2008 December » Flip Side to Music

GREG DOWELL-His music says it all!

Dec 262008

Image courtesy Ollie K for "Anthology" 2008

By Tracy Lewis.

FSM: Congratulations on your success so far! Do you feel you are where you planned on being at this time in your career?

GREG: Thankyou! I feel surprised that I’ve made it to a 5th album! Recording this past year has been great though. I feel real comfortable with where I am musically. If I die tomorrow, I will be totally satisfied with the music I’ll leave behind. I’ve said everything that I needed to say.

FSM: When did you first begin playing?

GREG: I started writing my own songs at the age of 15, but I didn’t start performing and recording officially until the age of 19. I’m still kind of new to this, so please forgive me if I mess up now and then!

FSM: Who has influenced you the most in your music?

GREG: Probably Annie Hardy from “Giant Drag”- think I would have given up a long time ago without her advice. Her music is a big influence too, especially the mixing of guitars with synthesizers, and the kind of melancholic vibe some of her songs have. Alcohol has also had an influence in one or two of my songs!

FSM: What’s life like, living in the UK , And is that a challenge for a musician?

GREG: It rains alot here, the sun doesn’t come out much. On the rare occasion it does, we sacrifice a goat and dance around a fire in worship of it! I love the UK though, and the time I get to visit Birmingham city centre and get drunk. Where I live, there isn’t alot of places to perform, so it is kind of hard getting gigs here. Most places don’t want to know you if your not a “Queen” tribute band, but now and then, a place will take a chance on you.
We have a “Carling Academy” here in Birmingham though, and some pretty big bands have played there. My ambition is to someday perform there, that would be so amazing!

FSM: What made you want to become a musician?

GREG: I’m not that good at anything else, music was really the only thing I could do growing up. If there was something on my mind, it was kind of comforting to pick up the guitar and write about it. Even when you have no-one else to talk to, the guitar always has time for you, and it never judges what you have to say. That sounds a little cheesy huh? But yeah, I figured “well, as I can’t do anything else, I might as well try and make some money from this!” and I’ve never looked back.

FSM: What inspires your songs the most?

GREG: Just things about my day, and people I meet. Sometimes something happens, and I won’t want to forget it, so I’ll write a song about it, or I’ll meet someone I don’t want to forget. Most of the time though, the songs just end up as self loathing ‘woe is me’ bullshit, but I guess that’s my day. Like I said, it rains alot where I live!

FSM: Where do you come up with your song/CD titles?

GREG: I look at the theme of the song, or the album, and try to sum the entire thing up in one word or sentence. Sometimes I’ll just take a line out of the song and be like “There! that will do! We’ll just have that title”.

FSM: How many albums/CD’s in total have you released and what are
the titles?

GREG: In all, there’s around 7 I think. There where two versions of my first album “The angel and the machine” then there was the second called “Car radio”.
We released “Anthology” after that to promote the two as record sales were pretty bad. Though looking back on it, I regret releasing “Anthology”. After that there was “Death, love and whisky”, followed by “They won’t remember us” and finally “God Theory” which we just finished today!

FSM: How would you describe your genre of music?

GREG: I try to do alot of different genres, ranging from “acoustic” to “Industrial”. I thought “well, if we don’t stick to one genre, no-one will be disappointed if we try something new with the next album”. Most if it is “Rock” and “Acoustic” these days though.
I’m looking to make the next album, very “Ambient” though, it will mainly be synthesizers. If it doesn’t work out, then at least it’ll be interesting!

FSM: How would you describe yourself to the world?

GREG: Creepy and very needy. Also ‘broke’ would probably be appropriate! You develop an eye though, for good bargains and sales when you have no money.
I found a record I wanted at this store, that was being sold for like £14, but managed to find another one hidden behind it for just £10. Result!

FSM: Outside of music, what other hobbies/interests do you have?

GREG: I visit Birmingham city centre when I’m not doing music, and pretty much just hang out and get drunk at this bar I like. Music takes up alot of my life, I get bored fast if I’m not recording.

FSM: How does it feel to know your music is being listened to by so many
people?

GREG: I’m very grateful to everyone who has ever taken the time to listen to my music, it really means the world to me. I’m not well known at all, so when someone stops by and takes the time out of their day to listen to a few songs and leave a message, I really appreciate it. I’m thankful for every single person I’ve met through doing music, and thankful to everyone who takes the time to support a little no-body like me. I’m so grateful, if it wasn’t for these people, I wouldn’t be doing this at all. I just hope you enjoy the music, and that you continue to hang with me just a little longer.

