Counting Chimney Pots
3. Same Ride Same Way
4. My Word What A Mess
5. The Trouble I Am
6. Scotland The Brave
7. Lights On
8. This One's For You
9. Beginning Middle Or End
10. Untied
Alex Cornish is a singer-songwriter from Edinburgh in Scotland. His
first album "Until The Traffic Stops" is out now and shows with
sweetness and smartness an incontestable talent.
Interview with Alex
Cornish:
S: How and when did all begin
with music?
A:
Aged 6 learnt classical piano and violin. When I was 13 got a guitar
and started to think playing in a band was the way to go!
S: What are the positive and
negative sides of being a musician in Scotland?
A:
There are no negatives. There is a thriving music scene in Scotland
with phenomenal bands and singers coming out of the country all the
time. The Government provides a great deal of support
too. Sometimes if you are starting out you do have to play in
London because the industry won’t come up to Scotland to
watch
you play, but that's not so much of a downside if you're playing all
over the UK anyway.
S: How many gigs have you ever
done approximately?
A:
Too many to count – a lot!
S: Do you feel anxious before
a show?
A:
I am always a bit on edge before I play, whether it's a big show or a
small one, or whether it's a live session on the radio but
once I
start playing I am completely relaxed. It's weird – don't
know
why that is.
S: What musicians or artists
had an influence in your life and in your work?
A:
I am influenced by all sorts from lots of classical music (Saens Sans
to Arvo Part) to older albums (Van Morrison Astral Weeks) to newer ones
(Radiohead's Amnesiac).
S: Do you remember what was
the first Cd you bought?
A:
Guns n' Roses, Use Your Illusion II – amazing!
S: How could you define the
music of Alex Cornish?
A:
Acoustic guitars, violins, windswept hooks and melodies, desperate
lyrics.
S: Do you agree with Victor
Hugo who said :"Melancholy is the pleasure of being sad"?
A:
Sure, we all love wallowing in our own self-pity don’t
we?
That's why sad songs are so appealing, an accompaniment to the weirdly
pleasant sensation of being miserable!
S: When you write a song you
follow your heart, your brain or your hand?
A:
Heart first, brain second, hand writes it down – so the order
is spot on!
S: What is your favourite song
of Alex Cornish and why?
A:
I think 'Until the Traffic Stops' is the song I am most proud of and (I
think) it will be the next single. With the string intro to the last
chorus with subdued horn section (a close second comes 'Lights On').
S: As a musician,
what’s your feeling about internet?
A:
I would be nowhere without it. I can sell my music online,
promote myself online, my music can be shared online. It has
made
everything possible for the artist and empowered the artist, when
before it was impossible without big record company help.
A:
Depends on what's going on. Last week it was down to London,
rehearsal with the band, lunch, Radio 2 session in the evening, got
drunk afterwards, slept a bit, got up early, back to Edinburgh, lunch,
sent emails, gig, beer, sleep, wake etc – and on it
goes…
S: What are your hobbies aside
music?
A:
Football – I love watching it and playing it too.
S: Are you venturesome person?
A:
No, I just get on with things and when I've achieved something I get
drunk.
S: Where would you like to
play in the future, is there a place in the world you would love to
visit?
A:
Japan – really want to go to Japan – hopefully on
tour at some point soon.
S: Are there any things, which
you are afraid of? Do you have any fears?
A:
No fears at all. I read an interview with Eric Clapton a while ago and
he said a young man with fears is a dead man. If you're
scared it'll hold you back.
S:
Scotland gave us a lot of great bands like Franz Ferdinand, Del Amitri,
Travis, Belle & Sebastian, Idlewild, which are your favourites?
A:
I love Travis and Belle & Sebastian. Similar(ish) styles to me
I guess – they are great though.
S: What is the best moment to
listen to your album, the "Beginning, middle or end" of the day ?
A:
Ha ha – good question!! End of the day, when it's
dark
outside, put it on and listen to the album all in one go.
People
tend not to listen to albums from beginning to end these days, due to
the 'ipod culture' and rarely do bands make albums that fit coherently
together. My album was put together with the sole intention of being a
complete piece of work that only makes sense if you listen to it all
the way through.
S: As my website is dedicated
to Manic Street Preachers maybe can you say some words about them, if
you know them?
A:
I know their music very well, but I don't know them
personally.
They are an fantastic band who have just continued to produce amazing
music. Their last album for example – how many years since
they started now? – and it's still brilliant.
S:
I know it’s a difficult question, but if you would have to
keep
just one album from your Cd collection what album would it be?
A:
Van Morrison Astral Weeks – easy question (for me).
Couldn’t do without it.
S: What was the last song you
listened to before the interview? And, if you know, which one will be
the next?
A:
I have just been listening to one of my new songs I am writing and I
thought it was crap so I am going to write another one instead!
S: Can you tell me the title
of one French song, or the name of one French singer, or band?
A:
Of course: Edith Piaf was simply amazing, Air are great to chill out
to, Stephane Grappelli and Django Reinhart were
groundbreaking
– lots of amazing music from France – could go on
for days.
S: And say something in French
?
A:
This could be embarrassing…'Bonour, j'mapelle Alex et
j'habite a
Edinburgh. J'adore mon Cochon D'Inde' (sorry – very
basic
French from me…but I did have a guinea pig and I did love it)
S:
What are your plans for the nearest future?
A:
I am looking forward to touring next year, releasing my next single in
February and I am doing a session for XFM in the UK in January and
really looking forward to all of that.
S: And finally,
what’s the most important thing in life for you?
A:
My beautiful girlfriend and my music (can I have two
things…?)