A conversation with Christopher Wood:
Dingus: Christopher Wood is obviously a solo project, have you ever put together a live act?
Wood: Yes, I have had various line-ups with friends in the past. My brother being my closest ally throughout and set-ups including mainly acoustic guitars, bass and often violin. Occasionally, I’d take a plastic bin on stage to use for percussion! I also played for several years in a band called Letters in Red where I played guitars and drums. In future I plan to try out a new act which incorporates sampled sounds from the new record which are triggered electronically and looped, though I’m still trying to get my head around how.
What is the biggest challenge you face as a band in the Liverpool music scene? What is that music scene like?
The biggest challenge is, I guess, that the music scene here is forever changing and you have to be strong and work very, very hard. If you don’t keep gigging and gathering fans, things change and you get forgotten about – pushed back down the pile – you have to be interesting. Liverpool fans like clever acts. The scene is very diverse here, there are a lot of musicians releasing their own stuff independently, putting on their own nights in whatever house/run down church/art gallery they can turn into a music venue.
Do you think the scene gets the attention it deserves from the general population or is it a subculture that’s fed primarily by a small group of youth?
I think music scenes generally have changed dramatically in a short space of time. Record companies can’t sign everyone – even if they’re great, there’s no money. I think in terms of appreciation, people are still into music, but in terms of financial reward, very few are going to succeed. I don’t think it’s a subculture fed by the youth. Everyone is involved – in fact I feel there are larger groups of older generations involved in some of the more experimental/contemporary music than ever.
That’s pretty crazy, especially because here in Brooklyn it is absolutely the youth (and the young blood moving in) that drive the scene. Clearly there isn’t much room anywhere in the world for financial reward in music, does that bother you? if someone told you that you would never make a penny, would you stop doing what you do?
I’ve never made a penny! I have a full time job and it costs me a fair whack to get my stuff made. I record everything at home, but each time I release a new record, it costs me more to produce, mainly on post production costs and new, better equipment. I’ve always loved creating music, it’s not about money. Would I love to make enough money through music not to have to do my day job? Yes! But the fact that I can’t doesn’t stop me. I write the music I want to listen to. The creative process for me is cathartic and I wish I could write, record, produce day-in day-out. I’ll always make music. Even if it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, it will always be mine, because I won’t release anything I don’t like.
