The Baker's Dozen #43 Dave Foster
Fans of Big Big Train and the Steve Rothery Band will need no introduction to Dave Foster. The guitarist and songwriter has been heavily involved with both in the last few years but dig a little deeper, and you’ll discover Dave’s solo career and his work with vocalist Dinet Poortman. ‘Glimmer’ is the second album from the duo and does a wonderful job of utilizing progressive instrumentation, including plenty of fluid, yet punchy, guitar playing from Dave, on a bunch of songs with striking pop sensibilities. Fans of the aforementioned acts, and a band we recently championed here at Red Guitar Music, League Of Lights will surely enjoy ‘Glimmer’ immensely. The album was released on CD/LP in April, with a digital release on May 19th, so go check it out. We caught up with Dave for a wide-ranging chat (anyone who starts out by mentioning Bob Seger’s Nine Tonight is alright in my book) about his musical tastes, career and choice in film (Wes Anderson is another big tick here at RGMHQ). Now if we can get him to elaborate on that Steve Vai story…
1. What is your earliest musical memory?
My Mum was loaned a copy of Bob Seger’s ‘Live Nine Tonight’ by a work colleague and she fell in love with it. I was already playing the guitar but I hadn't really had any experience with rock music. I vividly remember mum playing it really loudly in the lounge one day and I thought ‘Hollywood Nights’ was magical. A couple of years later I heard Michael Jackson’s ‘Beat It’ and my life changed forever.
2. Do you remember the name of your first band?
‘World Peace Machine’. I was 14 when we put the band together and we were very nearly signed by Siren Records, to the point where we had a couple of meetings. The singer who at that time was 16 drove us to London, back then that was mad, daunting to the extreme. The bass player was 13. I still have the demos and although I say it myself, we were incredible for such a young band.
3. Which current artist do you find the most impressive and why?
Justin Vernon from Bon Iver, he’s a songwriting genius. I’m more impressed by songwriters than ‘players’ these days and he’s at the top of the tree for me alongside Thom Yorke. I saw Bon Iver live last year and it was almost transcendental. There’s a track called ‘33 God’ that is, to my ears anyway, perfect.
4. Do you sit down to actually try to write songs or wait until inspiration strikes?
Writing music is a peculiar experience. I can't anticipate when inspiration will visit me. I have had days where the ideas aren't just flowing but they are literally flying out and then there are days when I sit down with guitar and absolutely nothing happens. Inspiration is like a radio station, some days I remember the frequency and others I don't.
5. If you could go back in time, what advice would you give your younger self?
Ignore the doubters and work on your self-confidence. I am a very shy person and I used to really suffer from very low confidence to the point where it crippled me in my early 20’s. The way I deal with it now is that I just write and play for myself and if other people enjoy it then that's a real bonus but if no-one heard or liked what I did then at least I enjoy it. That was a really difficult but important lesson for me.
6. You're stuck in a lift with your musical hero (living or dead) and they ask you to play them something - who is it, what do you play and why?
David Bowie, you could ask me this question a thousand times and I’d give the same answer. He was my dream gig, I’d have loved to have played with Bowie. I think I’d play ‘Diamond Dogs’ as that was the first song I heard by him and that started a musical voyage for me. I consider Bowie a gift to us all, much like the Beatles or Beethoven, people who define what we now know as music.
7. On the road, do you have any pre-show rituals/superstitions?
Not really, I’m not superstitious at all but I do always warm up on the guitar and need to work on my breathing a little too as I still get very nervous. No matter how many shows I do, I could be in the middle of a twenty date run and I’d still, get nervous.
8. Should music be free?
It wouldn't last long if it was. It’s expensive being a musician, VERY expensive and if there’s no reward for it then we’d have no new music. Also as it’s a lifelong journey learning music why should we give it away? I’m sure if an electrician came to my house to rewire and I expected it to be free they'd not be happy.
9. Can you remember the first record you bought and what have you bought recently?
It was ‘Live After Death’ by Iron Maiden, such a great live album. My brother had found music earlier than me and was always playing ‘Number of the Beast’ at home and ‘Run to the Hills’ was on heavy rotation. Eventually I gave in and became a fan. Recently I bought the latest M83 album ‘Fantasy’, the latest ‘Mars Volta’ album on vinyl and Fink’s IIUII on vinyl. Three very good albums there.
10. What was the last song that made you cry actual tears?
When my dad passed away I had been listening to ‘Call it Dreaming’ by Iron & Wine and although my dad would have never heard it, it now always makes me think of him. It’s a truly gorgeous song.
11. In the digital age, we have more music and video at our fingertips than ever before. Do you have any guilty pleasures or recommendations in film or TV?
I love ‘What we do in the Shadows’, Matt Berry is always good value and ‘The World According to Jeff Goldblum’ is very entertaining too. I used to watch films a lot but rarely get the time these days. I will say that ‘Dead Man’s Shoes’ is the best film I’ll probably ever watch. I’m a big Wes Anderson fan too, so if you haven't seen ‘The French Dispatch’ or ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’ then I'd recommend that you watch them. Wes Anderson is like Guy Ritchie in that they are directors who define their own genre.
12. Your house is on fire. You already have your loved ones slung over one shoulder and your guitar in one hand. With your other hand you can rescue three CDs or LPs...What are they?
Oooo that's a good one. I’ll go with ‘22, a Million’ by Bon Iver, ‘Spook the Herd’ by Lanterns on the Lake and ‘In Rainbows’ by Radiohead. I could go on, I’m sure everyone who has been asked this question could too.
13. What is the most important thing to you that you can see from where you are right now?
My Ibanez Jem guitar is next to me so probably that. I’ve had this guitar since I turned 18, it’s been on every album that I’ve recorded so far and I doubt that’ll change, it’s a part of me. There’s a lot of history attached to this guitar, a long story involving Steve Vai at the beginning too.
These days, with a seemingly inexhaustible amount of music available at the click of a mouse, it is easy to miss things in our search for instant gratification. The art of getting to know an album over repeated listens, allowing it to slowly reveal itself, is in danger of being lost. A case in point is the aptly titled ‘Modern Nostalgia’, the latest release from The Last Hurrah (!!), a project helmed by Norwegian musician/producer HP Gundersen. ‘Modern Nostalgia’ blends a distinctly European (Serge Gainsbourg/Marianne Faithfull) approach with the California sound of Gram Parsons and The Byrds, utilising a variety of singers and instrumentation along the way to reveal its charms. With this in mind, we caught up with HP Gundersen to learn more about HP and his collaborators in The Last Hurrah (!!).