Artist Interview #8: James Oakwood
mp3unsigned September 22, 2012mp3u: “Hate” is perhaps too strong a word, but “the man they love to hate” is an epithet given to popular villains I think since the early black and white serials, when the villain entered and the audience would boo excitedly (cheer?), up to any modern day popular villains like… er… that bloke off Star Wars…
[Amadeus: "You mean the Emperor?" DR: "Yeah, yeah! That's the one!"]
mp3u: I have noticed in the forums a kind of running joke, especially when a poster is defending themselves, “I would never insult / badmouth / disrespect another user,” and then they close the statement with “except that Oakwood fella!” or something. But you seem to have incredibly thick skin, because it’s all water off a duck’s back to you.
Andy : I think you have to be thick skinned on the web. You never really get to “know” people unless you meet them face-to-face and I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Marty (KtA) and that Miller bloke Tony. I appreciate these guys for having met them - if you can’t visualize folk it’s not so easy to tell if someone’s having a go at you or just jesting. That’s my take on it anyway. However, It’s not ALL water of a duck’s back Darth - as you know I have a fondness for our chart so I have to put up as best as I can when the forum debates inevitably swings that way!
mp3u: Do you have any idea why you are often on the receiving end of quips and wisecracks?
Andy : I think this is difficult to answer - other folk might get this sort of treatment(?) but if it’s mainly me then it’s probably because I’m a little outspoken about stuff, both on the forum and in song comments. My intentions are always positive - I mean well on a personal level and on a site level but, I guess sometimes you can’t achieve both.
mp3u: You can give as good as you get though, which provides for some very entertaining chatbox and thread exchanges. Any favourite comebacks over the years?
Andy : Not really - maybe I should have written them down but, of course, the internet isn’t like meeting real folk so sometimes you don’t know if you’ve really landed a decent retort. One springs to mind but only because Liquid (Ant Gee) was amused by it. It was about a month ago. Maybe I should take notes!
mp3u: What was that one? Perhaps I read it at the time.
Andy : It probably doesn’t stand the test of time so best left in the forum.
mp3u: Good call. Very diplomatic answer and you are quite right. The forums are a world of their own, but can be a very interesting place to hang out. By the way, for any site newbies who have only read these interview articles without checking the forums (or those who regularly lurk on the forum without contributing - we don’t know who you are, but we know there a lot of you!), don’t be afraid to join in. Everyone is welcome! The more the merrier!
Sorry Andy, getting back to your music, I see on your bio that you began recording songs in 2006. This is quite surprising. Your songwriting and technical expertise with mixing and mastering seem like someone with far more experience than only 6 years at the game! Surely you picked up an instrument much earlier, played in a college band or something?
Andy : I began playing guitar at about 14 and am self-taught from books.
mp3u: I knew it! Off down the bookies now to collect my win So, what inspired you to take up music?
Andy : My childhood inspiration was a blind cousin who played piano. He’s a year younger than me but at age 6 he could play all the beatle’s songs that were on the radio. He has perfect pitch and it fascinated me about why HE could do this and I couldn’t! When I started properly listening to bands (as a teen-ager) I realized how significant his gift was and I became determined to make a fist of it so, I bought a leccy guitar from Woolies, and not-surprisingly played really, really badly. I never played in a band other than just jamming along with mates but the “mechanisms” of music always appealed to me.
mp3u: Is your cousin still playing music now?
Andy : He’s quite ill at the moment (and I should go and visit him more often) - he had a brain hemorrhage about 4 years back which pretty much left him a cabbage. He has regained use of his voice but he’s still not ready to get down and boogie. (Personal note - Gary, best wishes dude and I’ll visit soon)
mp3u: I’m so sorry, that’s an unexpectedly tragic tale. But surely, if he has the power of speech, I would hardly write him off as being a “cabbage”. Did you ever tell him (before or after the hemorrhage) that you were also writing music of your own? Or more importantly, that he was the inspiration for your musical life path? If not, I imagine it is something that he would be well-chuffed to know.
Andy : I think he knows that he inspired me to delve into music, As for writing music, it’s something you can do or just can’t do - there seems to be enough musicians out there who can’t write music but I count myself as one of the lucky ones who can - I also find writing music is therapeutic - it’s kept me strong during the harder times of life and I’d be lost without it to be honest.
mp3u: Without further ado, how did you get into the production and mixing end of music?
Andy : I “acquired” an old version of Cubase from a guy I worked with (and jammed with now and then) but I never wrote a complete song until early 2006 and then, I realized, I needed to sing! This was a challenge!
I did my best and my singing and playing were not too awful BUT the production sounded bland and lifeless. I didn’t improve on my production until I bought a pair of mackie studio monitors. I heard my stuff and it sounded really, really puny. This was a wake-up call for a fast-track in understanding WTF was happening.
I’m an electronics engineer and i’ve designed a few audio products so I kind of had the answers at my finger-tips. It’s all about eq’ing, limiting and compression. You must have the speakers though - good speakers don’t lie or exaggerate a sound - if it sounds puny through good speakers then it’s because it is. If it sounds good thru a hi-fi it’s quite possible that the hi-fi incorporates compression and eq to make the sound much better and stronger..
mp3u: Thank you, that explains a lot! I see you have an impressive 62 songs currently on your artist page. Does this include every song you ever uploaded to mp3u, or have you ever taken any down?
