INTERVIEW WITH JAMES SUMMERFIELD

Let's say...Sparklehorse, Neil Young, dobro, mandolin, banjo, guitars, Wilco, The Jayhawks, Gram Parsons, Lap steel, Hammond, violin, Folk-blues, Appalachian sound, Gillian Welch y Will Oldham.All that and even more is James Summerfield's exciting music.He supports Aston Villa, if you're interested.

1.Would you give us a short bio? I think that you were a member of some bands in the past: Buick 6, The Toques… Why did those bands end? What has happened during the last few years?
Buick 6 and the Toques were the same band. We had to change our name to The Toques because another Buick 6 attempted to sue us after they heard out first John Peel Session. I wanted to move on because gathering everyone to rehearse, write and record was becoming a chore. I was writing and recording 10 songs per month and only 1 would get played/rehearsed. I knew that I’d be better off writing, playing and producing my own stuff.

2.How would you describe your music to someone who hasn’t heard it? What do you think you sound like?
It’s difficult. I suppose I’d call it Americana. When people ask me who I sound like I just say Neil Young because if I tell them that there’s a hint of Bluegrass/country in my music they automatically assume I’m going to sound like Dolly Parton. I don’t sound like Neil Young but I don’t know what else to say.

3.Have you been really inspired/influenced by anyone?
Will Oldham is my virtual tutor. He’s someone I could never be. No matter what he says or how he plays it always sound so unique. He can get away with anything and he has a beard.

4.How do you go about writing songs? Where do you find your inspiration? What are your lyrics about?
It’s weird. When I was in a band, lyrics never seemed to be as important as the instrumentation and melody etc. Now that I’m on my own, I’ve realised that lyrics are 90% of the song, hence the word ‘songwriter’. Anyway, if I think of a good line or subject I’ll note ideas down in my lyrics book and piece it all together when I come up with the music. I often ditch most of my ideas but re-visit them if they fit an unfinished song.

5.I particularly hate to label music…What do you think about some genre-tags like nu-folk, anti-folk, alt-country, etc?
There’s not much point I think. I know it’s sounds bad, but if I wanted to find out what someone sounds like, I’d prefer them to be compared to other artists.

6.What kind of role has the Internet regarding music these days?
A very important role for artists on a small level like myself. Most of my sales are made over the Internet and shows. I think it’s great to listen to something before you buy it. The Internet has made life easier from a musician and music fans point-a-view.

7.Do you feel part of a scene? Are there any kind of like-minded artists or bands?
I don’t really feel part of a scene to be honest. I think that bands are easier to compare to other artists, but when you’re a singer-songwriter, you tend to sound like yourself.

8.How difficult is for a musician like you to get your stuff released properly? How did you get in touch with the labels which have released your stuff?
It’s easy to release stuff independently but not so easy to get someone else with some clout to do it for you. I’ve always said that you can have a manager, label etc with all the money in the world but if they are not into the music and don’t understand what your music is all about and where your coming from, then you are better off releasing it yourself. You have to ask yourself “why am I releasing the album in the first place”. I do it because I know that in 6 months time, I’ll have a whole batch of new songs and it would be a great shame not to record and document what I had wrote 6 month previous. I don’t really want to record an album and wait ages for it to be released.

9.How is your live set?. Why have you released a Live EP, say, so soon?
My live set is completely stripped down from the album versions. I think it’s great to play songs differently to the album because it makes things more interesting for the audience and myself. I am sometimes accompanied by Sophie Johnson and Jamie Fekete from the ‘Toy Hearts’, a Birmingham Bluegrass outfit. They play Dobro and Mandolin and they really help add a new flavour to the songs.

10.By the way, What is the title of your first album (‘Hailah, hailah’) about?
Hailah, Hailah was one of the first songs I wrote as a solo artist. It never got onto the album so I used the name.

11.I loved John Peel so I’ve done this question a lot lately… How does Peel’s death affect to the British music scene? Which decent media are left in the UK?
When I met John Peel and gave him a Buick 6 7”, he didn’t seem that instereted so I was a bit disappointed and wasn’t expecting anything. Next thing I know, he’s playing the 7” on his show and a few weeks later his secretary phones us up for a Peel session. Can you imagine how I felt? Well he gave that feeling to thousands of other musicians like myself. That’s how good he was, and since his death, the BBC have attempted to re-think their alternative music exposure but, as I’ve said before, if you don’t understand and love the music, you won’t succeed. He was naturally gifted and you can’t train someone to love music like he did.

12.Tell us something about your local scene (Birmingham): musical activity, bands, etc
It’s pretty quiet. The only band I really loved were The Starries. Richard Burke fronted them and they looked great and sounded completely unique. I’ve always thought that if you can’t describe in writing what a band sounds like, then they are going to be good! If you haven’t already, try and get a copy of the album off Bearos.

13.I love to talk about music so…What other things do you like musically? What’s on your stereo right now? What kind of bands/artists do you like at the moment? What were the last records you bought?
The last album I bought was a Mike Nesmith record. It’s all right I suppose but my expectations were riding pretty high when I bought it. I love Motorhead at the moment. We have the Ace of Spades album on vinyl and anyone who has a song called ‘love me like a reptile’ deserves the highest respect. How do you love someone like a reptile? Do you change colour when spooning? Anyway, to top it all, the album cover is my favourite cover ever.Oh, I’m going up to Nottingham with Richard Burke and my manager Kerry Gibson to watch Songs Ohia. That will be amazing.

14.What things are you interested in apart from music?
I love playing and watching football. I’m playing tonight and I’m really excited because I don’t know anyone there so I feel as if I’ve got something to prove.I support Aston Villa and as long as I’ve been a Villa fan, we have only recruited one Spanish player and he was Fernando Nelson. Actually, I think he might have been Portuguese thinking about it.

15.Has there ever been a time when you felt like calling it a day, that all music-related things were too much trouble? What makes you carry on? Do you see yourself keep doing this for another ten years?
I will always play music because I can’t leave my guitar alone! When I go to a show, Songs Ohia for example, I will get jealous and this will inspire me to go home and write better songs! If I’m not playing shows, I’m recording and if I’m not recording, I’m writing. I feel like I’m being lazy if I’m not doing anything. I want to earn a living from it before I have kids etc so I’m pushing really hard whilst I’m young.

16.Tell us something about your next album
I don’t care what people think, I like it and that’s all that matters. I’ve found an instrumental formula that I’m happy with and it includes some nice Fender Twin lap-steel and lashings of Dobro. I can’t wait for people to hear it but if it’s one thing I hate, it’s getting bad reviews. Why knock someone who has put his heart and soul into writing, recording, mixing and releasing an album with no financial backing or profile? Can they do any better themselves?

17.Finally, what are your upcoming plans?
I want to expand my fan base and get this album out to as many ears as possible. I’ve got a few shows booked up around the UK and one of them is supporting Alasdair Roberts (Appendix Out and International Airport), which I’m really excited about. Also, I want to begin writing my next album.

If you want to know more about James Summerfield check his website www.jamessummerfield.co.uk

Interview by Fernando Pérez Herrero