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 Nothing to whinge about for UK singer Andrew English musician Andrew Mockler is keen to get involved in the Kiwi music scene, writes ROBERT SMITH. "I know British people have a reputation for being whinging poms," says English singer/songwriter Andrew Mockler. "But I've been here a few weeks now and I certainly haven't seen anything to whinge about." After recently moving from the UK to Marlborough, Andrew hopes to kickstart his music career with a series of gigs around the region. Although he might be a newcomer to the local music scene, but he is no stranger to performing in front of a big crowd. He has been playing guitar for most of his life and has performed extensively in his native England, including several shows with rock legend Sting. "One of them was a show in Newcastle in front of 7000 people, so that was a bit scary," says Andrew. "But it was still an incredible experience." Andrew also sang at a private party held by the rock star to celebrate an honorary doctorate that he had received. He says he first met Sting through his music teacher. "Sting used to work with my lecturer before he became famous and came in to our class for a Q and A session. "He was supposed to sing at a Variety Club dinner after that, but he was ill, so he got me to sing in his place." While many musicians are self-taught, Andrew has spent much of his life in formal music education, gaining A-level qualifications in music and achieving a degree in Jazz, Popular and Commercial Music at Newcastle College in England as well as grades from the London College of Music. Although he has built up a career playing music and has played with different bands since he was 16, he says he originally got into music because his mates were doing it. "When I was 10, all my friends were getting into music lessons and I didn't want to be left on my own, so I started with some guitar lessons. "My guitar tutor thought I could sing, so I was encouraged to go in that direction and I've just gone on from there." Andrew now concentrates on performing and writing his own material, which he describes as a mix of pop and jazz with his own style. He cites Sting, Prince, Savage Garden and KT Tunstall as inspirations. Since coming to New Zealand for his mother's wedding, Andrew says he has been setting up the odd gig, but has also been concentrating on improving his songwriting skills. "I spend a few hours every day just working away on songs or practising. I always want to keep music in the frame." With a current work visa, Andrew has performed at some local cafes and for staff at Base Woodbourne. He tends to stick to the popular songs most people know, but slips in his own material now and again. "I'm a bit limited because I don't have much in the way of sound gear or other equipment, but you can still do a whole lot with just a guitar." He has also been studying up on the New Zealand music scene and says he has been impressed by some of the acoustic artists who have made it big in this country. Andrew might not know many of the key players on the local scene, but he says has been looking for managers to guide him through. "I've got an EP I recorded on a friend's computer, so I've been sending that out to various people to see what sort of reaction I get." Andrew performed all the guitar and keyboard parts of the EP himself, spending two months working on it on top of a full-time job. As well as any performing gigs he picks up in Marlborough, Andrew also hopes to do some private music teaching. He says he enjoys working on the theory side of music as much as possible, something he thinks he might have inherited "My mother works as a scientist and I think I've got the idea from her of wanting to know how things work. "I love to take songs apart and build them back up again." © The Marlborough Express |
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