Ep29: David Ford on his mission to be the best artist he can be
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Hi there and thanks for visiting! Welcome to my conversation with David Ford, recorded on 2nd December 2020.
[Content warning: some friendly swears.]
In this conversation, we discuss:
- David’s brush with the music industry (Easyworld and solo) – how he survived a breakdown to create a thriving career as a lone wolf figure
- why pumping “content” into the world isn’t beneficial for popular music and song as an art form
- how “every hour you spend trying to be a better marketing person – that’s an hour you didn’t spend bettering your art and your craft”
- why we shouldn’t judge artists on the quality of their accountancy – working another job doesn’t make the music any less meaningful
- songs without choruses – David breaks down “State Of The Union” and I accept a songwriting challenge!
Explore David’s work:
- Listen to “Every Time” (from the album “Charge”)
- Listen to the album “Let The Hard Times Roll”
- Read David’s book “I Choose This”
- Visit David’s website to sign up for news
About David Ford
We live in interesting times.
Even before the global pandemic, this was already a challenging age for the independent musical artist. The business appears to have attained a permanent state of flux and is widely characterised as some kind of monster, chewing up and spitting out the naively pure of heart.
And yet David Ford is finally happy.
For the first time in twenty years, there is nobody trying to make him famous.
Ford’s journey through the many worlds of the modern music industry has not always been an easy one to navigate. A succession of record labels seduced by his talents have in turn, attempted to sell him as a pop star, a protest singer, an indie hipster, a balladeer and a bluesman.
In reality he might be all of these things.
And none of the above.
It’s complicated.
As well as playing sold-out headline shows on both sides of the Atlantic, he has supported artists such as Elvis Costello & Allen Toussaint, Ray LaMontagne, Aimee Mann, Sara Bareilles, Gomez, Aqualung, Richard Ashcroft, Suzanne Vega, Augustana, Ingrid Michaelson and Jakob Dylan.
Ford’s masterful songwriting, powerful live performances and utter distaste for self-promotion have helped cultivate a passionate, devoted fan base that exists something like a secret society.
You are very welcome to join.
Just don’t go around shouting about it.
Visit David’s website for more.
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Have a lovely day xo
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