GASFOODLODGING

Six Strings Ringing Supreme - All Trashed OUT BY Gasfoodlodging. Album Review By Michael Lord.

5/24/2019

A new album release here that is sleeker than the brill cream in Robert De Nero's hair in Goodfellas. Or should that be Slicker Than Your Average as Craig David would put it? Not that Mr David is known for British tarnished Americana. In reality All Trashed Out by Gasfodlodging is far slicker than the average, it is full to the brim of gold star songwriting, melodies and performance.
What is astonishingly clever is the way a diverse mixture of songs can bond together so well.
You wouldn't think for one minute that the glorious blues rock romp of Get with the Program would be followed by one of the best alt-country ballads I've heard in recent times, with Caitlin Silvers.
This band could have slung in their interpretation of 1920's Jazz and it would probably have still worked on this album.

Gasfoodlodging are a three piece ensemble who reside in Birmingham, UK. They are fronted by Dave Griffiths (Pictured) who as well as being chief songwriter and vocalist is a highly competent guitar playing noodler who consistently adds the perfect touch of playing in exactly the right place. Listen to another four great tracks from the album, From The Darkness of a Day, Sometimes, Keep Your Headlights On and Walking The Wire and you will hear my point being clarified.
Other examples of musical brilliance include Keep on Keeping On which has exquisite guitar overlaying, Life is for Living which is full of rock & rolling soul flavour and Six Strings Ringing which is nothing short of a lyrical masterpiece.
Interestingly, Griffiths mentions Pete Doherty of Babyshambles fame as an influence in the band bio I received. I'm not surprised to hear that after listening to All Trashed Out. As with Doherty, Griffiths is doing his own interpretation on music of a similar vein to bands such as The Velvet Underground and The Clash but in my estimation Gasfoodlodging have far more variety to their sound. I can hear splashes of Jimi Hendrix, Teenage Fanclub, Jerry Jeff Walker and Iggy Pop throughout this outstanding album.

For a city whose most recent well known band was the bland and frankly predictable, The Editors, its with welcome relief to hear that Birmingham has far more impressive things afoot musically. All Trashed Out by Gasfoodlodging is as tasty as a Christmas dinner with all the trimmings. Its positively delectable.

Michael Lord
www.pushpowerpromo.com
© 2019

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This is Trash Well worth keeping! Gasfoodlodging - All Trashed Out album review by Alexander Gregory.

5/13/2019

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Gasfoodlodging return with a marvellous album here that makes even their very good debut, Blue Collar Rain from 2017 seem fairly pale in comparison.
In the unsigned sector of British guitar bands this indie and alternative country collective from the West Midlands reaffirm their position as being up there with the very best in their chosen field.

At their forefront is their expressive guitar slinger and songwriter, David Griffiths who has written another thirteen songs for this fourteen track album. There's great indie fuzz with tracks such as Sometimes and Keep on Keeping on and exceptional alt-country twanged ballads such as Caitlin Silvers, Walking the Wire and Bug in the Grass. The latter including samples more associated with modern dance music as does the great punchy punk of Get with the program, the opening track of the album, clearly signifying that Griffiths and his band mates are not adverse to experimentation.
Its all change in the rhythm section of the band for much of this album from their debut one and there appears to be an extra zest of liveliness and thoughtfulness that back up Griffiths and his songs. As a songwriter, Griffiths himself is maturing like a fine wine, "Her stereo is the bible, she preaches JJ Cale" from the aforementioned Walking the Wire track is just one example of the clever use of lyricism that is rife on this album.
Griffiths has also upped the ante in his vocal department. His performance on this album is far more defined and robust. I find myself never being able to pinpoint who he reminds me of vocally? Perhaps he is simply unique and that's why I struggle to do so.
For a follow up album, All Trashed Out is an excellent achievement, a difficult thing to do for any band. Music purists would possibly highlight a weakness with the album's absence of top flight production but in a recording industry where we are continually presented with meaningless musical meanderings that cost a fortune to conceive, and at best could only be described as codswallop, then critical bullet pointing surrounding production on any album of great material is ludicrous to say the least. I'm looking forward to the third Gasfoodlodging album already and I'll be playing this one very often in the meantime.

