Blast

This week I wanted to get an interview with a local band who haven't actually had much publicity in their career yet. Having had the opportunity to talk to Luke Pritchard aka Kooks front man, and BackBeatSoundsystem I wanted to do a piece that focused on the more amateur side of a musician's career, particularly from the point of view of young bands in Cornwall.

Fancy dress - chocolate style!

I think that this piece will appeal to BBC Cornwall's younger audience and I think that it will offer some insight into the ins and outs of trying to "make it" in a musical sense, with not much help on offer.

I was approached by Autoplay via facebook and I'm really glad they did. Once I had emailed them regarding my interest in holding an interview with them, they were kind enough to drop me a CD so that I could have a listen to their latest material. I knew that I liked their style already as I had heard some of their tracks on Facebook.

I think that they have a very unique sound, something unlike the stereotypical, young band style that you would expect to hear from a Cornish group. Another thing that appealed to me about Autoplay was their homemade studio in a shed! I think that it is very innovative that they write, record and produce all their own material from Bragg's back garden! Quaint! It shows integrity and enthusiasm and is an inspiration to other aspiring young musicians who may feel that there is little to no help for them with regard to funding and professional skills.

Despite the fact that they described Cornwall as a "logistical nightmare" with regard to the organisation of gigs and events, I think that they had a very positive attitude towards the county and its growing cultural community.

Being as organised as I am, I definitely forgot to arrange to take a flash mic to the interview (very, very bad!) However, this was overcome with some quick thinking and a little studio shed magic! We decided to conduct the interview in their studio shed in a casual conference style arrangement and therefore we were able to use their recording equipment to capture the whole thing! brilliant!

This then required me to sit and make notes through at least half an hour of audio but all in all it was pretty funny so it wasn't too much of a chore! I'll learn from my mistakes one day I'm sure!