Marie Tuetje

http://www.myspace.com/marietueje

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The Price of Love – lead track from forthcoming EP

What were your musical influences growing up?

Growing up I always loved music and would always listen to the radio. From a very young age I’d always been fascinated and obsessed by Top 40 radio in particular, and at that age it wasn’t even that I liked a particular band just, pretty much, whatever was on the radio. Having a sister who’s seven years older than me also meant that by the time that I was about 8,9, 10 she was really into indie music – which at that time was stuff like The Smiths, Morrissey, The Housemartins and Ned’s Atomic Dustbin, and I began by developing my own music tastes by, basically, copying hers. From then on, in my own completely obsessive way, I just got really, really into indie and alternative music. So my main musical influences growing up were The Smiths/Morrissey, 4AD records and manufactured pop music.

What is your style of music?

I ‘m a solo recording artist and performing artist. I describe it as “alternative pop”, in the sense that it is pop and it is catchy and accessible, and it’s not “experimental” within any given genre – people can get it very easily. But it uses, I think, a slightly different combination of ingredients and textures than mainstream commercial pop music.

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(excerpt) Bonnie & Clyde – previously unreleased

Has your style changed from when you first began as a musician?

Well, I first began making music as a non-songwriting musician, composing instrumental pieces. My style has changed, and it’s evolved in the sense that I’ve not always been a songwriter and it’s only in the last three years that I’ve been writing songs.
Prior to that I wrote music that was more experimental, and actually am now in a moment where the majority of the work I do is much more accessible.

I’ve gone from doing largely abstract, noise/sound works even, to writing three and-a-half minute pop songs.

Do you play an instrument?

I started out as a kid on flute and piano, but now my principal instrument is guitar (Im a self-taught guitarist) and I play bass and played drums a little bit in school. Also a little bit of mandolin. I’m lucky in that, generally, if I pick up an instrument, I can play it, ahem, reasonably decently.

What made you choose the guitar?

The person who made me pick up the guitar was Bernard Butler when he was in Suede. The first time that I heard their recordings, and in particular their live recordings, I was completely struck by how one person playing one guitar could make all that sound.  Not to get too dreamy about it, but the combination of tones, riffs and rhythms appealed to me and my psyche in a way that I can’t explain. I was into guitar music before then – even had a brief dalliance with hair metal – so I already knew the sounds and the possiblities of the elecric guitar. But, I guess quite literally, a rocket kind of went off in my brain that drew me to that instrument. So I stole a “how to play guitar” book from the school library, and taught myself to play from that. And, to this day, I can remember that the first song I learnt to play on the guitar was “Oh Dear, What Can The Matter Be?”. I’m pretty sure there were just two chords, something like G and D7.

Do your write your own tracks?

Yeah, aside from the occasional cover version I pretty much write my own songs. I also write for other people, and with other people for other people. Principally, I am a songwriter.

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demo of Boy Seeking Girl

Do you prefer writing or performing?

Actually prefer recording to both of those! But of the two I think that it would have to be writing.

When you have appeared live, are you very nervous or do you enjoy it?

Um, I don’t think that the fact that you do get nervous means that you don’t enjoy it actually, so I wouldn’t say that they’re mutually exclusive in that sense.

I do get very nervous and I tend to get very nervous regardless of if I’m the principal performer (i.e. if I’m singing) or whether I’m just the guitarist or bass player in the background, I get very nervous. I mean, slightly more being the principal performer but it generally is a constant process of trying to manage those nerves which, generally, I don’t do very successfully.

I do enjoy playing live, but is a love-hate thing because i don’t like the fact that I have all these nerves. But I do enjoy it very much.

What is your favourite track by yourself?

I think that’s a difficult question, actually, because I like songs for different reasons and in different ways and I think that because my songs are quite varied it’s quite understandable that it should be so.

My favourite piece of recorded music of mine is a section in the song, Killer In The Road, which comes in at about 3 mins 40 secs – the middle section – which, for me is the most complete and precise and perfectly executed piece of music that I’ve recorded up to now. That section is completely how I envisaged it would sound when I first conceived of the idea of the song – a very rare acheivement. However, I wouldn’t say that it’s my favourite song. I think my favourite at the moment is probably the new one, The Price Of Love.

If you could have anyone’s music career, whose would it be?

I often think that I would LOVE to have a career like Beck’s. As a solo artist he’s been able to do different albums and have different sounds, yet still retain a core audience and still, on occasion, draw in a new audience who may like one or two albums of his. And I do think there are a lot of similarities between myself and Beck from the point of view of having different styles yet still retaining their own. And he is someone whom I admire greatly in terms of what he’s been able to do with his career. And on a major label too for the most part.

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Killer In The Road – from In The Back Room (FULL VERSION)

download: Killer In The Road (B) added: 22/01/2010 clicks: 368 description: FULL VERSION

Do you have a partner? Are they supportive?

I do have a very lovely girlfriend called Gisele, and she is really, really supportive. Not only in terms of encouraging me in my work, but also offering ideas. And practical skills – she directed the video clip for one of my songs, Would It Really Make A Difference If I.

What do you dream about when asleep?

