A Chat with The Gaffer (13.08.20)
All the way from Edinburgh, The Gaffer is an alternative rock musician who writes and records music from his bedroom. Drawing influence from a melting pot of artists, such as Carly Rae Jepsen, Weezer and Simon and Garfunkel, The Gaffer aims to create diverse tracks for his listener. We spoke with The Gaffer about his debut EP There’s No Such Thing As Bad Weather, favourite songs and future plans.
OSR: Why did you decide to pursue a solo career after playing with various bands?
The Gaffer: I always loved playing in bands and working together with like-minded people to create good sounds, however, time became an issue when I began a full-time teaching job. With the limited spare time I had to make music, I wanted to focus on creating enough art that I could look back on with pride in the future. I think that with those limitations in mind it made more sense for me to take charge of it all as a solo artist.
OSR: You are a multi-instrumentalist, but which instrument do you still want to learn to play?
The Gaffer: The piano. I’ve winged playing basic chords on the piano for far too long. It’s definitely time for me to learn what I’m actually supposed to be doing with it!
OSR: How would you describe your debut EP There’s No Such Thing As Bad Weather?
The Gaffer: It’s an alternative rock EP that has a few twists and turns along the way. It’s a raw affair in places and I would describe it as an authentic peek into the thoughts that fly through my head most of the time. It’s also got some catchy choruses.
OSR: What can you tell us about the new EP?
The Gaffer: The EP is the most professional item of music that I’ve ever recorded. After ten years of taking responsibility for everything when recording my own music, I finally bit the bullet and went for proper mixing and mastering from someone who knows what he’s doing, and commissioned session drums to give the songs that extra rhythmic boost. I really see There’s No Such Thing As Bad Weather as me showcasing what I can offer as an artist and, in my opinion, it includes the best four songs I’ve written to date.
OSR: If you could change one thing about the EP what would it be and why?
The Gaffer: I wish that it was one second shorter. The running length came to 15 minutes and 1 second after mastering. How annoying is that?
OSR: You released a music video two weeks before the EP drops. Why did you decide to do this?
The Gaffer: I wanted to launch my announcement of the EP with something fun and exciting. I’ve also never really been involved with any visual productions for my music, so I thought that those interested in the songs might appreciate me finally making the effort to embarrass myself on video!
OSR: What can you tell us about the music video?
The Gaffer: It’s cheaply made, but it’s also a lot of fun! My former bandmates Ewen and Liam helped me to film the video and they insisted that it included a very loose narrative involving a duck. There was no point even arguing when they got this idea into their heads.
OSR: The video is for the lead single ‘Throw Me Off’. How did you decide on ‘Throw Me Off’ being the lead and not one of the other tracks?
The Gaffer: ‘Throw Me Off’ is a massive source of pride to me as a songwriter. I wrote it when I was 19, and when it all finally came together back then it was my first successful attempt at making an energetic, catchy alternative rock song. I also feel like it’s a good representation of what I was aiming for with the EP as a whole.
OSR: Name three of your all-time favourite songs.
The Gaffer: That’s a tough question because my answer changes every time I think about it! ‘God Only Knows’ by The Beach Boys, ‘The Universal’ by Blur, and ‘Today’ by The Smashing Pumpkins.
OSR: What is your very first memory?
The Gaffer: When I was almost two, I remember throwing sand at a Portobello Beach. I’ve very proud that I can actually remember that!
OSR: What does the future hold for The Gaffer?
The Gaffer: I really want to get back on stage. I had made plans for live shows this summer, even arranging musicians to help me out and what setlists we would play, but for obvious reasons none of that happened which is a shame. I’m excited to perhaps perform in the near distant future, but other than that I’m going to keep writing and recording until I’m sick of my own voice! I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the quality of some of the songs I’ve put together recently, so when I’ve got my energy back and some free time I’m going to make some good new tunes.
Thanks to The Gaffer for chatting with us! You can find more about him on his Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Spotify.
