Maple Bee | Official website of singer songwriter
Maple Bee 2015
Maple Bee 2015

RETUNE YOUR EARS – QUESTIONS FOR MAPLE BEE

 

For readers not familiar with your work, what do you do?

I write, record and produce my own material. I also love collaborating with other people doing any of the above.

 

How would you describe your music?

Left of centre. Sometimes bright and sometimes skewed. Honest and cathartic.

 

Do you find it easier to create your solo work as Maple Bee rather than Melanie Garside? If so, why?

I always have found it easier to be myself with an alias. Sounds contradictory but it helps to free me from preconceptions and expectations, good and bad, that I have of myself.

 

Your latest album ‘These Four Worlds’ has “helped me to come to terms with who I am”. Could you expand on this a little?

I have always found being a miniscule person in a super-expansive-gigantic universe rather vertigo inducing. Focusing on the beauty of the detail in everyday life has helped me come to terms with these feelings. The songs in ‘These Four Worlds’ largely explore this theme.

 

Is there a theme running through the album? If so, what is it?

See above….

 

What’s your favourite track on the album and why?

I don’t really have favourite songs that I have written myself. They are what they are.

 

What acoustic guitar are you playing at the moment? (Make, model number, colour, body size, style, ie, acoustic, semi-acoustic, etc)

I have a semi acoustic Takamine EN-10C that I got direct from the Takamine UK warehouse in 1992. Its been around the world with me and seen all the things I have. It’s got a (battered) plain finish, dreadnought, cut away body and an in built EQ.

 

Is this your regular guitar?

Yep – for recording and my therapy work.

 

Why do you like it?

The EN-10C is a bit like my favourite comfy boots or jeans. They may not look their best any more but the fit is impossible to replicate in a newer shiny purchase.

 

What equipment do you use to play it through? (DI via PA, or amp, make model number and any FX pedals)

I mainly use it for recording so I just mic her up.

 

Has this been your favourite guitar to date?

Absolutely

 

Do you use anything else when gigging or recording?

For shows I tend to use a ‘vintage sunburst’ Takamine LTD 2009. It has a Nex shape body made of Solid Spruce, with inlaid mother of pearl flowers in the scratch plate. Its very pretty, with a CTP-2 Pre-amp and inbuilt tuner. Its totally reliable and great for gigs. Sound engineers tend to prefer the modern pick up on it opposed to the EN-10C. I also use a couple of chromatic Hohner Pro-Harp Harmonicas on stage and recording.

 

Does an acoustic guitar help you compose new songs?

Without fail, yes. It’s the only way I write.

 

How do you write those songs?

Ideas for songs normally hit me when I didn’t plan to sit down and write so I make sure I always keep my little Zoom recorder with me so I don’t lose embryonic tunes into the ether. When I do settle down to record I go back to my recorder, see what still ‘talks to me’ and set about developing it.

 

What inspires you?

Inspiration is inspiring. I love it when music just comes to life without a struggle. That experience keeps me writing. It’s like soul food.

 

How did you learn guitar – were you self-taught or did you have lessons?

I began playing at the age of 10. I had a term of lessons but didn’t enjoy the teacher’s approach; mainly because he kept telling me to play boring songs I didn’t know out of a kid’s book. I am also impatient and found that by experimenting and practicing I could get better results, far quicker alone.

 

Do you practice every day?

Pretty much yes – not ‘sitting down to practice’ but as well as being a songwriter I work as a music therapist, so generally I play around 5 hours a day.

 

Do you use a pick or are you fingerstyle?

Both.

 

Do you use any alternate tunings?

Yes

 

If so, what are they?

I have used D,A,D,G,A,D loads in the past. Also normal tuning with a drop D top E is a nice way of creating different colours in the music. I also experiment with chords and have my own names for different shapes I have created.

 

How would you describe your music?

Instinctive and unselfconscious

 

Do you feel you have a particular style?

My own.

 

Who are your acoustic guitar heroes and what are your influences?

Mmmmm, yes – childhood/teen heroes included Steve Forbert, Nick Drake, Lindsey Buckingham, Robert Smith, Donovan and Joey Santiago.

 

What are you currently working on? (Mid-August onwards)

I am very busy with my next Maple Bee record – (yet to have a name). I am 6 songs into it so far, and also rehearsing with my live band.

