MusicVita's interviewer Avneesh Arora talks to Hiatus about the launch of his new debut album 'Ghost Notes' - the culmination of eight years of thought, effort and musical trial.
Can’t Hold Back is the brand new EP by singer-songwriter Matt Henshaw, whose lyrical mod-indie credentials are being coupled with the unlikely combination of UK hip hop artist Reggimental, to produce this perfect EP, released on Rusty Juke Box Records on the 10th October 2010.
Henshaw, originally from Nottingham, has been in previous musical incarnations such as the band Censored, when at the tender age of 17, played Leeds, Reading and Isle Of Wight festivals, receiving substantial amount of radio airplay and supporting the likes of Snow Patrol, We Are Scientists, Supergrass, Ocean Colour Scene, Arctic Monkeys, The Bluetones and The Holloways.
In true rock'n'roll style, exasperated by years of alcohol dependency, band in-fighting, struggles against the confines of unimaginative industry labelling, and the bitter dissolution of several personal relationships, he decided to go away. He spent a whole year where he didn't touch a guitar or sing a note, instead he wrote a novel and a series of short stories, started gardening, quit alcohol and decided to study film at university with no aspirations to sing again.
The Music Freak asked Matt to do his own video interview. Matt ended up doing quite a lovely job indeed.
Newcomer Stuart Newman is a true artist, with his thought provoking, quirky lyrics, haunting and diverse vocal delivery, and propensity to think outside of the box.
His debut album, Single But Defective, showcases Stuart’s multiple talent as a singer, songwriter, guitarist and pianist. The stripped down sound reveals a highly sensitive and thoughtful soul, who’s uniqueness and depth shines though these original songs.
The acoustic album, has folk and blues elements, with an underlying pop sensitivity. Stuart, a daydreamer, writes songs as they come to him. The dream-like “If You Say,” for instance, was written after listening to some John Lennon recordings, picking up a guitar, and laying down the track in moments. Other tracks, such as the unique sounding “Cry Wolf” was spot played on BBC 6 Music and made it on their weekly podcast, as well as “51st State,” a cutting track about the political state of the U.S, was originally a poem turned into a song.
Hailing from near the musical hub of Brighton, Newman places his influences all across the board; The Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel, REM, Nirvana, Green Day, Radiohead, and the list goes on. These influences can be seen in Newman’s penchant for creating what he calls “Mellow musings that resonate, with quirkiness thrown in.”
