Eternal Fox Q&A

Your name: 

Michael Fox.

Where are you from?

Hailing all the way from Oxford.

Artist name:

Eternal Fox.

How would you describe yourselves and your music? 

I think me and my music surprise each other because it changes genre from time to time because I feel like if I kept releasing the same sound people would get bored as well as myself. Also the music mainly a way to express myself in a weird and wonderful way. I also think now that I've changed my artist name away from Mikeey I can really stick to my roots and remember to be myself and have a fresh clean start!

Who are your main influences musically?

I have so many inspirations in the music industry, but when doing pop my inspirations come from Marina and the Diamonds, Shamir Bailey and Sia. In an indie sense of influence Lana Del Rey, Gabriella Cilmi, Clare Maguire and Tom O'dell. In a rock genre my major influences are Marilyn Manson, Against Me! and Placebo. My rap influences are Kanye West, ASAP ROCKY, Azealia Banks, DEV and Brooke Candy.

What do you hope to achieve in music?

I just want to release music and occasionally make enough money from it to make videos and more music and that's all I want.

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why?

My highlight must have been being able to feature in a music video by Candy Says. I think this is my main highlight because it's getting my face out there and I can always look back on it to keep me rooted and stay true to myself.

And what’s the moment you want to forget?

I want to forget all these name changes and old music which I really never connected to.

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why?

Well in fact I actually haven't released any music under this name yet but if I have to choose a song it would be "Model, Maybe Actor".

Where can we listen to it?

https://soundcloud.com/iammikeey/model-maybe-actor

Where can we find out more about your music?

My main archive is Twitter follow me there www.twitter.com/@mikeey_fox

Anything else you’d like to say about your music that I forgot to ask?

Keep an eye out for the new music under my refreshed name and prepare for the ride!

Tired Starling Q&A

Your name: 

Simon O'Connell.

Where are you from? 

Banbury, Oxfordshire.

Name of band: 

Tired Starling - thinking of changing this though.

How would you describe yourself? 

I'm a self-taught guitar player, picked up when I was 15, but dipped in and out until my late 20s when I really started taking it seriously again. I played mostly covers and dabbled a little bit in writing, but it never really clicked until the last year or so, when I felt I had something there. I now try to write on a daily basis (which my job gets in the way of) and sit down with my guitar every evening just trying different stuff. Would like to have more time to sit and write but like I said, work gets in the way!

Who are your main influences musically? 

My main influence is primarily Noel Gallagher, he's been the person that I have really admired and respected musically and as a person over the last 20 odd years. Neil Young has played a big part in my musical journey as well as artists like Paul Weller, Morrissey/Marr and Alex Turner to name a few!

What do you hope to achieve in music? 

This probably sounds like a massive cliche, but I just want people to hear my tunes! Even if one person doesn't like it there will be someone else who does and it might make a difference to their lives! Also the money, fame, women etc that comes with it.......... But i can do without that, and to just sell one album or even a single I'd be very happy!

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why?  

I haven't been around long enough to have one!

And what’s the moment you want to forget? 

As above though i'm sure there will be a few!

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why? 

Come Follow Me:  It was the first proper song that I have written and one I really feel has a chance of being something more.

Where can we listen to it? 

https://soundcloud.com/simon-oconnell-2/come-follow-me-demo2

Where can we find out more about your music?

https://soundcloud.com/simon-oconnell-2  - I try to put regular demos on here as I write them, just rough recordings of me and my acoustic through a mic, my PC and audacity!

Mikeey Q&A

Your name: 

Michael Fox.

Where are you from? 

Oxford, England.

Name of band: 

Mikeey.

How would you describe yourselves?  

I'd describe myself as a antichrist pop artist (although i'm not against anyone's beliefs) maybe a little grunge pop...I guess it's really hard to fit me into one category or a few as i keep jumping and mixing many genres in music records.

Who are your main influences musically?

I think it's artists and emotions that influence me to write music from the likes of Charli XCX to Marilyn Manson...I tend to find it's not a particular sound which attracts me but the style of vocals, the inner meaning of the lyrics and the stories which they're telling.

What do you hope to achieve in music?

I would love to be able to live off the music which I create and maybe be able to tour many countries and with many amazing artists/bands such as myself or just write an entire album with Lana Del Rey either way I'm happy to release my music for a small fee or for free!

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why?

The highlight of my career would be being told that I'm different in the music scene by many successful artists and to know that Interscope are watching me closely (hopefully they still are).

And what’s the moment you want to forget?

I would love to forget my first record "Sleeping With Your Bestfriend" it was just so cheesy and weren't really my style at all...but there's one or two great tracks on there which I may redo! but ugh so much hype to be brought back right down!

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why?

If I had to choose it'll have to be "Tired Of Singing The Blues" because it's realistic and sounds very different from most tracks i've released and I was really happy with the final version of the song!

