Project Description
Interview with
TOM CHRISTIE
by Dave Bruce
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Q: How did it all begin? Where did you develop your interest in performing music to an audience? What was your first big break that told you “I am in the right place”?
A: My Mum’s a music teacher so I was exposed to a lot of music from an early age, and I probably started learning guitar when I was eleven or twelve. I started doing professional gigs in 2017 –I’m still a somewhat anxious performer, but playing regularly is really what’s allowed me to develop musically, especially in terms of my singing voice.
I’m not sure I can point to a specific lightbulb moment as far as knowing I’m in the right place – it’s just something I’ve gradually realised in the few years since finishing high school, to the point I’m at now where I can’t really see anything else but music being my main thing.
Q: What kind of music did you grow up on? Which artists inspired you?
A: They’re two separate questions I guess. I think the first band I really loved was Kiss, and later on as a teenager I was really into Queen, but neither band has any great influence on what I’m doing now. The groups that have most inspired me as a songwriter over the last couple years would probably be The Zombies, The Kinks, and The Beach Boys. That sort of pop-rock material from the mid-late 60’s is really what I’m drawing on when I write my own stuff.
Q: We all live busy lives and seem time poor. How do you find the balance between your everyday life and your musical one.
A: It’s very difficult, especially at such an early stage where the amount of work I put into my own material doesn’t necessarily translate into any substantial income.
I was working two jobs in the first half of 2018, and I eventually quit one of them – I realised I was never going to get the chance to record unless I made that time for myself, which also meant putting myself in a financially precarious position for a while. It’s definitely a strain, but it’s okay in that I’m fairly young and nobody else is relying on me financially.
So to answer the question directly, it’s probably not a clean balance, more a case of devoting different periods of time to different pursuits.
Q: With your Debut Album “Canopy”, can you describe its origins and evolution? I know how challenging the creative and producing process can be. How good did it feel to complete?
A: The first songs for the album were written in early 2017 – “I Have to Make You See” was the first, then “In the Rain” and “Guess I’m Changing”. I’d been really frustrated with my previous writing efforts, and I think those songs were therapeutic in a way, in that I was allowing myself to write sensitive music, and also embracing themes of failure and self-doubt in the lyrics I was writing.
It didn’t evolve too drastically from there – the songs I wrote thereafter were written with the initial set of songs as a template. The main evolution probably came when I started recording the material in the second half of 2018. I’d recorded stuff at home before, but I needed this to sound professional, so that was a real learning curve.
There were many obstacles, especially during recording. The windows and doors in my house aren’t properly sealed, so often it would rain overnight, and then I’d be unable to record the next day, because the moisture in the air would get into the diaphragm of the mic and ruin the signal. I had a couple of really low moments where I thought it just wasn’t meant to be, so to now have a finished product is a huge relief and also a very proud feeling.
Q: Which tracks would you call “signature” pieces for you?
A: That’s tough… I guess I’d go back to those three songs that were the core of the album when I started writing it – “I Have to Make You See”, “In the Rain”, and “Guess I’m Changing”. The latter isn’t the most commercial by any means, but I feel those three together are a good representation of what I was trying to do with the album as a whole.
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Q: What is your favorite track on the album and why?
A: “Thinking of You” is probably the song I feel most personally connected with now, and it’s also the one I’m proudest of in terms of the actual recording. I recorded it pretty quickly, but it seemed to come together very naturally in terms of arrangement, and the whole thing feels like a unified statement. In pure songwriting terms, I think “I Have to Make You See” is probably the best thing I’ve done.
Q: Are there any videos in the pipeline?
A: Not at this stage. It’s probably a bit naïve of me to try and peddle a whole album when today’s market is very much singles and video, but at the same time, the last thing I want to do is have video just for the sake of it. It would have to be adding something meaningful.
Q: If someone had never listened to Canopy before, what song of yours would you recommend if they could only listen to one?
A: “Everyone Wants the Same Thing” is probably the best entry point – it’s the first track on the album, and it’s the one that’s been picked up on the most on community radio. It’s uptempo and straight to the point.
Q: Do you plan to tour the Album? If not, any headline or support dates coming up in the near future?
A: I plan to do shows in some capacity, likely later in 2019. Not sure yet if that’ll be a full band or solo situation. My ultimate goal would be to get a band together and do the songs as they sound on the record, but whether or not I’ll be able to make that happen in the near future remains to be seen. Keep an eye on my social media for updates on that front, anyway.
Q: If you could pick absolutely anyone to bring on tour with you, whom would you pick and why? (Dead or Alive)
A: Good question… Maybe Hal Blaine on drums and Ron Brown on bass. My all time favourite singer is probably Carl Wilson – just to have the chance to see him sing on stage would be a pretty incredible experience.
Q: What are your major goals or milestones for the future?
A: Right now my main goal is to finish writing for a second album. I have eight songs that are more or less done, so I’m not far off, but the last ones are always the hardest. I won’t get to recording it for a while yet – I’ve set myself the goal to have it out before I turn 24, which gives me a year and a half.
Q: Finally, this is a paragraph dedicated to some quick discovery. Really corny, but for the fans, can you tell me your favorite album, artist, movie, place, drink, meal and person (living or dead) and some brief reasons why? Answer some or all please?
A: Favourite album: Changes often, but ones I come back to are McCartney’s “Ram”, The Basics’ “Get Back”, and “The Beach Boys Today!”.
Favourite artist: I think George Martin (the producer) can’t be overstated, and Geoff Emerick too. It’s not talked about as often as it should be, but they really blew it open in terms of what you can do with sound recording. Artistically, I think that’s just as important as anything else.
Favourite movie: Something by Stanley Kubrick probably. A Clockwork Orange has some of my favourite music and cinematography out of any movie I can think of.
Favourite place: I’ve only been there once, but possibly Tokyo.
Favourite drink: I like juice a lot. I’ll say orange juice.
Favourite meal: Any good pasta.
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