Favorite tracks: All Trashed Out the title track. A sublime slice of dreamy indie craziness. Caitlin Silvers, country twanged story telling par excellence and From the Darkness of a Day, an indie rock delight with sterling guitar work and lyrical finesse.

For further information on Gasfoodlodging. www.gasfoodlodging.co.uk
alex.force10media@gmail.com
www.outpostmedia.co.uk

A.Gregory. © 2019

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Something rather special here from AN UNSIGNED Birmingham trio: ALBUM REVIEW BY Samantha Hill

5/8/2019

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After doing some brief research on Gasfoodlodging who cite their influences as The Velvet Underground through to The Kinks and Iggy Pop as well as an artist called Chuck Prophet who I'm unfamiliar with at this time, I gave the album a listen with my usual open mindedness and surprisingly I found myself trying to remember the last time I had enjoyed an album worth of new guitar music this much.
The album begins with a 6 minute piece of soulful punk arrogance with Get with the Program. "I do what I wanna do, not what they say that I should do" exclaims Dave Griffiths, the vocalist, guitarist and principal songwriter of this Birmingham based three piece band. Simplistic lyrics they maybe but relevant and poignant to the general feeling of discontent with governmental spoon feeding in 2019? Absolutely.
In fact its the simplistic and quirky lyrical delivery that works exceptionally well through the entire album, the songs aren't trying to be smart ass or derail off into self-indulgent nonsense.
Caitlin Silvers, Walking the Wire, Keep your headlights on a little longer, Outlaw, Six Strings Ringing, From the Darkness of a day cover topics we are all aware of, from domestic abuse, homelessness, through to the search for love and fulfilment. And like a good story teller recounts his or her writings, Griffiths conveys his narrative of such topics with great lyrical thought. The Outlaw songwriting credit goes to the bassist of the band, Mike Fleming with Griffiths having penned the other 13 songs on the album. Vocally, Griffiths also impresses a great deal as he sways about in Iggy Pop and Jim Reid from the The Jesus & Mary Chain territory.
This is not an album devoted to strictly bleak themes either, there are some great and charismatic uplifting moments, Life is for Living, Keep on Keeping on and Loving Arms speak for themselves with their themes. The closing track of the album, Rock & Roll Textbook is another cleverly pieced together narrative of uplifting reflection. "Just because I'm older now, my rock & roll passion stays the same" states Griffiths triumphantly.
For a guy who judging by his photos looks to be in his 30's now, this is clear intent that he has no intention of putting his pen and paper in the desk draw anytime soon. Considering Seasick Steve began his recording career circa the age of 65, Griffiths has a fair few years ahead of him yet to keep his rock & roll passions ignited.
Based upon the content of this album Griffiths and his band are doing everything right. Great songs which are wonderfully performed and with a unique edge. You couldn't ask for anymore if you're in a band.
All Trashed Out by Gasfoodlodging is available on CD, digital download here:
gasfoodlodging.bandcamp.com/

Samantha Hill (Evo4 Promotions)
s.hill@evo4.co.uk
© 2019

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A conversation with Dave Griffiths of Gasfoodlodging By Brett Jameson.

4/29/2019

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*Photo credit: Kato Media
I have been a supporter of the British Americana and Alternative band Gasfoodlodging since I came across their music videos on YouTube. Not having an aptitude for music myself I have always had a fascination with what makes musicians and bands I enjoy tick. Gasfoodlodging released their 2019 album, All Trashed Out on April 25th. It is a great musical achievement that proves yet again how interesting and vibrant music still is in darkened corners of the musical world. I did a Skype interview with Dave Griffiths of the band recently and I thank him very much for his time.

How does it feel being interviewed by a fan?
I think its cool and I feel honoured! {laughs} When I was first asked to do an interview in aid of promoting the band I was thinking "Erm? great! But who is going to be interested in what I have to say? I'm hardly in a band that is sweeping across the nation with fans galore!"
But after I did my first one I received messages from some musical friends who said they really enjoyed reading the interview online. Since then I've just carried on with them {smiles}.
There's no point hanging around for music magazines to come knocking at your door to interview your band or review your album. You have to get people involved and make things happen yourself.

