Influences
Phil Spector, Ennio Morricone, Elvis Presley, The Beatles, Roy Orbison, Dion, Can, Moondog, Townes Van Zandt, Serge Gainsbourg, Gene Clark, Motown, Tim Hardin, Jackson c Frank, Neil Young, Righteous Brothers, Mel Tormé, Joe Meek, Skip Spence, The Flamingos, Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons, Neil Diamond, Mulatu Astatke, Roberta Flack, Santo & Johnny....
Whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.
These things are sent to try us.
No pain, no gain.
All was going well at the time for 28 year-old Findlay Brown from York. His debut album Separated By The Sea had been widely hailed as the work of a major new singer-songwriting talent, and he was on his way back from another sold-out gig in London when he stopped the cab to get some money from a cash point. The driver accidentally reversed over his leg, breaking his ankle in two places and shattering his tibia.
“In a weird way, it felt like it had to happen,” he reflects, slowly sipping a Guinness in an East London pub. “I needed to slow down, stop working, and get some perspective on what I wanted to do for the next album.”
He made a fine start on that journey when he hooked up with producer Bernard Butler. “I loved the stuff he did with McAlmont and Butler, and that’s why I thought he would understand what I was trying to achieve with this record.”
“I wanted the words to be simple and straightforward too,” Findlay admits. “Both records I have done have been romantic records, but the first album was more personal, whereas I wanted these to be universal themes, which are love songs but are also spiritual, reflecting my feelings about the world in general. It sounds daft but I do feel like I’m on a spiritual journey, and this is just the next step.”
Press
"the most unlikely classic of the year" - Guardian
"catch this man... before his fame matches the size of his songs" - Metro
"a clever smorgasbord of '60s/'70s pop" - Uncut
"pure laid-back bliss" - Mixmag
Just to let you know
your single is inside one of our playlists, the one is gonna be broadcasted
today! 12h (GMT +1) via www.lacotorra.org and from thursday you can download the whole programa via
http://elcuartelillo.lacotorra.org
Your music is fantastic.
Mon, June 15th, 2009 8:30 PM (Doors open at: 7:30 PM) Au Revoir Simone
Special Guests: Findlay Brown + Leaving the Scene
Wonder Ballroom 128 NE Russell Street, Portland, OR 97212 (503 284-8686) All Ages. $12.00 Advance. $14.00 Day Of Show. Tickets available from TicketMaster
Two reasons for writing:
1) To show you this clip of what NOT to do at open mics: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdoD0wh3XM8 2) To shamelessly tell you about my new album of 16 home-recorded songs available on cd and download now! Only a fiver! (please see my page).
Hi Findlay, it was a great (but short) gig in Saint-Jacques de la Lande, France, Festival Top of the folk ! I was glad to see you in the "crowd" during the others shows… hope you'll come back in France soon.