Loudvision - Italy

1. First of all, would you tell us something about your career? You've published seven records, you were in a band called Vulgar Unicorn back in 1991... there must be a lot to be said about you!

You’d think so wouldn’t you?  Well, I don’t see myself much different to all the musicians I grew up with, apart from the fact I never put my guitar down and ‘got a job’.  I started playing the guitar when I was 14 (I remember at the time feeling I’d left it too late).  After a few years I started a band with my schoolyard chums, Neil Randall being one of them.  This was soon to become ‘Vulgar Unicorn’ and we recorded our first demo in the local recording studio when we were 16.  It was so exciting back then – the buzz we got from recording was immense.  The demos we recorded then went on to be re-recorded for our first Vulgar Unicorn album on Cyclops.  Sadly, VU didn’t explode into the global phenomenon that we thought it would and gradually TPT took over for me.  The cogs have turned slowly and I’ve spent the last 10 years quietly building up our sound (and fan base) from my studio here in the South West of England.

2. "Tightly Unwound": the title of your last record sounds like a paradox. What does it mean? Can you tell us something about the cover and the overall imagery behind it?

Yes, it is a contradiction.  It’s so tough for an artist to have to define an album in a title, but it’s necessary all the same.  The idea is that the world I (and we) live in is made up of tightly interwoven things – almost all of these ‘things’ are triggered by the people who are close to us.  Love, hate, loss, happiness to name a few.  By being so ‘tightly wound’, negative and positive things can cause huge reactions.  So, I thought by having a title that was an oxymoron would convey this in some way. Well, at least it would make you think a little…

3. I haven't had the chance to delve into the lyrics of "Tightly Unwound", so what are your songs about? Where do you draw inspiration from?

A lot of people ask me that question and my answer can sound a little trite.  All my inspiration comes from life, all the those tightly interwoven experiences I have.  Sadly, the emotions that tend to inspire me are usually the darker ones.  But I always try to give my songs a cathartic edge.

4. Musically speaking, "Tightly Unwound" sounds like a guitar-based, modern view on progressive rock... I heard some Marillion influences for example, and some '70s stuff too. Is that right? Do you feel like the basis of your music is firmly in progressive rock?

No, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t influenced by progressive rock.  I grew up at school listening to Floyd, led zep, supertramp, camel, cat stevens, America…  But I’ve also listened a lot to modern stuff – beck, queens of the stoneage, radiohead…  I like to mix what I love about the 70s (the sound and spirit) with all the great stuff that has happened to music recently.  Hmmm, maybe that actually translates to a guitar-based, modern view on progressive rock!

5. There is also a strong emphasis on catchy, pop melodies here and there... do you agree? If you want my (unrequested :-D) opinion, I think that nowadays a lot of bands, expecially those moving around the concept of "progressive", just lost the pleasure of writing nice melodies, focusing more on overly complex songwriting and pointless experimentations. What would you say about that?

I TOTALLY agree with that statement.  ‘prog rock’ rightly got bad press for exactly that reason.  For me, melody invokes emotion in a way that transcends description.  That’s not to say an album should be entirely focused on bombarding the listener with radio friendly hooks, but conversely if an album just widdles away for 60 minutes, it’s equally as pointless.  There must be a middle ground – somewhere that has melody with depth.  That’s what I strive for.

6. Your music feels grounded not only on progressive rock, but also on modern bands like (and this must be the 1000th time you hear about that!) Radiohead, Porcupine Tree, later Anathema. I know it's a petty question, but how do you feel about that? Is that something you agree with, or something you're fed up with?

No, it’s absolutely fine to ask that question as it’s important.  To be honest, I agree with it AND I am a little fed up with it.  It’s got a little bit distracting.  I remember reading an interview with Ryan Adams where he was getting fed up with people heckling him at gigs; ‘play Summer of 69!’ (he’d get them kicked out of the gig).  Brian Adams said ‘well, what the f**k does he expect going out with a name like that!’.  My problem is nowhere near that bad, but I do regret picking a name that keeps getting muddled up with Porcupine Tree.  I know we are writing very different music, but the fact that we are both doing modern progressive music tends to lump us in the same ‘zone’.  I’m not complaining as I count my lucky stars that I’m releasing music on a decent label to a decent fan base.  But then again, I certainly wouldn’t complain if we broke through…

7. You don't sound so grounded on the metal genre, yet “Tightly Unwound” seems strongly focused on guitars and somehow heavy riffs. How do you feel about that? Do you enjoy heavy music or is it just something that sounds good in your records but you don't usually like to listen to?

No, I love to listen to heavy stuff when I’m in the mood.  I’m getting into a lot of the heavy stuff on Peaceville like Katatonia and Novembre and also some mainstream metal acts like Tool, Opeth etc.  I think playing live so much recently has encouraged me to rock out more with my guitar.  I don’t think I’ll ever do a metal album, but I could see the heavy influences becoming more prominent in future.

