Introducing: Huw M

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I first came across Huw M on Stuart Marconie’s Freak Zone… Which doesn’t particularly do poor Huw many favours, but it’s a good place to start. Marconie’s 6Music show features the more left-field acts and, inbetween the Free-Jazz and prog rock, a beautiful piece of folk music stood out. A collaboration between Huw M and another native Welsh folk musician Llwyd. It sounded completely timeless and yet amazingly obsorbing.

The next day, I scout around the internet for our mysterious Huw. It turns out that he happens to have a debut solo album ready (which was released a couple of weeks ago – look out for a review on TLOBF soon). Steeped in the history of Welsh folk music (all the songs are sung in Welsh), it sounds like the kind of record Gryff Rhys would be shouting about if he’d found it behind the sofa of his grandmother’s house, or at th eback of some obscure record shop in Aberavon.

It reminds me a lot of the Super Furries’ Welsh folk album Mwng. A cross between that, Beirut and Sufjan Stevens. There’s some beautifully delicate playing – the strings shimmer whilst the shuffling drums skip across Huw’s voice. It doesn’t matter that you can’t understand what he’s singing (which is to my eternal shame, being a Welshman who doesn’t speak Welsh), you get the feeling of euphoria and hope from the songs all the same. It should come as no surprise, from the interview below, that he was inspired by the Welsh folk legend that is Meic Stevens…

You can download the track ‘Y drôr sy’n dal y sanau’ (which translates to ‘The drawer that holds the socks’) here.

For people out there that have never heard of you. Give us three reasons why they should…
I guess if you love, hate or have a love/hate relationship with folk music then you might like my music.

Can you recall the moment when you first decided you wanted to become a musician?
I think the moment I first decided I wanted to play the acoustic guitar, compose and sing was when I saw the legendary guitarist/singer/composer Meic Stevens play live in the National Eisteddfod (the largest annual Welsh cultural festival) in Abergele in North Wales. I’d never seen anyone play guitar like that before and sing at the same time – I couldn’t believe what I was seeing and hearing. As it happens, that Meic Stevens gig was recorded and released as a
record. It was really amazing to be there.

Where do your songs come from? What’s your inspiration?
One of my main inspirations comes from traditional Welsh folk songs which I love, but also love to mangle and change and morph into different songs. For example the track ‘Michelle Michelle’ which was released as a single is a combination of a Welsh folk song called Cariad Cyntaf (‘First Love’) which I use as a verse, and then the chorus bit (“Michelle Michelle”) is a totally different and original song. I liked the juxtaposition of the two ideas which were both linked and independent at the same time. Otherwise, I take my inspiration from normal day to day occurrences, mixed with some deep and often meaningless thoughts!

What are your top 5 records?
Sufjan Stevens – Come on Feel the Illinoise
Grandaddy – The Sophtware Slump
Geraint Jarman a’r Cynganeddwyr – Hen Wlad fy Nhadau
The Beatles – Revolver
Bob Delyn a’r Ebillion – Gwbade Bach Cochlyd

What was the first gig you ever played and was it a success?
I don’t think my first gig as a solo artist was musically very successful – I had some technical problems with my loop station! However, I’m still playing live and it did spur me on to play in more gigs – so in that sense it was a success.

What one piece of criticism has stuck in your mind and was it justified?
When I was in a band in school we released a cassette which got reviewed by a fanzine. The review (in full) was “Unbelievably crap. Sorry.” Was it justified? No way! The other piece of advice that actually has really been useful is “less is more” – it’s brilliant in the studio when you’re getting bogged down into recording too many instruments and layers and harmonies – and losing sight of what makes the song work in the first place.

What one thing has caused you to waste your free time in the past 6 months?
Email has increased our capacity to waste time spectacularly. I long for the days when email didn’t exist, since I’m on it every day.

If you weren’t making music, what do you think you’d be doing?
Read. I hardly every read, because I’m playing music.

What’s the worst job you’ve ever had?
I worked as a telesales person, trying to convince people to buy things they didn’t want. I only lasted one day.

We’d like you to make us a mix-tape. Pick five tracks with a theme of your choice.
Songs with vague references to vegetation:
Jonathan Richman – My Love is a Flower (Just Beginning To Bloom)
Sibrydion – Coed a Cnau (tr. ‘Trees and Nuts’)
Warren Zevon – Desperados Under the Eaves
Gwyneth Glyn – Angen Haul
Euros Childs – Cynhaeaf (tr. ‘Harvest’)

Huw M on Myspace