sound of the grunge. I don’t know if there’s a little crossover in there somewhere.

CC: In terms of songwriting, how do you go from an idea and turn it into a song?

RJ: Well that’s like asking a magician how he does his tricks. It’s different every time. It’s a subconscious thing most of the time – it’s nice to sort of surprise yourself when you’re mixing a song and go ‘where did that come from?’ So I don’t know, it’s not really a linear sort of process, it just kind of happens.

CC: Do you have a favourite song that you’ve written and recorded?

RJ: Oh I don’t know about favourite, but some songs sort of mean more to you certainly, but I wouldn’t class that as favourite. You know, you fall in and out of love with songs. You have one song, and you’re playing it as the encore song for the whole tour and you love it, and then you get sick of it so you won’t play it for ages again. They’re a bit like siblings maybe, you fall in and out of love with them all the time.

CC: And have you drawn on elements of your background to help craft your songs?

RJ: Yeah definitely, I think so. I’ve been performing under my own name for like the last nine or ten years, and then this William the Conqueror project is a new project for me, but yeah, it’s been very much a case of mining my childhood I suppose, and just trying to recapture whatever it was that got me into music in the first place, whatever got me starting to write songs before it became my job, before it became about selling tickets and having a manager and all of that stuff. I wanted to try and remember what it was like to write a song and for it to just be for you. So certainly, yeah, definitely drawing on the past. It’s a murky old rabbit whole, that one!

CC: And in terms of the country and Americana genre as a whole, is there one artist out there who you think deserves a lot more recognition?

RJ: Yeah, loads, loads. But I don’t know if that’s anything that’s specific to the genre. I just think that when you’re under the radar – like as William the Conqueror we’ve been performing for the last four years, we just didn’t tell anybody, we’ve literally been doing it in secret. Because for the last few years I’d been performing under my own name I couldn’t do the two, so I’ve been performing as William for the last four years, completely off the radar, and when you do that, but you’re still gigging, the bands you see play some amazing stuff that you know will never get the recognition. I’ll give a special mention to a guy called Fraser Ross, who is from New Zealand, who was my support act at a show in Scotland. I’ve never ever not wanted to go on after a support act, but I watched this guy and he just melted my heart entirely and I didn’t want to go on because I just like wanted to go home and think about his stuff! So yeah, there’s plenty of underrepresented stuff that’s never going to see the light of day. But then, you know, Van Gogh never sold a painting while he was alive so it’s not a bad thing to be underrepresented – so long as the art is there and so long as it’s making an impact on somebody’s life, even if it’s just the creator that it’s helping, then it’s good. I’m going into the rabbit hole again, sorry!

CC: Well hopefully with events like this, we’ll get more underrepresented artists coming to the forefront.

RJ: Yeah definitely. Events like this are great in showing people that there’s stuff out there other than just Radio 1!

CC: So my last question is what’s the one question you wish you were asked in interviews but never are?

RJ: Erm, would you like to go home now?

CC: And what’s your answer to that?

RJ: Yes please, I’ve not been home in two weeks!

CC: Alright then, thank you for your time and for speaking with me Ruarri!

Cheers to Ruarri for speaking to me and sharing his thoughts – if you’d like to find out more about myself or William the Conqueror, check us out on Twitter at @CiarasCountry and @ruarrijoseph

Top Albums of 2016 (So Far!): Part 3

2016 has been a fantastic year for country music, and you can read Parts 1 and 2 of my Top Albums of the Year here and here. Now that we’re ¾ of the way through the year, it’s time for another update – read on to find out what albums I think (in no particular order) are worthy of high praise!

Ward Thomas – Cartwheels

Why it made the list: Everyone had high expectations for the ‘Queens of UK country’s second album release, and I was pleased to see they lived up to expectations to become the first country album to reach Number 1 on the UK charts. Perhaps my favourite part of the album was noticing that the girls had maintained their Britishness, which you can hear very clearly not only in their vocals but their lyrics too – this is something that’s often missing from UK country acts who tend to add an American twang to their songs, and I’m pleased Ward Thomas decided not to follow suit. Some of the songs, like Guilty Flowers and Carry You Home, are filled with flawless harmonies and catchy choruses aplenty, and this coupled with the occasional ballad such as Safe and Almost Easy make for a well rounded album, even if there are a few tracks I tend to skip through. Cartwheels isn’t perfect, and there’s certainly a mix of strong songs and less strong songs, but it’s a solid album nonetheless and has done an excellent job of paving the way for what I hope will be increased exposure for this underrated genre.

