Cover of Geraint Rhys's latest single
If you haven't heard of Swansea singer-songwriter Geraint Rhys, then you've really missed out on someone special.
Like Thea Gilmore in England and Scotland's Karine Polwart Rhys has great variety to his work, but isn't afraid to tackle political issues, never resorting to simplistic sloganeering.
He confronts alienation, austerity and the threat of factory closure in songs like 'Ta Ta Tata', 'Give it Up' and 'The Lost Generation'.
In his latest single 'Old Age Don't Come Alone' he writes a gutsy blues song from the viewpoint of his Nan, a fitting elegy to her.
The stirringly passionate single 'Visca la Terra' is a homage to the Catalan independence movement and his short, prize-winning film of the same name looks thoughtfully at the intimate connections between songs and liberation there.
The music of 'Ta Ta Tata' and its iconoclastic video moves skillfully between punk and slower more gentle sections , as if between steel and the sea.
In a world of music where celebrity rules, Rhys is a unique voice who deserves to be heard far more widely : an intelligent and musically eclectic artist.
As well as 'Ta Ta Tata' he has released other singles yn Cymraeg including 'Dilyn' and 'Ble Mae'r Haul?' which illustrate the sheer power of his vocals.
Just as the Indie movement seems on the verge of a breakthrough, so too the remarkable music of Geraint Rhys.
I conducted this interview with him recently...........
1. How long have you been writing and singing songs and what inspired you to start?
I’ve always been fascinated with words and have written from a very young age. Whether it be poems or short stories I’ve always had an active imagination which has been expressed some way or another.
Music is something that connects with us all and is often beyond something we can explain. It often saves me, so I started writing songs about 6 years ago and since then haven’t stopped.
2. What place do your excellent videos have and are you mainly responsible for producing them?
An imperative part of my work is to couple my songs with a strong visual narrative. When it comes to making the videos, I’ll have an idea of what I want to convey in relation to the track then I will find videographers, directors etc whose work I like and approach them and see if we can work something out. I am lucky to have worked with so many talented people.
As an independent artist I am solely responsible for every creative decision I make which is both a blessing and a curse. On the one hand I control everything so I don’t have anyone else trying to manipulate my vision, but it would be nice for someone else to take control of many of the practical things when making a music video so that I didn’t have to. It is hard work but always worth it and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
3. What are your politics and are these views vital to your songs?
I’ve never pledged allegiance to any political party so I guess I am a political nomad in that sense. I would say I am on the left of the spectrum, but I don’t even know what that means in the context of Wales or the UK anymore. What does piss me off though is how we live in a society of immediate outrage . I am guilty of it too, but no one has much time for context these days. Once something happens it's like a race to see who can get their opinions out there first without spending time to understand the whole picture . That’s what’s great about writing a song, you really have time to sit down and shape your thoughts.
4. Do you prefer to record in Welsh or English and why?
I don’t have a preference, whenever I sit down to write it will come out in either language and then I will just go with it. What I won’t do though is release a track in English then release it in Welsh just to get a royalties cheque or to appear on Heno. It annoys me when artists do that.
5. What do you think of Yes is More and would you take part in such events?
I think the visibility of Welsh Independence is only a positive thing. I sang at a solidarity rally for Catalunya that Yes for Wales organised so it’s great to see a social movement which is vibrant and seems to be gaining support. For a healthy political debate we need as many dissenting voices as possible. If there was a vote for independence tomorrow I would vote yes
6. ‘Visca la Terra’ was both a song and prize-winning film. How did this come about and what was the impact in Catalunya?
I have a long-standing relationship with Catalunya. I have very good friends over there who I’ve known for almost ten years who are very active in the pro-independence movement. So I’ve visited quite a lot and have been over to play some gigs. I wrote the song and released it a few weeks before the independence referendum and didn’t expect to get the response I did. It was featured on many radio stations and playlists and made it on to many of the news blogs and channels. It currently has over 100,000 views on you-tube so I couldn’t be happier with the response it's had.
7. Like me you’re a big football fan. Does this influence your work at all?
I have yet to write a football song yet, but who knows. Maybe I’ll leave that to John Barnes. Football is political. Take my beloved Swans for example. We have gone from being a soviet type club ran by the fans and local businessmen to a capitalist venture ran by two Americans. It is a cross section of the best and worst of society.
8. Your latest single is ‘Old age don’t come alone’(featuring Eadyth from my hometown of Merthyr). What’s the background to this?
Like all my tracks I never start off with a genre, it’s something that develops over time. So with this track, after my grandmother passed away I started to write some words as a dedication to her life and when I picked up the guitar, the riff came naturally and seemed to resonate with the words perfectly. Losing someone is such an intimate and emotional experience and always produces intense forms of expression. In this song, I tried to capture that intensity. The track is completely an ode to her and for the artwork I had to pick one of my favourite photos of her playing my old drum kit.
9. Your music draws from all kinds of forms from the punk in ‘Ta Ta Tata’ to Blues in the new single. Do you relish this eclecticism?
It’s what keeps me interested. Important to me is that my music tells a story and I blur genres to reflect the diversity of topics that I sing about. I would get very bored if I just wrote 12 folk songs, or 10 country songs. I have to enjoy making music otherwise what’s the point? Because my own choice of music is so eclectic this is naturally reflected in the songs I sing.
10. To me your voice is powerful and distinctive. Does it suit certain types of songs, or would you like to do more slower ballads for example?
I have written slower songs and will likely to do so in the future. I wouldn’t want to restrict myself by saying no.
11. Place is also important to your work - especially the videos - do you identify with your home town, or working-class areas generally?
I think place plays an important role in so many creative people’s work, no matter the art-form. Growing up in Swansea where the grittiness of the urban streets collides with the beauty of Swansea bay, there is inspiration on every corner.
12. Is social media your main platform, or do you prefer videos or live shows?
Well, you must do all of it to remain relevant. I’ve played hundreds of gigs over the years and do love that feeling when you really connect with an attentive audience. Nothing beats it. Last year I played some amazing gigs which were packed with the audience completely engaged. But you can easily go from playing a gig like that to a gig in a pub with a handful of half-interested punters. So it’s always hit or miss.
13. Are you planning a new album which brings together all the singles in Welsh and English and tour to accompany it?
The reality for an independent artist is that if you want to keep on producing high quality music something must give. It’s not cheap to record music and then to distribute it. Equally, hardly anyone buys music anymore so you have to compete with that. I will definitely be releasing another single in the next few months with a new video so keep your eyes peeled!
BETWEEN STEEL & LEARNING
for Geraint Rhys
On Aberafan beach
the long slim penstroke
not yet a 'C'
between bilging chimneys
and postcode towers -
I am 66 today
and bones go clickety-click
like so many stones
in the rising sea
yet here it's calm
in the January sun
as we walk together
my wife, daughter and I
in a place forgotten and found -
where there are shells
like ones I'd collect and sketch
so meticulously
I name them like a spell
'razor , oyster and mussel'
they're not relics though
but sculptures of the times
of waters clear again
of my daughter gathering them
of the sea whispering
the choices between
steel and learning.
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