Interview with Rachel Hawker

Hi guys this is the first interview I have done for this blog. Thanks to a good friend of mine who supplied me with her email address it is with up and coming talented singer/songwriter Rachel Hawker. I have put Rachel's answers in italics.


So Rachel, tell us about the new EP you've just released

Dirty Little Secrets is our debut EP. We recorded it back in 2008, in Souncheck Studios. And we wanted a live sounding record that represented what people would hear when they came to see us live. The four orginal songs written by me, the arrangements by The Remedies and I.


What kind of themes do you explore in your songs?

I am a massive fans of artists like Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell, so lyrics are extremely important to me when it comes to writing songs. I tend to write about ambition, love and many trials life throws at us. It is important to me that people can really connect with the lyrics of my songs.


Who are your main influences?

As I mentioned  I am a massive fan of a lot of the 70's songwriters, music that makes you smile or tugs at your heartstrings. I am also a massive soul fan, artists like Aretha Franklin and Chaka Khan have really influenced me as a vocalist. My musical influences are very broad from Rock to Jazz. I think as a songwriter it is important to listen to a variety of music so that you can draw from different influences and create songs that don't always sound the same.

I hear that you're planning to do a busking tour in the UK, have you decided where these gigs will take place?

Last year we decided to do a busking tour. Showing up in different cities and town centres all over the South Coast setting up a full band and seeing what happened. We kept video diaries of our shenanigans which we put on our YouTube page. It was so much fun and we had such a great reaction that we are planning to do it again this year on a bigger scale!

Where have you performed in the past?

We have been lucky enough to have performed at some fantastic venues on the south, but we have played a few dodgy pubs too like all bands! We have played in Brighton and Chichester a lot as those are our home towns.
 
Where is your favourtite place to peform and why?

Our favourite gig so far was our sold out show at the Komedia last year. The venue was packed, and the atmosphere was electric. 

One more thing, is there anyone you would like to acknowledge for any kind of support?

Of course I wouldn't be anywhere without my fantastic band. Kevin Rose, Chaz Mcleod and Lloyd Landeg, they are fantastic musicians who really do help bring my songs to life. We also have some brilliant fans who contribute a lot to what we do.  

 

Thanks again Rachel for answering my questions you rising star.  

Find out more about Rachel Hawker and the Remedies on their website:

http://www.rachelhawker.co.uk/welcome.html

You can also join them on Facebook, MySpace, YouTube and Twitter.