NickGCherryDot On the Making Of ‘The Perfect Storm’
How does 'The Perfect Storm' reflect your musical journey and growth as an artist?
I suppose looking at it in the context of where I've come from it is much more than just a culmination of 4 years. I feel this is more concentrated and flowing as a complete work. The songs intertwine and reflect the moods of highs and lows but maintain consistent melodies and strong hooks which are my benchmark. Whereas prior albums were more eclectic ranging from Heavy rock instrumentals (Thrash Dystopian Annihilation) to Blue Note derived Jazz (Jazz 53) so I suppose this is more listener-friendly in that you can see there is diversity but its small touches, like the jazz break solo in 'Moves You' and the vocals take more a centre stage and I love weaving their harmonies almost as much as running the frets on the bi phased solo of 'I Can'.
Can you talk about the recording and production process for 'The Perfect Storm?'
Blimey that could be a few words, ha! I would say now this being my 11th album I have a process and feel that works efficiently for me. I used to be the sort of guitarist where if you gave me 64 tracks well most of them would contain guitars so now with experience and more focus on self control in the process I can streamline this and stick to a more tried and tested regime. Thats not to say there isn't experimentation but whereas I would previously tinker with a track endlessly I now know what works so the process I suppose is more linear and efficient. 80% of my work comes from rough demos I record on a portable machine and it grows into some semblance of the finished track within a week or two.
Which song do you like the best and why?
Naturally, I like them all and there's a story behind each but to be more specific I'm immediately drawn to the opening track 'Can't Erase The Memory' as it transpired exactly how I wanted it, loads of layered harmonies and a sixties feel that's accented with a strong guitar line. Also 'Deja Vu Blues' which has so many traditional traits however I wanted to reinvigorate and reinvent the blues shuffle with a modern twist. Also 'Observations' as its Vocal harmony led and probably has more dialogue than most of my tracks it's compressed into a pop song format, it's alluring and addictive.
Can you share a bit about your musical background and the journey that led you to where you are today?
I'll keep this succinct, I have a very strong recollection of playing my sister's T Rex and Beatles records on an old player when I was 4. I started playing my first electric guitar at 15 (late compared to these days) and fell in love with the British Blues Boom guitarists from the 60’s.
My thirst for music was obsessive and is still ongoing now encompassing genres like Brit Pop, Northern Soul, Americana, Grunge, 90's metal scene, 1960's Blue Note, and Hammond organ-led groups, it's all there. I've played in so many different bands and venues but there was a break for family and I lost the momentum. This was renewed just prior to Covid where a combination of life changing events created the perfect storm that fuelled my desire to write and record.
How do you balance creativity and commercial success in your music career?
A good question! I feel my sound is highly commercial however the balance is finding that sweet spot where I satisfy my artistic/creative nature and also that of commerciality. I feel this album is pivotal given the positive media response so far. I find it fascinating how certain songs I wouldn't necessarily go to as favourites are extremely well received and I suppose with the growing body of work of circa 200 songs in under 4 years and given the range of styles I have that will continue and I love that as it excites and motivates for the next track..needless to say 2 weeks after 'The Perfect Storm' was released I have 3 new tracks at varying stages of work and their melodies are constantly playing in my mind...watch this space!
