A Few Words With Woodpigeon

Since releasing first EP Sketchbook in 2005, Woodpigeon has been quietly and confidently building up an impressive repertoire of recordings and live shows, not to mention a keen critical following that has brought with it a "New Talent Award" from Saatchi Gallery in the summer of last year. We caught up with Woodpigeon, aka Mark Andrew Hamilton, prior to the album's release to ask him a little bit about his journey so far, musical influences, and the creation of the new album.

Muso's:  Given that your first EP was released in 2005, and you’re now about to release your fifth album, you’ve been incredibly prolific. Were you always inclined towards the musical life and, if not, what brought you here? 

I wasn’t inclined towards making music at all, to be honest. In 2005 I thought I’d write one song while working on novels, screenplays, and drawings so that I could call myself a true renaissance man. Music quickly took over, and now here we are. It’s all been an accident.

Muso's:  You’ve achieved a lot musically over a relatively short space of time. What’s your creative process like - are you the sort to make slow and constant progress, or are you more of a lock yourself away sort of songwriter?

It’s not possible really to sum up process in any pat kind of way – some songs take months to write, while others just pop out fully formed. I do think, however, once you’ve got a little bit of music figured out in your head and it sticks with you, that you know when and where to finish it. The right time comes at just the right time, and I’m often just putting things aside for later focus.

Muso's:  You've said in the past that The Kinks are Woodpigeon's main musical influence. What is it about them that you love so much, and were you lucky enough to cross paths with Ray Davies at 2011's Meltdown Festival (which The Kinks frontman curated)? 

Something I really love about them is the numerous shifts they took in such a short period of time (although the time period that I love is pretty much limited to the early days through until the mid 1970s). I love the energy of the early stuff and go pretty crazy for the gentler, mid-period stuff. I also love the focus on place as a lyrical topic. I’ve simply been amazed by those since the first time I sat down to listen to Village Green Preservation Society or Arthur. The shifts for them always seem so effortless.

At Meltdown I played my set, felt a little nervous about it for some reason or another, and then as is typically my thing to do (as I’m not much of one to just hang around at shows all day and night), packed up my things to head out. I stepped into an elevator to head back up to the dressing room, and there he was. “My name is Ray,” is how he introduced himself, and we had a nice chat up the elevator and in the adjoining hallway. I couldn’t imagine a nicer meeting.

Muso's: You recently moved to Vienna from Calgary. What was the lure of Vienna, and has the move to Europe had any impact on your music and creativity? 

Vienna is a beautiful city, and the energy and willingness of the people to join me in one harebrained scheme or another is amazing. I’ve only released a couple of songs written during my Vienna period, but there’s definitely an effect on it. I will admit, however, that in the time I’ve been absorbing the city and wandering about on my bicycle day-in and day-out, I haven’t had as much time to sit down and write as I’d like to.

Muso's: Can you tell us a little bit about the creation of the new album - were there any particular influences on the record, and what was your creative process like? 

Last time around, I wanted to make the prettiest, most dramatic and epic thing we could. I also wanted to put in all of the “pop songs” that I could, and for me it was really a clearing of the decks situation. For Thumbtacks, I went to a city called Regina, Saskatchewan in Canada and spent a week or so writing out the parts and the words and recording a demo version of the record with some friends there. Surprisingly, I wrote only 12 songs for this record, 10 of which made it on (the other 2 of which will be available digitally with the vinyl or on iTunes, etc.). I suppose I did write a lot on the road – I remember coming up with ‘Saddest Music in the World’ while waiting for a ferry on our way to Ireland. But it was quite a focused period of just sitting down for that week or 10 days and saying to myself, “write this album”.

Muso's:  This year already seems to have been quite a busy one, with you being involved in the Reykjavik-Calgary Musicians Exchange Project. How did this project come about, and has it had a positive influence on Woodpigeon and your music? 

I’ve had a 3 year dream of putting this project together, and it’s finally come to fruition. The group we assembled was truly great and everyone has a strong energy to work together again. I worked on assembling grant money, and then with Benni Hemm Hemm sorted out who to invite along and who we’d think would add both creatively and character-wise. As for its influence on me and Woodpigeon, I’d have to say it’s absolutely been one of the greatest musical experiences I’ve ever had. We just simply clicked and ran with it. (And we’ve also recorded an album now as well, which should be out later in 2013).

Muso's:  You’ve toured with some awesome names, and on the upcoming tour have a pretty even split between opening for Mark Eitzel and headlining on your own. The tour seems to generating a fair bit of excitement and attention - how are you feeling about it, and the dates that you’ll be headlining on your own? 

I’m looking forward to meeting some new audiences and seeing some old friends again. While it’s nice and easy to tour solo, it’s also got its own set of difficulties – one of which is the constant moving about and absences from the people you love. As happy as I always am to be asked to play somewhere, I’d be lying if I didn’t say that something which really warms my heart right now is the idea of riding my bike around Vienna and sitting by the Danube with a good book. I’ll play my heart out for you folks, and then I’ll ride and read until I can’t ride and read no more.

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Woodpigeon will be touring the UK following the release of Thumbtacks & Glue, starting out with a gig at Glasgow's Oran Mor with Mark Eitzel on the 27th February, and ending at The Hope in Brighton on the 7th March. More details of the tour are available at the band's website (http://www.woodpigeon-songbook.com/events).

In the meantime, we leave you with the video for album track 'Edinburgh'. The city has a special significance for Mark, who lived there for a spell a few years ago, and who says of the city: "I truly love the city and the people who live there, and if I was to move anywhere for the sake of being part of a music scene, I would definitely choose Edinburgh". This coming Tuesday (the 26th February) will see Woodpigeon crossing paths with old Edinburgh friends such as Eagleowl, Rob St. John, Meursault, and Withered Hand for a pre-tour gig in the upstairs room of the Waverley Bar.