You could be forgiven if you haven't heard of Marcus Foster before but if you have heard of him and chose to NOT see him live, that is a mistake which cannot be forgiven. A tiny venue with no more than 60 people in the audience, The Hare and Hounds in Kings Heath in Birmingham welcomed Marcus Foster to the stage on his 'Tumble Down EP Tour'. Now I was a little pessimistic about this venue…situated on the top floor of a pub, in the middle of Kings Heath. The acoustics were never going to be perfect but I wasn't expecting them to be but the evening was still surprisingly good.
In the week that his Tumble Down EP is released, Marcus Foster has taken the time to answer our gently probing questions.For anyone who may not have heard your music before, can you describe it to us in less than 10 words?
Gospel, Blues, Funk, Folk, Rock’n’Roll. I think that pretty much sums it up!
Your EP “Tumble Down” has been a long time in the making. Can you tell us a bit about the process of creating this EP? And how do you feel about the difficulties getting it released?
I was really lucky to find Communion. I did a compilation with them last year and they seemed like the right kind of people to work with. The EP is ready to go and I think it’s a nice introduction to the album.
You’ve stated before that your musical influences range from Van Morrison and Bob Dylan, to newer artists such as Johnny Flynn. Which artist has been the latest to influence you, and why?
I really like the new Black Keys album. And a lot of Jack White stuff recently. I really like the production, the attitude, the sounds. It’s coming from old-school, blues influences and is recorded with beautiful equipment and is a different approach. I’m really liking the idea of being a bit out there at the moment.
Where do you get your ideas for songs? Are your lyrics based on personal experience?
Some of them are. Some songs I try and write as characters in films, a bit more cinematic. Like ‘Shadows In The City’ from the EP is really quite character-based. There’s a couple of songs on the album that are a little weird – saxons/ vikings coming to destroy a village or someone escaping from a prison – obviously not stuff I have personal experience of! But some of the album songs are quite personal.
Oh, don't they look so great?!
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You are bidding on a once in a lifetime opportunity!!!
On March 21st, 2011 a charity show was hosted for the world famous Great Ormond Street Hospital. The show featured musical guests William Heard, Sam Heard, Sam Bradley, Marcus Foster and District Line.
The winning bidder will receive an 18” x 24” wooden frame with glass front containing five photos, a flyer for the event and a sheet of autographs of the performing artists. These double-matted unique photos have not been released anywhere on the Internet. To the best of my knowledge, this is the only item that was signed the entire night. The back of the frame is papered, wired and ready to hang upon arrival to the highest bidder.
100% of the winning bid will be donated to this worthy charity via http://www.gosh.org/gen/donate/
Good luck!