 

What (UK) gigs have you got coming up in the near future? (Mid-August onwards)

I keep the website updated with all my shows so have a look

 

What’s the secret of good playing?

Practice, dedication, pleasure, exploration and adventure

 

What’s the most important thing you’ve learnt as a musician?

Don’t try to emulate anyone else

 

Maple Bee Live

 

 

Maple Bee
Folk Radio Q and A

 

Who is Maple Bee? I'm intrigued by where the name came from, but also, is it you compartmentalising your creative impulse? (The title These Four Worlds strongly suggests different strands of life or different realities. Is Huski still ongoing?)

 

The Maple Bee ‘alias’ came about when I had just had my son Cassius and I started writing and recording ‘Chasing Eva’ at home on a reel-to-reel ¼” 8 Track recorder. At the time I had recently parted with my then label, Echo Records where I had been signed for four years as Melanie Garside.

The final three years had been an incredibly frustrating time for me creatively and newly free I felt a very strong need to take control of my musical life again. It may seem contradictory to change your name to ‘be yourself’ but stepping away from the identity the record company had tried to cultivate around me was vital in reigniting my desire to write music again.

 

Over time ‘Maple Bee’ has changed from an identity to a wider concept – I see it now more as a band name rather than my name as a songwriter/producer/artist.

 

Would it be fair to call you restlessly creative? (You also seem fairly prolific)

 

I am a restless spirit through and through. The idea of stasis absolutely terrifies me. I suppose this aspect of my personality is reflected in my musical history. Development and growth and change help to keep life interesting.

 

As far as prolificacy is concerned I tend to write in bursts. I get a bit obsessed when a writing spell comes on and I am hard to distract when I am on a roll.

 

Songs tend to appear in 3’s and 4’s then nothing – or no desire in that direction until the next time. When it comes to working with other people the change in energy and dynamic that comes with working with someone else always sparks new ideas in me, so I don’t need to wait, which is lovely!

 

How do you set about recording? You are largely working alone. Do you have an end sound in mind for a album overall or do you work song by song? (I love the layering that seems to build and build on say the title track of the new CD and all of the odd little sounds)

 

When I first started out in music, recording was all very scary and expensive; endless amounts of confusing looking heavy machines that looked incredibly complicated. All the lights, buttons and faders etc were intimidating. I didn’t understand then that if you understand one set of buttons on the desk you understand pretty much the whole board.

I also didn’t know that to make decent recordings you simply need a decent microphone, imagination and patience. Over the years I learned to trust my own ears and this has helped me grow in confidence in my ability to produce and record alone.

 

Another huge difference now is in the quality of the material one can produce with a very small amount of equipment. My ‘studio’ consists of Audio Logic installed on a Mac book, a ‘Nio’ soundcard, some decent speakers, one good ‘Rhodes’ microphone, a midi keyboard and a whole load of old fashioned actual instruments (gasp). Building sound-scapes is great fun.

 

Layering up guitars, recorders, voice and percussion really help create atmosphere and opens up a million possibilities about where the music may go. I use odd sounds and samples to help create a narrative for the album. I don’t want a record to sound like a bunch of disconnected songs thrown together – I want to create a body of work that tells a story from start to finish.   

 

Do you tend to work from the same starting point or begin with the same instrument? (You seem to be able to play such a variety of instruments)

 

My solo work almost always starts with an idea that came about with guitar and voice. One is as important as the other and I honestly can’t think of one song that I have written when either part has ‘appeared’ first. The other sounds I use – piano, recorders, bass, percussion – they tend to come later in the recording process. 

 

Do you start with a melody, lyrics or something else?

 

The melody, chords and lyrical theme generally all come about symbiotically. I then work on developing the words once I have a solid melody, narrative and chord pattern in place. I see lyric writing very much like a carpenter whittling wood; I chip away for hours. You can see very early on what it may become but the detail and fine finish can take many hours to reach a point where I am happy to move forward. 

 

Tell me more about the themes of These Four Worlds. There seems to be almost a juggling of different feeling and emotions, sometimes even within a song. There are also motifs that seem to reappear in slightly different ways. (I'm thinking: birds, ropes, flight, time and place. I know it can be dangerous to presume autobiography, but I get the sense that this is a very personal project and am also aware that it's not always desirable to demystify songs.)

