โGraceโ is the fourth single from Jon Wheelerโs Americana and Alternative Country project โWestingwayโ. โGraceโ is a song about doing whatever it takes to get back to someone or something that youโve loved and lost. Weโve all been there. Itโs a mix of all the stuff weโve learnt over the last year, and weโre really pleased with it โ hope you enjoy! Check out the exclusive Interview below:
1. Your roots can often shape your journey. Can you share a story or moment from your early life that had a significant impact on your path into music?
WESTINGWAY: I donโt think I have a music story from my early life really. I didnโt really start playing until my late teens. I was the only person in our student digs that didnโt play the guitar, so I kind of got dragged into it. My best friend Tom at the time had had classical guitar lessons at boarding school (which he hated), but he knew some chords and a great record collection, so I just kind of started joining in.
2. So it was more a journey of personal exploration? How has that shaped your unique approach to your craft?
WESTINGWAY: I remember being quite interested in the whole songwriting aspect early on, before I could really play any song the whole way through, but my early attempts never really felt like it was me writing, it always felt like I was just trying to imitate somebody else, and that didnโt really sit too well, so I just tried to play as much as I could.
That said music didnโt become my living until my mid thirties when I kind of got drawn back in again. By that point though Iโd had jobs where I basically had to get on with solving problems and making do with what I had, so my approach became a very โhands onโ one. I learnt musical skills by needing them to achieve a specific goal. Iโve still got a lot to learn though.
3. Who were some of the most influential figures in your early musical life, and how did they inspire your sound? Also, whatโs the story behind choosing the name โWESTINGWAYโ?
WESTINGWAY: I think the most influential person overall would be Peter Buck from R.E.M. The band has been a constant on my landscape since I really got into music. He has his own playing style, and heโs one of relatively few guitarists who isnโt obsessed with solos. He serves the song, and I think thatโs an important lesson.
Jeff Tweedy and Jack White are influences I discovered later on, because I relate to their approaches, but Peter is always there. I met him a few years ago, heโs just a really ordinary, decent bloke.
โWestingwayโ is simply the street I lived on when I was a kid. So itโs inherently me, and pretty googlable, which always helps.
4. What do you believe sets your music apart? How would you describe your sound to someone discovering you for the first time, and what emotions or experiences do you hope to evoke in your listeners?
WESTINGWAY: I donโt think I do anything particularly unusual, but my music is very me. I think the only thing you can do to set yourself apart is to be you, let what you do be the sum of your experiences and influences which makes you an individual. If people have shared those experiences or can relate and you make a connection, then all the better.
I like traditional band sounds, guitars, drums, bass, but Iโm really into effects pedals, so a lot of our songs are infused with a bit ofโฆ weirdness? Itโs partly because I donโt really enjoy playing solos. We have quite an acoustic, country rock kind of sound, because if the songs get played live thereโs typically only me and the percussionist I work with. We like to be able to represent the records live to a decent extent.
5. For most artists, originality is first preceded by a phase of learning and, often, emulating others. What was this like for you? How would you describe your own development as an artist and music maker, and the transition towards your own style, which is known as AMERICANA?
WESTINGWAY: Yeah. Iโve played in covers bands for years. I think itโs an important part of the craft. You get to know yourself, what you like, what you donโt, by essentially learning from people further on than yourself. I think it helps you recognise what represents good writing to you, and you see tricks and ideas you can develop or build upon to help create your own sound.
I think Iโve always had an โAmericanaโ vibe, I just didnโt really try to put a name on it until I had to. A fusion of country, rock, alternative folk, indie and blues.
6. Music often transcends entertainment. Whatโs your view on the role and function of music as political, cultural, spiritual, and/or social vehicles โ and do you try and affront any of these themes in your work, or are you purely interested in music as an expression of technical artistry, personal narrative, and entertainment?
WESTINGWAY:
I mentioned R.E.M. before, who are I would say a โpolitically awareโ band and have used their fame at times to support causes and make political statements. I think if you want to use your music for those purposes, thatโs up to you. You have to realise though that music performs different functions for different people, so like I said, if you make a connection then great, but donโt be surprised if that connection isnโt what you imagined.
Iโm not an overtly political or spiritual person. Music for me is just about understanding myself and my emotions, or maybe telling a story. I have a friend who was convinced my first single โFox In The Hen Houseโ was about Donald Trump in some way. That was his take home message but I genuinely just wrote it as a song about foxes and chickens, soโฆ.
