{"id":12028,"date":"2015-07-10T18:54:51","date_gmt":"2015-07-10T17:54:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/?p=12028"},"modified":"2015-07-15T09:35:14","modified_gmt":"2015-07-15T08:35:14","slug":"we-chat-to-tim-muddiman-and-the-strange","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/2015\/07\/we-chat-to-tim-muddiman-and-the-strange\/","title":{"rendered":"We Chat to Tim Muddiman and The Strange"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Tim Muddiman and The Strange is a band with a sound that’s fresh and song-driven, with heavy\u00a0trem\u00a0guitar hooks, crafted drum breaks and clever studio programming. Frontman Tim Muddiman is a producer and guitarist\/bass player\u00a0with Gary Numan’s band. He also plays guitar for Pop Will Eat Itself and\u00a0recently finished producing their soon to be released album.<\/strong><\/em><\/h4>\n

Tim Muddiman and The Strange cite musical influences from Bjork to Fleetwood Mac, Nine Inch Nails, as well as 80s Electro and Blues.\u00a0The band consists of other musicians from a professional touring background. They’ve played full capacity shows at The Sebright Arms and Camden Rocks Festival They have had extensive\u00a0radio play\u00a0with\u00a0XFM championing their debut release Wildwood Stone’ and B-Side Track, ‘Strangers’.<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/h4>\n

EP: You’ve worked for a variety of different bands over time Tim, including Gary\u00a0Numan’s. Is it a different experience heading your own band, and if so how\/why? Is\u00a0the band a democracy or do you rule from the top?<\/strong><\/p>\n

TM: It is different because this time it is solely my music. I recorded and wrote\u00a0everything. However there are similarities that I have adopted from working with\u00a0some true pioneers. I adapt a similar ethic in writing music and how it is going to be\u00a0translated live. It is essentially my band but I have a great band of musicians and\u00a0friends. Their opinion on how they want to play the parts and the sounds they want to\u00a0use is as valid as mine. It\u2019s an organic approach with people that I respect creatively\u00a0and ethically.<\/p>\n

EP: How would you describe your music to those who aren’t familiar with it?<\/strong><\/p>\n

TM: Dare I say that it\u2019s original?\u00a0Nothing is\u00a0original but it is still unique…<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a\u00a0straight up combination of everything that I love. It\u2019s true to my education and my\u00a0love of groove and sound. Lyrically its generally personal or a reflection of what I\u00a0might be thinking that day or what\u2019s consuming me mentally.\u00a0I can hear my influences all over it like Rockabilly, NIN, Fleetwood Mac, Neil Young\u00a0etc.<\/p>\n

EP: You say on your PledgeMusic site, “To survive with my lust for musicality and it\u00a0forever living on my shoulders and in every cell I have started a new band” – is this\u00a0something you’ve always experienced, or is there a specific time you can remember\u00a0really getting into it?<\/strong><\/p>\n

TM: Yes I\u2019ve always experienced it. My first memories are music. Elvis, Rock’n’Roll, Neil\u00a0Young, Crosby Stills and Nash, Bob Dylan then New York Electro\/ Hip Hop. The\u00a0thing is that although I\u2019ve always been consumed by music I didn\u2019t put it right at the\u00a0front of everything. It was always really close but not 100% at the front. Since doing\u00a0that never felt happier in my whole life and I\u2019m not compromising that for anything.<\/p>\n

So by that comment I was simply stating that if I don\u2019t do this now I may as well\u00a0forget it. I couldn\u2019t be a hobby musician. That would kill me. I care and love songs\u00a0too much. Now it\u2019s all or nothing as a musician.<\/p>\n

EP: What was your PledgeMusic experience like? Would you recommend it to other\u00a0bands?<\/strong><\/p>\n

TM: It was fantastic. It was a really exciting few months. I\u2019ve picked up some fans and\u00a0friends with playing in other bands like Gary Numan and PWEI and had a pretty\u00a0healthy social media following. I spoke with Pledge and they suggested by the\u00a0statistics to go for it. So I worked my ass off and updated the campaign regularly.\u00a0Pledge were also very supportive and I\u2019d recommend them to any one. It is such a\u00a0great way to test the water and find out who your fans are.<\/p>\n

