For people who have never hear of you before could you tell us a bit about yourself, your story?
As a musician I started out by playing in rock bands and have done so since I picked up the guitar. However, last year (2016) I decided I wanted a different challenge and a few circumstances led to the idea of me trying out the singer-songwriter thing. I’ve always been a little apprehensive of this style or genre as I’ve always found it too self-indulgent and often whiny and miserable. So my way around this was to write music about something completely independent from me, yet is something which I am also passionate about: cinema.
Who influences you, who inspired you to get on stage and perform?
I’ve too many influences to list – I’d include musicians, artists, directors, writers, philosophers, explorers to name just a few. That said, when I’m writing as a solo artist I don’t want my sound to be too far away from people like Elliot Smith, Nick Cave, Mark Lanegan, and even PJ Harvey.
I’ve read that cinema is at the forefront of the music you write, how does cinema influence your writing style?
Cinema really does shape the way I write. Whilst I have an overall idea of the type of sound I want to have, I adapt this to what I feel is an appropriate style for the film which I’m writing about. Take for instance my last song Oil! It’s written about the film ‘There Will Be Blood’. It seemed apt for this film, and the story I wanted to convey, that there was a Johnny Cash type shuffle to the rhythm section. This allowed for quite a cold and abrupt attitude to the melody and lyrics. I tend to write about films which have left their mark on me. Sometimes this might be because they have disturbed me (I’m currently writing a song about the film ‘Requiem for a Dream’ – the film literally left me speechless for a couple of days!); other times it’ll be because they touch upon some part of the human condition which I myself have grappled with.
Do you have a favourite movie soundtrack?
There’s a few soundtracks which are, in my opinion, sensational. I love the soundtrack to ‘Trainspotting’ – so many great songs on there, and it’s quite varied in terms of genres. It feels as though the music reflects parts of the subcultures portrayed in the film. On a similar theme, but more in terms of complimenting culture, the soundtrack to the film ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’ is beautiful.
Your music has hints of Americana in it, has that been a big influence on your musical style?
It’s interesting that you pick up on that. I can’t say I ever listen to Americana to be honest, but I gravitate towards the whole lone-wolf-out-there-on-the-road-of-life type vibe which is inherent in it. I suppose some of the people who inspire me when I write have themselves been inspired by Americana so perhaps I’m indirectly influenced by it.
Do you have plans to release an album this year?
I’d love to release an album but financial constraints just won’t allow for it. I am entertaining the possibility of releasing an EP soon though.
What are your favourite songs that people might not have heard of and why?
A few favourite songs currently: ‘Sinnerman’ by 16 Horsepower – love the melody and the harmonies, plus the subtle banjo played in the background; ‘Horizons’ by Pusicfer – beautiful melody and lovely, rich guitar sound; ‘Fruhling in Paris’ by Rammstein – this band isn’t know as being a melodic, thoughtful group but they are and this song captivates that perfectly. The lyrics are charmingly dark and the composition of the song is well thought out.
Who would perform at your dream festival?
Such a difficult question as I know I’ll miss out loads of people and then regret it later. At this precise moment in time, I love the idea of having a post-rock festival whereby I’d have bands like Mogwai, Explosions in the Sky, God Speed! You Black Emperor, and the like. This would be mainly for sentimental reasons: this was pretty much all I was listening to when I was about 20/21. I regularly share what I’m listening to and films I’m watching via my mailing list – http://scottswainmusic.com/getinvolved – sorry, couldn’t resist the plug.
What are your plans for the rest of the year?
Lots coming up this year: in the short term, I’m releasing my next single on the 28/04/2017 which is called ‘Like Nothing Else’. I’m going to release this in a a-side/b-side format (a throwback to my youth when I’d by tape cassette singles and love hearing the band/artist trying something different with their b-side). My b-side is going to be a cover song of a band which has had a massive influence on my songwriting: The Smashing Pumpkins. I’m covering the song ‘Muzzle’ from their sensational album ‘Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness’ – an album which I obsessed over between my years of 16 – 23. I’ve also some massive news to share later in the year, but I’ll save that for another time.
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