Long-time Porvari
fan Stu Lullworth finally managed to pin down Sam and Simon to an interview
after the sound check at a recent Brazz gig:
Hi Sam,
looking forward to the gig?
Absolutely, this is really where it all comes together, the endless dull hours
of rehearsing with just a short fat friend (Smiles indulgently at Simon)… but
seriously, yes, there is nothing like the live buzz
Why "Porvari" It's
an unusual band name, what does it mean?
Proletariat, or Bourgeoisie, depending on which of your Finnish friends you
believe
It's well
documented that Porvari started life as a fictitious band with you and
Simon overdubbing multiple instruments. When did you first realise that
you had the basis for a live acoustic duo and how easy was the transition
from electric to acoustic instruments?
Well
I started playing bass when I was 12 and if I’m honest I’m a far
better bassist than guitarist, too MANY STRINGS man! I am a very approximate
musician and the bass is perfect for someone with great rhythm and no finesse.
I took up my first 6 string a couple of years later when I started writing
songs in earnest. I still remember discovering E11… and I have never
got over it, I could write a whole symphony around that chord…
But I digress…I guess it was as we played stuff like Million and White
Flag, more for fun than anything and it just gradually dawned on us that we
really ought to give it a go… we started playing one Sam’s one
cover one Sam’s one cover for the first few gigs until my huge ego completely
took over (grimaces)… don’t get me wrong, as you know we still
do a few covers if we’re playing for hours like tonight(!) but I just
think those great songs have already been done, greatly, by
the people who wrote them.. I prefer doing our great songs greatly that’s
all.
 |
Some
of the songs you play I remember from seeing you perform back
in the mid 1980's with guitar/bass/drums trio Armistice. How
did you rearrange the songs for the stripped down music approach
and is there any difference with arranging your recently written
songs such as 2007's "They Say"? Just depends, sometimes I’ll have the entire thing in my head, down to the 44 part string arrangement, and all I need is to get people to play that and other times it’ll be a lot vaguer… that’s where the musicians come in… with electric stuff I’ve always loved the “rock steady beat”, I’ve never been one for 11 bars of 7/4 followed by 3 bars of 11 and back into a staccato double in and out rallantando burger.With acoustic stuff this is where my esteemed colleague comes into his own – it’s that marvellous ability to see things from a different angle, even if it’s just taking out the harp where a mandolin was assumed or slowing stuff down, that’s been a real eye opener for a speed freak like me. I was so rooted in rock that slow wasn’t something I thought much about… |
And why no ukuleles?!
There IS a limit!
Your songs are notable
for combining lyrical complexity with a strong vocal melody - what comes
first, tune or lyric? And where do you get your inspiration from
Jule Stein once famously said “inspiration is for amateurs” so that
makes me a great amateur… Songs just pour through and out of me all the
time… I know my long suffering family will bear testament to that, but
give me “a subject” and tell me to write about it and I struggle… that
must mean they’re from the heart eh? Let’s face it it’s
a big
world and there are so many things happening out
there it would be tricky
to
dry really
| Who
are you influences as a songwriter? David Bowie, Joni Mitchell, Nick Harper, people who write their own interpretations of what a song is…In my acoustic incarnation I’m probably more of a verse chorus middle 8 man than I used to be but there are glimpses of a greater complexity n’es c’est pas? Satellite Pictures? Don’t I Know You From Somewhere? They Say? Bradford to Capricorn? Live performances are gaining momentum and reaching a wider audience – what do you think is the secret of a good live performance Humour, Heckling, Having a damn fine time… I like to have some moments of raw emotion if possible but that depends on the venue as much as anything |
 |
And how do you keep
a straight face when Simon is looning about in My How Times Have Changed?!
Well we have a secret weapon who has made us just about bomb proof live – my
five year old son Max…we rehearse, with religious monotony, every Saturday
morning and Max has always been around, ever since we started. Anyone who has
ever had a little one knows how still and quiet they are when there’s music
around, not! So the heckling and occasional shoulder charge from a drunk, or
the looning of an esteemed colleague, are as nothing when you’ve been pummelled
by a small child for two hours…
You're
getting good feedback from the CD "Play Something We All Know" what
are your plans for 2008?
Welllllll… it’s tricky, I would love to record another CD but we
need to be realistic and this one has by no means run its course, so getting “out
there” more… performing… it’s something we really love
and as I said it’s a big world… time to Porvari some of it I think…
And are you planning to record any of the new songs you have been debuting
at recent gigs?
Not officially but you never know…
Part two of the interview, in which Stu talks to Simon is here