***RODDY HART INTERVIEW*** Hi Roddy and thank you for taking the time to answer some questions for The Starlight Jams! Firstly i would like to ask what can we expect from the new album and has recording this record differed in anyway from “Bookmarks”? The new record has a different feel to it.  Bookmarks began life without a band – just a collection of songs I had that I wanted to record.  The band formed around those songs, and I was lucky enough to have some great collaborations on it.  But with the new record I wanted to capture the power of the band playing – we’re all better musicians now, and play more cohesively as a band.  It’s not as much of a “country” record as Bookmarks was – I would say it’s rockier, has more of an E Street Band feel to it.  I’m excited about it. Whats your hopes and expectations for this new record? I guess to reach as many people as possible.  Things seem difficult in the music industry at the moment and it’s hard to get noticed.  For every one act that gets signed there’s another 10 just as worthy acts trying hard to stay afloat.  I licensed the last record out to a label in the UK and a label in the US, and I guess that’s what might happen with this new record.  I try not to concern myself too much with that though, because if you go chasing after big money deals then you’re in it for the wrong reason.  The internet gets a bad rap, but at least it now allows smaller acts to be heard without much money behind them.  So ,we’ll see what happens, but it will be out one way or another next year. How do you set about writing songs? Do you feel any pressure with a 2nd album to have recorded a “hit” song? I don’t really know where the songs come from.  Sometimes they just appear and you kind of have to go with it – mostly for me it’s a melody and chords first with nonsensical words.  Usually a couple of phrases will stand out and round that I’ll write the lyrics.  I can’t really write under pressure, and I don’t enjoy it, so most ideas come from just jamming on the guitar or the piano.  I do write quite a lot, it’s the recording that takes time for me.  I’m hoping to record another album before the end of the year live in the studio with the band, because I have another bunch of songs ready to go, and I want to prove to myself that we can do a quick recording session.   I don’t feel any pressure to write a hit song, having never had one in my life!!  I write what I want to hear, and if other people like it then it’s a bonus.  The minute you start to write what you think other people will like then you’re in trouble. If I could ask about live performing, how challenging is it to transform your music to the live stage? It’s getting easier – I had years of just getting up there with an acoustic guitar, and so the early days of the band were difficult in some respects.  But I always had a band playing in my head, and I love the companionship that comes with it.  I’m lucky to have some really great players in the band who believe in what we’re doing, so that gives you confidence, and let’s you try new things without worrying you’ll look like an idiot. How old were you when you first took an interest in music and first played the guitar? I had piano lessons when I was 8 but gave up soon after because I didn’t enjoy it.  When I was about 12 I thought I’d give music one last try and took up the guitar.  I never looked back after that, and got back to the piano when I was about 17. What music do you like to listen to when you’re relaxing away from a musicians life? When you start writing and recording your own material you can fall out of the habit of listening to music sometimes, just because you’re so involved in your own process.  But music of all sorts is the lifeblood of songwriting to me, it can spark off a million ideas in your head, and so I try to listen to as much as I can.  There’s great stuff around at the moment like Bon Iver, Kings of Leon etc, but I always come back to the masters: Dylan, Springsteen, and early Jackson Browne.  They never fail to inspire me. And finally apart from Eddi Reader is there any other female you would like to sing with? Sure!  Emmylou Harris is obviously up there – she’s a great interpreter of songs, and her harmonies are always inspired.  I also love Gillian Welch, a great songwriter and performer.  To work with either of them would be amazing. Roddy Hart can be found www.myspace.com/roddyhart

***RODDY HART INTERVIEW***

Hi Roddy and thank you for taking the time to answer some questions for The Starlight Jams!

The new record has a different feel to it.  Bookmarks began life without a band – just a collection of songs I had that I wanted to record.  The band formed around those songs, and I was lucky enough to have some great collaborations on it.  But with the new record I wanted to capture the power of the band playing – we’re all better musicians now, and play more cohesively as a band.  It’s not as much of a “country” record as Bookmarks was – I would say it’s rockier, has more of an E Street Band feel to it.  I’m excited about it.

I guess to reach as many people as possible.  Things seem difficult in the music industry at the moment and it’s hard to get noticed.  For every one act that gets signed there’s another 10 just as worthy acts trying hard to stay afloat.  I licensed the last record out to a label in the UK and a label in the US, and I guess that’s what might happen with this new record.  I try not to concern myself too much with that though, because if you go chasing after big money deals then you’re in it for the wrong reason.  The internet gets a bad rap, but at least it now allows smaller acts to be heard without much money behind them.  So ,we’ll see what happens, but it will be out one way or another next year.

I don’t really know where the songs come from.  Sometimes they just appear and you kind of have to go with it – mostly for me it’s a melody and chords first with nonsensical words.  Usually a couple of phrases will stand out and round that I’ll write the lyrics.  I can’t really write under pressure, and I don’t enjoy it, so most ideas come from just jamming on the guitar or the piano.  I do write quite a lot, it’s the recording that takes time for me.  I’m hoping to record another album before the end of the year live in the studio with the band, because I have another bunch of songs ready to go, and I want to prove to myself that we can do a quick recording session.

 

I don’t feel any pressure to write a hit song, having never had one in my life!!  I write what I want to hear, and if other people like it then it’s a bonus.  The minute you start to write what you think other people will like then you’re in trouble.

It’s getting easier – I had years of just getting up there with an acoustic guitar, and so the early days of the band were difficult in some respects.  But I always had a band playing in my head, and I love the companionship that comes with it.  I’m lucky to have some really great players in the band who believe in what we’re doing, so that gives you confidence, and let’s you try new things without worrying you’ll look like an idiot.

I had piano lessons when I was 8 but gave up soon after because I didn’t enjoy it.  When I was about 12 I thought I’d give music one last try and took up the guitar.  I never looked back after that, and got back to the piano when I was about 17.

When you start writing and recording your own material you can fall out of the habit of listening to music sometimes, just because you’re so involved in your own process.  But music of all sorts is the lifeblood of songwriting to me, it can spark off a million ideas in your head, and so I try to listen to as much as I can.  There’s great stuff around at the moment like Bon Iver, Kings of Leon etc, but I always come back to the masters: Dylan, Springsteen, and early Jackson Browne.  They never fail to inspire me.

Sure!  Emmylou Harris is obviously up there – she’s a great interpreter of songs, and her harmonies are always inspired.  I also love Gillian Welch, a great songwriter and performer.  To work with either of them would be amazing.

Roddy Hart can be found www.myspace.com/roddyhart

Jan 10 2009

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