Paul McKenna
.png)
Scottish
singer/songwriter Paul McKenna takes the stage at The Old Triangle in
Charlottetown tonight and at the Carleton Music Bar & Grill in Halifax
tomorrow night in support of his band’s latest release, Elements. Recently, Arts East spoke with the songsmith to discuss
his past, present and future.
What are your own roots?
PM: I grew up in Glasgow,
Scotland and come from an Irish background. My grandparents came from both
Donegal and Mayo.
When and why did you start
playing music?
PM: I began learning piano at
around 7 or 8 years old then picked up the guitar a few years later. My father
plays the guitar and there was always singing in the family so I was surrounded
by music from an early age.
Are they the same reasons you
do it today?
PM: I still love playing music
and doubt that will ever change
How have you evolved as a
composer and player since that time?
PM: I've had a few years to
practice :) I listen to a much wider range of music these days and I am influenced
by almost everything I hear.
How would you describe your
sound today?
PM: That’s always a tough
question. I suppose we want to sound as contemporary as we can but not
stray too far away from our routes. Each member adds their own unique
style to the band and we want to draw as many listeners as we can.
What inspired Elements?
PM: We approached Elements in a
slightly different way than we had with our first two albums. We knew exactly
the sound we wanted to create and with the help of top quality engineers we
think we managed to record our best album to date.
What were the challenges of
putting it together?
PM: We chose to build our own
recording studio so that we could create the most comfortable environment to
select and arrange all the material we wanted to record.
What were the rewards?
PM: An album that we are
extremely happy with that has received glowing reviews throughout the world. We
were also happy to have established a contract with Compass records with this
new album.
What has the response been
like so far?
PM: We've toured the album both
at home and abroad and received a very positive response from audiences as well
as great reviews from some of the leading magazines and websites around today.
What makes a good song?
PM: Too difficult to answer; different
songs can mean different things to different people, which is why we don't all
listen to the same music.
Is your creative process more
'inspirational' or 'perspiration'?
PM: I think it’s different
depending on what we are working on. Some songs/tunes just come together
quite easily and quickly while others take more time with arranging, especially
with original material.
What do have on tap for the
rest of 2014?
PM: After we complete this North American
tour we will head back home for a couple of shows before going on tour in
Germany in May then back to NA in June and July. We are excited already!
What are your thoughts on the
state of Celtic music today?
PM: I think Celtic/Folk music is
becoming more and more popular by the day and that is something that we are all
extremely grateful for.
Is enough being done to
preserve and promote Celtic culture generally?
PM: In my experience I think
there is. Bands from Scotland are supported by Creative Scotland and other
funding bodies to make sure we can continue as musicians to promote our culture
across the world.
What can we be doing better?
PM: There's always room for
improvement and people working tirelessly to improve on what we already have.