Where can we listen to it?

http://mikeeylove.bandcamp.com/album/tired-of-singing-the-blues

Where can we find out more about your music?

My website - www.mikeeymusic.weebly.com

Soundcloud - www.soundcloud.com/IAMMIKEEY

Twitter - @mikeey_fox

Facebook - www.facebook.com/IAMMIKEEYLOVE

Bandcamp - http://mikeeylove.bandcamp.com/

Anything else you’d like to say about your band/music that I forgot to ask?

Keep an eye out for my upcoming album "MIKEEY" which should be out in March :)

Tess Of The Circle Q&A

Your name:

My name is Tess Jones. I'm a male singer songwriter from the band Tess Of The Circle.

Where are you from?

I live in Oxfordshire. Born in Surrey. raised in the West Midlands.

Name of band:

Tess Of The Circle.

Who else is in your band?

Tess Of The Circle is an independent musical collective based around the songs of Tess Jones. The Thorns album features contributions from Tess on vocals and guitar, Lee Clifton (electric guitar), Damon Minchella (bass) and Geoff Dugmore (drums). The live line-up is ever-changing! But you can usually find myself and Lee in there somewhere! 

How would you describe yourselves?

We mix a bit of classic early electric 1970s rock with acoustic guitar sounds. Style wise we jump from Flamenco to folk rock to string ensemble ballads.

Who are your main influences musically?

If you dig deep enough you would find Led Zeppelin, Nick Drake, The Doors and even some Jeff Buckley. Well thats what we tell ourselves at least ;)

What do you hope to achieve in music?

To make a living! 

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why?

Our Bob Harris session and all the support from BBC Radio 2. Supporting Joan Armatrading also meant a lot personally.

And what’s the moment you want to forget?

Breaking an acoustic guitar string in front of 4,000 people on the first song! 

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why?

Vagabonds and Rogues off the new album Thorns. I believe it mixes the qualities of all the other songs, balancing poetry, subtle acoustic with electric guitar swells.

Where can we listen to it? 

https://soundcloud.com/riff-raff-pr/03-vagabonds-and-rogues

Where can we find out more about your music?

www.tessofthecircle.com

www.facebook.com/tessofthecircle

www.twitter.com/tessofthecircle

Anything else you’d like to say about your band/music that I forgot to ask?

We have a new video for History up here: http://youtu.be/_EZ05huU0QM

Finally, I wanted to thank the people reading this article right now. The people that go out and find new music are the reason we get to keep doing what we do. Please check out the album Thorns available now.

Matt Midgley Q&A

Your name: 

Matt Midgley.

Where are you from? 

Bonnie Scotland! Edinburgh to be precise. Though I'm currently based in Oxfordshire.

How would you describe yourself? 

A semi-professional drinker with a music problem. Amongst other things I like beards, late nights, and Ghibli films. I'm a singer and acoustic guitarist. I play my guitar like a drum.

Who are your main influences musically? 

I take influence from more or less everything I like listening to. On one hand, I'm fond of a lot of artists you'd expect on hearing my songs; Nick Drake, Bright Eyes, Frightened Rabbit, Jon Gomm... On the other there's everything from Tool to Radiohead, Pantera to Blink 182, and Pogo to Patrick Wolf. 

What do you hope to achieve in music? 

I just want to write songs that are important or special to me, put them out there - live, recorded, whatever - and hope to see them affect people in a positive way. I guess I'm already achieving that to some extent, but there's always another song and another audience.

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why? 

I played a run of shows in Austria this summer with Walk The Walls. Vienna was just nuts; I don't think I've ever been so well recieved at a gig. After that I went to a guitar workshop in the Alps run by Thomas Leeb - a hero of percussive guitar - and soaked up some of the most inspiring musicianship from players from across world. And drank incredibly heavily. Natch. A life-changing fortnight.

And what’s the moment you want to forget? 

I know it's a cop-out answer, but nothing. You're shaped by every experience, good or bad, and you learn and progress. I wouldn't be the musician or the person that I am today if not for what happened yesterday.

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why? 

Carrier Wave. It's a song that kind of wrote itself. I sat down with my guitar, played the first two pairs of harmonics, and about eight minutes later it was finished. That's really abnormal for me. Even more abnormal is that I still really like it; I go through phases of love/hate with my own music, but this song remains something I'm really proud of and it continues to reverberate. It's about my best pal, Rara.  

Where can we listen to it? 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEZSVPbMWiQ

Where can we find out more about your music?

My website: www.mattmidgley.co.uk

My Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MattMidgleyMusic

My Twitter: @matt_midgley
My Bandcamp: http://mattmidgley.bandcamp.com/

Anything else you’d like to say about your music that I forgot to ask? 
I aim to gig as much as possible. If you're reading this and you like what you hear, give me shout via one of the sites above - I'll do whatever I can to book a show near you!