Q & A - Folk Musician Philip Cockerham

Photograph by Ani McNeice.

Philip Cockerham is a British singer, performer and songwriter. He is based in West Yorkshire, England, where he plays on the northern music scene and beyond. His music could be described as contemporary folk but he also performs traditional folk songs, with choruses for everyone!  He is currently gaining a deserved reputation with his thoughtful, original songs and  his entertaining performances.

Hi Phil, you're a singer-songwriter. How does your creative process work?

Hi Dan, - well, it's very varied. Sometimes I have a word or phrase which seems to "sing" out at me, and it grows out of itself. On those lucky occasions, the words and music arrive together. At other times it's a tune or a musical pattern that I find and then I add the words afterwards. I usually live with the song for a while before I feel it's finished.

Who are your biggest musical influences?

I could cite a whole range of people, styles and times etc, but then I guess the Beatles are high up there. That's what they did - they collected "styles" and developed them. They were so wide ranging in their influences and it works for me. I'm a bit like a sponge. I like so many different things.

What is your earliest memory of music?

As a very young child, we had an old gramophone which had belonged to my grandfather. I was allowed to play with it and we had 78 rpm records of Fats Waller, Elvis, Edmundo Ross, Jimmy Shand and his Band and others. There were classical records, comedy records and all sorts. I didn't know what was what, but I started to recognise what I liked. I also went to a church school with a large Irish community. I loved the jigs and reels that I heard at the church hall events and of course, there were some very dramatic hymn tunes in the church itself. My own song "Shine Again" is an anti-fascist song and it embraces the hymn-like structures that I grew up with.

At what age did you realise you could play? Tell me about the early years.

I used to experiment on the piano (we had a old ex-pub piano in the house) and I copied everything I heard. I used to "compose" story music with sound effects. Then my brother got a guitar and it opened up a new set of sounds to me. By 14 or 15, I was performing in clubs, on my own and in bands with my mates.

In recent years, your style of music has changed a little to becoming a more acoustic "folk" style, and you're gaining quite a reputation in the folk world. How are you finding the transition?

Strangely enough, I don't feel much different. The venues are nice because the audiences are so encouraging and they want to hear it, so playing acoustically is so much easier. You can allow the instruments to breathe and you can play more subtle stuff which will carry across some fairly big rooms when people are actively listening. With an electric band, the audience have no choice, but with acoustic instruments you have to ask a little bit more of them.The music isn't a lot different really. I was always a fan of melody and I've always played with a percussive or rhythmic style on the guitar and that still applies.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMpEVOInuoU 

As a professional musician, what are the biggest challenges? (I imagine it's not all red carpets, airports and groupies!)

Well, I don't see many airports (heh-heh.) Travel is quite a challenge these days. I'm spending a long time in the car moving from place to place and the distances are becoming further. It takes great chunks of time just getting around. And of course fuel costs are always a consideration as is the cost to the environment.

You've recently performed live on several radio shows, both for the BBC and for commercial stations, for example in Leeds on The Durbervilles Show on BBC Radio Leeds. Is there a noticeable difference between performing live on air and playing to a packed venue? Which do you prefer?

It's nice to get the response of a live audience. If they join in or respond to some moment, whether musical or to something I've said, I feel there's a human connection. The radio is different. You have to create your own atmosphere and you really are under the control of the presenter. I've been lucky that I've met good ones so far, but I think I prefer live gigs. You can ad-lib a bit more, spend longer on one thing if you feel like it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUKd9LNB-ds 

Next month, commencing July 8th, you're starting a tour of Southern England, playing in Kent, Sussex, Wiltshire, Devon and Warwickshire, with nights of your own and some nights supporting Michael Chapman. Do you think southern audiences are as enthusiastic about folk music as their northern counterparts?

Yes, I'm sure they are. There seems to be a common bond amongst all folk lovers. Whilst the local cultures and accents(!) may be quite different, and the dances each have their own character, folk songs are about people, stories and issues. These are of interest to audiences who are spread far afield and, for example, a good Scottish or Northern story/song, can be just as relevant to the people of Devon and vice-versa.

On some gigs you are accompanied by Dave Bowie Jr on the upright double bass. When did you team up with him?

We played a bit together a few years ago in a band (we were both temporary members) and I always thought he was great. We got together again this time to help out a mate who needed the support and the strength in numbers to get him back playing again. That being done, Dave and I stayed together playing the current stuff. It's always a pleasure when he's there. When he isn't, I usually leave a space next to me and pretend he is. I talk to him, we have a little banter and the audience thinks I've lost it.

What's next?

The second CD album "Janglebuddy" is due out in August so I'll still be involved mixing and mastering the tracks for a little longer. I'm really lucky that I've got some brilliant people on it with me. And the cover design is by a young, very talented artist called Ruth Switalski, from Glasgow School of Art. It's been a pleasure meeting and working with her. I'll be out promoting the album from September, with a new season of gigs (some are already posted on the website - www.philipcockerham,com and some are still to be confirmed.) I'm also hoping to work on another film, where I provide the soundtrack, but this is still in its early days. After that, who knows... maybe more red carpets!

Above image designed by Ruth Switalski.

http://www.folkandroots.co.uk/reviews14.html#cockerham

http://www.philipcockerham.com/