Becky Baldwin Interview November 21, 2014. Bassist for Control the Storm and Triaxis.
Interview with Becky Baldwin
1. What’s new in the world of Becky Baldwin?
Things are really gaining momentum at the moment! This week saw the release of the first full-length album I have recorded on – Howard Sinclair’s ‘The Light Broke In’. This is not a metal album by any stretch of the imagination, but I was turned loose to do whatever I liked with this folk/rock songwriter’s bass-lines which was great fun. This album was also the first time I have recorded double bass so it was interesting to experiment with new sounds.
Earlier this month, Control The Storm released our first music video with our single ‘Stronger’, it has been received with great positivity and everything is on track for the release of our debut album ‘Beast Inside’ in February 2015! This has been a long time in the making, but we believe it’s going to be worth the wait!
Also this month, (yes, it’s all kicking off right now!) I began recording for the third Triaxis album. This is my first time writing and recording with them but everything is going at full throttle! The album is expected to be released in late spring 2015 and so far it is sounding very heavy indeed.
2. Any new work from Triaxis or Control The Storm?
The Triaxis music is still in the pipeline (being recorded and road tested at live shows!) but please check out Control The Storm’s ‘Stronger’ single! If you dig, you can download it legally from iTunes. Then, I believe you can keep an eye out for another single release next month!
3. Do you play the bass a lot on your spare time to keep up to date with your techniques?
‘Spare time’ hasn’t been a phrase in my vocabulary for a few years! If there is available time that I can give to practicing, it isn’t really ‘spare’, it is a part of daily work. Between learning songs for performances, rehearsing with bands, teaching and gigging I am playing my bass most of the day. But I will admit that I do not make enough time to focus on pushing my skills further, it’s all too easy to settle with your own limitations and neglect your progression, which should be continuous! Today I endured some metronome torture and I feel better for it now!
4. During a year how many shows do you do on average and how crazy does the schedules get?
This year has certainly been my busiest for gigging, I can currently count 89 shows for 2014, and I expect a few more to come in before the end of the year. My schedule has been constantly crazy this year playing with a variety of acts, travelling all over the UK as well as running a teaching business; but the aim is that next year will maintain its insanity but become more focused on just a few dedicated original projects!
5. Could you describe some of your earliest influences in life and in music?
I was really into Michael Jackson when I was a child, this must have been influential somehow! In music, I guess this has drawn me towards big & catchy choruses. In life, perhaps Michael Jackson made me feel like I should be proud to be a bit weird and to work hard to pursue a dream. And maybe I thought Jennifer batten looked awesome and I could be rocking on stage like her! Other early musical influences would have been Alice Cooper, Motorhead (must be obvious!) and Black Sabbath.
6. How important is it for a musician in this generation to spend time on social media?
It is certainly very important to use social media, but it is more important to spend time trying to understand it. I see a lot bands trying to make Facebook work for them by posting regularly to encourage people to interact, but it works against them when the updates are not engaging to their audience and the dreaded ‘unfollow’ button comes
into effect. Bands should remember that it’s not all about numbers. I am no expert, but I like to find out about how these things work!
7. Producing great music videos is it more important now than it has ever been?
I guess it has been important for a long time, you’d be missing a trick without one! But, you can still have great success without a music video, or with a low-budget video as long as you’ve got an interesting idea and a cracking song with it.
8. What could we find interesting in your music collection at home?
I own every ABBA album. And they are listened to regularly!
9. Could you describe what goes on in a day in your life as a musician on tour?
Having only done a few short tours, I am definitely not the most interesting person to talk to about the road! I do a lot of ‘staying sober to endure the 4 hour drive home’ tricks! On the last exciting little stint of Triaxis gigs I didn’t need to drive, so I spent several hours in the back of a car completing my tax return! Not quite the rock n’ roll lifestyle I’m dreaming of!
10. Where do you see music in general going in 100 years from now?
I can’t help but think it’s going to be awful. Sorry to be negative, but I think music has been getting steadily worse since around the 70’s – but that’s just by my taste. I listen to ABBA so you don’t have to agree with me on this! I know there are still great bands out there making music I would love, but I think the chances of those bands reaching a decent audience are very slim. I have ended this interview on a downer. Sorry Musiclegends.ca !
Check out Becky Baldwin online
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Becky Baldwin and Control The Storm music video