In my search of music to share with you all that doesn’t compare to what the other blogs are sharing I finally found some NEW music. I had to reach across “the pond” to get it but none the less its here! I would like to introduce to you the music of Andrew Cunningham!
Andrew was gracious enough to do a brief interview with AleanElston.com and I am soo grateful! Check out what he had to say about his music:
Where are you from and what is your music background?
I was born in South Shields which is a small town in the north-east of England up near the border. I’ve moved around a lot though, so wherever I happen to be at that moment is my home I guess. At the moment it’s London. I started playing guitar when I was 12 though I had been singing and tapping on school desks from an early age. It often resulted in me getting sent out of the classroom, which I was happy with as it meant there were no distractions from the music in my head lol
What are your songs about?
My songs cover a variety of different themes. Some are the old classic themes such as love lost, love gained, feeling alone or whatever. Some are about life, some are political and some have other meanings. Over and Over’s instrumental intro is a dedication to two people who killed themselves a few years ago (they didn’t know each other, but the second happened not long after the first and it was pretty upsetting). Another of my songs is about me getting struck by lightning when I was 17 and as a result suffering from Epilepsy which has been the cause of many injuries (some quite severe) for me. So, lots of topics. I write about what I know.
Do you write your own songs?
I write all of my own songs. I don’t tend to write with others, but I have done so a couple of times in previous bands. Process? There is none. Sometimes I will write an entire song in my head and it will be just a case of working it out on guitar and finalising lyrics. Other times it might be me playing guitar and I have a melody but no words, so I’ll bumble some inane drivel down the mic until I come up with something better. Then there are the times when I get a plethora of lyrics bombarded from my brain to notepad and I have to try and make sense of them to sculpt a song. It depends on what I’m doing I guess! In bands I find that jamming is a good way to start the writing process though.
Who are your musical influences?
My musical influences are so broad that I could literally be here all day! I guess my earliest influences come from my parents. They listened to The Beatles, Motown, Bob Dylan, Smallfaces, Cat Stevens, Neil Young, Marmalade, Steeler’s Wheel, Bowie and that sort of thing. When I got to about the age of 8-9 I started to discover heavy metal and rock through my older brother. So I got into Iron Maiden (the first album I ever bought was ‘Live After Death’. I was also really into Marillion who were a local band back then for us. From there I’ve just tried to listen to everything I can. Some I will dismiss as tripe, but most I take on board in some form or another. Recently I’ve really been enjoying playing afrobeat!
What image do you think your music conveys?
I’d like to think that my music ignores image to a certain extent. Music is too deep to be easily portrayed as a fixed image. I guess there is a certain amount of independence and solidarity in it though. Call me pretentious, but it really doesn’t mean that much to me, though I do recognise it’s importance with certain styles of music and in certain walks of life.
Name 3 artists you’d like to be compared to.
I wouldn’t really want to be compared to anyone as I’m not them. I guess if there are three writers/bands that I would have loved to have been or been part of it would be The Beatles, Bowie and Bon Jovi (yes I know! – like I said… I got into rock when I was young lol)
What are your immediate music career goals?
Worldwide domination of the music market? Nah. I’d like to be touring the globe, and able to earn a decent enough living that I can buy a house and all that palava. So long as I’m doing what I love doing I will be happy!
How would you define the word “success”?
Doing what you want to do, and doing it well.
Are you looking for an independent label deal or a major label deal?
I’m self-releasing my first album because I don’t feel the need for any backing at this moment. If it does well enough I will license it out to the best bidder. I’ve had lots of offers coming through recently so we shall see what happens. I’m not ruling out anything, nor am I kidding myself that I will become an overnight star. Either way I’m prepared to work my arse off to achieve what I want to achieve.
Where can people by your music?
At the moment, the only places to buy my music are iTunes and Amazon (digital downloads). You can buy my single ‘Dignity’ through those:
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/dignity-single/id434279766?uo=4
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dignity-Single/dp/B004Y2B1O4/ref=sr_shvl_album_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1305375811&sr=301-1
Also, you can buy the album previews from http://andrewcunningham.bandcamp.com , but as they are previews I’ve allowed a free stream of those for now. Once the album is finished it will be available on limited press cd’s through my main domain which is under construction (www.andrewcunningham.me).
Coming soon is another digital release under the name Andrew Cunningham & MotherBlackCap which is of material I wrote and recorded with a full band rather than me playing as much as I can myself (which is how I’ve done my debut album).
Where can people find out more about you?
Well, I’m on:
Twitter – http://www.twitter.com/glam_andy
Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/pages/Andrew-Cunningham/135796893119136
Myspace – http://www.myspace.com/acunninghammusic
Youtube – http://www.youtube.com/glamandy
Facebook is currently the best place to keep up tabs on what I’m upto. Once the main site goes live that will be the best source of information and snippets etc.
Thank you so much Andrew for your time, I wish you much success! ~Alean
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