LOMM: Can you give a little biographical and historical info; who is involved in the band, and how did you guys meet up?
JAMIE TELFORD . Currently two of us with a small range of others dropping in and out. So Basically I am songwriter and singer and I’m working with Sean Read, producer and Sax player. Others include Stephen Gilchrist and Little Barrie all seasoned players who play with a range of bands as we both have as well. Historically we have a long history of bands and playing with other people.
LOMM: Pandemic has taken an emotional toll on everyone yet the arts have been hit especially hard. The musicians are vulnerable to financial upheaval. How have you guys have been holding up?
Jamie Telford: It’s impossible to gig so we’ve had to do other things to survive. Holding up well emotionally but the space has helped us write an album during lockdown and record a lot of it remotely.
LOMM: On the other hand you seem to have had a productive time. Is that right?
JT yes that’s right – its been a good time for writing and recording. Unusual to have so much time to concentrate.
LOMM: Tell us about your genre, what does it means to you, why did you choose this genre?
JT : Didn’t choose the genre it chose us. We are operating somewhere around a rock/indie area with a hint of soul.
LOMM: How did the initial musical and thematic elements evolve?
JT From basic piano drum songs largely with sung themes for voice and sax
LOMM: Are you happy with your product? What aspects of it do you think you guys nailed, and what parts do you think you could improve upon?
JT Very happy with this latest album “Still Life with Machine Gun” which is released in September. I think we are nailing a sound – keyboard and sax punctuated. Probably could improve on working with the external players more. But that needs more contact and communication which has been difficult because of the Pandemic.
LOMM: How has the overall reception been?
JT So far fantastic. I think it’s a great album.
LOMM: Have you ever been on a tour? Given live performances? Is it tough for you not to be able to do so now?
Of course. We have both toured extensively with bands – our own and others. Its impossible at the moment to plan.
LOMM: What is the next step for you? How is the future looking?
JT Release this new album and trya dn do some gigs to support it and get some more radio play.
LOMM: Could you tell us about the lyrics / themes /concepts you focus on or plan to focus on? How did the ideas come about, and how do they influence the writing process? Who is writing the lyrics?
JT I’m writing lyrics. Thematically trying to reflect the zeitgeist but with personal emotional reaction to it in as interesting a way as possible.
LOMM: Who is composing the songs?
JT I am. However I’m ably assisted by Sean Read in terms of instrumentation and colour.
LOMM: What bands do you draw your inspiration from?
JT Currently from various worlds. Bands like The National and Arcade Fire, St Vincent, David Byrne etc. But also from Poetry and media.
LOMM: Which is more exciting? Being on the road or studio?
JT Don’t know about exciting. Live can be exciting when it’s been easy to organize and perform. The studio is less exciting but stimulating in another way.
LOMM: What first got you into music?
JT Playing piano and bagpipes in the local Pipe Band aged 8.
LOMM: What do you like the best about being a musician? And what is it that you do not like much?
JT I enjoy creating musical material. I don’t enjoy hanging around.
LOMM: If you weren’t musicians, what would you be doing?
JT Anything that came to hand. Home Brewer? Who knows?
LOMM: If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?
JT It would be fair – at the minute it’s impossible to get any kind of return for your efforts.
LOMM: What’s more important to you? Catering to the audience or music for its own sake?
JT The music.
LOMM: What is the most memorable gig that you have played to date?
JT Wembley with The Jam.
LOMM: When you look back your music career, what do you consider to be your greatest accomplishment?
Evolving from a keyboard player to songwriter singer and becoming a classical composer.
LOMM: Who would you like to collaborate with?
St Vincent/ David Byrne. You name them.. these a lot of interesting people out there.
LOMM: Who would you like to go on a tour with?
Going on tour would be enough.
LOMM: If you could play any festival in the world, which one would you choose? Tell us why.
Coachella. I fancy a late night desert setting.
LOMM: Name some of your all-time favorite albums? Include controversial ones.
JT Remain in Light Talking Heads, Beatles white Album, Solid Air John Martyn.
LOMM: What does your collection look like? Mostly Vinyl, Cassettes, CDs, Digital? A bit of everything? A total mess?
50/ 50 Old Vinyl New CDs
LOMM: What Country/Region are you from and what is the Metal/Rock scene like there?
Scotland and London.
LOMM: You can invite 5 people to a dinner party, from the future, the past, rock stars, a movie characters, you name it. Who are you having dinner with?
Jaques Cousteau, Dalai LLhama, Leonard Cohen, Brian Eno, Jack nicholson
LOMM: What is your weirdest memory in your music career?
JT 80s memory of TOTP with Boy George, Paul Weller, and Bananarama.. bizarre day.
The album ‘Still Life With Machine Gun’ on 24 September through Luxury Noise.
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