When did the initial idea for your latest single ‘Monday Is Calling’ come together?
The single is the fourth track from my third and favourite album, “Friends & Family Vol. 2” and like the previous album, is dedicated to friends and family members, both past and present. I wanted to write a song for some special friends with whom we enjoy many a Monday either visiting historic places in England or just having boozy afternoons and lunches (the latter my preference). Who said they don’t like Mondays!
How would you describe the track, to a reader that is unfamiliar with the band?
May I say, that I am a solo artist and producer rather than a band. My full name is Steve Skidmore, which is boring, so I use the name my friends christened me with – ’Skidders’. I am happy to report, that comes from my surname and not the state of my underpants. All my tracks are my own compositions, produced by myself. I cannot sing to save my life, so 95% of my tracks are instrumental. The remaining 5% are either tongue in cheek tracks or I draft proper singers in.
As for the track, like most of my tracks, it is a guitar instrumental. It has blues, 60’s RnB and jazz connotations. I used a 50th Anniversary Stratocaster and I am really pleased with the sound achieved. My good friend, musician and sound engineer, Paul Hogg (aka The Ox), did an amazing job mastering the album.
Can you tell us a bit more about the meaning behind the track?
I met David Bristoll working at an Engineering company in Pershore. I quickly found out we had a very similar sense of humour and enjoyed arranging many practical jokes, that normally ended up going well, but sometimes we rode our luck. David is amazingly practical and has built beach buggies, clocks, banjos (he doesn’t play any instruments, but fancied making one) and his latest project is building bottom up, an old Volkswagen Beetle.
David’s wife, Siân and her mother, Margaret, are also terrific friends and terrific fun. We’ve holidayed together and now David does not work Mondays, we look forward to ‘Monday’ picnics and pub lunch outings as regularly as we can make.
How would you say that the track compares to anything you’ve done before?
The track has a unique sound compared to anything else I have done. It took a lot of time and (enjoyable) effort to complete and perfect. It is one of my favourite compositions and I hope the love and attention I put into its making can be heard by listeners.
What was the hardest part about putting it together, and why?
Technically, it was very demanding and as it is using a ‘clean’ guitar, there is zero tolerance for imperfection. For example, “Aunty Bulgaria”, my last single, used overdrive and meant sustain and various other nuances were easier to achieve than on clean guitar. I also spent a lot of time on ‘Monday Is Calling’ developing riffs and melody lines to keep the song vibrant and not predictable. It is easy to go into cliché riffs and runs; you hear it all the time and I wanted to avoid that. From my own viewpoint, I believe I succeeded.
Why should a reader check out the track?
There is nothing to dislike about the track, in my humble opinion. If it is the kind of music you are into, I’ll be immodest and just say, it’s blummin’ awesome! I’m just really pleased with it – I hope listeners will similarly like it. Give it a go – it’s free from my website!
What else can you tell us about the track, that we haven’t covered in this interview?
David often enjoyed forays with my late brother in law, Bob, particularly when my home brew was on tap. Bob features on track 6 of “Friends & Family Vol. 2” with the composition “Bobby Dazzler”, but that for another interview!
Thanks to Original Rock for the opportunity of this interview and I wish all its readers health, wealth and happiness. And be safe!
YouTube video – https://youtu.be/ybVjL2kGL0o
Apple Music – https://music.apple.com/gb/album/monday-is-calling-single/1647902082
Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/track/01Cd4tebBjRkxQHVL5y6zt?si=7332453b3e3144c7
Amazon Music – https://music.amazon.co.uk/albums/B0BH17J16C?marketplaceId=A1F83G8C2ARO7P&musicTerritory=GB&ref=dm_ew_al_0_0_vscl
Soundcloud – https://on.soundcloud.com/mVbw9
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