Band/Artist name:

Jo Ayling

Where did your band name come from?

My given birth right!

What’s your musical background? When did you start playing?

As a kid I sat at a keyboard and copied the Camptown Races demo note for note. I thank my mother for seeing this and making a huge investment in my piano lessons and much loved upright that resided in our lounge for years. I used to memorise music then play it back in my own way, with my own amendments, much to my tutor’s amusement. I decided then I should probably write my own material and that a career in the concert hall wasn’t my path! Singing came naturally with playing; I find it unusual to do one without the other

How has your music evolved?

Collaborating with others has opened my eyes to the world of songwriting! My producer has an incredibly strong songwriting background and helped me understand why a good song is good, and how to implement this into my own songwriting. Music really is the shorthand of emotion so I’m learning how to tap into this and improve song structure and musicality without adhering to the ‘rules’ too much

What is your creative process?

This really does vary for me. Sometimes I grab a song out of the air in its entirety. Sometimes I work for days/weeks/months on one part. On occasion I use newspaper/magazine articles and create songs from headlines which I deem to be potential hooks! I’m very easily stimulated by people, places, caffeine(!) and like to write with others, it’s great to have someone to bounce ideas off. Generally everything starts with me sitting at the piano, and I carry a pen and paper around with me for those flashes of lyrical inspiration!

How would you describe your music to people?

Eclectic pop. It has an almost cabaret feel to it, particularly my new material. My Debut album, A Rabbit’s Tale, spans the genres somewhat due to the timeframe over which the songs were written

Who are your musical influences?

Growing up my dad was obsessed with 70’s rock bands, he played the same 10 or 20 tracks over and over… which is why I still recall the lyrics to Black Dog (Led Zep) More than a Feeling (Boston) Roxanne (The Police) and Changes (Bowie). Luckily one of the songs on loop was Wuthering Heights which of course lead me to Kate Bush. I love artists like Jeff Buckley whose lyrical content, melodies and harmonies are outside the box

What live performance experience have you had?

I play solo at present. I prefer quirky dingy ‘club basement’ vibe venues which suit the style of music and performance. I’ve played a few well- known London venues from The Betsey Trotwood, Oliviers Jazz Cellar, The Troubadour, The Social to a few Sydney-siders, The Roxbury and Bar Me (El Rocco Room). I do intend to recruit a band and rehearse the intricacies of the album for a show case and formal album release.

Which songs do you perform most frequently? Do you have a set play list?

I always incorporate Something I Said, Wasted and Over-Rated into a set, they go down pretty well. I find it’s always a great idea to test new songs live to see how they resonate with people. My set list does vary completely depending on the crowd, the venue and my mood…!

Do you ever play covers?

Occasionally if I’m feeling the vibe, but generally a more obscure song and only if it fits the set

What has been your biggest achievement as a musician?

I lived in Ghana for a time and made a pact with myself, during a spiritual awakening of some kind(!), to make an album, purely for the love of it; to collate everything I’d written and make something of it. I moved back to the UK then onto Australia and did just that. I say a lot of things that I don’t follow up on so I’m pretty proud of that achievement.

What has been your biggest challenge so far?

I put so much into making A Rabbit’s Tale and shooting the cover artwork that I lost sight of what I was going to do with it afterwards, how I was going to reach a wide audience! I find self- promotion a huge challenge so I’m currently looking to somebody to manage this in a more effective way. Never one to shy away from good guidance and a helping hand…

Where can we hear your tunes online?

JO AYLING : A RABBIT’S TALE
Myspace.com/joaylingmusic
Buy from CDBaby.com
Download from iTunes
The wonderful world of Facebook: Jo Ayling Music (musician/band page)