DAVE BOYES

Dave Boyes is an English singer/songwriter and troubadour based in Spain. He has said that writing songs helps maintain his sanity so he always keeps a notebook handy to jot things down as he confronts the living theatre every morning when he rises. His debut album " Outside" is released worldwide on 2 Nov 2009.

Inspiration can be found all around, on the subway, in his head, on the bus, out walking, (astral) travelling, during nocturnal (or internal) escapades and in any situation in which he finds himself in. He is a supporter of environmental issues and fair trade and does his bit to champion these causes as this earth is ultimately all we have.

Dave Boyes cut his teeth as a live performer and songwriter while busking his way around the world. Most notably trading rides for songs while hitchhiking through Central America.  He had the chance to jam and exchange songs and styles with characters from all walks of life. This was a defining period in his musical development. Now with the release of his debut album “Outside”, he shares his personal slant on life through this collection of songs

THE EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

What made you decide to stat a career in music, tell us a bit about your life and history to date ?

Music has been a part of my life ever since I was a child. My parents used to play guitar and sing 60/70´s folk songs at home and that´s when I first learned to play. So it was a natural progression to go on to writing my own acoustic stuff. I then got into playing guitar and singing in rock bands and gigging which was great fun and great experience, but over the last few years I gradually went back to my first love, being a singer-songwriter. The songs began flowing freely and interest grew in what I was creating, so the process has been a gradual but logical one.

Who or what are your influences ?

I listen to all kinds of music and have had different periods of musical development playing and getting into different styles. My influences range from indie, folk, psychedelic, rock and blues to jazz, bossa nova, electronic, funk and world music. From a singer-songwriter standpoint, Bob Dylan, Elliott Smith, Neil Young and Nick Drake are a constant source of inspiration.

What modern artists do you like ?

Radiohead, The Arcade Fire, Modest Mouse, Jose Gonzalez, Fionn Regan, Gomez, Franz Ferdinand, Elvis Perkins, Sigur Ros, Bon Iver, Fleet Foxes, Devendra Banhart, Beck, Portishead.

What inspires you to write your music/lyrics ?

Experiences I´ve had, people I know or have met, human emotions, literature, films.

Name your all time fave track by another band/artist ?

Don´t Think Twice, It´s All right by Bob Dylan.

What sort of sound can we expect from your forthcoming album ?

Acoustic songs full of fresh personal observations and harmonies that make you think.

What are your ambitions for your music. Where do you see yourself in 5 years ?

My main ambition is get my songs out there, to reach as many people as possible. In five years time I shall still be writing and playing songs as well as gigging, music is a pleasure and always will be.

How do you write your songs, does the melody come first and then the lyrics ?

Normally I get the melody or chord progression/riff first and then I come up with the lyrics, improvising over the music. Sometimes however, I´ll write specific ideas/poems first in my notebook and then look for the music to suit the mood/subject matter.

Where was your new material recorded and who was producing ?

It was recorded at home in Madrid on a digital 8 track. I did it all by myself, so it was a real personal project.

Do you play all the instruments on your release, and if there are other players who are they and what do they do ?

Yes, I play the guitars, harmonica, percussion and sing the vocals/harmonies.

In the U.K music and food has combined with celebrity rock and pop stars now appearing and cooking on TV food shows. Please can you give us your favourite recipe ?

Well, I live in Madrid, so I would recommend a Spanish omlette.
You will need:
4 large potatoes
1 small onion thinly sliced
5 eggs
Peel the potatoes and slice them finely. Put them into a large frying pan along with the sliced onions and some olive oil. Leave them to stew gently over a low heat for approximately 40 minutes until soft but not browned. Break the eggs into a large bowl and beat with a little salt. Tip the cooked potatoes into the beaten eggs and stir carefully to coat. Put the frying pan onto a medium heat with a little more oil and pour the mixture back in. Turn down the heat so that the omlette cooks gently until it is set, but still slightly runny on the top. Now the fun bit - turning it over! Place a plate over the pan and turn both over so that the omlette is on the plate, then gently slide the omlette back into the pan so that it can continue to cook. It´s then done in a few minutes.