SHAE London meets London Alternative Folk Musician Cara Sebastian

In the spirit of doing things bigger and better for 2012, the London Town team met up with Cara Sebastian again after her feature on Society Pages. She spoke to us about her influences, creative process and every detail that goes behind her alternative folk music style particularly with her guitar thumping- string slapping as she calls it.

SHAE London Team:  Describe your sound?

Cara Sebastian: Hmmm- its a toughie that one- syncopated dark love-song beebop? My influences have all come from incredible musician friends of mine- I love old jazz/swing/skiffle records and I have every Ani Difranco CD ever made-  When I wrote most of the newest recordings, I was living in a big beautiful (freezing) house with a gypsy jazz band in the west country. We had a fireplace and a load of cider- conditions were perfect. So my otherwise folk/poppy songs started leaning in that gypsy way!

SHAE London Team: What are you currently working on?

Cara Sebastian:  I just completed 3 of 4 songs of my new EP (the Wolves EP) with my best friend and musical counterpart Rob Bravery (EMI publishing). I am currently working on a song called 'What If' which is on the EP too but is being produced by Bastien Keb- the most relentlessly creative man in the Midlands! I have never heard any music sound so much like a painting before so hopefully he will do the same for me! 

Listen to Cara Sebastian EP Wolves below: Its also a FREE download so enjoy!

SHAE London Team: What inspires you?

Cara Sebastian: I know its a corny line! But people inspire me- I find much more inspiration from how excellent and ridiculous and proud and insecure and surprising we all are and the horrible/amazing/odd things we all do than anything else.  I find I'm interested in the poetry that comes out of the dirt and the mundane exchanges rather than anything too beautiful.  I'm a downright sucker for a smart lyric and an unusual melody- things that put me in a excited creative state of mind are Bon Iver, Ani Difranco, Fiona Apple, Tin Hat Trio, Stuff Smith, PJ Harvey, Joanna Newsom and bloody loads more!...and I've just finished two of the most lyrical and awesome books in the Universe- 'Ask The Dust' by John Fante and 'Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close' by Johnathon Safran Foer. And then visually, show me anything by Miro and that’s that! I'm good to go!

SHAE London Team: With the number of instruments you put into your performance, are you learning to play any new instrumentals?

Cara Sebastian: I'm trying to find new ways to sneak up on my guitar- I'm self taught and its a very versatile instrument- I'm about to buy an electric guitar which from my point of view may as well be a tuba! I'm very percussive at the moment and have used the acoustic's hollow body to accent myself for some 10 years or so now! I'm also having violin lessons, and am playing the drums in my messaround metal side-project 'Sex Hammer'. 

SHAE London Team: What track are you currently listening to that is in constant rotation?

Cara Sebastian: I'm not very up to date! But I have been really getting into White Denim (my favourite is 'I start to run') and the Black Keys ('Psychotic Girl' is a wonderful track)

SHAE London Team: What do you love about London?

Cara Sebastian: How interesting scenes and people are unfolding all over the place and you can choose to get involved or walk past so easily! You can really sort of do what you like! I like the bigness when you leave whatever little borough you hang out in and then the community feel that every place has too.

SHAE London Team: What are some of your interests outside the music business?  

Cara Sebastian: I spend pretty much all my time with friends- I want to be laughing and making awful jokes all the time! I go for a lot of coffees and see a lot of gigs and art exhibitions and take walks and stuff then I go through phases of drinking cheap wine at the flat all night too. I also paint (badly...lol).

To find out more about Cara Sebastain check out her:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/carasebastian

Website: www.carasebastian.bandcamp.com

Cara Sebastian is a guitar thumping- string slapping- old record of a person who likes to notice things about people. She has just finished making an EP in a tiny bedroom in Dalston with one mic and an old friend which refuses to record digitally, and is very proud with how its turned out and that they didn't kill each other in the process.

Interview: Jummy Bankè