Tell us about yourself and your music
I am a songwriter/performer based in Brighton UK
I was brought up in a musical family so picking up a guitar or a drum or keyboard was almost inevitable.
I grew up between South Africa and Portugal, our family moved around a lot so I was forever the “new kid”
When I was 17 my band got playlisted nationally on South Africa’s most popular station, this led to 3 years of festival appearances and media exposure but it all seemed in vain. I realized that nobody would take a South African artist seriously because of apartheid, so I sold my possessions and booked a flight to the UK. I have been writing and performing ever since in a few bands, occasionally with a few familiar faces. It’s been a wonderful adventure, as exciting as it was terrifying and I’m now in a place where I’m confident of the style and direction I want to take with my songs. With RV MONROE it’s been a bit of a revolving door of very talented musicians, at times the band has had a horn section, samplers & synths, other times it’s down to a core of 4 members.
Talk to us more about your latest release
The song ‘Spooky Moves’ and it’s digital B-side ‘Mayhem’ will be released on the 29th June 2020.
It was recorded in a beautiful countryside studio outside of Eastbourne. The song is about how music pulled me through when my brother took his life, I tried to make it a little vague on the track so it’s more relatable, music is always there when life throws you a lemon-flavored hurdle, as it says in the chorus “ I get my boogie on”
Stylistically I was aiming for an ENO/Bowie vibe with some contemporary influences, the drumbeat is lifted from a Slipknot drum solo and Moog synth is a nod to Giorgio Moroder. This has been the most well-received song when I’ve performed live so I’m excited to see the reaction to it being released as a single.
For the video we got our beautiful friend Ching-Ying Chien ( a world-famous dancer, previously appeared in a Chemical Brothers video) to interpret the idea of the art healing all wounds through dance, a real treat for anyone interested in movement and dance.
What inspired you to write this release?
I was inspired by looking back at every negative experience I’ve ever had and realizing that nothing matters more to me than music, it’s the unsolved puzzle that keeps unraveling in my mind.
I hope people take that away from listening, if it’s any sort of comfort then it’s a job well done.
Describe the writing and recording process
It was recorded over 2 days, the horn section was absolute fire! I wanted to stay there chained to the gorgeous grand piano with a bottle of wine. It was produced and engineered by Martin Ruffin and features Dom Knight ( ex-80’s Matchbox B-Line Disaster) on bass and Ross Crick ( Bad For Lazarus) on drums.
Any plans to release a video?
https://youtu.be/N6jbbdSV8H4
Any plans to hit the road?
As soon as the pandemic is over, we are ready to hit the road! We were in rehearsals for a live performance video before this all happened so do keep your eyes peeled and ears clean, we will be out doing our thing when we are sure it’s safe to do so
As an indie artist, how do you brand yourself and your music to stand out from the rest of the artists out there?
I guess I try to keep its tongue firmly in cheek as far as branding goes, I’m not trying to look cool but I know nobody will believe that. As far as standing out from the crowd I guess I make music that I don’t hear much of, hopefully, the fact that we aren’t drawing from one specific genre helps to identify us as being as original as anyone can be, there are only 12 notes to play with, same as everyone else.
Who have you been listening to lately?
Tame Impala, Elliot Smith, BC Camplight, Elton John, Regina Spektor, Jack White
Who are your biggest influences?
Queen, The Beatles, Bob Dylan, David Bowie, Janis Joplin, Nina Simone , Burt Bacharach
Tell us about your passions
Other than music, I’m interested in anthropology, who/how we are and how it came to be. Because of growing up around violence and racism, I realized early on that we are all the same and we all want the same things so reading and researching human origins in Africa and how we spread across the globe fires up my brain, so fascinating!
What else is happening next in your world?
Next up I’m involved in a musical project with my very good friend Rich Fownes ( ex NIN, UNKLE)
Its an exciting time and his musical ideas are always left of center. There will be glitter, handcuffs, g-strings, and regal stripteases all to a soundtrack of wonky pop yumminess! I’d describe him as Madonna meets GG Allin. Pure fun!
Thanks for an awesome interview, RV Monroe
Connect with RV Monroe
Website: https://www.facebook.com/r.v.monroemusic/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/r.v.monroemusic/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rvmonroemusic/Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/richie_monroeYoutube: https://youtu.be/wW6Nb74RRtoSoundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-113839156