Top Tracks: Where the Sky Is, Lose Me, Almost Easy

Florida Georgia Line – Dig Your Roots

Why it made the list: Dig Your Roots was without a doubt my most highly anticipated album of 2016 – I’d loved FGL’s previous releases and was hoping that the only way they could go was up. I think they delivered. The album has such a range of music styles, there’s bound to be something for everyone, whether that’s the reggae-infused Life Is a Honeymoon, super-strong love ballad H.O.L.Y or summer jam Island. Tyler and Brian tackle a lot of topics with this album, ranging from love and heartbreak to life and death; and I reckon that Dig Your Roots has some of their best lyrics yet – just take a listen to songs like Lifer and God, Your Mama and Me and you’ll see what I mean. Another thing that must be said is that Brian gets a lot more airtime on this album than he’s had before, and I really enjoyed hearing his solos. Every song on this album is so strong in its own right – I just wish everyone would listen to it.

Top Tracks: Summerland, God Your Mama and Me, May We All

Jake Owen – American Love

Why it made the list: Jake Owen is the kind of guy whose music you want to listen to on days when you don’t feel like doing much. He’s got a very chill vibe that fits his persona perfectly, and this is clear as day in songs like Everybody Dies Young and Good Company which has lyrics like ‘got what we need to make good vibes, good times and damn good memories,’ and good vibes is what you get with Jake’s latest album. It’s easy to have your head bopping along to tracks like American Love with its ‘clap-along’ feel and guitar solos, but if there’s one thing missing it’s the storytelling element as I felt some of the songs didn’t have too much substance behind the words. Nevertheless, Jake’s sound has evolved since previous releases, with less lyrics about ‘painted on jeans’ and trucks (although there is still one song about a VW Van), and I really enjoyed when he slowed it down with tracks like the rootsy LAX which is filled with wonderful steel guitar sounds. All in all, it’s a feel-good album, and sometimes that’s all you need.

Top Tracks: LAX, Good Company, Where I Am

Chris Lane – Girl Problems

Why it made the list: If you didn’t have Fix stuck in your head for most of the summer, I don’t know where you’ve been. This catchy debut single sets the mood for Girl Problems with many songs making it easy to imagine rocking out to at a Chris Lane concert. Chris Lane’s latest album might seem like it could just be another country-pop proposition, but it manages to stand out quite substantially in a number of ways, the first of which is that there’s no mistaking whose album it is, thanks to Chris’ signature falsetto which soars on songs like For Her and All The Time (which reminded me of popular band DNCE – why doesn’t Chris have the same recognition?) The second reason is due to the unmistakable R&B influence on the album, with my favourite track being a cover of Mario’s Let Me Love You. This is quite the unexpected track to be found on a country album, but it really works. It’s these two elements which really made Girl Problems stand out to me. Sure, it might be very pop, but it’s different and exciting, and Chris has found a way to separate himself out from the rest. In this genre, where every singer is so distinctive (I’d find it hard to draw too many similarities between Chris Stapleton and Florida Georgia Line), artists need a way to differentiate themselves, and with Girl Problems, Chris has done just that.

Top Tracks: Let Me Love You, For Her, Her Own Kind of Beautiful

Did I miss anything? Let me know on Twitter @CiarasCountry! I’ll be adding another installment of this series before the year is over, and I’d love to get your input – what are some albums coming out before the end of 2016 that you think deserve a spot on the list?

Interview: MEGAN O'NEILL & THE COMMON THREADS, Nashville Meets London

Irish ‘Celt-icana’ singer Megan O’Neill sat down with me after her set with her newly formed band The Common Threads to chat about telling stories through music, being featured on ABC’s Nashville TV show, and forming The Common Threads. Read on below!

Ciara’s Country (CC): I’m here with Megan O’Neill after her set with her band The Common Threads at Nashville Meets London in Canary Wharf. So first of all Megan, thank you so much for joining me today.

Megan O’Neill (MO): Sure, no problem.

CC: So I wanted to ask first, how’s your year going so far?

MO: Amazing! I kind of can’t believe it’s already August, it’s a bit scary, but the year has flown by and we’ve had so many great things happening, so very happen with 2016!

CC: What would some of your highlights from this year be?

MO: We’ve been recording a new record which is definitely a highlight, I formed this full band which we didn’t have last year, so that’s again another highlight, we played some really great shows – C2C for one, Time Out’s Rising Stars of Country Music, today was amazing, so you know, lots of great things happening.

CC: Country music is such a wide-ranging genre – how would you describe the sound of Megan & The Common Threads?

MO: I don’t think our own personal sound needs a description. I think we definitely fall into the country music bracket, but we could also fall into folk or Americana or an indie bracket. You just don’t know how people want to box you off these days, into which genre that you’re in, and I think we dip in and out of a lot of genres with our music. You know, country is what I write, it’s at my heart, but the band brings something different to it, which is what you’d expect with five other musicians. It’s a beautiful thing. So yeah, if people want to bracket us, I think we definitely fall into the country bracket, but I think we dip into a lot of other brackets too.

