By Mick Michaels
Cosmick View: Hello,
Guy! Welcome to The Cosmick View and MBM Ten
Pounder. Thanks for taking some time out of your day to speak with us. It's
greatly appreciated.
CV: Describe your definition of
the band’s sound and style and how does
that definition uniquely describe the music?
Guy North: I'd say
I have a deeply influenced American sound but with a British edge. I listen to
a lot of Americana, Blues, Soul, etc., but also to British artists like the
Stones or Bowie. I'm not trying to make my music totally unique, I just want to
make music that makes me feel good and that I hope people will appreciate.
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?
GN: I'd say I do
this mainly in the old fashion realm of playing live. I'm happy to talk to
members of the audience after a gig. I think if you want to make a real
connection, that's the best way to do it.
CV: Is fan interaction an important part
of the band’s inner culture?
GN: It's always
great to get a psychological boost when someone says something nice about your
music, but it's not something that I would say is culturally integral…the
process of making music and performing it is more important.
CV: Can a band truly interact with its
fans and still maintain a level of
personal privacy without crossing the line and giving up their “personal
space” in your opinion?
GN: Absolutely but
it depends on the level of interaction and how famous you are. Also, the
interactions with my fan base tend to be about my music and not about my
personal life. I'll always keep those things separate if I can.
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?
GN: I'll just light
up my pipe, dust off the cobwebs from my social studies degree, and chew thoughtfully
on the arm of my glasses whilst I answer this one. All cultures and societies
appreciate human creativity in different ways, but there are common threads. I
think humans are inherently storytellers, which is evidenced in all cultures
and societies, from cave paintings to shows on Netflix. The combination of
music and storytelling can be potent. An example off the top of my head would
be the nursery rhyme "Ring a ring of roses". It's incredible how the
Great Plague, which occurred centuries ago, has left such an indelible mark
through something we experience in the early stages of learning. I think this
is why I appreciate folk music. Of course, some cultures don't value music as a
medium for storytelling in the same way, or consider it seditious unless it has
a religious message. When music is suppressed, it only highlights its power as
an influential medium.
CV: Do you feel that a 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 band over indigenous acts because of the foreign flavor?
GN: Maybe. I've
only played in America once, and it went down pretty well, but I'm not going to
pin that on my British accent.
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?
GN: Digital
technology has made it easier for people to produce, market and distribute
music but that hasn't made everyone a musician. It's simply opened things up to
more people. Also, the word "artist" is as nebulous as the word
"art" since the interpretation of all work is subjective. I wouldn't
consider The 1975 to be a rock band but they seem to think they are.
CV: How would you describe the difference between an artist who follows
trends and one who sets them?
GN: I'd say one's a
tourist and one's an explorer.
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?
GN: I think it
could have impacted music's impact on society. In the 1960s, you had a Rocker /
Mod subculture, with each subscribing to separate genres of music. So there
were two very large and distinctive audiences there. I don't think we will see
anything like that again, where music has such an influence on two
large groups. The fragmentation of musical genres and audiences is
symptomatic of how we consume music. We dine at the musical buffet of streaming
services where we can leap between as many genres as we choose in our personal
idiosyncratic playlists. We don't have to put on a vinyl album anymore and
listen to the songs in their intended order. Maybe that's why vinyl has
made such a big comeback; it could be a reaction against this
fragmentation.
CV: What can fans expect to see
coming next from you?
GN: There's the
digital release of my debut album on the 30th of August. I'm also in the
studio working on some additional material to be released after that. It might
be a second album or an EP, or a collection of single releases. I'm not sure
yet!
CV: Thanks again Guy for taking some time and talking. It is greatly
appreciated.GN: No worries,
thanks for the interview.
Check out Guy at:
https://www.instagram.com/guynorthmusic/
https://www.facebook.com/guynorthmusic/
https://open.spotify.com/artist/5XJR4NixIfvmXz574ry08g
--
The Cosmick View
Where the stars always shine bright
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My name is Mick Michaels...I'm an artist, music fan, songwriter, producer, show host, dreamer and guitarist for the traditional Heavy Metal band Corners of Sanctuary. Writing has always been a creative outlet for me; what I couldn't say in speech, I was able to do with the written word. Writing has given me a voice and a way for me to create on a multitude of platforms including music and song, articles, independent screenplays, books and now, artist interviews. The Cosmick View is an opportunity to raise the bar and showcase artists in a positive and inspirational light. For me, it's another out-of-this-world adventure.
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