A career spanning over 30 years, we find Myke Gray back in the frame with his new project Shades Of Gray, a veritable, bona fide hard rock hero who has probably seen more than most. He takes some time out here to have a natter with OriginalRock.net about the latest goings on in his musical journey and to give us the lowdown on lockdown.
How are you and how have you been coping during lockdown?
Lockdown has been tough for many reasons. It put me out of work for 14 months as a personal trainer more or less. My girlfriend lives in the US so I have only seen her for 4 weeks in the same 14 months, and of course it stopped musicians and bands from playing live music, so it’s probably been the worst year of my life. The making of the album has been the only thing that has kept me reasonably sane.
The single ‘Turn It Up Louder’ what was the inspiration behind it?
The inspiration behind the song is very much the feeling of missing live concerts and the incredible energy that is generated by band and audience.
Having been in the industry for such a long time what have been the highs and lows for you?
The highs are always the emotional connection that is made from the music, either by way of a live concert or knowing that your music is being played on the radio or enjoyed at home. I know that some of my songs have been played at weddings and funerals so to know that my music has had that impact is very humbling. The lows are the people who only see it as a way of making money. They feed of the creativity of others and once they are done bleeding the life out of one musician, they move on to another. The music Industry is very similar to the porn industry. It chews musicians up and spits them out knowing there will always be another one with the dream of fame and fortune.
With technology now more advanced in music, do you miss the fanfare and anticipation of release day?
Because I only create and release my own albums now, I find it all very stressful if I’m honest. Even something that sounds simple like making sure all the text on your album cover is correct can be time consuming and one error can ruin everything.
How do you write songs, do you work alone, and what comes first, the idea, music or lyrics?
I only write songs by myself now after 35 years of being in this industry it makes life a lot easier. Ive made big mistakes in the past giving people credit to people for things they had no hand in. Songs can come from many starting points. Sometimes I may want to use a particular title, a lot of times it comes from a certain guitar riff, but the end is always very different from the beginning. Each song is a journey and I try to approach them like a movie, a beginning that grabs your attention and a climax at the end based around an emotional storyline that captures the imagination.
What does music mean to you, how would you define its essence?
Music is my life; it consumes my every waking moment.
Is there any subject matter you would not write about?
If it captures my imagination, then I will write about it. I don’t believe in any kind of censorship in fact I am adamantly opposed to it. If you are offended by something then that is your problem, and not the problem of the person who wrote it.
Would you be a superhero or a supervillain and what powers would you have?
I walk the line between both, depends on what day you catch me and on what subject matter. I think giving me any sort of power wouldn’t be a good thing because I would abuse it without mercy on a bad day.
What was the first song you wrote?
I started writing very early around 11 or 12 and was probably an instrumental but I don’t remember the names. The first proper song I wrote was You Don’t Love Me by Jagged Edge which came after about 8 years of trying to write. Writing bad songs is very easy but writing good songs is really hard.
What are the plans going forward, I appreciate they may be sketchy right now as the industry has taken a beating this last year?
Just getting my album out and into the hands of the people who pre ordered it will be a huge relief, and then like everyone else I will be hoping for a return to live gigs. I am playing at this year’s Stonedead Festival which I am very much looking forward to.