Interview with Ray Gibson aka The Singing Painter by AC Wilson Ray Gibson is a fairly new kid on the block in terms of the UK scene however he has had great success throughout Germany and the Czech Republic with his former band The Roads. In a bold move his début album has been recently released for free to stream through You Tube with an interactive and a purpose built video for the whole album. The album is also being sold throughout UK stores. We recently caught up with him to find out who Ray Gibson really is. So very quickly for those that don't know who you are, give us a brief into who Ray Gibson is? Well, I don't dance, but I try to do a bit of everything else that's creative... most of my time is spent writing lyrics and songs (as I did for the "Fishing Muddy Puddles" album) closely followed by painting, videos and recently a children's book. This all comes together under "The Singing Painter" brand. I do all this from my home in Berlin, though I still have strong links to the UK where I was born and to Prague where I lived for 10 years. Now obviously I want to talk about some of that in a second however if you could tell me a little about your move to Prague as you are originally from Grimsby aren't you? Oh yes... well back in 1998 I spotted a pretty girl in a disco called Park Lane in Cleethorpes and being in my over-confident drunken state I asked her to dance. We did everything the old fashioned way... we had a bit of a dance, I got her phone number, (land line back in those days) and called her up and took her to the pictures on a Sunday afternoon. She is from the Czech Republic and we ended up living together in Prague from July 1999. I loved being in Prague in those days, everything was new and it was just before all the stag parties started coming and giving us English lads a bad name. We stayed together for about 3 years before splitting up but I decided to continue living abroad anyway. Wow that's quite a setting. Sounds like a basis for a film however for which the story seems to be going in a great direction. We won't ask you to write a montage theme tune though. We would like to find out a about your passion with song writing as it seems to have become a forgotten art. You however seem to have a strong understanding of it. Howe did you get in to writing songs? Song writing has been something that has been slowly building over the past 6 years or so. I have always preferred to sing my own lyrics so when you realise that, you have to learn how to build a tune and a song. Some deeply neglected musical training from school violin lessons has obviously helped me, plus learning the guitar over the past few years. But to be honest, songs just come without any planning or structure, you just have to be good at plucking them out of the air when they appear and then refine your ideas. Songs start from really simple phrases normally that have an energy of their own. When you imagine the words "debt collectors know my door" it's always going to be a dark tune and the cadence or rhythm was intuitive immediately in 6/8 time. After that, you just have to sit and tell yourself the rest of the story. I've become quite strict on myself with sitting and writing out an idea as soon as it comes. I carry notepads with me everywhere and have lots of travelling time for ideas to develop. If you let the original moment pass, you never really capture that mood again or let it grow. You portray it to be an easy thing to do however I find it to be a rare art and when we find someone like yourself that understands how to properly write songs then it is a complete breath of fresh air. Now within that story telling I found your album to have a great sense of flow and each of the tracks is somewhat connected to the previous. What was the inspiration of the album and how did that come about? There was definitely a desperate mood at the time of starting those songs. Modern Earth was the first track I demo'd up. I was quite sick, out of money and running out of options with my band as well. The songs followed my thoughts through frustration, sickness, love, loss, debt, anger and sympathy for others who were in similar struggles right through to breakthrough and celebration. The whole album is essentially about surviving difficult times. By the time I wrote Megaman I could see my way out of the tunnel again so the last 2 and half tracks are very positive. It's all about capturing those emotions and it is that very expression that a lot of songwriters truly struggle with I feel, so it was very refreshing when I heard your album. Now the single that you released previously featured b-sides - something which instantly remind me of buying singles in my youth. Tell me a little about your approach of putting together a single like Modern Earth? Well, I feel if you put something on plastic you better make it count, especially for the buyer. Who wants their favourite song just followed by some remixes of the same thing? My brother and I (to whom this album is dedicated by the way) always liked "The Masterplan" CD of b-sides for example and the fact they were not afraid of using some really good songs like Acquiesce as b-sides. Anyway, I have chosen songs that are in line with the mood of Modern Earth. Neighbours is an older song I wrote a couple of years ago and I decided to re-record it with my friends, 2 members from my previous band The Roads, in Prague. We also decided to put Midnight Sun on there as well as it's quite a grand arrangement and offsets the very minimal Neighbours song nicely I think. Well as a package it works perfectly and I bet it was nice to feature your former band on there. Now, word on the grapevine is you have an interesting and unique tour coming up. Could you tell us a little about that? Yes indeed. My label has arranged something special in November where I will be playing at intimate venues and record stores throughout the UK. What makes it even more special is we are also doing it through Couch Surfing so I will be staying at peoples houses and performing a gig each evening for my host. We also wanted to avoid doing them in London as this is where most people try and perform and as such there are certain places that get left out. It's connected with remembrance activities and various charities for veterans also. The label has been really good in sourcing various TV and radio appearances throughout most of our stops along the way. I have also drawn a picture for remembrance which will be auctioned off at the end of the tour. That sounds very impressive. I love how you try and do things differently and by the sounds of it you are someone that likes to give people as much as possible for their money. I guess so. I expect a lot from my own money! I come from a working class home in Grimsby. My parents both worked in food factories and my dad is probably the best fork truck driver on Grimsby docks by now! Rays album can be bought on-line or in stores and is a beautiful approach to the whole concept of an album. The physical version includes a hand designed booklet. The player that has been created especially for You Tube is also a work of art and shows the scale for which he and his label are serious about giving you a true work of art.Buy direct here: http://www.itchy-pig.com/releases/fishing-muddy-puddles/