FSM: What advice would you offer to other musicians?

GREG: Don’t feel down if things aren’t going how you want them to, keep trying. If you feel this is what your here to do, then don’t ever give up. You have to be prepared for alot of disappointment, but if you honestly can’t imagine yourself doing anything else in life, then keep going for it. You only live once, so make sure you do everything you can to the best of your abilities, and you’ll be alright!

FSM: If you could meet one famous musician, who would it be, and why?

GREG: Johnny Cash, I would loved to have seen him perform live, he is such an amazing story teller. He could take any song, and make it be about you!

FSM: Where do you see yourself, possibly five years from now?

GREG: I’m not sure. Hopefully touring and making new records. Either that, or selling the “big issue” in Birmingham and asking for spare change on the streets. You never know how things will turn out.

FSM: What are the websites where people can find and get to know you?

GREG: You can find me on MySpace, Purevolume, i-sound, Facebook and alot more. I’m not too sure of all the sites, but “OK! Records” keeps tab of them. We’ve just signed a new contract with “Believe distribution” and I have the list on my MySpace page, of all the sites my music will be available at, from January 1st next year.

FSM: Where can people listen and purchase your music?

GREG: Currently it’s available at I-tunes, Amazon, CD Baby, pay play and alot more. From next year it will be available at sites such as Virgin, Nokia music, T mobile and many other sites. You can also order the physical CD’s from “OK! Records” website http://okrecords.bigcartel.com/
When you order any of my records from there you get “They won’t remember us E.P” for free!

FSM: Do you have any other or new projects coming up that you want people to know about?

GREG: My new album “God Theory” is coming up next, and will be available from February next year. We finished the final song today, so we’re definitely looking forward to getting that out there! You can hear some tracks from it on my MySpace page.

FSM: Thank you for giving us this interview, are there any parting words you would like to say?

GREG: Thankyou so much to you and everyone who visits FSM. I’m really grateful to you for checking out my music and for showcasing it here, thank you so much. I’d like to wish you and everyone at FSM a Merry Christmas, and a safe, healthy and happy new year!

Be sure to check out Greg’s music at our Broadcasting Studio at:
http://www.livestream.com/flipsidetomusic

Anthony Snape

Interviews No Responses »

Dec 262008

Following interview with Anthony Snape first published- http://www.globalmusicstar.com/ February, 2008

By Debbie Stevens

Anthony Snape has come along way within the last few months, be sure to visit his Myspace page and the official Anthony Snape website.

DS: You were born in counry NSW, is this also where you grew up?

ANTHONY: I was born in Gunnedah hospital, a little town about 5 hours inland of Sydney NSW. This small community of about 10,000 is where I spent my childhood and early teens, fell in love for the first time wrote my first songs, swam and camped by the rivers and played my first gigs. It was a really wonderful place to grow up.

DS: How old were you when you first realised you had a voice for singing?

ANTHONY: My earliest memory of music was hearing harmony for the first time in the school choir, I would have been about 6 years old and I remember vividly rushing home to tell mum how amazing this thing called harmony was. I was always a singer, I never really thought about it until the end of primary school when I went from a boy soprano to a croaky uncontrollable mess overnight, it was devastating, i couldn’t sing anymore. It took about 3 years to get my voice back. During that major downtime I learned how to play drums and started a garage band with some mates from school to let out some frustration, I never sang in that band but I discovered a passion for drumming. I remember the first day I could actually control my voice and sing again, I felt like I got my life back.

DS: Are there any members of your family with similar talent/s?

ANTHONY: My whole family are talented in their own fields. I was the only one to take music as an occupation but my brothers both sing and play instruments, there must be something in the water where we grew up.

DS: People in the industry often talk about other musicians having some kind of influence upon them. Has there been any particular musician, or band you feel may have inspired you?

ANTHONY: From an early age (and some would say in the womb) I was exposed to a lot of music through my parents and as I grew up music was my emotional conduit and took me through the highs and lows of early life. I like a lot of music and its near impossible to single out a few bands that really influence my writing.

DS: Do you write your own lyrics, and if so, what sparks an idea for a song?

