5 Q&A With Blissful Red
What was the creative process like for “Front Street (Gone For Good)?”
Quite painful, to be honest, as you can probably tell by the lyrics. It was more a case of feeling like I had to write the song rather than actually wanting to write it.
Were there any specific recording techniques or equipment used to achieve the desired sound?
The studio where I record had replaced Pro Tools with something else that neither me nor Andy the engineer were familiar with, so we found ourselves learning as we went along. I'd also wanted some kind of wah effect on the guitar tracks, but it was only when we were setting up for the first take that I realised my pedal wasn't working, so I ended up just plugging directly into the desk. All these things combined led to something pretty bare and lo-fi, but I actually think it suits the song quite well.
What did you enjoy most about making “Front Street (Gone For Good)?”
I think that most of the enjoyment, if you can call it that, came from just getting the song finished, so that it wasn't just an idea in my head or words on a bit of paper. I'm quite obsessive about tying up loose ends, so a guaranteed way of driving me crazy would be to have incomplete music just lying around, unrecorded. Especially if it's a song that means as much to me as this one does.
Can you share a bit about your musical background and the journey that led you to where you are today?
I first started playing guitar when I was a teenager, but it wasn't until I reached my mid twenties that I really started to write and record songs on a more consistent basis. I think, like most people, that it was just a way of expressing myself in the beginning. Then inevitably I started judging and critiquing, trying to make the next song better than the last one, whatever that meant. I realised pretty quickly that I'd hit a dead end at this point, but finding your way back to making music just for the fun of it isn't easy. I'm not there yet I don't think, but I'm still trying.
Where do you find inspiration for your songs or musical ideas?
Most of my songs are autobiographical. Now and then I've found myself singing the name of a TV character or musician when I've been writing the vocal melody and that's led to me making them the subject of the actual song, but I always end up going back to my own life sooner or later, because that's the only subject I really feel qualified to talk about. In terms of musical ideas, I think it's all about how well you can mine your own influences. For me, there's a fine line between having good taste and being a good thief, and I probably end up falling the wrong side of that line if I'm being honest. People might turn a blind eye to this if the song's strong enough, but if it's not, then all you can do is just hope that they don't notice.