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The industry as a whole has gone through many changes, probably the biggest change has been “how” you can present your music to your audience. I remember when I was 12 years old that you heard about music on TV and the radio and even though you can still do that, these days, if you want to find out what an artist or a band is up to, you can check their Twitter page, or Facebook. @craig_anscombe

Live Interview 
Episode #387: http://tobtr.com/9590835

Jacqueline Jax logo photoGETTING TO KNOW CRAIG ANSCOMBE
by Jacqueline Jax host of A.V.A Live Radio

 

 

The industry as a whole has gone through many changes,
probably the biggest change has been “how” you can present your music to your audience. I remember when I was 12 years old that you heard about music on TV and the radio and even though you can still do that, these days, if you want to find out what an artist or a band is up to, you can check their Twitter page, or Facebook.

I like the connection that this forum brings,
for a fan to be able to talk to their favorite artist and discuss topics that interest them, have questions answered that they have had on their mind I think is pretty cool.

As far as Pros and Cons go,
I find it hard to divide my experiences with Music into those 2 categories as each experience had its own effect on me and has helped me get to where I am today. In my 14 years, I have gone through many bands, many lineup changes and unfortunately, a lot of disbandment’s. I originally started out as a Lead Guitar Player, emulating my heroes like Richie Sambora, Stevie Ray Vaughan Eric Clapton and many others. The first time you get told “You are not good enough…” is a hard pill to swallow and I believe a lot of musicians have gone through that at least once.

I went through it.

More than once.

I figured that if I can’t play a half decent guitar solo,
I better get good at writing something worthwhile to say, that someone out there will want to hear. I began writing songs at a young age and pretty soon after I had an album worth and even though I was happy with that, I was anxious to know if anyone else would like them. It was a confidence boost when I took on the sole responsibility of writing songs for most of the bands I was in. It gave me the confidence in knowing that I could write a story, a story about life, or about love or about a coffee in the morning and have it be accepted by someone who felt the same way. I love writing. That is the one constant in an ever-changing model and it is a love hasn’t died. Being told you didn’t win this or you didn’t win that does feel like a punch in the gut and can scramble your beliefs and self-confidence, I will admit it is in the category of “Con” but it’s one that is always there. Best to know how to lose like a man, you get back up, dust yourself off and keep walking.

Bruce Springsteen. Without a doubt.
The man has such a uniqueness to him and qualities that you don’t see in an artist very often. The way he can tell a story and share it with you, without feeling like he is preaching about a particular subject matter, that is what makes him special. I enjoy watching and reading stories of how Records come together, I was a big fan of “Behind
the Music” that aired on TV many years ago. I felt you got an insight into the life of the artist and what made them make songs and albums a certain way. I used to take notes and apply them to my own work and then make changes afterwards…sometimes it would suck, sometimes it would be the best decision I ever made but without that information, without artists like Bruce Springsteen we wouldn’t have those timeless songs that live on with everybody.

Heroes on The Road

This track was the going to be a “bonus” song for people.
That was the way that I understood it. I had a morning where I had nothing to do, so like most morning like that I decided to go a grab a coffee somewhere. I went into my local café (Café Esquires for you lot who may know that place) and as I was looking at some texts I had the thought of “Heroes on the Road”. I am pretty sure it was inspired by Clint Eastwood as I am a big Dirty Harry fan and his 60’s Western movies…so, yeah, I am pretty sure it was inspired by that. The recording of the track was done in one session, most demoing I do is done at home so that I make the most of my time in the studio. In this case, I wanted an authentic, acoustic track. No funny noises, no extra instruments just the origin of the song. One guitar mic’d up twice with two SM57’s – one at the neck and one at the soundhole and we nailed it after 3 takes. The vocals for me were important for a couple of reasons, one was that I wanted the delivery to be a lot more aggressive than what I had done on my previous tracks, I felt I sang the songs too high and not very fitting of the style I was going for. That is not to say I dislike those tracks, because I love them but for this track I needed a change for myself. Secondly, as it was just a guitar the melody had to be catchy and memorable. Melody has always been important.

The album is a body of work that encompasses my life up to this point.
It is a reflection on many different avenues I have gone down in my life whether it be personal or as an outsider looking in, I have found a way to express it. These days, I find that to have a song stand out it has to be “in your face” with a wall of sound that you can’t escape from. That is not what I wanted to show, I wanted to release a record that had depth in it’s style, and dynamic – similar to records of the 70’s. You can expect an upbeat, optimistic record with guitars, drums and a story. That I can promise. You will get the highs and the lows, a wide spectrum of emotions and feelings that hopefully, a lot of people can relate to. I am big into Vinyl, so naturally if it is possible I would say to everyone, “Put the record on, turn it up and feel!”. If not that, play it when you’re with someone you love, play it on your own because that’s what this Record is, it is universal in it’s message. I am not saying it has all the answers but it has all the answers I ever needed.

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I live in a small town called Worthing off the coast,
where it is pretty much a Hard Rock/Metal scene with acoustic nights throughout the week. If you’re around hang at Bar 42 for your Rock and Metal, The Retro Bar for your contemporary Rock and Pop, Tangerine for Acoustic nights.

 

Social Media Links:

Reverbnation: https://www.reverbnation.com/craiganscombe
Soundcloud: https://www.soundcloud.com/craigyo89
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/craig_anscombe