CC: I think the crowd out there are pretty proud that you fall into the country music bracket! So a lot of those influences come through in your songwriting and storytelling – are there other elements from your background that influence how you write music?

MO: Well I grew up in a very musical family – I grew up in an Irish family where everyone plays music, and my mam sings, my brother sings, and my younger sister sings, and I think having them as an influence from such a young age definitely played a role in my want to be a songwriter, and the most important thing for me always when listening to music has been the story that’s being told. That’s something that’s resonated with me throughout my whole life, so when I wanted to be a songwriter, the most important thing for me was stories, and I think the best stories come from your own life experiences, so I’ve written a lot about my own life experience, about things that I’ve been through, about things that my family have been through, or relationships that I’ve had, and I like to draw on personal situations so that I can make them into music.

CC: Was there one song that was particularly interesting for you to write?

MO: Yes, a lot of them have been. One that we played today, it’s called Stories to Tell and it’s going to be on the next record – that was quite an interesting song for me to write because I went back somewhere I used to live and realised that everything had changed since I’d been there. The lyrics are ‘And that was then, and I’m left with used to be’s, times good and bad and in between, and even though this city don’t remember me so well, I’ll always have my stories to tell.’ So it was like nobody in that city knew who I was anymore, even though I lived there for quite a while. So that was quite a therapeutic way to write as I’d visited a city and it wasn’t the same city that I used to know.

CC: I suppose a lot of artists say that songwriting is kind of a catharsis for them – do you feel the same way?

MO: Yeah definitely. I write a lot of poetry, so I tend to write, even if I’m on the tube in the morning I’m writing poetry, so I tend to get things off my chest and a lot of those end up turning into my songs.

CC: Very interesting! Am I right in thinking one of your songs was featured on an episode of Nashville?

MO: Yeah! Our song Don’t You was on Season 3 of Nashville.

CC: Do you think that was a useful way of introducing yourself to the American market then?

MO: Yeah, it was. I’ve spent a lot of time in the States and I lived in Nashville for a while so I think I already have some great people and some great fans out there, but that was definitely a huge platform, so it was great to have a song on the show.

CC: And in terms of playing in Nashville and London, how do the two compare?

MO: They’re very different. I mean I love playing music in Nashville, but it’s much more of either a) you’re on Broadway and it’s a bar and everyone’s dancing and everyone’s drunk, or b) you’re playing the likes of The Bluebird and it’s a songwriting session and it’s literally dead quiet. I think you have more variety in London probably within one crowd. You just never really know how your crowd is going to react in London. It could be a Tuesday night and everyone could be going crazy and dancing on tables, or it could be a Friday night and everyone could be exhausted and not saying anything.

CC: I think you had more of the former today.

MO: I did, everyone was great out today, I was so happy.

CC: In terms of the genre as a whole, is there one artist out there who you think deserves more recognition?

MO: Yes. Brandy Carlisle, straight away. She’s an American – probably Americana/folk would be her genre, but she’s absolutely phenomenal, and I think she’s not recognised enough, especially in Europe.

CC: I hope with events like this we’ll get more crossover with more US artists coming over here, and more European artists heading to the States.

MO: Hopefully!

CC: Finally, my last question for you is what’s the one question you wish you were asked in interviews but never are?

MO: Oh gosh. Probably I’d like to be asked more about my band – they’re my heart and soul, they’re my best friends, and most people tend to focus on the lead singer, which I completely understand, and I also write most of the music, but I write with members of my band too. I think it’s really important that they get recognised too and that they get to sign things and the hugs, because they’re my core, and they’re such amazing people. So I think if people recognised them more, that would make me really happy.

CC: So how did you become a band then?

MO: That only happened about six months ago. We were doing acoustic shows for about two years before and then thought that we needed a bigger sound, so we expanded.

CC: Seems to be working out for you then.

MO: I love it.

CC: Thank you so much for taking the time to talk to me today Megan, and best of luck for the rest of the year!

MO: Thank you very much!  

Thanks to Megan for catching up with me, and be sure to check out her music if you haven’t already – you’ll be glad you did! You can keep up to date with all future interviews at @CiarasCountry, and drop Megan a follow at @meganoneill – don’t forget to tell her who sent you!

Interview: DEXETER, Under the Apple Tree Roots Festival, London

If you've not heard of Dexeter yet, do yourself a favour and check them out! I caught up with lead singer Deeanne to chat about UK country, crowdfunding, Chris Stapleton and more - read on!

 

Ciara’s Country (CC): It’s Ciara’s Country here, and I’m joined today by Deeanne from Dexeter before their set at the Under the Apple Tree Roots Festival in Cadogan Hall. First of all, thank you so much for joining me today!

