Paul Askew is a singer-songwriter who has recently released his single, When The Sun Came Up. Sam Millne caught up with him…
When did you start playing/singing music?
I started playing music when I was 15 after getting into The Beatles. Initially, I just wanted to learn all their songs on guitar and not sing, as the songs were so good melodically.
It wasn’t until I was around 17 when I started singing, as that’s when I started writing. My writing began after bands like Oasis and The La’s tipped me over the edge in terms of songwriting inspiration.
What/who got you into music?
I feel my Dad has a lot to answer for in terms of my musical interest. I look back and I can trace many of the artists I like to the holidays we used to do as a family – which which we’d be driving with his music on.
Artists like The Beatles, Bowie, Metallica, The Smiths, ELO, and Keane were just some of the things he played regularly.
Much of the stuff I heard back when I was a child in those journeys ended up being critical to me, such as The Beatles and The Smiths.
I feel my mum also had a part, she’s really into country music and older stuff. The likes of Johnny Cash was played a lot at my grandparents when she was there, which I believe filtered through, as there’s a lot of old rock n roll and folk influences in some of my songs.
At the time, though, I didn’t really pay any attention to what I was hearing, as I wasn’t generally interested in music up until around 14/15 (my Beatles awakening). I do believe it must have sunk in somewhere though, as a lot of those artists from my childhood are ones that I rate now.
Who do you think are your biggest music influences?
I always think of the magic four, The Beatles, Oasis, The Smiths, and The La’s. They’re in every song I write really, whether it’s a big or small influence.
There are lots of other honourable mentions such as The Strokes, Catfish & The Bottlemen, Arctic Monkeys, and the 1975, but those at first four are the critical ones.
Songwriters really inspire me too, as well as the concepts of artists and bands. That is, it’s not just the Beatles collectively that inspire me,, it’s John and Paul individually too.
Them, plus Noel Gallagher, Brian Wilson, Bob Dylan, Van McCann, and Stevie Nicks, are some of my top influences as songwriters.
I think admiring and studying songwriters individually can enable you to garner some greater inspiration too, because you’re peering into their life through their songs and interviews. You can potentially relate and understand what they’re about, more so than just listening to their music as part of their band for instance.
What was the thinking behind moving away from a band to go solo?
I had this fantasy of being in a band and being the sole singer-songwriter of it. I think because my favourite musicians were in this situation such as Lee Mavers, Noel Gallagher etc.
Long story short, it didn’t really work out. I discovered that I need to be in control of all my artistry as I’ve got too many ideas that I want executing. When I write, I don’t just produce the words and music, I’m thinking of a bass line and drum pattern to accompany automatically.
As a result, I learned that being in a democratic band set-up limited me.
I wasn’t fully satisfied unless I had the final say over each part of the songs, which isn’t fair as you’re then shoving off ideas from bandmates who are meant to be equal. So, going solo was great as it meant I could be in full control of what I wanted to do.
Don’t get me wrong though, I’m currently rehearsing with my backing band now (a new set-up for me, with our first gig April 25th at The Jacaranda, Liverpool) and I love hearing the ideas they offer.
If anything, it’s what I want if I haven’t got a part written, as it shows they’re into the tunes and want to build on them. Often, times what the lads present is top too and I’ll end up getting it in as part of that certain song for the live sets.
So, it’s a good system I’ve got now, as I can always have the final say as it’s my name above the door.
How would you describe the style of music you write?
I’d say catchy guitar pop is what I write. There’s some folk in there, along with some indie pop and rock but at the end of the day, it’s all guitar-based and strong with the melody.
What’s your songwriting process like?
I always start with a gem of an idea, which can be a song title, a chord progression, or a lead line, for instance. These gems 99% of the time come organically, I’ll be fiddling with my guitar and have an idea on the spot.
I never sit and try and write something catchy, it tends to just form. After I find something, I’ll usually record this on my phone and come back to it later.
Once I’m in the space to write, I basically play around with what I’ve got, and just see where the feeling takes me. It’s difficult to explain, but I’ll just try and visualise the melody and what would sound right next.
As a result, the words and lyrics are done at the same time usually. I love songwriting, though, and I take great care to try and write a better song than my last.
What’s next?
I’ve got a few gigs coming up around Merseyside with my backing band, the first ones with them, so I’m focusing on that at the moment with promotion and rehearsals.
I’ve just released a new song too which I recorded fully at home called ‘When The Sun Came Up’.
I’m very proud of it and am also promoting that song a lot too, with big radio presenters and promo pages. It was recently played by a radio hero of mine, Gary Crowley on BBC Radio London, which was a huge buzz and something I’m very grateful for.
I’d love the chance to play a popular festival sometime soon, as it’s one of the few things I’ve yet to achieve whilst solo.
But, I do believe once the band is settled, with the gigs, we will be more than ready to attack a festival slot sometime soon.
You can listen to When The Sun Came Up here.
You can follow Paul Askew here.
Mersey Music 