A. It means Lost soul, just spelt backwards.

 

 

 

Here goes:

 

Name?

Shaun Michael Dowdall

Born in?

York, 1987, A hospital.

Birthday?

March 4th 1987

Marital Status?

Single

Current Location?

York, England

Current Education?

Erm College. Well I got through :)

Current Occupation?

Working at Card Protection Plan

What do you like to do in your free time?

Reading, and haging out with mates. Also like playing the guitar and singing, bet you'd never have guessed that one. Also a few other things, but I shant go into detail ;)

What made you want to become a musician and songwriter?

I had a little guitar sat in the corner of my room for ages and I never learned to play it and I'd always been writing random stuff. So one day I picked it up and gave it a try, it didn't go to well since the thing sounded like a strangled cat. So I went to get a strap for it at a music shop in town and ended up leaving with a £300 guitar. From then on I've been playing.

How long have you been writing lyrics and music for songs?

I've only been writing for about a year and abit. I learnt lots of covers first but now I've forgotten most and prefer writing my own stuff. Get to put a lot more emotion into it.

When did you decide that this was something of which you wanted to make a career?

When I got off stage after my first time. It was such a great feeling and then as I started writing people were starting to enjoy my stuff so figured could be something great if I made a decent go of it.

Are there any artists or bands influence your music style?

Well the main one is the Goo Goo Dolls of course. Just hearing them makes me want to pick up the guitar and write something new though it sometimes makes me feel as though im walking in the footsteps of giants.

What instruments can you play, and how did you learn to play them: lessons or self-taught?

I can play the guitar and a bit on the piano. Im self taught on both. When I was younger my parents tried getting me lessons but I hated it so I gave up.

When you're writing a song, which do you usually create first, the lyrics or the melody?

It depends really on what effect I'm going for. If I'm writing a song which means a lot to me I'll write the lyrics first, but if I'm going for something catchy I'll do music first. Most often I do both at same time, so I'll come up with first verse and stick it all together so it fits nicely. 

Are there any specific elements in your surroundings you need or want while working through the creative process?

Yeah, peace and quite most times. I normally sit on msn and end up writing something, it's a bit weird.

Do you find it more difficult to perfect your melodies or your lyrics, and why?

The melodies at the moment are getting hard to perfect because I'm running low on ideas and trying to add a bit more variation, E.g a few solos etc. However the lyrics are always hard because sometimes choosing a word that fits the tune can change the whole meaning of the song which ruins everything. Gota get the right balance really, and plus all my songs have hidden meanings behind them, so gota get them in there somehow.

Do you write your songs based on real life situations or do you usually improvise?

Almost every song I've written is based on real life. Though large parts of the songs are often improvised the core is often based on something or someone important to me. Probably the biggest example of this is "You Know" which I had to try and get a meaning into, which I think I did, but I had to also add a loada random stuff into it otherwise it would have been a really short song going along the lines of "Come on woman you can actually do anything you want" but figured that'd be boring. However all the improvised stuff ended up meaning a hell of a lot to. 

What's the best thing about performing on stage?

The fact that for a moment there are people who are watching you because you're the one doing something great, and they actually like what you're doing. Also the fact that I get to prance around a lot, though it does get very sweaty. The amount of times my guitars slipped out of my hand now!

How soon do you think you'd consider touring outside your local area?

I'd get up and tour tomorrow if somebody helped me organise it etc. I wouldn't have a clue about booking venues or promoting the tour so really I'm abit stuck in that department. But if I ever got anyone helpen me organise it then all systems go!