Scott Powell, the bands lead guitarist and singer, originally, a solo artist, proved his worth gigging in and around his hometown of Stoke on Trent, making a name for himself under the guise of LazyEye. Recently, Scott decided to evolve the his solo act into a four piece band to fit the more grandiose songs he had in mind.
With an array of catchy folk rock tunes and the knack for storytelling, LazyEye are now gigging around the Norhern England and hope to grow their fan base further afield in the UK and more. With supporting Cast's John Power, The Sherlocks and the Sunshine Underground, they hope accomplish this. Already their Facebook page has over two thousand likes and is ever increasing.
I sent some questions to Scott to find out more about LazyEye, their recent charity single and their plans. Check out the interview below:
With an array of catchy folk rock tunes and the knack for storytelling, LazyEye are now gigging around the Norhern England and hope to grow their fan base further afield in the UK and more. With supporting Cast's John Power, The Sherlocks and the Sunshine Underground, they hope accomplish this. Already their Facebook page has over two thousand likes and is ever increasing.
I sent some questions to Scott to find out more about LazyEye, their recent charity single and their plans. Check out the interview below:
Thank you for taking the time to answer some
questions about Lazy eye. Introduce yourself and the band including what roles
you play in LazyEye
LazyEye are a 4 piece from Stoke on Trent in the Midlands. Paul Sergeant on the drums, Josh Egan on bass, James Corbishley on lead guitar and myself Scott Powell on rhythm and Lead Vocals.
You have cited on your website influences from artists such as Ray Davies, Bob Dylan, Lennon and Frank Turner to name a few. What is it about these artists you loved and what have you taken from them to mold your own style?
I'm a very wordy songwriter, I love lyrics, storytelling.. good ideas in songs. Not just words that rhyme for the sake of it without purpose. I think all of those artists you mentioned write relatable songs with ideas and story’s that generation after generation will be able to get on board with. That’s the kind of music that has longevity for me, there’s nowhere near enough of it in mainstream music now. It’s a shame.. its still out there, but you have to look a little harder.
What made you pick up a guitar and look towards performing on stage?
I've always written, Initially before I could play.. I'd write what where
essentially poems but to tunes in my head.. and I tried to get musicians I knew
when I was younger to help me turn them into songs but had no luck so.. I
learnt to play guitar around the age of 15 and started to do it myself… I cut
my teeth in cover bands around the age of 17/18 doing pubs and clubs in Stoke.
It was great for me because it stopped me from being a bedroom musician. I
learnt a lot doing it. I love playing live, when it all comes together.. that’s
the reason you put all the hard work in, its a unique feeling. I can't wait to
tour again this year!
Can you remember your first gig? What was it like?
I can.. Vividly.. it was at a club called Fat Cats in Stoke on Trent my home town, I would have been about 17.. me and the first band I was in did a half hours set of Beatles, Oasis, Stones covers… we got paid £20.. fiver each.. I still have the £5 note in a little picture frame on my wall at home and the set list that was scribbled on the back of a piece of till roll. Hopefully, ill get to hang that fiver in a nice big house one day if we can get a break or two! Either that or it’ll end up on accumulator one Saturday a few years from now.
What brought on the name LazyEye? Is there a story behind the choice?
Yea, initially LazyEye started as a solo project in April 2014. I have a LazyEye, I cant see out of my left peeper.. its more noticeable when I’m tired or if I’ve had a few jars. It used to really bother me in previous bands on things like photo shoots and videos etc.. but not anymore, I thought it had a nice ring to it too and with then having the intention of being a solo artist.. I didn’t want to just go with my own name like so many do.. it’s a bit dull, there are thousands of lads with guitars and I wanted to try and be a little different. As the brand has grown into a full band the name still works, and its nice to have something to say when people ask too.. Again, going back to trying to make relatable music.. not just lyrics for the sake of lyrics or a name for the sake of a name.
Can you remember your first gig? What was it like?
I can.. Vividly.. it was at a club called Fat Cats in Stoke on Trent my home town, I would have been about 17.. me and the first band I was in did a half hours set of Beatles, Oasis, Stones covers… we got paid £20.. fiver each.. I still have the £5 note in a little picture frame on my wall at home and the set list that was scribbled on the back of a piece of till roll. Hopefully, ill get to hang that fiver in a nice big house one day if we can get a break or two! Either that or it’ll end up on accumulator one Saturday a few years from now.
