A Q&A with Michael Webster
Folk grunge, from Manchester…
What’s the title of your latest release, and what does it mean to you?
It’s a double single called ‘Left to Speak’ / ‘Unacquainted Strangers’, two songs – the first about climate change, the second about romance. Very opposite themes! However, these two songs mean a lot as they’re both personal to me, written from my perspective and helping me get a load off my chest!
What was the hardest part about putting this release together, and why?
I think for this one it was really figuring out whether the songs worked well together. They’re pretty opposite vibes – the first is an angry outburst, and the second an emotional one. They both have quite nice builds though, and in total the two are over 12 minutes. Not one for adhering to “modern radio play lengths”!
What do enjoy most about producing your own material?
I’m a sucker for creative control, especially over my own music. I love production, building a track up from the ground and making it into something big and lovely.
What do you want the listener to take away from listening to your music?
Most of the time, the lyrics. A lot of my songwriting is focused on the lyrical content and I want to get what I’m saying out there.
How does a track normally come together? Can you tell us something about the process?
I usually come up with a guitar riff, chord progression or whatnot, and then just start trying to write lyrics to it – both these songs came real easily to me and I wrote each song all at once. When I’m recording, I just lay down some guide tracks and work around that!
What band/artists have influenced you the most since you started this project, and why?
I think that the main influences are easily artists like Courtney Barnett, Kurt Vile and Phoebe Bridgers. Barnett and Viles’ vocal flows, cadence and the such really showed me there’s a whole new ball park to play with, and Bridgers’ lyrical ability is always inspiring.
What countries would you like to tour? Are there any standout venues you’d like to play in?
I’d love to play over in Australia. There’s a real rich music scene over there, but I’m not sure if they’d fully get my music with how much of a Northern accent I have, haha.
If you could pick one track for our readers to listen to in order to get a taste of your music, what would you pick, and why?
I’d probably say the single here, ‘Left to Speak’. Angry, political, and Northern.
What ambitions do you have for the band/your career?
I’m working on a bunch of fantastic releases with other artists, and lots of gigs in the works for local bands. The label is my main focus but I’ll always love writing music.
Finally, as you leave the stage, what are your parting words?
Keep your eyes peeled at the end of the year, got something big planned!
For more info visit: breadrecords.co.uk
