Lyndsey Craig is an up and coming singer-songwriter currently living in Linlithgow but plying her musical trade in Edinburgh. Thomas Brent caught up with her and her manager Steven Mackay, who also runs Fortune Promotions, in the run up to her EP launch.
How old were you when you started getting into music and writing your own songs?
Lyndsey: When I was 8 my dad started teaching me guitar. He used to be in a band based in Liverpool called the Inmates, and they played at the Cavern Club. I got my own guitar when I was 12 and got guitar lessons for a few months but that was all I really needed so I just started jamming on my own after that and writing my own stuff.
You have an EP coming out, ‘Blue Jays’. Where was it recorded?
Lyndsey: College of Edinburgh, the Milton road campus.
Steven: It’s a great facility to have in Edinburgh; it’s one of these wee hidden gems.
Who did you get to record it?
S: Well, we had a few technical difficulties with the recording of the EP. We were trying to mix it and master if over the Christmas holidays and release it on the 31st January, but pushing people with a short time limit made it difficult, so we had to change who did the mixing/mastering.
L: We ended up getting my boyfriend at the time to mix it, but we broke up like half way through the mixing.
This sounds a little bit Fleetwood Mac ish.
L: Yeah it was terrible
S: So it ended up the producer was David Stewart. So we just got the tracks back recently and they’re sounding really good.
How many tracks are on the EP?
L: Three, ‘Blue Jays’, ‘Try’ and ‘The End’.
S: We also have a radio edition for ‘Blue Jays’ because this one (nods at Lyndsey) swears a lot in the song.
What are the general themes of the songs?
L: I don’t want to get into the emotional side of things, but it is very personal stuff that I think everyone can relate to. A lot of the songs have hidden meanings to them.
Jim Gellatly played your track on his new music podcast, it must be brilliant to get that level of exposure? And how did you get in touch with him?
L: Definitely Yeah. Well me and him are like best friends on Twitter.
S: I’ve met Jim Gellatly through a few things. He’s worked with artists I’ve worked with before, that was at the Fourth 1 to watch awards. I met him there and we got talking, he’s only ever known me through online until I went right up to him. I was a bit timid because he’s a big guy, but he came over and it was hugs straight away. So as soon as I could I sent him over a copy of ‘Blue Jays’ and he really liked it.
You Cover a lot of pop songs like Katy Perry and Nicki Minaj, and mellow the tunes out a bit. Why do you choose these sorts of songs over more traditional acoustic songs?
L: I’m quite in to pop music, even though I don’t write pop music. I like to take really generic songs and make them my own.
You teamed up with Steven who runs Fortune Promotions, do you think more artists should look in to taking a similar route in joining up with promotion companies?
L: Yeah, definitely. Before I just had some videos on Youtube and wasn’t really doing much but now I have a lot of views, I’m getting lots of gigs and I have recorded an EP.
S: It’s a tricky one, you sometimes have to watch out for who you work with because promoters in general have a bad name in the music world. As a musician you are really vulnerable to being taken advantage of so you just have to be careful.
Coming from a new artist’s perspective, what are your thoughts on putting your music on sites like Spotify and Soundcloud, where you are essentially giving your music away for free?
L: Unless you are a bigger band then maybe it’s an issue because you want to be making your millions, but it’s not really about the money at the moment, it’s more about just getting my music out there. Youtube has been a big platform for my music and that has really helped me. I have fans in Slovakia which is quite cool.
What do you have coming up in 2014?
L: We have the EP launch on the 7th February at the Counting House. Then I have some more general gigs coming up as well, I’m playing Sneaky Pete’s on the 28th February and then another gig on the 5th of April at the Counting House. Then I’m planning on teaming up with another artist and doing a duet in the studio, for Fortune’s studio sessions. I can’t mention who that is just yet but it’s someone I really admire and look up to. I’m also live on East Coast FM on the 30th January between 8-10pm.
If you could support any band/musician at a gig, who would it be?
L: Do they have to be alive?
No, we’ll throw it open to those dead guys too.
S: Why don’t we do an alive and a dead one?
Okay, so which currently living artist would you most want to support?
L: I’d say Twin Atlantic.
S: Twin Atlantic? Nooo waay.
L: Yeah I used to love them; I’ve met them like five times.
I didn’t expect you to say Twin Atlantic. So how about your dead one?
L: Johnny Cash. Or Dusty Springfield.
Lyndey’s debut EP ‘Blue Jays’ is available on iTunes from the 7th February, go check it out.