 

The record is completely autobiographical yes. It’s almost impossible for me to write in any other way. I use a lot of metaphors in my songs as I think this allows the listener to create their own storybook that is relevant and meaningful to them. I guess one could draw a parallel with the motifs you mentioned and the aforementioned restlessness I am dominated by…. Being restless gives rise to a good deal of questioning, exploring and picking over choices, beliefs, hopes, dreams and desires…. I’m not sure if that has answered the question but it’s the best I can do! 

 
 

I think These Four Worlds is utterly wonderful, partly because I struggle to describe the music (I get a little tired of hearing things that sound like other things except not quite as good.) Also each time I play it I seem to get something new, some little detail or hook will stand out. But are there other artists you have as touchstones or influences? Do you listen to others or shut yourself off when writing?

 

I play music all day in my work as a music therapist and when I come home or am driving I find that I physically crave talking voices. I listen to Radio 4, LBC – anything where I can disconnect from music and come back to earth.

 

That said, I love seeing live music and I have my childhood heroes (not that I sound like any of them!): Fleetwood Mac, Led Zeppelin, Steve Forbert, Donna Summer, Nick Drake, Maddy Prior, KLF (Chill Out), Underworld, Pixies, Pink Floyd, Aphex Twin, Boney M, Cat Stevens, Billy Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Miles Davis, Donovan, Simon and Garfunkle, Carly Simon - I could go on but…

 

Over the years I have come to believe that if you are writing music it is essential that you are genuinely ‘yourself’ – this way you can be sure that a) you will be able to live with your recording outside of a particular time or trend and b) you will have created something original and unique.

 

Tell me a little about music therapy.

 

I began training as a Music Therapist 5 years ago. Music Therapy is a non-verbal, therapeutic intervention in which I work with a client through interactive music making. This can help a person to 'give voice' to thoughts and feelings, through a creative medium, where it may be otherwise not possible to put these into words. Together we use the medium of music as a way of exploring together different ways of expressing oneself, of interacting with other people, and of group dynamics.

 

In my work I use a psychodynamic approach, thinking about how early life experiences shape how a person responds, functions, and relates to others, and about the feelings that motivate behaviour.

 

My work takes me to lots of different environments: hospitals, schools, elderly care homes, day centres, sheltered housing and learning disability outreach projects, neuro rehabilitation centres to name a few.

 

You have a gig coming up in July, will that follow a similar format to the 12 Bar? (that was a great show!) Are the live options limited by other circumstances?

 

I am very excited to be working with all the people in the Maple Bee line up. The next show will also include Sophie Spinoza who played with me on my ‘Home’ gigs a couple of years ago. We met during the Music Therapy MA – she is an amazing pianist. She has had a break due to having 2 bouncing baby boys to look after, but she’s ready to come back now, which is wonderful.

 

We also have my neighbour, the lovely and talented Charlie Rushbridger on Cello, Ruth Galloway (Ruth is Pike from Huski’s sister. I originally met her before meeting Pike during our time in the Mediaeval Baebes together) who plays everything - Ukulele, bass/tenor recorder, Autoharp and Vocals and last but not least Jules Harley (my band mate from ‘Huski’) on Percussion and vocals.

 

Visuals seem very important to you too, are there particular people you are working with?

 

Beauty and fashion photographer Bill Ling took the photos and made the video of ‘Keep this Moment Alive’ for ‘These Four Worlds’ and ‘Home’ and it has been great. It’s a strange thing that on the street where I live he happened to live over the road and Charlie, who is playing cello at the shows lives two doors down from me. I picked a great road! The photos for both albums and the video were all taken in the park at the end of the road - ‘Home’ in the winter and ‘These Four Worlds’ in the spring. We didn’t have to travel far and my dressing room was my bedroom. Nice.

www.billlingphotography.com
www.facebook.com/ruschasmusic

 

I also know you're already working on new material, how’s that going?

 

I am currently six songs ‘into’ the new and as yet un-named album. I would hope to have it released by the end of this year, all being well. I am planning more live shows in the autumn through to winter and will be keeping myself busy writing and working on the new material.

 

Maple Bee live at the Waterrats 2014