Deeanne Dexeter (DD): That’s okay, no worries!

CC: It looks like it’s set to be a great festival at Under the Apple Tree – are you excited to get up on stage?

DD: I’m really excited! I mean, originally when we were booked for this, it was going to be a weekend festival, and that was going to be earlier on in the year, but then Bob moved it to London and it’s changed date so we didn’t think we were going to actually be able to play it because there are obviously so many other artists booked. We thought we weren’t going to make the cut, but here we are, so I’m really excited and can’t wait to see Ward Thomas later too.

CC: I’m really impressed by the calibre of the artists they’ve managed to fit into such a short period of time! And just in general, how’s 2016 treating you?

DD: It’s been really good – we’ve had a really good year so far. We released our EP around April-time and we went on tour which was really good. We played 3 shows at Country 2 Country in March – that was our first show with Bob I think – we played his stage there so that was really good. We’ve just had some songs played on Hollyoaks which was really weird and cool! And then we recently released our song that Ben Earle from The Shires had written, and we released that through Decca Records which is incredible and now here we are today playing at a really fancy venue in Chelsea, so yeah, 2016 is going really well for us!

CC: I was really happy to see your latest single racing up the charts recently too.

DD: I know, it’s crazy! I think at one point there was us, Ward Thomas, The Shires, and another band called Dahlia who’ve released the same kind of thing as us – it was a song written by Ben – so they’re all UK acts in the Top 5 in the UK country charts! It’s just been crazy. I think the UK are finally taking over this country scene.

CC: And especially with events like this where artists are getting more exposure, hopefully the genre will grow.

DD: Exactly, I was at work the other day and listening to Radio 1 in the office and Ward Thomas was on, and I didn’t think that was ever going to happen, country on Radio 1. Anything can happen now, surely!

CC: So going on to talk a bit about your writing process – can you tell me a bit about the creative process you go through when you’re writing songs?

DD: Yeah, I mean Gareth’s our main songwriter, he’s written everything on all of our EPs but we’ve just started doing some co-writes which we haven’t done before. Last year we went out to Nashville in October and we managed to do a co-write with a guy called Michael Logan out there, and he’s been nominated for a Grammy Award, he writes for Kelly Clarkson and the Nashville soundtrack. That was great as it was our first co-write, but I think going to places like Nashville really helps with the creative process as well because you get there are you feel really inspired by everything. I think the style of writing has really changed from our first EP to what we’re releasing now, so I think it just grows over time. We’re settled as a band now, the members are staying the same so I think we feel really confident with what we’re bringing out at the moment which helps too.

CC: Are you working on anything at the moment?

DD: They’ll probably be another EP early next year because we’ve got a couple more shows this year, but it’s almost calmed down now that the festivals are over, so we’ve got a bit of time and we’ll probably have a new EP on its way shortly!

CC: Lots to look forward to then! And in terms of your last album, which was crowdfunded – how did it feel putting your career so much in the hands of your fans and the public?

DD: I think the pledge campaign is really really important, and we’re really grateful for that because it’s so expensive going to recording studios and buying the CDs for everyone – it’s really difficult for independent artists like us to be able to do that. We actually crowdfunded our first EP as well, and that went really went but I think that at the time we were a fairly new band, and a lot of the pledges were our parents and our friends who just wanted to help us out. Last year when we released the album and we did the same thing on the pledge campaign, they were people we didn’t know who had come out and seen our shows or whatever and they obviously wanted to help us out and release new music. That’s amazing because it’s gone from being your friends and people who have to support you to people who are there because they actually want to, so it was incredible.

CC: And I think it’s a great way for artists who might not otherwise be able to release their music to do so.

DD: Exactly, it’s just so expensive so it’s a great way to do that. But hopefully now I’m hoping we won’t have to do that again because we’re doing a lot of gigs and things which help to support releasing new stuff.

CC: And in terms of the country music genre as a whole, are there any artists out there who you think are currently underrepresented but deserve so much more recognition?

DD: That’s really hard, because there are a lot of bands on the UK circuit who I think are incredible, and I could name a few names but I don’t want to because I think that it’s mean to the others! But particularly in this country there’s so many people who just haven’t heard of incredible artists. Like just the other day I was talking to my friends and they hadn’t heard of Chris Stapleton, and I think that’s a crime! But I’m sure he’s doing quite well in the States haha!

CC: Yeah I bet! And as we draw the interview to a close, is there one question you wish you were asked in interviews but never have been?

DD: Ah gosh, not that question! I don’t like that question at all – I can’t think of anything! I mean all the questions are really similar and ask kind of the same thing, so just when anybody throws a curveball it’s always quite funny. Like we get things like ‘what’s your favourite dinner?’ that puts you on the spot and I’m just rubbish at answering things like that!

