{"id":7685,"date":"2014-09-02T09:51:46","date_gmt":"2014-09-02T09:51:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/195.21.21.161\/epop\/?p=7685"},"modified":"2015-01-17T21:42:31","modified_gmt":"2015-01-17T21:42:31","slug":"andy-ruddy-exclusive-interview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/2014\/09\/andy-ruddy-exclusive-interview\/","title":{"rendered":"Essentially Pop Talks to Andy Ruddy"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Andy<\/a><\/p>\n

Andy Ruddy is proof that you can take a man out of a northern town but you can’t take the northern town out of the boy.<\/p>\n

Although now living down south, he grew up in Bradford, West Yorkshire, and draws upon the rich musical heritage of his hometown.<\/p>\n

Singer\/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Andy releases his debut EP, ‘On This Great Day’ on the 29th of this month. It’s a stunning montage of contemporary acoustic indie\/folk, drawing you in and submerging you deep into a cool well of mellow magical music.<\/p>\n

‘On This Great Day’ has been produced by Fraser Smith (formerly of Shed 7), and it’s a blend of old and new, youthful exuberance and ambition, merged with nostalgia. With that in mind, we thought it was high time the world got to know about him!<\/p>\n

Andy! Give us your life story in a nutshell!<\/p>\n

Born and bred in Bradford to Glaswegian parents. I had a very confused accent as a child before the Yorkshire accent won the day. Studied Law at the Uni of Manchester. Songwriting was my favoured procrastination technique. I wrote 2 albums’ worth of stuff which probably tells you alot about what I thought of the degree. You could say I’m on the run from the Law.<\/b><\/p>\n

Haha! Your Twitter bio describes you as Bradfordian – do you feel Bradford and West Yorkshire as a whole has had a big influence on your music?<\/p>\n

It’s been a huge influence. I was blown away by the songwriting talent in Bradford as a teenager. It’s such a gritty and characterful place. I remember many of the bands having a very direct style lyrically and that resonated with me going forward with my own music. <\/b><\/p>\n

Give us the background about the “On This Great Day” video. What’s the inspiration?<\/p>\n

It’s quite a surreal portrayal on how different people perceive time and I liked (director) Mat O’Brien’s idea about using old-school pocket watches. Some people are constantly in a rush, some people are running the clock down willing time to go by. ‘On This Great Day’ is a song about being brave enough to live your own life and resist living by others’ time frames. We wanted to play those pocket watch visuals off the musical narrative in a cinematic way. <\/b><\/p>\n

Who are your musical influences?<\/p>\n

Neil Finn and Peter Gabriel were my earliest musical memories. I’d say both are subtle influences melodically. I remember being transfixed with Damien Rice’s ‘O’ and David Gray’s ‘White Ladder’ as a teenager. Also, Aqualung, Elton John and Coldplay were the reason I stuck at piano. So yes – heavy metal music is basically my thing. <\/strong><\/p>\n

Love Neil Finn! You’ve got your first EP coming out on the 29th. How would you describe it? Genre, favourite songs, themes…is it a concept album or are all songs stand-alone?<\/p>\n

It is an acoustic guitar-led mini-concept EP in a way. The first track is from the viewpoint of a 16 year old and the last track is from that of an old man. The first 2 tracks are full of youthful exuberance- the final 2 are reflective.<\/b><\/p>\n

It’s a mini-timeline – and my album is the full extension of that idea. ‘If The Years Are Kind’ is a brand new track and is my favourite on the EP.<\/b><\/p>\n

What advice do you have for others about to start on their musical journey (cheesy!)?<\/p>\n

Never judge yourself or your ideas too harshly. I read a book recently called ‘Creativity Inc’ by one of the main men at Disney-Pixar. It said that every idea essentially starts as a ‘bad’ idea in its early stages. I find songwriting very similar. Your job is to stay positive about its potential, protect the idea and develop it before judging it. <\/b><\/p>\n

Tell us one of your hopes and dreams!<\/p>\n

Bradford City back in the Premier League. Oh, musically? Continuing to write and record songs is the dream because that’s what I love. But I’m proud of the album and lots of people hearing it would be a bonus.<\/b><\/p>\n

Thoughts on TV talent shows as a means of kickstarting a career in music?<\/p>\n

It depends on the nature of your talent. For popstar types it is a legitimate route. For singer-songwriters, it is riskier territory. <\/b><\/p>\n

How important is your social media presence to you?<\/p>\n

Social media is hugely important nowadays for any musician. I try to focus on quality over quantity so it can be tricky keeping up the pace. But as a platform for sharing music, it is fantastic.<\/b><\/p>\n

How’s Bradford City going? How do you rate their chances?<\/p>\n

It’s early days but<\/b> I saw them win away at Crawley the other week and was very impressed. And we beat Leeds the other night which was a first in my lifetime – so its looking good!<\/b><\/p>\n

Check out Andy Ruddy’s blog, which can be found on his website<\/a>, and listen to him on his Soundcloud<\/a>. Watch the great video for the title track of ‘On This Great Day’:<\/p>\n