Andy : My 1st song (mentioned in the previous answer) is still up on mp3unsigned - it’s undergone a few rehashes since it’s first upload. My 2nd song is still up too. I did have my third song up but it was crap so it came down to make way for another. I had a song called “My kinda woman” up for a while but back then, unless you were paying the man you only had three free slots. It got replaced a few times.
mp3u: What was the first track you uploaded, and how was it received?
Andy : The first track I uploaded was the 2nd song I wrote (as I mentioned above) - it’s called “Demon Rising” and I was amazed that people actually commented on my stuff. I was hooked into mp3u from that point. There were quite a few pointers about production and making the drums seem less-repetitive - hey all the comments are still there and there are some commenter’s names that we just don’t see any more. I guess it was received well.
mp3u: How about the first song that reached number one? (skip that question if the first one you uploaded reached number one)
Andy : I truly don’t remember (gonna take a look right now)…. According to my page my earliest #1 was a track called “long time ago V2″ and this is news to me - Maybe it got to #2 that week and subsequently the track that actually made #1 has been taken down from the site. Hint - if you wait long enough and and piss-off enough people, eventually all your tracks will get to #1!!
mp3u: Do you have any idea how many number one tracks you’ve had? (No cheating and looking it up - off the top your head?)
Andy : I don’t. I’m going to guess at 15.
mp3u: You’ve actually had 26 number one’s as follows in order of current track listing: Mind games. Chances. Sunshine pastures. The Waterfall. Crazy ‘Bout ya. H-Rock. Shine a light. Book of lies V2. They don’t need you. No prisoners tonight. Albert Dugger V2. In the vortex. Valleys. The Chair. Meeny Miney Money. Don’t Scream (It’s Hallowe’en). Publunch victim. Christmastime. My bed. Making Plans V4. Snookered. City Lights. Back Home…. I knew a man V2. War and Prayer V2. Long Time Ago V2.
Andy : 26, but i reckon probably only 20 made it properly (see answer above for explanation)
mp3u: Out of all those number ones, which is your favourite or favourites, that you’d really like to recommend to listeners unfamiliar with any of your work? (nice chance to plug some of your best tunes).
Andy : My favourites that reached #1 are probably “Publunch Victim“, followed by “Albert Dugger“, “I knew a man“, “Sunshine Pastures” and “Mind games”
mp3u: ”Sunshine Pastures” covers a subject which is rarely, if ever, explored in songs. But probably deserves more attention, especially considering the poignant lyrics at the end of your song. Great track! I also like “Publunch Victim” which the blurb says is “loosely” based on a real incident in 2004. Judging by the vitriol in your voice it’s an autobiographical anecdote, but I have to wonder how much of it is true? Was the guy actually hiding under the floor when he was arrested? Did he end up getting locked up?
Andy : He was locked-up and prosecuted. He was actually hiding in his attic in a cardboard/wooden box he’d made for himself but I couldn’t get the flow of lyrics right with “attic” (artist license I guess). Sunshine Pastures was kind of a humorous poke at care homes but I decided to take it to levels that one wouldn’t expect to find.
mp3u: In addition to your numerous number one tracks, you’ve had many many tracks reach the number 2 spot too (as well as other positions in the top ten). I can’t help but wonder if the “Mind Games” lyrics “Those beautiful times when you smelt success, Only to find you were barely 2nd best” are about this? You do know there are many artists who’ve been on the site for years and never reached number 2, let alone number 1… Surely you’re not bitter? 
Andy : Of course I’m bitter about it (hee hee). To be honest, those lines were directly aimed at Ant Gee (Liquid) - we’d had some bantering about him not getting above me in the charts and it spawned this thought. Ant - if your reading sorry mate LOL. Muhuhahaha
mp3u: I see… I guess we can expect a comment or two from Liquid himself below this interview Moving on from your favourite number one tracks - conversely, what tracks have you always had a soft spot for as being among your best work, yet didn’t do so well in the charts?
Andy : Good question….. “Asylum” and “New suede shoes” spring to mind. “Voices” is ok too.
mp3u: Can you tell us a little about those songs? Now is the perfect opportunity to give a little limelight to those songs you feel never got the kudos they deserved.
Andy : Ah limelight - well, firstly they’re on my page (that’s the limelight bit so go and play em!!) and as you mentioned kudos I guess “voices” has gained a fair bit from the number of downloads - i believe it to be my most downloaded song and that still suprises me. “Asylum” I like because it’s different to the normal type of track you hear (and was quite experimental both chordwise and instrumentally). “New suede shoes” is clearly a play on words and is loosely based on “Blue suede shoes” but i am fond of it because it seems to capture most of the important features I like in music and, it reminds me that writing songs ought to be a pleasurable act and if you get the bonus of liking the song afterwards then that’s even better.
mp3u: Lyrically, which song do you feel is your best work, whether that is because the lyrics are are deep, serious and heartfelt or because they are cleverly humorous? Which one makes you proudest to think, “hey, I wrote that!”