I don’t know. I mean, I haven’t had a dream in quite a while because I«ve not been sleeping very well. And I was talking with someone about this recently actually, and saying that I do have a few recurring dreams which, for the past 15 years reappear from time to time. In particular dreams about my teeth crumbling – which really freaks me out. Different contexts, but the end result is always the same. I also have a recurring dream where I have a massive unibrow. But I haven«t had a dream in a while – that I remember anyway!

Do you think the internet has altered the way musicians can get known?

I mean, I think only a fool would say that the internet has done nothing to how the music industry operates. So, yes, it has changed it, and its changed it for better AND for worse.

Whilst many aspects of the industry are now easier for the “lay person” (i.e. non-industry executive) to infiltrate, the sheer increase in the number of artists now competing for public (and mainstream industry) attention means that it is harder than ever to stand out.

On balance though, I would say that it is, overall, easier for artists to become known, and that there are very clear and some relatively quick routes mapped out for the enterprising individual who is in a hurry. And even aside from downloading vs physical CDs and vinyl, what the internet has done is to open up these routes; the information is now shared between people all over the world; from the industry insider with 20 years + experience to indie labels… the whole route into the “industry” has been opened up (one could say almost in the same way as dead carcass being served up) to the masses.

Have you released a record?

As a solo artist I’ve released one six-track EP, In The Back Room, which is a pretty good introduction to what I do as solo singer-songwriter. That came out in August 2007.

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Transmission – written and recorded as part of the www.fawm.org challenge.

Have you any concerts/records planned for the future?

It been a long time coming, but I’ve finally got another EP coming out this spring, called The Price Of Love, and that will be a limited edition CD available only to subscribers to my mailing list.

I’ve just moved from London to Barcelona, so I’m not planning any live dates, except for a couple in May which are already in the diary.

What are your plans for the future?

Aside from The Price Of Love EP, I’m continuing my Angels With Whips ( www.myspace.com/angelswithwhips ) side-project with American author Tanuja Desai Hidier.

I’m also planning an EP with a guy called Curtis Electric, and am doing some co-writing with a couple of new songwriters.

I’ll also begin writing songs for a new album in the next 2-3 months. I want the debut album to be a conhesive statement, rather than odd songs cobbled together from the past three years.

What advice would you give to young musicians looking to get into the profession?

I’m not sure that I’m amazingly qualified to give advice, but my advice would be (and I’m sure there are those who would disagree) to be as good as you can at what you do. So whatever genre or instrument or vehicle that you use to create, be the best you can be at that. And try and really understand what it is that you want to say and create.

This is the ideal that should be worked towards, I think.

Have you done any courses to help you?

Well, I studied music at University (though whether that actually helped me or not is a moot point). I did a degree in Contemporary Music, and, to tell the truth, I think it was enormously helpful as I majored in Composition, but also did arranging and music production.

I’m also part way to becoming a Pro Tools Certified Operator, which is just my way of exemplifying what I was saying in the last question about trying to be as good as you can at what you do I suppose.

What do you do to market your work?

Not enough! I’m very shy and pretty lazy, so marketing myself isn’t really my strong point. And I’ve always been the kind of person who thought, “well I’ll just let my music do the talking”. And, of course, that’s just not good enough in the current climate. Audiences are overwhelmed with music as it is, if you’re not actively trying to reach out to those who could be into your music, frankly, why should THEY even bother? I’m the kind of person that likes things to happen in their own time, and for a good reason.

Social networking is the main way to try and connect with people who might like my music. But not ram stuff down their throats. It’s about being interested in them and vice versa.

Sharing interests and some likes and dislikes and using that as a springboard to get people interested in the music.

I’m pathologically allergic to Facebook, but I do use MySpace and Twitter (which I know a lot of people don’t like) to connect with people online.

Doing gigs and flyering for them is really important, and trying to let local and student radio know when I’m doing gigs in their locale. As I said earlier, these things can be hard, because of the sheer volume of other, similar artists trying to do exactly the same thing!

Having a mailing list is also a good way of keeping in contact with fans and letting them know what’s going on.

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Would It Really Make A Difference If I? – from In The Back Room

Do you use social networking in your day to day life?

As mentioned above, I’m particularly taken with Twitter, www.twitter.com/marietueje . My MySpace page is: www.myspace.com/marietueje .

Are you available for work (gigs)?

Yeah, I’m always available for gigs really. And recently I’ve been doing quite a bit of co-writing and producing, and I think that works really well because I’m quite an easy going person and I like working with other people on their ideas.

I’ve got a little project studio and that side of it is always great for me to dive into.

I’ve done a bit of music-to-picture recently too, and that went really well. So, yeah, at the moment, I’m just into doing whatever to do with music.
People can contact me through either MySpace or Twitter.

Have you got hobbies?

That’s a really good question as recently I’ve been saying to myself that I need a good hobby (whatever that is), as I spend a lot of time doing music in one way or another.

When I was younger I used to do a lot of drawing and design and collages – stuff like that – but I’m a bit out of practice. If anybody’s got any good hobby ideas for me, contact me! Y’know, gardening, knitting, abseiling. I don’t know, I need something!

Where are you based?

Right now, as we speak I’m based in Luton airport. But, seriously, at the moment I’m based in Central Barcelona, although I do hop, skip and jump to London every now and then.

Thank you SO much for the interview and the great music!

Don’t forget, you can see more of Marie at http://www.myspace.com/marietueje

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The Price of Love