What brought on the name LazyEye? Is there a story behind the choice?
Yea, initially LazyEye started as a solo project in April 2014. I have a LazyEye, I cant see out of my left peeper.. its more noticeable when I’m tired or if I’ve had a few jars. It used to really bother me in previous bands on things like photo shoots and videos etc.. but not anymore, I thought it had a nice ring to it too and with then having the intention of being a solo artist.. I didn’t want to just go with my own name like so many do.. it’s a bit dull, there are thousands of lads with guitars and I wanted to try and be a little different. As the brand has grown into a full band the name still works, and its nice to have something to say when people ask too.. Again, going back to trying to make relatable music.. not just lyrics for the sake of lyrics or a name for the sake of a name.
What influences your songs and what is normally the writing process for your
songs?
Everything starts with a line… so ill get a lyric, i'll build a song from there… Then when I have it to the point where it’s ready to show the lads i'll demo it and send it out.. then if the lads like it we’ll get in a practice room and jam it out.. its good that way because everyone gets to put their own stamp on the track.. I just write melody’s.. lyrics and structure. And in terms of influences.. I’m a very British songwriter.. so I tend write about life. Write what you know essentially.. if its real for me it’ll be real for other 20 something’s too. I think this will come more to the fore this year with the next batch of songs we have to bring out.
Originally, you started as a Solo artist, what made you recruit musicians to help you out with your performance?
It became very apparent early on when the first singles sounded as big as they did that whatever the sound or route things ended up going down.. I wasn’t going to be able to recreate the records on my own. Paul, I had known a while.. we always got on like a house on fire and good drummers are hard to come by, I asked him if he’d like to get involved and luckily he was well up for it.. We started working on things just jamming me and him.. Open mic nights.. mini gigs in pubs to get the ball rolling.. then after the third single Killer Ooh came out James got in touch online having heard it and wanted to get involved. We had a couple of jams and again.. got on well. And then Josh knew James from a previous bands they’d been in. James asked Josh if he’d like to get involved because we needed a bass player and so, luckily again Josh joined. Its great how its come together.. Patience has paid off to get the right balance and chemistry both on a musical level and personality wise.. we have a right laugh and the music’s getting better with every track we write.
For those reading this that have yet to hear your music, can you describe what is to be expected at any of your gigs?
It’s got a real folky punky feel at the moment that I’m really digging.. initially I wanted to sound like a British early Kings Of Leon. Quite raw, honest.. energetic.. its finding that line between being corny country /folk and cool fresh guitar music. I think “I’m A Stone” is the closest to that we’ve come.. “Heartbeat Know” was meant to sound more like that to be honest than it turned out but they were early early days. There’s always a good feel at our gigs.. the fan base is growing, its great to see familiar faces we didn’t know to begin with turning up to see us play!
Choose three words to describe LazyEye.
Honest, British, Raw…
Is there anyone you’d like to thank for helping out over the years?
Everything starts with a line… so ill get a lyric, i'll build a song from there… Then when I have it to the point where it’s ready to show the lads i'll demo it and send it out.. then if the lads like it we’ll get in a practice room and jam it out.. its good that way because everyone gets to put their own stamp on the track.. I just write melody’s.. lyrics and structure. And in terms of influences.. I’m a very British songwriter.. so I tend write about life. Write what you know essentially.. if its real for me it’ll be real for other 20 something’s too. I think this will come more to the fore this year with the next batch of songs we have to bring out.
Originally, you started as a Solo artist, what made you recruit musicians to help you out with your performance?
It became very apparent early on when the first singles sounded as big as they did that whatever the sound or route things ended up going down.. I wasn’t going to be able to recreate the records on my own. Paul, I had known a while.. we always got on like a house on fire and good drummers are hard to come by, I asked him if he’d like to get involved and luckily he was well up for it.. We started working on things just jamming me and him.. Open mic nights.. mini gigs in pubs to get the ball rolling.. then after the third single Killer Ooh came out James got in touch online having heard it and wanted to get involved. We had a couple of jams and again.. got on well. And then Josh knew James from a previous bands they’d been in. James asked Josh if he’d like to get involved because we needed a bass player and so, luckily again Josh joined. Its great how its come together.. Patience has paid off to get the right balance and chemistry both on a musical level and personality wise.. we have a right laugh and the music’s getting better with every track we write.
For those reading this that have yet to hear your music, can you describe what is to be expected at any of your gigs?
