Flakebelly

Story

The Outer Hebrides' elusive songsmith, flakebelly, defies genre norms, fusing indie rock and acoustic folk-jazz. From jazzy pianos, bluesy guitar riffs and ambient textures, his music experiments with diverse sounds. Starting in the early 2000's, his journey led to an indie-folk EP in 2022, 'Behaviours,' and an upcoming album, 'Apprentice Green,' in 2024. Harkening back to 2003 demos, he embraces his psychedelic roots. flakebelly records, mixes and masters alone, crafting music in his home studio, embodying a creative evolution that inspires others and is always transitory.

Profile

• Singer-songwriter
• Guitarist
• Home Recording

Instruments

• Guitar
• Bass
• Vocals
• Drums
• Keyboard

Genres

• Atmospheric
• Alternative
• Acoustic
• Experimental
• Folk
• Indie
• Psychedelic

Influences

• Elliott Smith
• Radiohead
• Syd Barrett
• Bob Dylan
• Nick Drake
• Tame Impala
• Robert Anton Wilson
• Jack Kerouac
• Van Gogh
• John Lennon
• Terence Mckenna
• Rimbaud
• Pkd
• Miles Davis
• Charlie Parker
• Alan Watts
• Kayleigh Bond
• Jessica Popkiss
• Katie Harbert
• The Cure
• The Beatles
• Bert Jansch

Equipment

• Freshman
• Dan Electro
• Tanglewood
• Fingers
• Hands
• Toes
• Tongue
• Diaphram
• Yamaha
• Martin
• Hofner Bass

What is music to you? What does it give you?

life breath purpose release sanity

What is your music dream?

to play better to write better to sing better to be better for the sake of being better

If you could change the world - what would you start with?

myself butterflies and wings and all that

Which is the most memorable song from your childhood?

the sound of pain

Who are your favorite musical artists or bands?

i hear The Universe plays a mean old tune, we're living in it.

What inspires you to make music?

catharsis beauty pain love fear

What is the message you want to send with your music?

there is no message to the music. the aim is to impart the feel, to share an emotion. lyrically to admit that we are all lost in the seas of incoherence and confusion together, in the same boat, that we live the same things. the aim is to heal.

How do you feel when you perform in front of an audience?

at home

How do you see the musicians’ reality nowadays? What could be improved?

reality being what it probably is, an illusion created by your nervous system interpreting electrical signals, existing only inside your own head subjectively, I'm unsure how anyone's can be improved but I take your point, pretentiousness aside. Ban streaming sites? Actually pay someone more than 1p per listen? Make the X / Masked / Got Talent / Bullshit Talent Show Factor and the, frankly mediocre, same-sounding, auto-tuned, crap such shows have popularised, as illegal as a 2-dollar pistol? I'm stumped. Thoughts?

What do you think of Drooble?

So far? I like you guys! Let's see where this goes......

What frustrates you most as a musician?

my ineptitude to express myself clearly my laziness my occasional self-satisfied, ego-driven lapses into, 'I'm the world's greatest undiscovered genius!" mode did i mention my ego?

Do you support your local scene as a fan? How?

my local scene being digitally conceived, I feel it's important to like, share and promote the DIYing strummers, pluckers, pickers and thumpers among us.

What qualities should a musician nowadays have in order to get their music heard by a larger audience?

sadly: youth-marketability, the potential to be manipulated by international corporations, the ability to write lyrics with absolutely ZERO substance beyond a politically expediant phrase or vacuous, pop-culture references. in an ideal world: soul, substance, conviction. remember when musicians tried to affect you, instead of abusing your adulation and selling you out for a few more pennies from a Pepsi advert?

Share some awesome artists that we’ve never heard of.

Lime Crush La Sabotage Urbanation Slow Pulp

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