EP: Talk us through your latest song, ‘Rolling Stones’.<\/strong><\/p>\n

TM: Rolling Stones was actually written about 4 years ago as an electronic track. The\u00a0lyrics were very different but the vocal melody very similar. Every now and then my\u00a0iTunes would play it and I\u2019d be wow! …What\u2019s this? Then realising it was this little\u00a0tune I\u2019d written ages ago. So just after starting the Pledge campaign I stripped it\u00a0right back and played what guitar felt right to it. Then I just kept going and going\u00a0and going. It was similar to painting. I just kept adding and taking away layers until\u00a0it was complete. Every thing is in there. Blues\/Folk\/Industrial\/Hip\u00a0Hop\/Rockabilly\/Grunge. I\u2019m really pleased with it…<\/p>\n

EP: What’s your take on the current state of the Music Industry, and what advice do you\u00a0have for those who are just getting started in it?<\/strong><\/p>\n

TM: I think artists and the industry will always debate and criticise the current state of the\u00a0record industry. I\u2019ve read and heard it in documentaries from every age. I believe\u00a0there are massive advantages and disadvantages to the times we\u2019re in. Gone are the\u00a0days of an A&R man turning up at your gig by fluke or sending in a fancy demo\u00a0package that you slaved over for months. Technology has helped the poorest of\u00a0musicians. I should know.<\/p>\n

With a laptop and internet connection there is no excuse\u00a0to not get things out there these days. The opportunities are there right on your\u00a0screen. That\u2019s where the A&R people hang out these days. A lot comes down to will,\u00a0determination and obviously good music\/art.<\/p>\n

The flip side to this is this obvious great\u00a0situation is that new music had never been so popular. To quote Tom\u00a0Robinson, \u201cthere is too much new music\u201d. So it makes it still difficult to get heard.<\/p>\n

The other disadvantage is the financial situation the music industry is facing…The\u00a0streaming situation has ruined record sales and I am no expert on knowing how that\u00a0can change, to be honest. As a consumer it is like a miracle that one can pay a few\u00a0quid a month and listen to what they want but I think that it is incredibly unjustified\u00a0for a musician who has spent their whole life crafting their skills.<\/p>\n

I think if I knew\u00a0how to get people back in to record shops and stop this whole streaming and free\u00a0downloading thing I would. The best times in my life have been buying new albums\u00a0from shops and getting home and treasuring it like it belonged only to me!! The artwork and the whole feeling of being consumed by it was always wonderful to me. Now it is all out there everywhere. It\u2019s lost something very special. It makes me\u00a0sad. So my advice is if you\u2019re going to start learn your craft. Learn everything and be\u00a0the best.<\/p>\n

EP: What’s been your best career memory so far?<\/strong><\/p>\n

TM: My first tour of America with Gary Numan, We played pretty much the whole of the\u00a0states and hit all four corners. It was a real dream come true.<\/p>\n

EP: Top three songs in your music collection right now?<\/strong><\/p>\n

TM: 1) FKA TWIGS, Glass and Patron<\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 2) Nick Cave, We Real Cool<\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 3) Nina Simone, Sinnerman.<\/p>\n

EP: What question do you wish someone would ask you in an interview, but nobody\u00a0ever does?<\/strong><\/p>\n

TM: Q: Would you like an easy and simple existence?\u00a0A: ?<\/p>\n

Tim Muddiman and The Strange are performing at the Old Queen’s Head, Islington, on 15 July. Tickets are available here<\/a>. You can buy ‘Wildwood Stone’ on iTunes<\/a> or via their merchandise store<\/a>.<\/p>\n

You can find Tim Muddiman and The Strange on their official website<\/a>, Twitter<\/a>, Facebook<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, YouTube<\/a> and Vimeo<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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