Beautiful Blues: Aynsley Lister And The New Breed

It may seem like a contradiction, but it's a marvellous time to have the blues. At present, the scene is awash with precocious youngsters and seasoned pros expertly dragging the howling sounds of the Delta into the 21st century. Few have contributed to the resurgence in blues music with the same quality as guitarist, singer and songwriter Aynsley Lister.

With the recent release of 'Home' - his fifth studio album since bursting onto the scene in 1999 – he's delivered the finest record of his career to date. Stereoboard caught up with Lister to chat about the making of the new collection, why he's releasing it on his own label and how he came to pen a track based on a cult TV drama.

It's been four years since your last studio album, 'Equilibrium'. Why such a long gap?

I didn't want to rush something sub-standard out the door just to put a product out. I felt there was anticipation from people who were expecting something good, so I thought it should take as long as it takes. We've also put 'Home' out on our own label. It's the first one we've released that way and we wanted to make a bit of statement with it. I'm glad we waited because I've never been happier with an album.

Why did you decide to release it on your own label and what benefits does it provide?

With the way the music business is going and with the internet there's a lot more opportunity to do things in-house. My fiancee, Steph, got the whole marketing side of things going over the last two years and eventually ended up managing me. Since that happened things have gone from strength to strength and this was the next step.

When people hear you're going it alone they fear the quality is going to drop, but there was never any question of doing things differently than before. We still went to a decent studio and spent the same amount of time and money. Everything's been done to the same – if not better - standard because we've got control of the budgets, the marketing and make all the decisions in-house. It feels really positive and the response so far has been great.

How does 'Home' differ from 'Equilibrium'?

I had a definite vision for 'Home' and wanted to make an album that's representative of what we sound like live. It's not a really raw album, but the one thing I was insistent on was keeping the power and having a really raunchy guitar sound that doesn't get sweetened and dampened down. On 'Equilibrium' I felt it had lost a bit of edge and had too much of a polished pop quality. For 'Home' I wanted to get back that rootsy, edgy vibe, but for it to still have a quality that didn't sound too thrown together.

'Home' feels like it mixes all the elements of your music we've heard before - only more cohesively and confidently. Is that true?

Ideally, if it's something creative you're doing over and over again you should get better at it. You figure out what works and learn from your own stuff. On this album I wanted to showcase all the different elements of me as an artist. There's the rockier side on songs like Free and bluesier side on Sugar and Straight Talkin' Woman', which I wanted to sound like a band playing in a room as they're both very rootsy. And there's the more commercial pop tracks like Inside Out and Broke, where it's not about blazing guitar solos but songs with melodies that you don't have to be a guitar fan to appreciate.

Your songs all have a strong melodic edge that isn't common in blues-based music. Why is that?

Although my guitar playing is rooted in the blues, the stuff that gets my attention isn't. If I hear a great guitar solo I'll think, 'that's cool, but give me something else.' I want some content, some substance. Most of the music on my iPod isn't blues, it's more song-based stuff. My ear is always listening for a melodic tune as they're the kind I like.

Let's talk about Hyde 2612. How did that song develop? It's a great groove and wonderful lyric.

I got really into a TV series called Life On Mars and have probably seen each episode thirty or forty times. I got sucked into the scenario of a guy getting knocked down and waking up in 1973 and imagined myself in that situation. I thought it would be a really good idea to write a song from the perspective of the characters Sam and Gene because their language is so colourful and interesting. I wanted to include as many quotes and references as possible, but still have a song that had a melody and worked.

Musically, because it's 1973 and a bit quirky, I wanted the instrumentation to follow suit. So I went for a White Stripes-type guitar riff, a bit like Seven Nation Army. It took me a few attempts to write the lyrics. I kept trying and plugging away, but when I came up with the chorus it all came together.

How do you choose cover songs, with particular reference to the ones on 'Home'?

When I do I covers I initially find something that suits me vocally, that I can play on and give a twist of my own. I've heard other bands do covers - like Stereophonics' Handbags and Gladrags - that are carbon copies. I don't see the point. Even if it's just a very subtle change, I always try to put a bit of my own personality into it.

With 'Feeling Good', it's great to play on the guitar because its got a big heavy riff, but I wanted to put a couple of twists in. So at the end of each verse I added a few bits and did the dynamic light and shade thing. You Make it Real is a bit different from the original. I didn't want it to be exactly the same, so did a laid back John Mayer-ish version. I think a great song will come across regardless of different arrangements and instrumentation.

How would you describe the blues scene now as opposed to when you started and why do you think it has become popular again?

When I started out in about 1998 there weren't any other young blues bands or artists out there. But now I can list about 20 different young guitarists who are playing blues and blues rock. It's almost like the thing to do. I don't know why it's suddenly become popular. It's weird really. But it's great because they're keeping it alive and anybody who is doing that is doing something right in my opinion.

Which young, up and coming players have impressed you the most?

Laurence Jones. I've seen him at a few festivals and he was really, really great. He's a very good guitarist and he's got a good voice too. I don't know how old he is, but to have a decent tone to your voice at that age bodes well for the future.

You shaped a lot of the songs on Home by playing them live. Why was that?

I wanted an album where all the songs could potentially be played live. So I thought 'let's try them on the road, see how the audiences react and how we get on with them.' The best songs stay in the set and get better, while the ones that don't work get put on the back burner. And YouTube is great. If you announce you're doing a new song all the camera phones start recording. To be able to watch a new song we're trying allows us to say 'well that bit works, change that, that doesn't quite work'.

Let's talk about Andre Bassing on keys. What has he brought to your music and how's he influenced your approach to writing and playing?

I was used to playing in a three-piece band and filling the sound out with guitar. But working with Andre gave me an extra element of sound. I realised I didn't always have to play. He's a fantastic musician and I wrote the demos for 'Home' with him in mind because I know how he plays and what he can add. I then presented it to him and the other guys and said 'this is what I'm hearing – you do your great musician version of this'.

After you saw Joe Bonamassa at the Royal Albert Hall, you said it had changed your thinking about how to approach your music and blues in particular. What did you mean by that and how has that fed into the new material?

Around about 2004-2005, my music had become quite heavy and rocked up. I'd lost the bluesier element from my songs and my playing. At the Royal Albert Hall, Bonamassa was doing a lot of blues and I thought 'there's a massive audience for this that isn't just for the BB Kings and the Eric Claptons'. It's just a question of how you tap into that audience.

I also got back into Freddie King a couple of years ago and some of the earlier blues stuff that inspired me to pick up the guitar. I thought, 'this is really good and I can do it quite well'. So on 'Home' there are a couple of tracks that are bluesier than anything I've done. We've even been asking people if they want a full blues record for the next album as I've never done one.

What's been the highlight of your career so far?

Without sounding corny, this whole album. It's just a really exciting time and from a satisfaction point of view I really feel like I've managed to get down on tape – or rather hard drive – the sounds and the songs I had in my head. I'm just really happy with the way things are as the live work is coming in, we're getting some great festivals and great reviews too.

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