Phil Lewis
I wrote my first song when I was about 12. It was called ?U.F.O.? and it was about, er??a U.F.O. But in my defence, I was only 12. My main exposure to music was through whatever was in the top 40, I soaked up a variety of different styles of music.My current favourite artists are Prince, U2, Crowded House and Stevie Wonder.
By the time I started working for a living, I had bought my first guitar, taught myself the basics and started to write songs ?properly?. I have now written quite a few songs, some good and some not so good. And to answer your question, no ? I haven?t written any more songs about U.F.O.?s???yet!
I started booking time in local studios and working with friends who also musicians. The results were made available as a series of demo tapes; ?When the Madness Ends?, ?Set Your Sights?, Demographic?, ?Fidei Defensor?, ?Generation Ecstasy? and ?Full Circle?, which were sent out to magazines, fanzines, record companies and the like. Most of the tapes received a warm reception from the magazines and fanzines etc., particularly the last two. Recording became more expensive though and, due to my inability to hold a band together for long, I rarely got the chance to play live. So I hung up my guitar and wrote fewer and fewer songs. I usually only wrote a song if there was something desperately clawing it?s way out, and as soon as the song was written it was just put away somewhere.
After a hiatus of about 5 years I recorded my first full length album, ?Whispering?. Whilst the process of recording the album was very enjoyable, I was a left a little flat by the finished product. So I decided that was that (again).
Mid-way through 2006, for no apparent reason, I just started writing songs again. These were songs that I thought were far better than most of the stuff I?d written in the past. So I decided to record them.
I got in touch with the first studio I?d ever recorded in. The studio owner, Lawson Dando, had recently returned from a stint as the keyboard player with the Incredible String Band and was keen to get back into production work. So everything seemed set.
I begged, borrowed and stole a group of musicians to record my new album ?Ancient Light?. We were aiming for a blend of U2, REM and Crowded House, but I?m sure a few other influences have found their way in there as well.
Rate
Songs