It’s got a real folky punky feel at the moment that I’m really digging.. initially I wanted to sound like a British early Kings Of Leon. Quite raw, honest.. energetic.. its finding that line between being corny country /folk and cool fresh guitar music. I think “I’m A Stone” is the closest to that we’ve come.. “Heartbeat Know” was meant to sound more like that to be honest than it turned out but they were early early days. There’s always a good feel at our gigs.. the fan base is growing, its great to see familiar faces we didn’t know to begin with turning up to see us play!
Choose three words to describe LazyEye.
Honest, British, Raw…
Is there anyone you’d like to thank for helping out over the years?
That’s an endless
list.. I feel like its best saved for the day we achieve something..
at the moment were a struggling band with no money working day jobs trying to
earn our keep from playing original music.. I think the day we do that is the
day to give thanks. The great people in our lives who are helping us know who
they are, they know how much they mean to us and how appreciative we are.
Hopefully we’ll be able to repay them one day. My mams got her eye on a villa
in Tenerife...Do you have any advice for any budding musicians as they set out into the music scene?
Work Hard.. Work hard as early as you can.. you always have at least 2 choices with everything you do.. shall I do it or not bother… I've been in bands with the not bother camp kind in the past and it doesn’t get you very far. Find like-minded musicians who want to work hard for the same reasons you do and focus on doing the next job you have to do as well as you can. If you think you can just turn up and play your guitar, you’ve another thing coming.. that’s 10% of the work that has to go in to being in a band. Enjoy what you do and do it for the right reasons. My reasons are that I want to earn a living from writing and performing my songs .. it gives me more fulfillment than anything I’ve ever done or could ever want to do. Were still a long way off where we want be… I wish I could have told myself that at 17.. but what 17 year old would listen??
Which of your upcoming gigs are you looking forward to the most?
So, so many this year, we have a UK tour coming up in June.. I cant wait for that! We've also got gigs with The Sherlock’s and The Sunshine Underground.. plus a few other very exciting supports that we cant announce yet. Fingers crossed this could be a top year !
Does LazyEye have a master-plan for the future?
We had a plan to start with of putting good singles out to get us picked up
by somebody who could help to move us on to the next level. It worked.. were
now working with a great Label called Ugly Man records who are already helping
to make this year bigger than the last.. this is uncharted territory to be
honest… so the plan is to work harder than last year.. keep going.. see how
close I can get to that villa for me mam!
Find out more about LazyEye at the sites linked to below:
WEBSITE // TWITTER // FACEBOOK // SOUNDCLOUD
Find out more about LazyEye at the sites linked to below:
\\ LazyEye - I'm a Stone - REVIEW //
All proceeds from I'm a Stone, LazyEye's latest single will be donated to Douglas Macmillan Hospice based in Blurton, Stoke on Trent. The charity is a worthy charity as they provide free services to adults with life limiting illnesses. The hospice relies on charity and donations to keep their service available and according to their site, they need to raise £11k this year alone to maintain their services.
The song quite aptly is about solidarity and perseverance through hard times and is a great choice for a charity song. This seems a fairly popular song topic for many folk artists, Simon and Garfunkel being one singing "I am a rock, I am an island". Both sing of being tough through hard times, but I'm a Stone is a great song in its own right. From the start I'm a Stone starts off strong with an uptempo vibe from the start with great acoustic guitar and accompanying drums. Scott's voice suits his chosen style of folk rock and you can see from the way he sings, he means every word. As the song progresses through the mid-point it is broken up well by well placed lead guitar and backing vocals, which sound excellent together and not out of place.
Overall, LazyEye prove folk pop is well alive in and around northern England, with this catchy, uptempo, easy to listen to and well executed gem of a song.
This is where I would normally insert a Soundcloud or Youtube link, but as its for charity visit the links below and buy the single. Its all for a great cause.
You can buy their single at ITUNES or at AMAZON
This is where I would normally insert a Soundcloud or Youtube link, but as its for charity visit the links below and buy the single. Its all for a great cause.
You can buy their single at ITUNES or at AMAZON
unZined, an offshoot of Little Indie Night, a night aimed at hosting what is becoming one of the best live music events in the Northwest, has been given free run to find local talent, find out a bit more about what makes them tick and spread the word around to promote local music. If you are interested in being featured or know of any musicians/bands, contact us here or email Mal at mal@littleindienight.com
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