Llanelli Music Scene interviews ‘Band of the Month Launch Night’ performer Dai Sharkey.

Interview questions by Trudi Goldsmith

Can you tell us how long you have been playing music?

I grew up in a musical family so I’ve always been involved in music, life at home was pretty ‘rock’n’roll’ but I learned to play the guitar in the summer holidays of 1981 aged 10 and immediately started writing and recording my own songs on a 2 track Akai ¼” tape, bouncing from left to right layering tracks as I’d watched my Dad do for years.

I’ve been writing and recording ever since.

How would you describe your musical style?

I call my current style Dark-Folk, as I write about life and people around me thus it is folk music but I have a ‘half empty cup’ view of the world so my topics and mood are a bit dark. I’d like to think it’s got a heavy dose of psychedelia in it as that is my most favoured genre.

Where do you get your influences for your songs?

My songs generally arrive in my mind as a package, I hear them as complete works that I then try and learn or interpret as I hear them or I let them grow from a tag line or hook that again seems to create itself as it grows legs and runs off.

My lyrical topics are always personal, usually as simple as my view of the world, not that my view is in any way simple but they’re common to me.

What makes you different to other solo artists in the Llanelli area?

I’m fortunate to have created a style of acoustica that isn’t easily replicated, I played in psych-rock bands for years and feel It’s somewhat a stripped down version of that but what I play and the style that I play in makes me stand out from the many acoustic artists around and has brought me my fair share of recognition and acclaim as I keep treading the boards and inflicting my sound on anyone that will listen.

I’m original in my approach and quirky in its execution thus allowing me experimental freedoms where my focus is not on writing the best pop song or favoured 3 chord arrangement but expressing myself through my instruments, that makes me happy whether the audience or listener likes what I do or not.

What’s the best and worst thing about being in a musician?

The best thing about being a musician is the ability of expression, to ‘let it out’ is such a therapeutic tool that I’m not sure if I could live without it, the worst thing is that with it comes power to influence and lead people with your lyrical content so I’m always aware that what I make public needs to carry the right message and I hope to use that power responsibly. 10,000+ online plays reminds me that people are listening to what I say.

Over your career so far are there any memorable gigs that stand out for you (good or bad)?

I’ve had some great gigs, Pembroke castle, Caerphilly castle live on Radio Wales, main stage St. Davids hall, Cardiff, but the intimate one’s have to be the best, heart-warming ones like CaffiIechyd Da, Carmarthen or Burry Port folk club where you can hear a pin drop and everyone’s listening with their whole mind, that’s beautiful to me.

The bad one’s are just the opposite, drunks in pubs that prefer karaoke, cheap poor sound systems in stinky dives and places I just feel I shouldn’t have agreed to play.

Do you have any advice for people wanting to perform as a solo artist – how would someone start out etc?

The key is to get out there and do it, take time to perfect what you do and make plenty of mistakes trying to find the things you like doing. Get along to all the open mic nights within a 20 mile radius, meet everyone on the scene and learn from them, musicians are the loveliest most fun crowd so be brave and talk to anyone and everyone who plays, sings, writes and records, learning all the time. There is no such things as a master in music, we’re all learning all the time, forever.

What plans do you have musically for the rest of 2013?

This year my album ‘schizophrenic’ is being released internationally. It’ll be in supermarkets by the summer, available for download everywhere and for sale directly from my website along with merchandise of all sorts. Along with that I have a schedule of promotion booked including tv and radio, magazines and tabloids, interviews, chat shows, the works.

I also have a national solo tour being organised with a 2 hour mad stage show with film and visual effects, even costume changes hitting the Art centres and theatres later this year.

I’m also looking forward to putting on 2 shows this summer for ‘Time to change Wales’ helping combatting social prejudice and stigma of mental illness. As a sufferer myself, this message is close to my heart and I’m hoping for some major national media attention for me to get on my soap box and tell people exactly what it’s like living in todays society with a mental disability.

Can’t see me getting much rest before 2014

Where can people find out more about the your music and how to book you for gigs- eg website or facebook etc?

To follow all what I’m up to visit daisharkey.com

All the links to all my social media sites are on there for you to follow and visit my blog to keep up to date of the madness that happens to me every month.

If you’d like to support me donations can be made through paypal using daisharkey@gmail.com. See you on the road…..Hugs. Dx

Photo by Emma Buckley of Dai Sharkey performing at Llanelli Music Scene’s Band of the month Launch Night 30th March 2013 at the Kilkenny Cat.

Check out Emma Buckley’s photography page on facebookhttp://www.facebook.com/ebphotographyllanelli