TJ Lind - Interview

  by Malcolm Carter

published: 16 / 4 / 2007

intro

English born singer songwriter TD Lind has spent much of the last few years touring and living in America. With his debut album 'Let's Get Lost' just out, he talks to Malcolm Carter about songwriting, being on the road and playing gigs with Wilco and Ozzy Osbourne

When TD Lind released his debut single ‘Come In From The Cold’ it was obvious that English born Lind was making music which few others were. The single seemed to come out of nowhere and with no warning or hype. A live session with Tom Robinson followed on BBC 6 and the single gained airplay with Phil Jupitus and Bob Harris. Prior to this Lind had spent time playing the pubs and bars of Britain and even played piano in Paris before travelling to the States and playing in all types of venues including the tavern across the road from his room in New York, Memphis and Chicago. Putting his experiences into his songs he finally got them down onto a 4 track Tascam cassette recorder in Kentucky where he had settled before coming back home to England. Meeting famed record producer Rupert Hine was a turning point for Lind; he spent the next eight months forming the songs into what would become his debut, the recently released CD ‘Let’s Get Lost’. It’s an eclectic collection of songs, almost impossible to pigeon-hole. Lind takes in blues, Americana, gospel and embraces the classic pop of the 70s and delivers them all in the warmest most affecting voice we are likely to hear all year. On the evidence of this debut Lind is going to be here for a long time. It’s been a good while since a debut this strong has been released. We took the opportunity to ask Lind a few questions. PB : When did you start writing and making music ? ‘Let’s Get Lost’ is your debut album but it’s difficult to tell exactly when you entered the music business. TL : I don't recall my first song, but it was probably when I was about 11 or 12. It wasn't until I was about 15 that writing became a passion. As far as entering the business ?... when I was 18 after leaving school. PB : You lived in Louisville, Kentucky for a while, not the obvious place for an Englishman to move to. Was the move anything to do with you making music? TL : The reason I moved to Kentucky was due to having moved to New York and not finding musically what I was looking for (as far as band members) I contacted a friend I'd met from Louisville and after a while planned a trip south to check the city out. I stayed for seven years ! PB : Has playing clubs in places like London, Paris, New York and Memphis influenced the sound of the music you make? You have been able to pick up on so many different cultures. TL : My travels to different cities, countries have definitely influenced the stories. As far as musically?.I think so to, I've always had a passion for early roots music especially blues and rock'n'roll but also cinematic French melodies, so I think travelling and living in places where my influences are still part of every day life only fuels sonic and lyrical ideas. PB : You have also scored films in the past. Can you tell us how that came to be? What films have you scored and is it something you would like to do more of in the future? TL : I can't read or write music down but I have written and recorded songs for a movie called 'That Deadwood Feeling'. I've written other cinematic pieces that are currently on hold. I would like to work more within the cinematic field but it's a hard field to get into. PB : What gives you more pleasure, film scores, performing live or writing and recording songs like those on ‘Let’s Get Lost’? TL : As far as the most pleasurable, it's hard to choose but playing live is an amazing buzz. Interaction with a crowd is such an adrenalin rush especially when there's a connection. At the same time writing a song, then recording it and knowing you've nailed it is so fulfilling ! PB : On the evidence of ‘Let’s Get Lost’ it is hard to group you in with the current crop of male singer/songwriters. Although you have toured with the likes of James Blunt your debut album seems worlds away musically from what they are producing. Did you deliberately try to steer your music away from the usual singer/songwriter sound? TL : There was no deliberate move to steer away from any genre of sound. Only to create the right platform for each song to exist individually and deliver the story the way I believe it deserved. PB : What comes first with you, lyrics or music ? TL : To me, there's no fixed rule. But everyone's different! PB : Rupert Hine produced some of the album and it has a timeless sound. It’s the type of album that sounds like it could have been made anytime from the early 70's on. It’s also a sound that many bands and artists are trying to capture these days. Did Hine shape the sound much or did you have a solid idea of how you wanted the songs to sound? TL : When recording with Rupert Hine we wanted to emulate the simplicty of the four-track demos I'd recorded of the songs earlier. So the trick was not to complicate the songs with too many instruments. In fact the original album had bass on only two tracks. I had a sound in my head I knew could work and he was instrumental in orchestrating it. PB : Although not all of the songs were produced by Hine it doesn’t sound like an album where more than one producer was involved. Were you trying to get an overall sound to flow through all the songs ? TL : 'Let's Get Lost' ended up being a mix from songs up to ten years old and recordings up to seven years old, mixed with some songs from the Rupert Hine session. So it was hard to compile a group of songs on one album spanning years and make it flow. I think we made it work, especially as it is meant to show not just one moment in time but a travel through my experiences. PB : It seems you have a talent for writing lyrics that anyone who has had more than their fair share of a heart falling apart can relate to. Are your lyrics written from bitter experience? TL : I wouldn't say bitter. I have no resentment towards any of my past relationships. I just write what's on my mind at the time or on reflection. PB : Wilco and Ozzy Osbourne are just two of the artists and bands you have worked with. Musically they are so different. How did that come about? TL : My connection with Ozzy and Wilco was not through collaboration but playing shows with them while touring across the mid-west. They were great shows and great experiences ! PB : Are you touring the album ? What plans do you have for the future? TL : I get back from the United States in May, so I'm starting to play shows in London from the end of May through the summer to promote the album. As far as the future ? A whole lot of playing and working on album two! PB : Thank you

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