Chichino guitarist Gary C was interviewed in this month's International Songwriter Association Magazine! ISA is an organization for songwriters and lyricists, with millions of members worldwide. Gary was very honoured to have been asked to be interviewed, something usually only reserved for legends in the songwriting field! Here's the interview in full:
ISA member Gary Williams from West Yorkshire in the U.K. started writing songs in the late 1990's. He then formed his band Chichino, and four years later was signed to a London based record company. Since then, his band has taken the dance scene by storm with a hit record in the Top Ten Club Charts. With three singles and an album due for release, Gary and his band Chichino are destined for even greater success. Here's what he told Patricia Knapton who interviewed him exclusively for the ISA.
First of all Gary, what made you want to become a songwriter?
I've loved music for as long as I can remember. In my early teens I listened to the usual chart music. Then in my late teens I started getting into the music of the 1960's and the bands that were inspired by that music. I noticed a lot of the songwriters were writing stories in their pop songs, and I became interested in the great songwriters like Burt Bacharach, Hal David, Don Black and people like that who actually wrote the lyrics.
Were they your heroes?
Yes. Listening to those people got me thinking about writing lyrics, and getting in the groove. A lot of soul music of the 60's tells stories - many of them with quite simple lyrics too. It was the songwriters behind the lyrics that inspired me to write my own songs.
Did you have a musical background?
Not really. In the 1990's I bought lots of records and played them. Then I bought a guitar and learned a few chords and just took it from there…like most musicians do. I did eventually have proper guitar lessons, also piano lessons, and I suppose I forced myself to learn. I wanted to be in a band, but I also wanted to be a songwriter - like my heroes. I wanted to write songs that other people could perform, as well as myself.
Have you written many songs?
Yes. But many of them haven't been recorded yet. A lot of them I've played when I was with another band. I used to be in a lot of bands doing the local scenes, but during the mid 1990's I dropped out of that and decided that I wanted to learn to write songs properly- good quality songs that other people could use. That's when I came across the International Songwriters Association and decided to get a portfolio of songs together that might be lyrically deep and meaningful. Also songs that might be uplifting and make people feel good.
Did you record any of them?
Yes. I got a few of them recorded, mainly for my own records, and in case I came across anyone looking for songs in the ISA Songseller. I also sent some of my songs to the Songwriters Association for their assessment, and the feedback I got was good and inspiring. It made me realise I was on the right lines.
Where do your strengths lie, in the melody or lyrics?
I think years ago I would have said the lyrics. But nowadays I would say the melody.
So how do you begin to write a song?
Well, like most songwriters I suppose I like to have a lyric idea written down in notes to get some idea. Then as I come up with a riff or a melody I like, something that goes around in my head that I can't stop singing or humming, I try and find a lyric idea …and of course, a hook. I realise hooks are very important, lyrical hooks and musical hooks. The band I'm in now Chichino, which is doing very well, is more about melody and groove…dance music. So it's the melody that comes first.
How did you come up with the band name Chichino?
It's from a Harry Hill routine about Pandas. The punch line being "No Chi Chi, no more bamboo." That's how it came about. We once met Harry Hill and told him this, and he did the routine for us. It really pleased him.
Do you write your songs in the standard format?
Not really. We try different things. We try the verse, chorus, verse chorus, then bridge - which is like the AABA type of song. Chichino are very much a live band for dance music. A lot of our songs have developed over the years. The bass line is a very groovy line and we do break away from convention. Ultimately we are about getting people up dancing, and enjoying the music…and getting their feet tapping. We try and write songs that are danceable with lyrics that are meaningful.
Do you write all the songs for Chichino? Or do you co-write with other band members?
Mostly I write alone. But when we get together for ideas for songs we always know who has been the main inspiration and come up with a song. Our next single is called 'Shake It' and that is a song I would say I wrote. I had a guitar riff, very funky, very danceable, and I put the lyric on top of that. We do co-write but each band member has first ownership of the song where they have come up with the idea. I wrote 'Shake It' with the intention of it being a single. As a songwriter, it's good to know I have a single being released.
Who deals with management and promotion?
We're self managed at the moment. I do most of the management and organisation of the band, but a lot of it is conjunction with our record label.
So, you've got a record deal?
Yes. With our record label 'Junk Label' it's run by two people who are also songwriters, and members of the ISA. They do some of the managing of Chichino. We have a promotion team, 'Caravan Promotions' and we also have a producer, Clyde Ward, who is producing our music and is a very successful songwriter himself. He does a lot for the band. So it's like a group effort. I probably don't write as many songs as I would like, but I do take my ideas to the band and they take over.
Do you use websites for selling your songs?
Yeah. We had a track out last summer "It Could Happen To You", but didn't release it as a single. It had a lot of re-mixes done and they were mainly for the dance scene which covered hundreds of clubs in the U.K., Ibiza and Germany. The re-mix was done by some top DJ's and it did very well. It made No.7. In Music Week, in the commercial club charts…where D.J's vote how well it's doing on the dance floors, and it became a top ten hit, so we decided to release it as a 'freebie' on the internet where it's had a lot of hits and downloads and has proved to be very popular. The internet is a good way of spreading the word and raising awareness…also a way of saying thank you to all those people on the dance floors.
You've had extensive airplay haven't you?
Yes. We're starting to get a lot of airplay on the commercial stations. But the local BBC radio stations have been brilliant. They are always willing to support musicians, and we've done live gigs on BBC Radio Newcastle and BBC Radio Cleveland. They have been very supportive and have helped increase our fan base.
What are your plans for the future?
We have a busy year ahead, and have some festivals coming up. We're also planning to release three singles via our record label, then hopefully, by the end of the summer we'll have the album out, and perhaps break into mainstream music.
To conclude, Gary, do you have any advice for other ISA members?
The first thing I would say is, listen to music, the whole spectrum of music from classical to pop. Get inspired and just write songs. I would suggest you get a portfolio of songs, even a couple, and get them recorded. If you're a lyricist get yourself a collaborator, and visa versa, and I would say 'go for it' - and you'll be amazed how things start to happen.
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Official Chichino website www.chichino.com