Here is a Q&A with singer-songwriter Shaun Clark. He talks about his experiences in music
Where did it all start for you getting into music?
My family took me to a festival when I was younger, probably about 12 years old, Beautiful Days, situated in Devon and created by The Levellers. Prior to this, my only real connection to music was putting a CD or cassette on. I picked up a guitar 2 years later after my parents split up and my dad left a guitar behind. Since then, I have never really looked back.
Who are your influences?
Oh my, where to begin. I think the biggest influence to me, in life, song writing, performance and anything else involving music, whether that be organising and running events or helping new or lesser heard musicians get their names out there, would be The Levellers. They were always played growing up and once I finally saw them live, I knew that I was in love with their music. I have discovered so many incredible acts who have in turn gone on to influence my style, but none more so than the solo acoustic guy Gaz Brookfield, an incredible songwriter and performer, and someone I could only inspire to be.
With your music where do you tend to get your inspiration from e.g. how do you start your songs & what's your process?
I never really have a single process to writing songs, before becoming a parent and getting a full time job, I would write upwards of 50 songs a year. Sometimes i would start with messing around with a rhythm, other times I would jot down ideas while on a train journey. I even sometimes just came with a phrase/title I liked and felt like it would be a good name for a song and then it would flow from there.
I never really thought too much about the stories behind some songs. I just enjoyed writing lyrics and matching different lines together and forming songs from ideas I had previously taken note of.
How do you decide what songs to cover?
When I choose a song to learn, it must be a song that I like, that I can connect with. If I don’t enjoy the song I struggle to learn it and then take that on stage with me. If you have ever seen me live, then you know what I tend to cover is not the usual things you would hear. I’m more for the originals than the covers.
How important do you feel it is to listen to current music as well as music from the past?
I think all music has its own importance, whether that be from our pasts or present. Newer artists bring newer ideas, but you cannot beat old classics. We can learn a lot from everyone whether they are a singer, a songwriter or composer.
Do you feel it is important to watch other acts perform and to watch other live music?
I think it is important and vital for all acts to watch others, whether that be watching the other acts on the same event as you, or going to see an act without being involved with the event. Firstly, we are showing support to each other and building bridges and making friends. Secondly, we can all learn from each other, whether that is techniques in terms of stage presence or setup, or how to interact with an audience. There is a lot we can learn from each other.
Finally what tips do you have for anyone starting out when it comes to performing live?
I think the best advice I can give and its the best advice I ever received was to just have fun and do what you enjoy, and never feel pressured into anything you don’t enjoy doing. Performing live can be very stressful and there will be times when you feel that you just want to throw in the towel, but don’t, if your heart is telling you that this is what you want to do and you love it, then push on and it will work out.
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