Stereoboard Speaks With Newton Faulkner At Beach Break Live (Interview)
Monday, 27 June 2011
Written by James Drakeford
When Stereoboard caught up with Newton Faulkner at Beach Break Live we learnt that when he’s not performing on stage he enjoys nothing more than chilling in the Jagermeister tent backstage playing guitar hero, jamming acoustically, and even having skipping contests!
What we also learnt was that the festival favourite has as many as 50 tracks written for his upcoming album, but due to his record label we won’t be seeing anything released until the summer of 2012!
How’s everything going?
It’s going really good. I’m kind of writing and starting to record my third album.
You’re recording a lot of that at home aren’t you?
I’m doing bits of it at home. I probably won’t do all of it at home because I can’t set up the drum kit yet, but I might be able to by the end of the year which would be good.
What’s influenced you for this new album?
The main thing I’m trying to do with this new album is try to capture what I do live, which I don’t think I’ve done yet.
A bit rawer then?
Definitely a bit rawer, and just a little less studio’d and a little more guitars and vocals at the same time. I just want to try and get as close as I can but obviously records and live are two very different disciplines but it is definitely time I move the two closer together.
Is this part of the reason why you’re doing it at home?
Partly, keeps it a bit looser and more real.
Have you got a name for the album?
Not yet, I’ve got a few ideas but I need to wait and see where it lands.
Have you got a favourite track for the new album?
There’s a couple that are written as songs, but as I got half way through it I thought this could be proper festival times. So I’ve twisted things to sound better live.
So definitely bringing together the live appeal with the record appeal?
Yeah. The radio thing is still a bit mysterious and it is very hard to tell where it’s going to be at any given moment. I keep a vague eye on things and hear things and think ‘that’s really good but I can’t see it getting much radio play’ and then it does, so sometimes it completely proves me wrong.
How are the tracks coming along?
I’ve written about fifty tracks for this album. It’s songs that as soon as you’d hear them you’d think ‘that would be really good live’ and I’m just hoping to make sure everything on the album does that.
How do you go about your selection process for that?
I’m not even sure yet. There are a lot of decisions to be made. How many tracks do you think you can actually get away with? I could do two albums or Tom Waits it and do three. Just release every idea I’ve ever had.
Do you normally have this many to choose from?
I’ve never had this much choice in my life. It’s quite a pleasant challenge. I’d rather have it this way then only just have enough songs to record an album and leave you with no choice but to record that.
Do you know when the album is going to be ready?
It’s pretty much ready but it’s not going to be coming out until next summer.
Why next summer?
That’s the most realistic. But that’s kind of the other end of things rather than my side of it, frustratingly.
So it’s not really your choice?
I just want to get the album out. It’s immensely frustrating not getting something out. There are a number of possible plans.
You’ve got fifty songs; surely it shouldn’t take a year to finish?
It’s a mixture of everything. Politics, the record company wrangling stuff, it happens. Big machines.
So what are you planning to do in the meantime?
Its festival season so that’s pretty cool, but just making the album as good as I can do and a bucket load of gigs.
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Yeah. The radio thing is still a bit mysterious and it is very hard to tell where it’s going to be at any given moment. I keep a vague eye on things and hear things and think ‘that’s really good but I can’t see it getting much radio play’ and then it does, so sometimes it completely proves me wrong. 