CC: Ah, I should have thought of something like that!

DD: But if I think of something later, I’ll come back and let you know!

CC: Perfect, I look forward to that next time we have a chat! Well thank you so much for taking the time to chat with me tonight!

DD: No worries, thank you for having me! 

What a fantastic interview with Deeanne - what did you think? Let me know on Twitter @CiarasCountry, and follow for more reviews, interviews and news!

Interview: ANDREW COMBS, Under the Apple Tree Roots Festival, London

Singer-songwriter Andrew Combs was kind enough to join me after his set at Bob Harris' Under the Apple Tree Roots Festival in London - read on below to find out his thoughts on getting married, playing for UK audiences, and the best kind of songs to write:

 

Ciara’s Country (CC): First of all Andrew, thank you so much for joining me!

Andrew Combs (AC): Yeah, thanks for having me!

CC: My first question for you tonight is how is your year going so far?

AC: It’s been great. It feels like a whirlwind – I’ve been touring a lot, I just got done recording a record, I’m getting married in two weeks, we just bought a house, so this year has gone very fast.

CC: Sounds like you’ve been extremely busy! Has there been a highlight of the year so far?

AC: Well, it would be wrong of me to say that getting married wouldn’t be the highlight, but so far I’ve loved recording and writing and the creative process with the music business. It was great to get back in the studio, I really enjoyed that so maybe that.

CC: And you’re touring here at the moment, and I’d say that this year you seem to have really broken into the UK market with your headline slot at C2C your tour, and now the Under The Apple Tree Festival. How would you say that playing to British audiences compares to what you’re used to back home?

AC: It’s just a different experience. Here they’re more respectful and quiet which pays off and is really nice – especially this tour when I’m doing solo shows, so having a quiet audience is always nice. They’re really responsive of what I do and the whole kind of country roots Americana thing – whatever you want to call it – they just kind of eat it up over here and I’m glad to come over and play it for them. It’s always a good time. It’s like a vacation.

CC: Yeah, it seemed like you had a great reception out there today! I think one of the things we really love in particular about country and Americana is that a lot of the songs often tell stories, and a lot of country music draws on the backgrounds of their singers and writers – are there ways in which you’ve used your background to influence your music?

AC: Well to be honest, there’s always a piece of my songs that are me, but I tend to write on stories from other people are draw inspiration from literature and films. You know, I grew up in a White middle class family in America, you know, I didn’t go through hardships, I had shoes on my feet and a roof over my head. As I’ve grown older, obviously you acquire more stories to tell so those have made it into my work, but I don’t have a coalminers daughter kind of thing going on, that’s just not me. I write what I know.

CC: And once you’ve got that kind of story, how do you turn it into a song?

AC: Ah, it depends. I don’t really have a formula to how I write – sometimes it comes with words first, sometime music, sometimes it’s a title. It’s different every time.

CC: Is there one of your songs which you think has been the most interesting to write so far?

AC: Well, the best songs usually come really fast, and the song that’s been really good to me is Too Stoned To Cry. I mean, it got me my record deal, but it was a song that barely no one wanted to cut because it was too far on the fringe, but everyone out there really liked it after, so it got me in a few doors which was nice! I’ve been writing a lot by myself recently, so I just kind of get in the zone, go out and get a coffee and go for it. Interesting-wise, I guess ones that come out, like Too Stoned To Cry that are almost vomited out so fast you don’t even realise what’s just happened. Those are the most fun to write, but other times it can take me like a year to finish a song.

CC: What kinds of things can we expect on the upcoming album?

AC: Less country, actually. I mean there are definitely still elements of it, I can’t naturally stray away from folk and country music, it’s just part of what I love, so there are definitely elements of that. But I’m trying to stretch myself musically and lyrically – I just don’t want to make the same record twice, so this is just me exploring different musical inspirations and elements, and a different band, different studio. I just needed something new.

CC: Do you know what direction you’re heading in then?

AC: Well who knows? It’s always changing. I’d literally just finished recording – we hadn’t even mixed it, and I was already thinking about the next record. I’m always thinking of making like drugged out rock and roll, but that could change tomorrow.

CC: So in terms of like the country Americana genre as a whole, is there one artist out there who you think is really underrepresented and deserves more recognition?

AC: Yeah, I’m sure there’s a million of them. You know, I don’t listen to a whole lot of this world besides my friends, and when they’re you’re friends you’re a little bit biased, but my buddy Erin Rae whose on a record label over here called Clubhouse, she’ll be touring here soon and I think she’s totally great. Her voice is so simple but angelic, there’s nothing fancy about it but that’s what makes it amazing, and her songs are amazing. I also like the new Daniel Romano record, I like a lot of the stuff – I’m friends with Caitlin Rose, Margo Price, I think they’re both great. I mainly keep my head down and stay focused – I don’t really get involved in the cliques.