7. Do you feel the rewards of your musical career match the energy and passion you invest in it, or are there different kinds of fulfillment youโre still seeking?
WESTINGWAY: I think in terms of personal understanding or improvement, having a sense of personal achievement, absolutely. Financially, absolutely not. But it totally depends on what your goals are. I make more money than I spend creating, playing and releasing music, across all the projects I do, but if youโre an independent artist whoโs purely in it for the money, youโre in the wrong job. If you donโt have a significant level of energy and passion for purely personal reasons, music probably isnโt for you.
8. Can you walk us through your creative process? From the first spark of an idea to the finished track, whatโs the most essential part of your process, and how do collaboration or external influences shape your work?
WESTINGWAY: The majority of the time, I start with a chord idea, sequence or riff that interests me, or matches my mood. Lyrics are just a stream of consciousness that I usually have to refine later. They can be a mixture of three or four worthy ideas, but you have to try and focus.
I just kind of let stuff write itself, but then I always go back and think about the structure Iโve ended up with, tenses, to try and make what Iโve done the best it can be. I always try to predominantly finish a song in one sitting, I donโt have loads ofย โhalf ideasโ laying around.
Collaboration is totally different. My most successful collaborations, (such as with the country artist Kate Harding) are where Iโve been given lyrics, feelings or ideas and Iโve had the challenge of making them real. Thatโs very satisfying too. If you donโt have to actually sing the song yourself, it kind of gives you permission to write lyrics that sit outside of your normal comfort zone. Itโs challenging but kind of liberating.
9. Whatโs been the most challenging hurdle in either your personal life or music career, and how has it shaped you as an artist?
WESTINGWAY: I think the challenging thing for my particular generation is how the music industry has changed.
Iโm 51. When I first picked up a guitar, there was no internet to find chords or videos. You had to work it out, or buy a book, or find somebody who knew more than you did. Recording was for the elite, A.I. was Star Wars, and mini disks were the next โbig thingโ. Now obviously itโs very different.
Iโm fortunate in that although music is my living I have no particular ambition to โmake it bigโ. Iโm just trying to see what I can achieve, so Iโm relatively unaffected. I can see though that being good at music isnโt enough anymore. Itโs all the other stuff you need to do thatโs the challenge.
10. On the flip side, what moment or achievement in your career so far has made you feel the proudest, and why? And letโs talk about your latest release and future plans.
WESTINGWAY: I donโt honestly feel that thereโs any one defining moment, but when I look back at what Iโve achieved, songs Iโve written, people Iโve worked with, gigs Iโve played, I donโt think thereโs been any โdead endsโ. Iโm proud of my work, it keeps me engaged, people seem to enjoy it, and I enjoy it, so itโs all good really.
My latest single โGraceโ is out now. Itโs an amalgamation of all the things Jeff (Clark, percussionist/ engineer) and I have learnt after recording the first three singles in his shed and putting them out. The song is about doing what it takes to get back to someone or something you love, and weโre really proud of it.
Going forward weโve already started work on the next release, which is a piano based version of an old demo I did called โStay On The Lineโ. I always thought it would work like that, my friend Sophie has recorded some piano for us, and Jeff and are going to build upon that. Itโll be interesting to see how that pans out.
11. With social media having a heavy impact on our lives and the music business in general, how do you handle criticism, haters, and/or naysayers in general? Is it something you pay attention to, or simply ignore?
WESTINGWAY: Fortunately there hasnโt been much of that. Itโs been the people who I assumed would have been supportive but are now conspicuous by their silence that Iโve noticed the most, but I canโt say it really bothers me.
12. Creative work in a studio or home environment, or interaction with a live audience? Which of these two options excites you most, and why?
WESTINGWAY: You get different benefits from the two environments. Generally writing is great, collaboration is great, recording is tedious, playing live is great. Iโve been a live player the longest, and I think if I had to choose thatโs still the biggest buzz, because you see and feel the reactions of the people around you. Itโs a connection thing.
13. Do you think is it important for fans of your music to understand the real story and message driving each of your songs, or do you think everyone should be free to interpret your songs in their own personal way?
WESTINGWAY: I think my songs are pretty obvious, at least to me, but Iโve always been perfectly happy to interpret my own understanding of other peopleโs songs, so itโs difficult for me to think any other way. Everything anybody sees or hears results in their own interpretation to some extent. I donโt always understand exactly where some things I write come from, so I canโt exactly put people straight. Feel free to interpret, and then perhaps let me know. Thanks.
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