When it comes to first impressions, Rob Green has got his spot on. From meeting him backstage at Y Not Festival to now following him on nearly every social media site there is, he’s certainly made an impact on us here at IndieCentralMusic. We realise how hard it is to get noticed as an artist so thought we should bring him to you. if you haven’t heard of Rob Green before then take a read below and you might just fall in love with his music just as much as we have!
Stephen McMahon: Tell us about your aims when creating music, and where does that aim stem from?
Rob Green: I really love lyrics and storytelling. I love a good story and catchy lyrics in music. Even as a kid I loved Aesop’s fables, the lessons and the characters. They’re relatable and you can apply them to your life. But mainly I just want to be honest. It can be hard to be REALLY honest in the songs you write, but the connection you can make with an audience is always worth it; even if it is a little scary…
Stephen McMahon: What was the catalyst for picking up instruments and wanting to start a band?
Rob Green: When I was thirteen I wrote a LOT of poetry. I had always loved singing but couldn’t play any instruments that I could write music with, so I stuck to the poems for years. It was a great outlet, even though I didn’t share them. When I was seventeen I met Christella Litras, a lady who has essentially become my music mentor. She told me I needed to learn an instrument, so I bought myself an acoustic guitar with some birthday money and began teaching myself chords off ultimate-guitar.com. I played around with combinations to make songs and then added my poetry. Then went on from there!
Stephen McMahon: Were you very influenced by music when growing up or did you establish your own musical preferences?
Rob Green: My family played a key role in my music taste. My mum’s love for RnB and jazz and my Dad’s indie/rock persuasion I was surrounded by a lot of different genres growing up. Between their preferences I noticed their common interests. Good lyrics and emotive vocals. My dad took me to my first gigs (The Script, Kasabian) my mum introduced me to one of my favourite vocalists, Nat King Cole (to explain why my voice breaking was GOOD news) – I have so many memories of music with my parents; they were key in nurturing my love for music from an early age.
Stephen McMahon: Tell us about what it was like when you first started writing?
Rob Green: I don’t remember the day I sat down and said “Time to write a song”. But I had all of these poems to work from, so when I was finding chords and making progressions I would sing the poems over them the see how they worked. One of the poems I had committed to memory was called Underdog; it was about how I felt at 14, having a lot of ambition but not a lot of answers. Later, it became one of the first songs I ever wrote, I recorded for my first EP Parlour Tricks and the song became BBC Introducing track of the week.To have that song recognised on such a big platform it was incredible, it gave me so much confidence, it was a wonderful affirmation to keep writing.
Stephen McMahon: What’s the music scene like in Nottingham at the moment? Any band recommendations?
Rob Green: The music scene in Nottingham is one of the most diverse and supported scenes I know. With so many independent businesses supporting the local arts scene and multiple city centre local music festivals like Dot-to-Dot and the incredible Hockley Hustle doing the same. It’s no surprise that Nottingham music is doing so well at the moment. Personally I’m listening to a lot of Lowrie, Ady Suleiman and Harleighblu ATM. They’ve all just released some new great stuff! Go check it…
Stephen McMahon: You recently performed at Y Not Festival. Tell us about that?
Rob Green: It was an incredible gig. I was on as part of BBC Introducing, which was a great opportunity from Dean Jackson who runs BBC Introducing in the East Midlands. 2pm on a Friday and the Quarry Stage was RAMMED – The vibe and support from the crowd was incredible, and really unexpected. It was my first time at this festival, my first of the year in fact. And I was in awe. There’s a video on Facebook page, and at the end of it the cheering is so loud, I got a bit teary to be honest. I couldn’t even finish the song. That is what being a musician is about. Making connections like that; I couldn’t believe it. It was an amazing day
Stephen McMahon: What and who influences you musically?
Rob Green:India Arie, Nat King Cole and Sam Cooke. India Arie has a real lyrical connection for me, Nat King Cole takes real care over his delivery vocally and Sam Cooke can put together an awesomely catchy hook and they ALL have beautiful voices. Hands down.
Stephen McMahon: Describe your songwriting process?
Rob Green: Most of the time I’ll find a lyrics or a hook that I like and then from there I’ll build a chorus, by then I’ve normally figured out what I want to make the song about and then I normally make the verses and bridge last. It doesn’t take much to inspire the start of a song idea, but unless I’m passionate about the subject a lot of them don’t end up getting finished. Most of the songs I write come from jams, I’ve gotten into the habit of voice recording whenever I pick up the guitar. I hate it when I accidentally find or say something that I want to work from but then can’t remember it!
Stephen McMahon: What was it like recording your self entitled EP?
Rob Green: It was one of the most challenging things I have ever done. I really wanted to record some new music but with not much money and no space to record it was pretty hard. A charity called Brathay Trust, who work with young people in Bradford, very kindly offered us their attic (they are based in a converted church building) in exchange for songwriting classes for the young people they work with. Over August last year, myself, Jonnie Khan and Christella Litras set about transforming the attic space of Brathay into a studio, collecting the equipment they shared into one space and calling on Jonnie’s technical expertise, not only to engineer the sound of the EP but also the room itself.
Over three months, between us all working part time jobs we recorded; day, night and early hours. Which was sometimes a little scary in the darkness. But it soon felt like home. I loved this experience, I feel I have grown so much as an artist because of it. The EP debuted at #3 in the RnB chart on iTunes and #34 in the iTunes Album charts when it was released. Which was just incredible; the support from all of the people that have been supporting and sharing my music is just incredible and I’m so grateful for it. It’s hard to believe it began it’s life in a darkened attic…!
Stephen McMahon: Although you are in a band, do you still have to work day jobs in-between live shows?
Rob Green: There is no label or advance of any kind behind this EP. It was funded through pulling extra shifts at the restaurant I work at; Le Bistrot Pierre and the good nature and support of Christella, Jonnie and Brathay Trust. I couldn’t be more grateful to Bistrot. They were so flexible while I have been working on this, they are a wonderful company to be with and they have really supported my career (they even bought the EP!). Things are getting much busier now and I’m making the moves to becoming a full-time musician which is a real milestone, but I will be sad to say goodbye when I do!
Stephen McMahon: How would you like people to respond to your music? Do you wish to connect emotionally with the audience or is it just about having a party?
Rob Green: Connection for sure. It’s hard to fully explain but when you write songs, especially on your own, sometimes you can convince yourself that you are talking about something too specific; that other people won’ get it when they hear it. To have people comment and share what you’re doing and connect to it, even through a different kind of experience, is unbelievable. You realise that you aren’t as ‘abnormal’ as you think! YNot was a great example; there were moments people were singing the hook-lines with me to songs I wrote when I felt the most alone. In those moments on stage, you see other people connecting to that feeling and you can see the support and feel it. It’s sounds a bit daytime TV. But honestly; it’s what makes it so awesome.
Stephen McMahon: Do you ever see your sound changing from the type of solo-acoustic you write?
Rob Green: I’m exploring a bigger sound, but I’m building on it slowly. At the moment I’m enjoying writing music and transferring it to the loop pedal. I’m starting to work with and bounce off other musicians I admire so I hope my sound will continue to develop. But that connection and the lyrical content is still, and always will be, most important.
Stephen McMahon: Do you ever see yourself expanding with more members? i.e into a band
Rob Green: Maybe… I guess it depends on how my music develops…! I do perform a lot with Caution Collective – which is a group of Leeds based singer/songwriters – we all get together and help write and develop each other’s music and put on shows in Yorkshire which have been sell-out shows for over a year now. Performing with others is always awesome; but for now I’m having great fun developing music and my stage performance with the loop-pedal!
