Talking To Johnny Campbell
Fatea catches up with the up with the wandering musician
Johnny Campbell is an artist that can often be found on the highways and byways of Europe and not just the usual suspects, his last album, "From Hull And Halifax And Hell", was recorded in the Faroe Isles, which was partly why we were surprised to discover that his new project will be field recording of folk songs of the north of England.
It seemed like the right time to catch up with the roaming minstrel and find out a bit more.
It seems you were born with a troubadour soul, what have been the best and worst parts about being out on the road so much?
I think one of the many positives of being out touring is seeing how much humanity there is out there. Every day you're putting yourself and your trust in the hands of strangers which at first is a tough thing to do but for the majority of the time, it works well as people want to accommodate and welcome you into their homes. You see a more 'real' version of a country rather than taking a holiday there. Taking the back streets where tourists don't go and seeing the everyday lives of people you may never ordinarily meet. There are of course downsides. Maintaining healthy relationships back home is always tough. Long periods of time away puts a strain on personal relationships and having to switch from 'tour mode' to 'home mode' you need a few days to adjust which isn't always possible. I've seen people crack up on tours and lose sense of reality. There are far easier ways to make money and have a life that is stable and less stressful, but this isn't a thing you do because it's a job. You've got to respect that. Moments that make you feel you're on the right track are those people who speak to you after the show who've said they've been listening to your music all the time or are excited to meet you, I'm still blown away by it.
How do you find out about venues in places like the Faroe Islands, let alone recording live albums there?
So much of the 'music industry' has opened up through the digital age and contacting anybody across the world is cheap and easy. I've never had a manager, agent or a label pulling the strings. It's not as much of a necessity to have any of these to make a living through music these days like 15 years ago and through these times, these 'middle men' are becoming less and less relevant. I was fortunate enough to book some great shows in Faroe Islands which has an incredible music scene which surprised me at the time. I was lucky enough to have the latest album 'From Hull & Halifax & Hell...' recorded live at the first show there on these islands. It wasn't planned. After listening back to the show I was really happy with the recordings, so much so I felt this was a moment that I'd like to document. Northern English traditional song has most probably not been performed let alone recorded on the Faroe Island as instruments didn't arrive until the 19th century.
So far you've mainly toured central and northern regions, are there plans to take your music to the sunnier climes?
I've never been a particular fan of warm weather, especially when touring. I've not been particularly lured by the most well-trodden paths of touring. Along with Faroe Islands and other Nordic countries, especially the northernmost ones, are fantastic places to be in. I remember being on my last tour in Norway in the summer and during the gig everybody rushed out during a song to point at the sky. It was the first time the sun had been seen for over a week. I like that.
With all your travelling you've chosen to focus your next album on the folk of Northern England, what's the thought process behind that?
In England we have an ongoing identity crisis which has been laid bare with Brexit. I've made a conscious decision over the last few years to delve into English folk music, especially Northern English folk and traditions and I think we're seeing a resurgence and perhaps even a level of acceptability of researching and celebrating our folk culture through tradition, not through a heritage basis. I've seen and felt this just in the last decade. The connection between our songs and landscape is a very strong one. Without the hills around Lancashire and Yorkshire, we wouldn't have had the Industrial Revolution, and therefore the countless work songs so embodied within everyday life. English Folk music has a major problem of being perceived as genteel and twee. It has been tidied up, made acceptable for the establishment and by the establishment to look like a period drama in an England that never was. The image of 'Merry Month of May', rolling fields etc, is an England that never really existed. There are so many songs of work life, rebellion and working class struggle. This is why people get embarrassed seeing a morris dancer or hearing a traditional song...in England we have been separated from that tradition. I'm hoping to encapsulate something that is a bit different to that in a more interesting and modern format. Taking the staple field recording format, so prevalent in preserving many old recordings but adding vlogs and audio recordings of regional folk songs of each Northern English county on county tops of Northern England. Through vlogs I will film the journey and other interesting pieces of information I find. Through blogs I will delve deeper into the landscapes and what made these areas what they are. Through Patreon, which is a subscription based model designed specifically for artists, I can explore each episode of the project and through a community of supporters and subscribers, it makes it happen. It's a very organic process.
Is it going to be a pure solo project or are there any plans for collaborations along the way?
I'm hoping it to be a collaborative project, I've already lined up a few artists who could well get involved with the process. I'd also really like to get involved for the final episode, all the subscribers to Patreon who've supported the project all the way. Patreon is a great format that can break down the barriers between artists and fans and I'm really looking forward to that process.
When you choose to do a project like this, is it difficult to decide when it's finished, with so much material available how do you decide what to hook and what to let swim?
I don't think it should be, it's not like creating a studio album where you spend a couple of years writing, rehearsing and recording it. So far on the two episodes created I've taken only three takes of a song field recorded on the summit. The longest process is choosing, learning and editing the song before you record, but that's no different from the process before entering a studio. Until I get to where I can properly listen to the recordings that I know if they were good enough listening back so you could say there is an immense amount of pressure there, however I feel the studio format is far more pressured than the field recording process. I'm very pleased with the clarity of the recordings and the whole project isn't necessarily focused on the song, like it would be on an album release, it's a journey with more than one point of entry, be it the audio recordings, video recordings or blogs.
To keep in touch with the project, follow it through on Johnny's Patreon, https://Patreon.com/johnnycampbell
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