8. Try not to be modest and tell me: how do you feel you distinguish yourself in the modern musical scene? Should you suggest listening to Pineapple Thief, what would you say?

It’s hard.  One of the reasons I don’t listen to as much music as I would if I ‘wasn’t in a band’ is because I am obsessed with being true to my soul when I write.  Yes, I’m always going to be influenced by stuff but I also feel I have my own place in the scene.  If I were to tell someone why they should listen to me?  I don’t think I would.  I would just say ‘give it a try’.  Those that like it seem to love it.  I have no idea what distinguishes them from ‘the rest’.

9. OK, now a hard one: why do you write music? Is it something about you and a way to make you feel better, or do you think you have something to say to other people? Is being a musician a selfish act, or an altruist one?

That is a hell of a good question.  And one I ask myself regularly.  I’m singing about stuff I would find difficult sharing in conversation with people close to me, yet I feel I have to sing it to as many strangers as I can.  What’s the motive?  Who exactly am I writing these songs for?  Blimey, I have no idea.  I draw a lot of happiness when people tell me how much they get out of my songs.  But it also carries a sense of responsibility.  If I think about it too much, I think I’ll go nuts.  But the feeling I get when a ‘song comes together’ is wonderful.  In that sense, I think the motive is to make me feel better.  But if it makes others feel better too, then that’s a great bonus.

10. On your website, I read a 2003 (I guess) interview, in which you stated you loved Internet, MP3's, webzine and stuff. Do you still feel this way? Would you like to tell us something more? I know it's a common question, but there seems to be a lot of controversy on the subject, and it's always interesting to hear what musicians have to say about that.

When I started out in 1999, the website was raw and young.  Cyclops struggled to get press and I remember getting a lot of new fans from sites like the old mp3.com site.  The little webzines that got in contact with little bands like mine made a huge difference.  Even if it didn’t translate to sales, it still gave me the energy to carry on.  Now we live in a totally different internet age.  Bands giving away their music for free with newspapers, free downloads, download only albums.  Yes, that’s great if you can get away with it.  But the majority of bands like me rely on labels like Kscope to get behind them.  If you’re Radiohead then sure, why not give away your music and make a fortune touring.  But if you’re The Pineapple Thief, you need Kscope to do what they are great at – getting the music out there via every channel possible.  Kscope can’t exist if music is free.  Without Kscope, The Pineapple Thief can’t exist either.

11. The word “prog” always makes people think about the '70s, vinyl, the (supposed) “golden age” of music... how do you feel about that? Are you a nostalgic, or are you happy with today's musical scene?

No, I’m not at all nostalgic.  The modern scene is so exciting throughout Europe I don’t need to be.  Having said that, I think the 70s have a lot to give to the modern sound.  I look at the 70s – it’s sound and bands, as an antidote to the dreadful sounds we had in the 1980s.

12. What else do you (and the other guys in the band!) like, other than making music and listening to it? Are there movies, books and stuff like that which inspire you (and maybe help you writing music)?

Well, Jon (bass) has the coolest day job – he’s a ‘space engineer’ and is working on some space telescope or something.  Steve (keyboards) makes ends meet with his mastering studio.  Keith works with disaffected young people.  I guess that gives something away – we don’t all make enough from the music to give up our ‘day jobs’.  But to answer your question, I tend to switch my mind off the music by watching films and playing a lot of sport.  When I’m in a song writing mode, the songs never leave me head.  It can sometimes drive me mad…

13. What about live shows? Do you enjoy them, do you tour often, how do you approach them... everything you can think of on the subject is just welcome!

The live shows have really come together over the past 12 months.  We all love playing.  It’s taken us a while to get the sound right.  The logistics for getting the sounds has been tricky.  We use a laptop to generate all our sounds but in the early days it kept crashing or sending out random notes!  It’s sorted now though (plus we have a backup laptop if anything blows up).  At the moment we play a mixture of invite shows but also put on gigs ourselves.  It’s really nice to actually see the people who listen to our stuff singing along.  Up until 2003 I was locked away in my studio – it can be a very lonely place.  But basically, approaching the live shows is all about getting rehearsed so you can play the show with your eyes shut.  And the more shows, the better you get.  We’re 100 times better live now than we were 3 years ago.

14. Now for a more personal question, one I always ask musicians when I get the chance: do you make a living out of music? Is there hope for all the wannabe-musicians out there in your opinion? :-D

Ha!  I think I’ve already given the game away!  No, we don’t make a living out of it, although we are actually making some money for ourselves at last.  I could actually see us going full time if things keep progressing though.  And  I think there is EVERY hope for wannabe-musicians out there.  It’s never been so easy to make music (although it’s good to learn an instrument!) and with the power of the internet, anyone can get their stuff ‘out there’.  Obviously, if that ‘stuff’ is rubbish, it won’t go anywhere.  But I honestly, think that if you are doing something good, fans will come.  You couldn’t say that 20 years ago.

OK, I'm done, thanks again for your time and kudos to you for the record!
Hope to see you soon in Italy!