Hi, I've been writing songs since I was twelve years old, and recording them since 1985. Roger Cook (of the Cook-Greenaway-Cook songwriting partnership and Blue Mink, etc) once wrote that I have the ability to write a hit single and that he was waiting for one from me. He also said I need to 'lighten up a bit', unquote.
F*ck that!
I taught myself to play various instruments as a kid, and formed my first band 'Oracle' at school when I was 15, and in 1973 we played at the International Youth Arts Festival in Braunschweig, Germany. After that I gave up gigging until 1993, when someone said it was because I was 'too scared'. I rose to the bait and played live for a year or so as 'Neat Spirit' with two other people but didn't enjoy it much, even though we went down a storm.
I also worked as producer in two studios: Alma Vale Studio in Clifton, Bristol, and Crest Studio in Shipham, Somerset. I must have recorded aound 50 bands and songwriters in total from around 1990 to 1998, and also did some live mixing.
Then I turned to my forte: recording songwriters in my living room, playing all the instruments as required and doing harmony vocals etc. The songwriter would turn up at midday and I'd have to work out how to play guitar, bass, keys and drum sequencing or whatever for their song, then record it all, and then the songwriter would sing their vocal and go home somewhere around 8pm-midnight with their completed song mixed down and burned to CD. That's what I enjoyed doing the most, all for fourty quid. (60 if we went beyond 10pm.)
What really annoys me is when I play a new song to a close friend or family and I get, 'yes, it's very good Nick,' when they're obviously not even listening. That's why I haven't done anything new for about five years and counting... I just can't be arsed anymore. I mean, what's the point? Other musicians and songwriters appreciate what I do, but family and friends? Zilch.
I quit. :-(
I used to play live, but not since 1995. I hated it and hope to avoid it for the rest of my life. The studio is my natural environment.
Influences: The Beatles, 70's Eric Clapton (when he was good), The Eagles, Brian Wilson, Joe Walsh, Plainsong (Iain Matthew's greatest achievement) and Klaatu (I bet you've never heard of them!). For Klaatu, think Beach Boys meet the Beatles meet Led Zeppelin meet Mozart.
Fender & Gibson electric guitars through Line6 Pod, Boss Gt-3, Boss SE-50 and Zoom 505 effects pedals, Roland XP-50 keyboard with orchestral expansion board, Shure and t.box microphones, Samick electro-acoustic guitar, Fender acoustic guitar, AcePro twin-neck 6 & 12 string electric guitar, a couple of other acoustic guitars and a cheap but lovely Spanish guitar. Seck 18-8-2 mixing desk and I record on my PC using Adobe Audition (or Cool Edit Pro, as it used to be known).