What was the beginning pint for your music career? How did it all start?
My 1st pint…….
Anyway ever since my young teenage years I have been playing in various bands . Within my youth club there were a couple of rival bands but we used to arrange gigs to travel around the county playing various places together. This may sound idyllic but the reality was that I grew up in a very violent area and rival gangs were always causing problems at these events, many the time when we were locked in dressing rooms awaiting the police to arrive- those were some of the scariest gigs I have ever played
Was there any bumps on the road? What kind of challenges did you have to deal with?
Bumps usually equals people – I have had members come and go over various bands or projects and often it is a case of one step forwards 2 steps back but you need to have the drive and the goals if you want to proceed.
What was the most fulfilling and satisfying moment so far?
Finding the right people, creating music together, playing gigs together and sharing the goodtimes. GHASTLY MURDER is currently a solo project with a very loose structure in terms of band members & I kind of like that freedom although I do plan to form a permanent line up for live events and writing soon.
How would you describe the music that you typically create?
I think the music of GHASTLY MURDER has a heart of darkness but the sound is always guitar and drum driven and full of energy even if the subject matter of some of the songs can be gloomy
What is your creative process like?
Sometimes I will start with a phrase or I have a story in mind and write a lyric from that. Other times the music will come first and I follow a chord structure on guitar or other times I will challenge myself by writing on an instrument that I can not play just to see what happens
If you could change anything about the industry, what would it be?
I don’t like anyone who goes out of their way to exploit a bands situation. I have in the distant past met many a shyster or dealt with someone who has asked if the band want to play for exposure and then failed to promote the event- what is the point of these people? Why exploit musicians at that level- they are never rich!
If you were asked to give a piece of advice to upcoming bands, what would that be?
Be yourselves, avoid chasing the tail of other bands or even trying to sound like them unless you want to be a tribute act- be unique and dare to be different
What has been the best performance of your career so far?
Ever? So many but I do like a festival crowd that is ‘up for it’ from the get go.I experienced that right after the lockdown and we got back into playing shows. We played one at The Black Heart in Camden and the joint was jumping from song 1 . The energy level in the room was fantastic
If you didn’t become a musician, what would you be doing now?
Something in pornography……. Or something involving creativity such as film making, writing or painting- I went to art school so maybe something related to that.
What is new with the band at the moment? What are you currently working on and would like to share with the world?
GHASTLY MURDER have in the process of releasing our EP’The Rise & Demise Of Gory Emminence’ – It is a 6 song ep and we are releasing it track by track the latest song to escape from it is a dark ditty called CHLOROFORM. You can find it and other songs here
https://ghastlymurder.bandcamp.com/
or on the usual platforms
We plan to expand on the EP and produce an albums worth of songs that would all be loosely connected to the world of GHASTLY MURDER – you can keep in touch with our antics here
https://www.facebook.com/MrEsGHASTLYREDRUM.UK
