In this interview spotlight, I chat with Travis Marc about his latest music, technology, challenges and more.
Full Q&A along with links and music below.
Where are you from and what style of music do you create? (In your own words, not necessarily in marketing terms or by popular genre classifications.)
I’m originally from Johannesburg, South Africa but live in London, UK and have done so for the past 10 years. I like to make Alternative/Rock music with a hint of Grunge for good measure. That being said, there’s always a slight hint of Pop in everything as that type of music is so exposed that we hear it all the time. So, I guess there’s a bit of that in there too..
What led you down this path of music and what motivates you to keep going?
I fell in love with music at a very young age and decided in my teens that music would be the path I would embark on career wise. I left school, took every gig I could get, and have been making music ever since, That was twenty years ago. Various factors motivate me, but basically the fact that I’ve been doing it as long as I have makes it hard for me to put my energy into anything else, as I don’t know anything as well as I understand music. It’s a persistence game. The people I know that have done well, have all been in it for the long haul, so once I accepted that I will do this until I’m simply not capable of doing so anymore, it became a routine. As we know, once routines are in place they’re hard to break. So, for me -it’s more routine based for me than simple bursts of motivation. I work at it everyday. I want to be better, and write better songs and become a master of my craft. So I’m constantly driven.
How is this new release different than previous ones? Were you trying to accomplish anything specific?
Well usually I release music with my band ‘Dead Days’. (I still do in fact), but this new material is completely solo. I arranged, composed, performed and produced everything, which I’ve never done before. It was almost in vain really, but before I knew it I had a bunch of songs that I thought sounded quite good and decided to release it. I wasn’t really trying to accomplish anything specific. I just wanted it to try be a little different to my band and prove to myself that, once I decided to make a record, that I actually could.
Name one or two challenges you face as an indie musician in this over saturated, digital music age? How has technology helped you (since we know it does help)?
I find the biggest challenge is really trying to stand out from the crowd. There’s millions of talented people out there now and we can access them with the touch of a button, so ensuring we use the technology in the correct way, so that we don’t just become another number can be difficult. In addition, certain technological assets can take a bit of time to learn, and that can be frustrating. I am first and foremost a creative person and my goal is to create, but sometimes knowing that I have to be on all social platforms in order to showcase that creativity can be daunting. All in all, I’d simply say to artists interested in trying to get out there, that they should take the time to learn, there’s information everywhere – so use it to your advantage.
What was the last song you listened to?
The last song I listened to was actually a new ‘Dead Days’ demo called ‘Sold Me Down The River’. We’re in the process of recording a new album and I’ve been trying to finalize the lyrics etc.
Which do you prefer? Vinyl? CDs? MP3s?
I grew up with cassettes and Cd’s, but embraced both the MP3 and Vinyl trends as they arrived (or returned, in the case of vinyl). I think there’s a place for them all, but love reading the inside notes of albums and no longer have a cassette player. So, I guess CD’s and Vinyl, but as long as there’s a way to keep listening to music then that’s I really care about.
How about this one…. Do you prefer Spotify? Apple Music? Bandcamp? Or something else? Why?
Much of a muchness really, and again I’ve used them all. They’re all great platforms to share your music and discover new music. I do wish they’d pay the artists a slightly bigger fee though, as I’m sure a lot of users don’t realize how little the creative gets paid for having music on those types of platforms. That being said, what an exciting time to be alive – “I wanna hear a song, I pull it up on my phone and bamm”, instant gratification. It’s pretty amazing.
Where is the best place to connect with you online and discover more music?
My website has access to everything so it’s always a good place to connect. It’s www.travismarc.com. (make sure you sing up to the newsletter while you’re at it). I’m also present on all the usual social media platforms. Except Snapchat, I’ve just never taken the time.
Anything else before we sign off?
Yeah… Thanks so much for the opportunity Josh, and thanks to all the people who take the time to actually listen to music beyond what we hear on everyday radio. My solo album ‘Staring Down The Rhino’ is out worldwide on the 7th June 2019.
