Your name:
Chris Stringer.
Where are you from?
I'm from a town called
Swansea, in South Wales (I think they're doing OK in the football at the
moment).
Who else is in your band?
No one! It's just little old
me. Although my producer and good friend, Gerwyn Davies (who plays under the
name Gilded Bones), is providing extra guitar instrumentation on my EP, and I'm
roping some friends in for bass/drums/keys. I'm hoping to do a full band set up
for live shows in the future, though.
How would you describe yourself?
I guess the most accurate
genre is 'alternative country', although it could be acoustic, indie, alt-folk…
I try not to get too tied down with genres, because people tend to have an
expectation which then cages you in.
Who are your main influences
musically?
My biggest influence is a band
called Liberty 37 (NOT the white-supremacist band. There are two). The singer
was my English teacher, and I taught myself to sing/play guitar by singing
along to/working out the songs. I'm a huge fan of Craig Finn (The Hold Steady)
lyrically. Guy Garvey (Elbow) has the perfect voice as well as perfect lyrics,
and Colin Hay is a big influence as a songwriter. Another massive, massive
influence for me is Luke Concannon (Nizlopi) - lyrically, vocally and just as a
human being; I'm convinced that he's actually the nicest guy on the planet.
What do you hope to achieve in
music?
The greatest achievement for
me would obviously be able to do this for a living. But to have enough of an
impact or for people to connect with my music so that I could do shows where
they come specifically to see me? That would be the most amazing thing. I
had one guy and his girlfriend find & add me on Facebook after one of my
shows, and he asked me about one of the songs specifically because they 'really
connected with it' - that's the most humbling and incredible feeling.
What has been the highlight of
your career so far, and why?
Getting to play with Luke
Concannon and Nizlopi, on separate dates. Being able to support such huge
influences of mine was a real honour. At Luke's solo show, he and I got to play
and sing together - I nearly wet myself with excitement.
And what’s the moment you want
to forget?
I'm fortunate enough to not
have any bad memories. Any muck-ups on stage and whatnot, they're all part of
it and if they don't teach you how to grow at least they provide you with a
good story to tell! Although I once supported The Blanks (Ted's band from
'Scrubs') and a few songs into my set I realised I'd forgotten my capo. That
was pretty infuriating!
If you had to pick just one of
your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why?
I'd say either 'The Bridge' or
'Sinking Ships'. They're both good indicators of the style of music I play, and
I think they are also a good representation of me as a songwriter and vocalist…
I hope, at least!
Where can we listen to it?
You can check out 'The Bridge'
here:
Where can we find out more about your music?
Oh, I'm everywhere!
Anything else you’d like to
say about your band/music that I forgot to ask?
I have an EP on the way,
entitled 'Sinking Ships' which should be out this Summer. Come say hi on the
Twitters and the Facebooks, or you can sign up to my mailing list through my site.
I also have my own radio show on Friday nights, 7-9pm (GMT) on
OystermouthRadio.com. You can check it out at Facebook.com/ShotgunRadioSW
.
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