CC: Hopefully with events like this we’ll be seeing more of them come over here more often. So as we draw the interview to a close, is there one question you wish you were asked in interviews but never are?

AC: Haha no, I just wish that no-one, and thankfully you didn’t which is good, asked me what my influences were. There’s so many ways to ask that in a different fashion, or different angles, and just coming out and being like ‘so, what are your influences?’ is the worst. It just happens all the time which is probably why I don’t like it so much! I like talking about stuff that’s not music, so that’s always what I wish an interview would veer towards, but I understand that y’all have a job to do.

CC: It certainly seems like you’ve got a lot going on in your life aside from music.

AC: Yeah it’s gonna be crazy when I get back home – I have Americanafest, then I have my bachelor party, and then I get married, and then we go on a six week honeymoon which is going to be great. We’re just going to chill out in a cabin in Northern Minnesota, read and write, and bring the dogs along. It’s going to be cool.

CC: Sounds awesome!

AC: Yeah I’m looking forward to it. It’ll be a much needed break.

CC: Lovely! Well thank you so much for answering my questions tonight, and best of luck with the wedding!

AC: Thank you!

Did you enjoy this interview? Let me know by dropping me a message on Twitter @CiarasCountry, and stay tuned for more interviews coming soon!

Interview: HANNAH ROSE PLATT, Nashville Meets London

Liverpool’s own talented singer, songwriter and guitarist Hannah Rose Platt took some time to speak to me about Chanel and Cigarettes, underrated artists, and her Gibson guitar. Read more below!

Ciara’s Country (CC): Hello everyone, I’m joined by Hannah Rose Platt after her set at the Nashville meets London festival in Canary Wharf. So Hannah, thank you very much for joining me today!

Hannah Rose Platt (HRP): Thanks for having me!

CC: So first of all, I wanted to know, how are things going for you today?

HRP: Oh, it’s just amazing! I was just saying to someone back there that my face is aching from smiling because it was just so fun, such a great adrenaline rush, a great day.

CC: Well it seemed that even at this time in the day, everyone was enjoying themselves.

HRP: Yeah, it’s a beautiful day today as well so we’re really lucky.

CC: Can you tell us a bit about the songs you sung for us today?

HRP: Yeah, so most of them are from my debut album Portraits which I recorded out in Nashville last year. I tend to write songs about other people rather than myself, and threw a few of the new ones in there today which will hopefully be on the next album, hopefully giving you a taste of what’s to come!

CC: It’s interesting that you choose to write songs based on other people’s experiences – is there a particular reason for that?

HRP: You know, I think it’s just habit because I used to write stories and poems as a child, it was kind of a narrative, so I think I joined it up with my love affair with country around my late teens and just started to write songs instead of stories really. That’s where it came from. There’s an element of me in all of them, but most of them are about other people, and things I find moving, or interesting, or sad or funny.

CC: So once you have an idea in your head for a song, how do you turn that into the finished piece?

HRP: Sometimes it’s a lot of hard work, and it’s like chiselling away at a piece of wood. Sometimes it comes in a flash and that’s great. There’s no rule really, there’s no set way.

CC: And what would you say has been the most interesting or your favourite song to write so far?

HRP: My favourite song is actually the last song we played today, the Chanel and Cigarettes song because I’m a big blues fan and it’s a lot more bluesy than some of the other tunes. It’s actually a ghost story that I wrote when I was about six or seven that I found in a box that my mum gave to me, and I just thought ‘wow, I’d love to turn this into a song’. I just kind of made it more adult, and turned it into a ghost song. It was a lot of fun to write that song.

CC: So you had a lot of influences in your show today – country, blues – what were some of the influences for you when you were finding your musical style?

HRP: Definitely the alt-country scene, kind of the J Hooks, Wilko, Ryan Adams, and Whiskeytown – all kind of alt-country scene – those were the main influences.

CC: And in terms of the type of music that you listen to, are there any underrated artists out there that you think deserve a lot more recognition?

HRP: Ah, so many! I can’t even think! The person that springs to mind is Don Gallardo – he’s actually doing quite well for himself now. I met him last year as he was over here from Nashville. He’s just a really nice guy, a really talented write, he’s just fantastic. I’m hoping for big things from him in future as he’s so underrated. But there’s so many artists who should be more recognised.

CC: Well hopefully with the growth of the genre in the UK, we’ll hear more about those kinds of people soon.

HRP: I’m sure we will, no doubt.

CC: Finally, my last question for you today is what’s the one question you wish you were asked in interviews but never have been?

HRP: Oh wow, that’s so hard!

CC: It’s always a difficult question asking people what they’ve not heard!