Andy : I had a good laugh writing the lyrics to “Ketchup Killer” but I suppose my favourite lyric is “Sunshine Pastures” or “Jesus aint comin”. “Welcome to the modern world” was good for me letting-off steam. I should also mention that I’ve collaborated with Dawn Sinclair on a few lyrics and “Book of lies” is one of my favourites that sprang from that partnership.
mp3u: One question which interests readers is the musical set-up of artists with high production values. What kind of software / hardware do you use most?
Andy : I have an old Dell PC with a soundblaster card. I’m running Cubase 4 and wavelab. Instruments are a Yamaha DGX-205 keyboard and a cheap bass and E335 Guitar. I also use an acoustic guitar and I have a Yamaha DD65 electronic drum-kit which I used on one track but due to me moving homes has not come outta the box yet. My mic is a Rode NT1A. I have a cheap 2nd hand 10 channel Yamaha mixer (MG10/2) too.
mp3u: The last question is the one which could cause most incitement to riot - which… (I’m trembling as I ask this)… Which football team do you support?
Andy : I used to be a football fan but now I just support Leeds United lol. Now where’s the door!!
mp3u: The pod bay doors will open when I press this little button here, but first I just wanted to say thank you for speaking to us today and to mention one last thing. While researching for your interview, I noticed that according to your artist bio, you first coined the term “mega” in 1976. Being quite an eyebrow-raising claim, I just had to check it out. Not to be a party pooper, but, according to www.peevish.co.uk ’s “Dictionary of Slang”, mega is, and I quote “Adj. Fantastic, wonderful. [Orig. U.S. 1960s]” Oh dear… Any last words?
Andy : That dictionary - if it says 1960s US then it’s probably right - maybe I’d heard it somewhere and unconciously used it. Hmmmmm!!!!
mp3u: Or come up with it independently. It happens! (Just ask the patent office )
Andy : Yeah, it could be one of those things that didn’t cross the Atlantic in the 60s and was (re)invented by me in the 70s or maybe I heard the term when I was a kid? Hard to say but, I will alter the blurb on my page to reflect the “claim” by the peevish dictionary of slang.
mp3u: Good on ya, and thanks again for the interview! Opening the pod bay doors now. Should be easy to find your way home - turn left at the moon and it’s the big blue and green thing. Can’t miss it. Activating airlock in T-minus 3…2…1…
Comments (2)
I really appreciate the effort Darth makes at creating a welcoming and positive exchange in these interviews with mp3u artists. This interview is another fine example of drawing out the personal side of the artists we know on mp3u.
James Oakwood was one of the first artists to give a listen to my music when I joined mp3u a year ago. He was also the first to point out the faux-pas of not giving a “thumzup” when leaving a comment, and how to send a Private Message when a comment might be sensitive or personal
I appreciated the production tips and criticisms, although I didn’t have much of a clue about all the techno-bafflegab (and James will likely rightly say that I still don’t 
Most of what I appreciated from James were the tips about the mp3u site and the sense of community it represented and struggled, at times, to maintain, over the years. Mp3u is built upon helping artists feel welcomed and valued. James did that, and I hope I have passed some of that along as I welcome others to this site too.
Certainly, the best part of these interviews is putting the human connection back into the names and comments I observe on the mp3u site, on the artist pages, the forum, the chatroom, and all the places that a name and text appear. It takes a while, but seeing the human side of James Oakwood is the part that really matters. The best song, to me, is the recent one about his feelings surrounding his son’s approaching 3rd tour in the forces: It’s Not Easy. That is the best track, in my opinion, although I did find it fascinating to hear a song like Ketchup Killer on the James Oakwood page too.
There is a craft to song-writing and recording, and some work it to a tidy perfect song. James’ attention to the details puts him in that category where engineer and musician meet. Best of both worlds, I suppose. And that is what has fascinated me with James’ music.
Well, I could go on and on, and I usually do, but to sum it all up: Kudos to Darth
(it is never easy to create an interview that asks the right questions and pokes around light-heartedly, for responses the readers will enjoy), and a big thanks to James for letting his guard down and giving us a more personal glimpse at his life. And a bouquet for Tracey! lol!
Thoroughly enjoyed this interview!
Terry
I recall the first time I received a comment from Andy as if it was yesterday…the stabbing pain in my heart still feels fresh
Andy is a man who tells things as they are and for a newbie it’s not always pretty lol but hey in my opinion it’s the best that can happen if you embrace it and rise to his challenge. Amongst a few others his straight talking combined with so some good advice has helped me grow as an artist.
As a musician your as good as any on this site with sweet production as standard. Vocally your a great ad for giving up the cigs and ale but you’ve grown on me.
I do recall one of my tracks that stuck at number 2 thanks to some old smazzle tune of yours but I blame the listeners for occasionally lacking taste
give me time I’ll kick your ass someday…low flying pigs you say!
Great interview from one of my fav members even if you have called me out more than once and trampled on my sensitivities
Ant