Interview with Solo Artist and Producer Skidders
By Mick Michaels
The Cosmick View: Hello Skidders, and welcome to The Cosmick View/MBM Ten Pounder! Thanks for taking some time to chat with us!
Steve “Skidders” Skidmore: Thanks for having me!
CV: Describe your
definition of your sound and style and how does that definition uniquely
describe the music?
Skidders: May I start off by
saying I am a solo artist, writer, producer and session guitarist. My music’s
sound and style comes from years of listening to and playing eclectic music.
Whereas I started playing in a band at the tender age of 14, where 3 or 4
musicians had to fill out sound, not allowing for much subtlety - to what you
see guitarists doing today, less power chords and more fills using delay etc.
So my sound varies between a 4-piece band live sound, to a more ‘produced’ spectrum
of sounds.
I should also mention that I can’t sing, so 95% of my tracks are instrumental. The music I have absorbed over the years, for most part, is not instrumental, so I have had to dig deep to record my compositions without sounding monotonous. My taste in music is very eclectic and that has led my compositions to be also. On my latest album released in May this year, style varies between rock, reggae and even Celtic.
CV: Today, everyone
talks about artist and audience connection. Is such a level of connection
actually achievable for an artist and if so, how have you made the connection
to your fans?
Skidders: I constantly try
through social media and emailed newsletters. Certainly it is possible and you
only have to look at some well known artist’s pages on social media to see
their connection with fans. As an Indie Artist amongst millions of others, it
is difficult to get close connections, but I am humbled by those I do have, as
small a crew as it is.
CV: Is fan interaction
an important part of your inner culture?
Skidders: Most definitely. I
always listen to feedback from my fans; you would be crazy not to listen to
their suggestions and criticism. For example, I recently had a ballot on social
media for which track off my new album should have a video made. There was a
clear winner, which made perfect sense to follow the majority’s choice. That
helped me a lot and took away a degree of subjectivity.
CV: Can a band or
artist truly interact with their fans and still maintain a level of personal
privacy without crossing the line and giving up their “personal space” in your
opinion?
Skidders: Great question.
For my part, the answer would be no. For example, I play in an acoustic duo
called Bukechi and we had one really keen fan who came to all our gigs. At one
gig before we played, we invited him to sit with us. It was very awkward and we
all ended up hardly speaking. After that, we never saw him again! So I think a
degree of privacy is required in order to maintain some mystique.
CV: Is music, and its
value, viewed differently around the world in your opinion? If so, what
do you see as the biggest difference in such multiple views among various
cultures?
Skidders: I’m not qualified
to objectively answer this, however, in my opinion I believe music is a gift to
humanity that translates across all parts of the world and ethnicities and is
as equally valuable to all. From the richest to the poorest, it costs nothing
to sing!
CV: Do you feel
that an artist or band that has an international appeal, will tend to connect
more so to American audiences? Would they be more enticed or intrigued to see
the artist or band over indigenous acts because of the foreign flavor?
Skidders: Again, only my
opinion, but I don’t think so. How many bands have you listened to and believe
they are from one country, but are from another? Did that make any difference
to your opinion of the band? I’m surprised at some of the English bands that
have made it in the States, but equally as surprised at some of the bands that
haven’t. Conversely, I can’t think of any US bands I would not have listened to
or liked if they were from the UK.
CV: Has modern-day
digital technology made everyone an artist on some level in your opinion? Have
the actual lines of what really is an artist been blurred?
Skidders: 100%. However, I
think rather that blurring lines between what is really an artist, I believe it
allows more artists to be discovered without having to be signed up by record
labels etc. You might detest James Blunt (I have to admit, do not) but didn’t
he record his first album in his bedroom?
CV: How would you
describe the difference between an artist who follows trends and one who sets
them?
Skidders: Another great
question! From my own perspective, I certainly don’t follow trends, but neither
do I set them - I’m not renowned enough! I am too long in the tooth to try and
follow the modern trends, or you could put more kindly, I have established
myself over a period to have my own style and sound.
Getting more directly to the question, it would be
easy to say a trend follower is “jumping on the bandwagon” and to an extent, I
do think that to be the case, rightly or wrongly. When I think of artists that
set trends, like David Bowie, you have to pay them a lot of respect.
CV: Has music overall been splintered into too many sub-genres in an effort to appease fan tastes in your opinion? And has such fan appeasements, in actuality, weakened music’s impact as a whole by dividing audiences?
Skidders: From my own perspective, generally I look for artists who are similar to artists I already like. So genre categories don’t come into it when you use that logic. However, I also like to discover new music and artists; if you look at say Apple Music, it will offer many playlists and genre categories, which as the question implies, can be a little overwhelming.
CV: What can fans expect
to see coming next from you?
Skidders: I’m currently
still promoting my third album “Friends & Family Vol. 2” and also recording
as a session guitarist, for a writer called Kylolus who is completing his first
album. It’s prog-rock and quite good stuff! Later in the year, I’ll start on my
fourth album “Feckem Hall” which will be aimed at being less “produced” and
more suitable for gigging.
CV: Thanks again
for taking some time and talking. It is greatly appreciated.
Skidders: Thank you for
having me on The Cosmic View - it was great speaking to you.
Check out Skidders at:
Official - https://www.skiddersmusic.com
Twitter - https://twitter.com/skiddersmusic
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/skiddersmusic
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/skiddersmusic
YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/user/skiddersmusic
Soundcloud - https://www.soundcloud.com/skiddersmusic
Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/artist/4zqTExvjnWSFTP2vKXG83v
Apple Music - https://music.apple.com/gb/artist/skidders/259672296
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