HRP: I mean I think your question was great – what’s the most interesting song for you to make because most people don’t tend to ask that question, but I need to find one that you’ve not asked! Probably about my guitar playing, people don’t really talk about that.

CC: I was very impressed with your guitar playing today!

HRP: I have this thing, especially when I was younger and used to go around gigging, people didn’t used to take me seriously with a guitar, and then they saw it was Gibson and said ‘oh, she must actually be able to play it!’ and that used to be quite frustrating at times. I learnt from my step-dad, watching my step-dad play and he used to teach me guitar but I don’t actually know what I’m doing half the time. I think it works, it seems to work anyway! It’s more about listening and feeling it rather than knowing exactly what chords to play.

CC: So when you’re songwriting, what comes first – the vocals or the guitar?

HRP: You know it all completely varies. I have a bank of guitar riffs on my phone but more often than not, when I think of a good lyric that’s the way I go. But it’s there, kind of like a safety net if I’m struggling and is helping me write quite a few good songs.

CC: Well that sounds exciting for future albums! Thank you very much Hannah for joining me today, and thank you for answering my questions.

HRP: Thank you for having me!  

Want to find out more about Ciara’s Country or Hannah Rose Platt? Check us out on Twitter at @CiarasCountry and @HannahRosePlatt and let us know what you thought of this interview!

Interview: JOSH KELLEY, The Borderline, London

The wonderful Josh Kelley took the time to chat with me about his European tour, writing in a barn, fatherhood, and what he does when he's not making music. Read on below! 

Ciara’s Country (CC): It’s Ciara’s Country here – I’m joined by Josh Kelley ahead of his gig at The Borderline in London. First of all Josh, thank you so much for joining me tonight!

Josh Kelley (JK): Thanks for having me!

CC: So I wanted to know, how are things going for you this year?

JK: Things are going great – I’ve just put a new single called It’s Your Move from my latest record New Lane Road, which is the name of the road my studio’s on. But yeah, it’s going great – I’ve been here in Europe for the last week. I started in Italy and worked my way over to Scotland, now I’m in London and it’s been fantastic. I love it over here.

CC: It’s interesting that you mentioned the reason behind the title of your new album as that was going to be one of my question – can you tell me a bit more about that?

JK: Yeah, yeah, so my recording studio is in a big barn on a farm, and so before you even get to the studio doors you have to pass like six horses, two goats, ten chickens and one pig. The road that it’s off of is actually called New Lane Road, and I just thought that was a fitting title as it’s the road that I’m on everyday, and sometimes I see that title and just think about the fact that I’m starting everyday anew and that’s where I figure out kind of what I want to write for the day before I get to the studio.

CC: And is that also the kind of area where you’d do most of your writing?

JK: Yeah, so I do a lot of cycling, so what I’d do is ride my bike to the studio and it kind of opens up my brain a little bit, allows me to think, and for some reason I feel like I’ve been writing better songs ever since I started cycling!

CC: It’s been a few years since your last studio album was released – how do you think the sound on this latest album is different to previously?

JK: So it’s sort of creeping in to more ‘me’. I grew up around James Brown when I was a kid, I grew up in Augusta, Georgia; so I grew up around soul and pop, and I also grew up around country music so I’ve been trying to melt them together for years, and I finally got the confidence to just go ahead and do it fully. New Lane Road is a nice little hybrid of soul, pop and country kind of all mixing together, and that’s what I wanted for this record, and as I move forward I’m going to sort of keep the same recipe cause this is what I love.

CC: Would you say that the content and the kind of things that you’re talking about in your songs is also quite different?

JK: Yeah, I mean I’m older, I’ve got a bigger family now, I feel like I’m just more of an adult – I don’t know how it happened but I grew up, and I learned how to write better. Like my lyrics are better, and the stories are better, I think they’re more relatable. They actually make sense, you know? Sometimes as a writer, and especially at the beginning, I’d write words that sounded cool even if they didn’t make sense, and I don’t do that anymore. Now I make sure that if you were reading the lyrics, that it feels like a little story even if there wasn’t music.

CC: That sounds like a very country way of writing songs.

JK: You know, it is, but I think it’s also not – it’s music but I don’t think it has to fit neatly into one category. I know you have to choose a lane, but I just love music in general so I always just make whatever I want and I feel like I’m good at making music that I grew up with. So I grew up with my dad, and in his car it was all country music; if I was with my mum it was all Doobie Brothers and just anything groove and funk oriented, and with my brother it was Led Zeppelin and Supertramp and Black Sabbath, and with my sister it was Madonna! So I just enjoy making all of those styles of music so I’ve been trying to find a way to sort of melt them all together.

CC: And I suppose your musical path is quite unique in that you’ve moved across genres over the years.

