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Interviews Features Sandi Thom Interview
Interviews Features Sandi Thom Interview
| Sandi Thom Interview |
| Written by Sean David |
 InterviewSandi Thom Her debut single reached number one after the gigs from her basement gained attention from Sony. Sandi Thom returns with a new album, but this time she’s her own boss. Having been dropped by the major label, the singer best known for I Wish I Was A Punk Rocker founded her own record company and has made the most of her new found freedom. “It’s great to be your own boss. Everybody wants to be in that position. You have control, and more fun. I love every aspect” she said. “I’m able to pick the photos we use, choose my album cover, it’s such a great feeling. It’s much more rewarding when it comes together. I’m chomping at the bit to tell everybody about it, it’s so exciting to tell how this came about” added the singer. Of course, the loss of a major label's support would give any artist a crisis of confidence and Sandi was no different. She said: “My confidence took a knock. When you get signed by a big label then that’s taken away from you, there is a little blip. I just went a bit off the beaten path. I’m so grateful for getting off a major label though.” She enthused: “Hindsight is a great thing. I’m so excited with what people think, it’s getting my confidence back. I get to play and sing with conviction which is important for me, I think fans can enjoy gigs more that way too.” The Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts graduate reckons her new single This Ol’ World – released on April 18 – relates to her move into independent music. “It’s kind of about transitioning from one old world to a new one. It’s about being stuck in a rut, about uprooting yourself and taking a leap of faith. It’s a really poignant track on this album.” The album, titled Merchants and Thieves, is released in May. Of the title, Sandi said: “It’s a lyric by blues artist Chris Whitley, I think it’s a really good title but there’s no hidden meaning behind it.”  Also featured on the single is Joe Bonamassa, currently one of the most popular guitarists and vocalists in the blues genre. Sandi explained the story of how the two came to tour together and appear on one another's records. “It’s funny, we have the same booking agent, and I met him last March. We are fans of each other’s music, and he invited me to come along to a gig but unfortunately I couldn’t make it. But we met up, we made sure of it, and we got on well and became friends.” “Last summer, he did some European dates, but he had laryngitis. Still, people want to see him playing the guitar so I went and sang for him. It was great for me. I think a little bit of fate was involved in it all. Joe inspired me to be a better guitarist, in a very much male orientated world.” With influence from Bonamassa and her own new found freedom, Sandi’s style has undergone what one critic described as a “striking reinvention”, but the singer claims any change was natural. “It’s so complementary. It’s not something I thought about or preconceived, it’s just really happened as an organic process. I hate using the word organic, but it’s true. To other ears maybe it’s a departure but some things have still been carried over from the last album. It’s still the same band, same producer. One of the worst things you can do is have the same kind of album I think. It’s on my own label though, and it’s liberating. I enjoy playing, I’m pleased with it.” “I think since album one, there’s always been blues. But now, there’s no point where I have to make a song ‘radio friendly’. They’re perhaps far more detectable now, it’s much more obvious where my influences lie.” After her car broke down on the way to her concert in Wales in 2005, Sandi came upon the idea of performing online and spent three weeks performing concerts in her basement for broadcast on the internet. It was this idea that led to her being discovered and signed before reaching the number one spot with I Wish I Was A Punk Rocker. “I had to find an opportunity to market myself with something quite revolutionary. I’m an artist who has respect for and understands the business side of things. I made an album and decided to give it my best shot. I had to find something really striking. I wanted the album on shelves, and it gained a lot of attention. It worked!” Returning to Scotland as part of her UK tour, Sandi performs in Glasgow, before returning to her native Aberdeenshire the following night. The Macduff native makes the most of the brief visits on tour to meet up with friends and family. “It’s a great opportunity to see all the cousins and aunts and uncles that you usually only see at Christmas.” I'm not just looking forward to Aberdeen, but Edinburgh and Glasgow, it’s great to play in Scotland. You always get a really good, really responsive audience.” For your chance to win a signed copy of Merchant and Thieves click here Photo copyright of Ami Barwell |
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