Foy Vance Interview
Foy Vance is one of the best singer songwriters to herald from Northern Ireland in the last ten years. Foy’s voice has a unique depth, clarity and range, combine this with song’s such Homebird it is easy to see why Foy is receiving the attention he deserves around the globe. Foy took time out between gigs to talk to DigMo!
When did you start making music and what attracted you to guitar ?
I started immediately… Everyone I can think of in my family sang or instigated singing as a form of entertainment, so I was sort of born into it. Like many Irish people I guess.
The guitar was my Dad’s instrument of choice, so there was always one around as far back as I can remember. He taught me how to play the basic 12bar blues when I was 6 which is pretty much all I played on it until I was around 10 when I learnt ‘House of the rising sun’. The piano was always the instrument I was interested in though, and the one I could improvise songs on; that all changed when I heard Pearl Jam!
Who were your influences growing up ?
Hugh Vance (my Dad) was the first main influence… I was influenced as much in my early years by my family’s approach to music as I have been by everything that’s come after. Over the years I’ve been influenced by everything from; Stevie Wonder to the Sex Pistols, John Lennon to Nirvana, Jonny Cash to New Order, John Denver to Michael Jackson, Bob Dylan to the Who…the list goes on…
Even still I listen to and love music like Motown, Stacks, Country and Western, Blues, Folk, Hard Core, Punk, Metal, Funk, Creole, Dance, Alternative, Indie, Pop I could go on all day here… Essentially what I’m saying is, for me there are two type of music: Good and Bad
What was the music scene like in Northern Ireland growing up ?
I was unaware of a scene until I was about 17. The estate I grew up on wasn’t really open to one. Occasionally I’d find people living on the estate who had had a vibe going on, and I’d go round and listen to them DJ in there living room with 80s dance music, but I was never aware of them being involved in any scene. We all loved music, but lived in a bubble, as is often the case with estate mentality. Even when I joined my first real band (a grunge band called Morph) at 17 I thought we were surely one of very few bands in the local area…. As far as I can gather, there actually was a great scene in Bangor, but unfortunately I didn’t cotton on until way later.
Can you tell us who you have worked for to date, what have been the highlights ?
I assume you’re not wanting a run down of all my previous employers here, so I’ll spare you the extremely long and boring list… You don’t work for people in music; you work with them. I’ve always loved that about music. I’ve worked with a lot of people who have way more experience than me and who are far superior musicians/Artists but I’ve never felt any less or any more than them, and I’ve certainly never thought of these times as ‘working for’ them. It’s always just felt like sharing in something I happened to be learning a lot from.
Notable highlights to date have been singing ‘I’m One’ with Pete Townshend in New York… I was so impacted and influenced by ‘Quadraphenia’ when I saw it, it made me fill sick and peculiar. Singing this song with him was like a dream!
I finished each night of the tour with Bonnie Raitt singing a duet on ‘Angel from Montgomery’. This was topped, only by singing ‘I can’t make you love me’ to her down the phone a few weeks ago. I was playing it in the back of a car going to a party in Texas with a songwriter called Beth Nielsen Chapman who phoned Bonnie on her mobile so I could sing it to her….that was a moment.
There are so many more highlights, but not all of them would sound that great to the common ear, but they were wonderful to me… lowlights are the new highlights!
One big name you have worked with is Pete Townsend, what was it like the first time you met Pete ?
The first time? Uneventful. I said hello, he said hello, I did my sound check and then went for dinner. That was it until he sent word to me after the show (he’s girlfriend, Rachel Fuller was on a gig with me at Ronnie Scotts, which is how we met). He is an utter delight! He’s a very inspirational man, full of integrity and sideways advice.
You have had your music featured on TV programme sound tracks etc, that must be a weird sensation ?
I guess it is. It would feel more weird if it was on a programme I watched religiously, but being that that wasn’t the case with Grey’s Anatomy it didn’t feel too weird. I had songs in a couple of episodes but I only saw one of them.
Hearing my song ‘Indiscriminate act of kindness’ used for the Great Ormond Street Hospital appeal was pretty profound though…
If you had any advice to artists starting off in Northern Ireland what would be your top five tips ?
1: Forget industry, just make music
2: Play live as much as possible until you get your shit together, it’s the only thing that can’t be reproduced
3: Get yourself a residency, and be imaginative with it, using it as a breeding ground for ideas and collecting fans
4: Once you’ve got a following, record something (even better if it’s Lo-Fi) to give to them
5: When you’ve got a good live show, at least one release to your name, a following of people that dig what you do (thanks to BEBO, Myspace and youtube etc this needn’t be just on a local level)… Then you’re in a good position to take that momentum forward by approaching managers and labels etc…(or local radio if you want to take it a bit further yourself.)
Some of your recent work involves recording live loops, what equipment do you use on the road ?
I’ve just been using a loop station (Boss RC20) and a line 6 pod for effects up until a few weeks ago when I started using Guitar Rig3, via my laptop for the effects. Guitar Rig’s a great bit of kit altogether. I’m afraid I’m not much of a tech head though, so I may be leaving out vital information here. I rely on friends to advise me on this stuff usually.
We know you take a MacBook Pro on the road what recording software do you use and have any of your home recordings made to the album ?
I use Logic Pro, and my album is made up of home recordings pretty much. I bought all the gear I needed and headed into a cottage in the Mourne Mountains for two weeks, came out with two records, laid them on a wood block, chopped it down the middle with a sharp axe and hey presto – Hope was born.
What song gives you the greatest excitement to play live ?
The first one.
If you could have written any song in the world which one would you chose ?
It’s a coin toss between Amazing Grace and Anarchy in the UK
You recently featured in the itunes live series, what does the rest of 2008 have in store for FV ?
I have a Double AA side single coming out at the end of April (Shed a Little Light – Remix by Future Cut and Be With Me- Remix by The Free Association [aka David Holmes]). I’m doing a sort of joint exhibition with Joanne Vance, featuring the artwork from my album. I’ll sing songs from the album in the same space as the work will be hanging.
I’m recording a download only EP (for exclusive release on my site) with Leo Abrahams made up of songs written about Artists that inspired me. I’m touring the UK, Ireland and Europe in the next couple of months with the possibility of some more gigs in the USA and Japan. I’ll be working on a theatre project about sex, the next album and in between all that, trying to cultivate relationships… what are my chances do you think?
That’s some of what I’m planning to do, but as for what’s in store…? You’re guess is as good as mine…
Links :
FoysNoise.com