JK: Yeah, it was all by design though – I wanted to. The first big hit that I had was called Amazing and that song used to be a bluegrass song, and when I got a record deal, I got a pop deal, and the producer turned it into a pop song. All it is is just changing the production! So I’ve always been roots, I’ve always been country, I’ve always been soul, and I can’t change any of that.

CC: What’s the next direction you think you’ll be going in then, if there is one?

JK: It’ll be this same direction – it’ll be a bit more uptempo this time. I wanted to make a nice midtempo record with New Lane Road as that’s the mood I was in and now I’m in a different mood. I have a new baby on the way, I’m really excited; I’ve lost like twenty pounds so I’m in good shape again and that gets you kind of jazzed up so I’ve been writing really fun songs lately.

CC: I have to congratulate you on the new arrival who’ll be coming next year! How do you think having a new baby will affect your musical style and your touring?

JK: You never know, every time I have a new baby I write a song about that baby. It’s such a miracle, it’s so crazy – it’s the most amazing thing to be a dad, I mean I love it, and that’s one thing that’s very evident in my songs, I can’t hide that. I write about what I know, and what I know is that I’m a husband, I’m a father, I’m a golfer, a cyclist, an artist, and I love music so I just write about what I know.

CC: And what would you say has been one of the most interesting songs for you to write?

JK: I think writing Naleigh Moon was really interesting because that was about my first daughter when we adopted her from South Korea, and it was interesting to write because my perspective was kind of unique in the fact that we adopted her and we got her when she was nine months old, so you don’t know if this little being is going to accept you as like her new dad or mum, and that song was about that first moment where I could tell she was like ‘you’re my dad’, and it was the most amazing moment. Trying to put that into words was so hard, but so rewarding when it’s done.  I mean, I slaved over that song until it was perfect, so that one I love. And the new single, It’s Your Move, I slaved over that one too because it was such a real moment in me and my wife’s marriage where we had the choice whether we were going to stay together or part ways, and I’m glad we chose to stay together, cause now we’ve been together for 11 years!

CC: Do you think your kids will have the same upbringing surrounded by music as you did?

JK: Oh they already have. My little Naleigh is such a great singer – she wants to be a singer already! And I don’t know what Adalaide wants to be but both of them can sing, and it’s crazy – neither one of them have my DNA so that clearly doesn’t matter in that respect! So this’ll be my first biological child, so we’re excited - it’s a fun time, and being over here in Europe is insanely fun, and I was just telling my manager I want to live here! Everyone’s so nice and people get my stuff, they get my comedy here and I don’t know why, but I love it.

CC: So after the tour will you get any time to wind down at all?

JK: Nope, I go right back into daddy mode, and I’m always writing and producing music so I go straight back to the drawing board and straight back to being a dad and husband.

CC: Good luck with all that! And just talking about the country music genre as a whole, is there one artist that you listen to that you thinks really underrepresented and deserves more recognition?

JK: Hmm… haha, my manager said Josh Kelley! I don’t know, cause some people sort of dip into the country genre but might not be all the way in it… I mean Nashvilles really good at making sure that whoever’s really damn good gets up there. Come back to me on that, I’m still fighting the jetlag and I don’t know why!

CC: How long have you been over here for now?

JK: We landed Friday morning I think?

CC: You’ve been here for ages – no excuse for jetlag!

JK: I know, I think we’ve been partying too much! There’s been no days off. Ah, I’ve got one for the underappreciated artist question – Joe Firstman. That dude is incredible. Look him up. He’ll blow your mind – he’s amazing. And he’s also linked to a band called Cordovas, so look them up too. Right now, he’s not even doing the solo thing anymore, he’s doing Cordovas, so look that up. It’ll blow your mind, you’re gonna love that.

CC: Thanks for the recommendation! So kind of on a final note, I have to ask what’s one question you wish you were asked in an interview but never are?

JK: Ooh, hold on. I have to be appropriate for this question, don’t I? I don’t even know!

CC: First thing that comes into your mind.

JK: I have a million things! This is really hard because I want to choose the best one. I feel like interviewers are very good at asking questions. I suppose you never really get asked what your other passions outside of music are. Nobody really asks that – usually it’s always music related, or if they know about your personal life. So my other passions are painting, cycling, golf, and I also love to bake.

CC: How do you have any time to make music with all that?

JK: I have no idea! I make fresh croissants which take two days – it’s great.

CC: You know, if this whole music thing doesn’t work out, although I doubt that’ll be an issue, you could always open your own bakery…

JK: Yeah, called Kelley Custom House. You’ll see it, someday!

CC: Sounds great! Well thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions Josh!

JK: Thank you so much!

Big thanks to Josh for taking the time to chat with me - you can check out my review of his gig at The Borderline here, and keep up to date with all future reviews and interviews by following me on Twitter at @CiarasCountry