Sadly Sue Shearman has joined the great concert in the sky. Thank you Sue for so many great nights of music, you entertained and touched so many. Your music lives on, an eternal candle to the memories of you – but also as a soundtrack to future stories as they unfold accompanied to your songs. RIP
bc unplugged interview 2011
Sue Shearman’s music doesn’t mince notes
Sue Shearman’s music can envelope you with its raw power, like all good rock songs should. But she also writes tunes that are subtle – and intense in a different kind of way. She claims the unique distinction of having studied djembe in Africa and certainly doesn’t sound like an archetypal female solo artiste. She tells bc about what she does, alone and with her band, New Tonic Press.
Your song Light Me Up has the lyric ‘Let’s sit here and toke’ – is there a story behind the song and its formulation?
Cigarettes! I used to smoke until Alan Carr made me see the light!
In general, your lyrics appear to have their roots in personal emotional experience, which raises the question; what inspires your songwriting?
Personal experience almost always prompts me to write a song, so my songs are nearly all autobiographical. But I’m also inspired by images, such as things I see on the street or in movies. Jon Voight’s boots in Midnight Cowboy got stuck in my mind so I put them into a song.
Your guitar style is “masculine” in the sense that it’s more aggressive than that of the average female singer-songwriter. Is this because you are influenced by people like Hendrix and Prince?
I never really listened to female singer-songwriters until I started singing. Before that I listened to guitar players like Paco de Lucia, John McLaughlin, John Lee Hooker and, of course, Hendrix and Prince. That’s how it feels natural to play. So, yes, I suppose it rubbed off on me.
Your band New Tonic Press is about as rockin’ as they come, while as a soloist you are more reserved and pondering. Do you have a preference between the acoustic and electric forms?
The solo shows are really a combination of delicate touch and raw energy. I like playing both acoustic and electric shows equally. They’re satisfying in different ways.
Studying djembe in Guinea is not something every musician does – especially not every musician in Hong Kong. What was behind this decision, and what was the experience like?
I wanted to immerse myself in the music because I loved the sound of the djembe, the melodies and the rhythms. I wanted to listen to the musicians and play with them. I was under the guidance of a world-famous teacher, Famoudou Konaté. We played drums for up to six hours every day and listened to and watched all kinds of musicians and dancers. I could hear how jazz, electronic music and rap all have their origins in West Africa. We travelled around the country and listened to drummers in rural areas too. They played more laid-back, groovy rhythms while the city musicians hit their drums very hard, like a machine gun. You never really realize that there is such a difference until you take the time out to think about it.
Did that kind of immersive experience affect your songwriting or musical philosophy?
I did want to stretch out on the guitar rhythms after that. I’m not sure if I have a musical philosophy. I love playing music and that’s the only reason I do it.
You’ve mentioned a love for electronic music, a preference that tends to eventually blend with many musicians’ rock sensibilities. Any chances you would do an electro-rock project some day?
I’ve been thinking about playing guitar with a DJ for years but it hasn’t happened yet!
Finally, anything in the oven for you and your band right now or in the near future?
Right now I want to play as many gigs as I can with New Tonic Press and as a solo performer. I’m also preparing the release of an acoustic EP. I have lots of ideas brewing for future projects and once I know what I want to do, I’ll put them into action.
Listen to Sue Shearman and New Tonic Press on soundcloud
