Tag: lunacci & the lunatics

(Main image photo by Lauren Norris)

Welcome to the latest in the series of weekly blog posts about songwriting, which includes interviews with composers and artists about their views and experiences in this field. This week’s interview is with songwriter, performer and composer Lunacci (pronounced loo-nah-see).

Matt:

What is your background in songwriting and performing?

Lunacci:

I started writing songs at the age of about 6 years old, I had a copy of Sony Acid 2.0 (some old music software), and I used to just drag the pre-recorded loops around…. it sounded terrible, but I learnt a lot about song writing at a young age because of it. I guess my first ‘performances’ came through church. I started playing drums with the church band from the age of 11. I think it taught me a lot about band etiquette and musical sensitivity.

(Photo by Lauren Norris)

Matt:

Everyone has different reasons for writing songs, sometimes to express themselves, to tell a story etc. What drives you to write a song and where do you get your inspiration from?

Lunacci:

I’m driven by the need to express myself, which I don’t pretend is anything unique. I think we all need outlets to express ourselves, and they can take many different forms, but mine is music and lyrics. Probably unsurprisingly, my biggest inspiration are the people I interact with. Sometimes I write about people that I meet for just a few fleeting moments, but 90% of my songs are about my friends.

Matt:

There are often differing views about songs, both on what the most important aspect is and what the most difficult element of a song to compose is. What do you think is the most important part of a song and do you struggle with a particular stage of composing?

Lunacci:

I think the most important part of a song is how it makes the listener feel, which is weirdly often overlooked. I see a lot of bands and musicians making music that is ‘cool’ or ‘well-written’ but having either little or the wrong emotional impact. Most of my music is very simple, I don’t pretend it’s anything fancy, but I do think it’s pretty clear how it’s meant to make you feel.

(Photo by Chris Trevena)

Matt:

In addition to your performances as Lunacci, you’ve done several different musical projects in the last few years, including composing cinematic music and session work. What have been the good and bad moments of these and how have your different experiences influenced your songwriting?

Lunacci:

I do work on other projects, most of the time they are entirely different, but sometimes they interlink… I once used an instrumental version of one of my Lunacci songs for a documentary.

Matt:

You started your Lunacci performances as a solo act but in the last few years you’ve developed into a band (named Lunacci + The Lunatics). Has this expanded the possibilities for your compositions and what projects are you currently working on?

Lunacci:

Yeah, I had always planned on expanding into a band, so it was nice when that happened. Working with a collective of musicians means there is a lot more potential for more complex musicality, I think that’s something I’m still discovering. Currently we’ve let things have a little bit of a rest, we had a manic past few years and all the gigs over the summer really tired me out. I’m using the time to write new material so that things will feel nice and fresh come the new year.

You can learn more about Lunacci + The Lunatics and their music by visiting their website at www.lunacci.co.uk and Facebook, Twitter and YouTube pages. Their music is available to listen to and purchase on many digital music platforms, including Spotify and CDBaby