ANTHONY: I write both music and lyrics. Melody comes usually without coaxing its the lyrics where the real crafting comes into it. The initial spark for a song is one of the exciting parts in the creation of a song, its the moment that you feel that you have discovered something new or something that needs to be said. It can come from anywhere, anyone, thing, sound, feeling, word its impossible to ignore once you know what your looking for but to an untrained eye it can be extinguished in a second. I try to capture these sparks on anything that is in my grasp at the time, paper, recording on my phone or computer, sing it to my voice mail, write on napkins, boxes, arms, legs, you get the idea.

DS: Your music has been compared to singers such asJohn Mayer, Robbie Williams and Rob Thomas,all blended into one. How would you describe your sound?

ANTHONY: That is one of the hardest questions to answer because although I create and perform music its not easy to step back from it all and see it as others would see it. I can describe some elements of my music that I am aware carry through most of my writing. Things such as the acoustic rock pop sound that I love, beautiful melodies and harmonies, the sound scape that the songs existing in. If I had to categorize my sound I would say that I sound something like a cross between Rob Thomas, Jack Jones, Neil Finn and Alex Lloyd.

DS: Having the opportunity to be profiled on Scout TV must have been interesting. What was that experience like?

ANTHONY: Awesome, Jaimie Carter is a wonderful supporter of music across the board and it is a pleasure and a privilege to be involved with his television program. The performing was fun but I found the best part to be catching up with other bands and seeing old friends making new ones, it was a massive all day party.

DS: You have obviously done a bit of travelling. Do you enjoy this side of life?

ANTHONY: Love it, give me a guitar and an plane ticket and I’m set for life.

DS Any particular places of real interest to you?

ANTHONY: Italy, I love the people and the food! USA, the music is so rich in variety.

DS: You have been extremely busy with your work, and had many performances. Which one do you think stands out above the rest, and why?

ANTHONY: It’s hard to choose one. While I was in Italy once, I received a call inviting me to sing the Australian National anthem in England. It was a lot of fun and I have never felt so patriotic in my life. I really enjoyed performing for kids in Australian schools on my last promo run, kids are so passionate and honest. I performed at a huge event for regional schools and they used “Little Piece of Love” as their finale. Its an amazing feeling to hear a whole entertainment centre of kids singing along with your song. In a similar situation in Newcastle a song that I had written with a friend was used as a finale and that was an awesome experience to hear a song that I created come to life.

DS: Having supported a number of great Australian talent, which performance would you describe as the most challenging?

ANTHONY: I thought quite a lot about this question and its impossible to single out any one support gig for any particular artist. Every time I get up in front of another artists audience its a challenge because they don’t know me and I have only enough time to share a few songs and leave enough of an impression, that they remember me after the show. Its good because it brings the best out in me as a performer.

DS: If you had to name just 2 artists in the music industry you would love a chance to perform with, who would you choose and why?

ANTHONY: Neil Finn,I love his writing, it is so natural, effortless. Sting, he is amazingly musical.

DS: What music do you listen to when not working?

ANTHONY: I am always working and listening to everything I can. I have a CD by a Newcastle band called Fumi Boca, its awesome to relax to.

DS: Any favourite CD’s in your personal collection?

ANTHONY: At the moment theres a band that is not released here called Tweed by an artist called Oliver Jones and I’m really loving the songs he’s created. Once again, Fumi Boca comes up in conversation. Adam Miller, Lior, Hayley Jensen, Amy Vee, The latest Crowded House record has had a few spins in the car. My ipod is riddled with unreleased songs by unknown and semi known artists. Oh and I really like a song called “Trolly Wood” by US band Eisley.

DS: Where would you like to see yourself, five years from now?

ANTHONY: Thats easy! Touring the world with my latest album and an awesome band of course. Oh and NOT having to do my own html updates on my website!!!

DS: Where can our readers locate your albums?

ANTHONY: My debut album “Disappearing Day” is available in stores all over Australia, distributed by MGM and on ITUNES worldwide. For more information and to order online visit http://www.anthonysnape.com/DDinfo.html

DS: What’s next on the recording agenda?

ANTHONY: I have a number of projects that I am working on at the moment including an acoustic DVD/ CD with 5 acoustic solo tracks from a live studio performance. Of course the next album is always in the pipeline. www.myspace.com/anthonysnape

Be sure to check out Anthony’s music at our Broadcasting Studio at:
http://www.livestream.com/flipsidetomusic