What do you find is the toughest thing to do when putting a new album together?
Being sure you have the right songs in place I guess. What I see as a fluid running album others may not. There are albums by bands where I've enjoyed virtually every track whereas musical industry reviewers have only enjoyed 3 or 4 songs at the most. One thing I usually do is put my home demos of new songs online to see what reaction they get. That makes sense to me. But for the most part you simply have to trust your instinct and hopefully people will enjoy the songs you have chosen.

I remember you saying that you used alternative guitar tunings for some of the songs on the album and I also hear slide guitar on a couple of songs. Do you play a lot of slide guitar?
No, not really. Sometimes I think a little slide will work here and there on a tune so I figure something out. As for alternative tuning, I'm only familiar with open G and drop D ones.
Although I only used open G tuning on the album and only on three songs, Life is for Living, Bug in the Grass and the title track, All Trashed Out. I wanted to have a bit of a Keith Richards thing going on with the rhythm guitar on the Life is For Living track so using that tuning worked well on that one I think.

What are your views on English guitar legends such as Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page?
Their musical discography speaks for itself. You can only have the upmost respect for what they've achieved and the way they've influenced people. We have another guitarist from the UK called Richard Thompson and although he's not a household name like Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page he is classed by many as one of the all time greats of guitar playing. He's crazily talented. I also think Keith Richards should end up high on any best UK guitarist poll as well. His riffs and rhythmic playing have influenced thousands of musicians including myself.

Did you spend a lot of time planning your own performances for the the new album?
Well vocally I had to make sure I knew the lyrics! [smiles}. Although we'd played some of the new songs at gigs anyway so I was familiar with the way I was approaching them. As for the guitar parts, sure, you need to have things planned in advance otherwise you'll end up in a mess with a studio album. I probably spent the most time on some keyboard parts I played, some of them became a bit of a headache! But I sorted things out the best I could in the end.

Do you ever fantasize about a world where Gasfoodlodging have a huge following worldwide?
{Laughs}. I'd be happy if some people a couple of streets away from where I live had heard of us let alone people in Cuba or Iceland! I've always been realistic with my music pursuits, I know I'm not a mega talented songwriter like Lennon/Mcartney, Jagger/Richards, Bob Dylan, who is going to influence a generation! I'm not daft. I'm happy just selling a few copies of a Gasfoodlodging album and doing interviews like this mate! I really count myself lucky I've been able to keep this band going to be honest. Original bands are falling by the wayside everywhere, most venues are only booking cover and tribute bands and that is a major sting in the tail for original music.

Would you like to live in America if you had the chance? You are obviously influenced very much by the music here.
No, I'd rather live in the UK. For all it's governmental bullshit and blunders Id still feel more content staying here than living in America. Canada at some point maybe if the opportunity arose but not America. I've been to America for holidays and I have some American friends who are great but its a crazy country in many ways. I think its an insular existence that Americans live in with the country being that huge. So its unsurprising that they have enough on their domestic plate to cover any daily news show. Still, I'd love to go over for 6 months or so and see all the sights over there especially the music hot spots.
I remember going to visit my Uncle in San Francisco and I had no idea that Chuck Prophet lived there. A guy whose music I was starting to follow after going through his previous band's (Green On Red) back catalogue. I could have walked passed him on the street! {laughs}.

If you could sing like a famous recording artist either dead or alive who would you choose? And who do you admire vocally?
Hmm? I think Marc Bolan, David Bowie and Johnny Cash had great voices. I don't like modern country music vocalists, they all sound like boy band singers to me. Its just pop music with people dressed up in cowboy boots and a stetson.
Bob Dylan is one of my personal favourites (especially his voice in the 1970's) he was refreshingly unique, as was Jim Morrison, John Lennon and Mick Jagger who still is. Liam Gallagher when he was younger was great. I really like Pete Doherty's voice of Babyshambles, Libertines fame. He's like the British equivalent to Lou Reed. I thought Jimi Hendrix was great as well.
I'm not really big on technically gifted singers because they sound too perfect and robotic at times although I do own 2 Alicia Keys albums! [smiles} Freddie Mercury was an amazing operatic quality vocalist but Queen were never my musical cup of tea.

Guitar bands seem to always pay their respect to blues music during some point in their career, do you think you will ever do the same?
Yeah, I'd like to do that. Recording a blues album would be great. Before I even got into playing music myself there was a time when friends at the time would come round to my place at night and we would chill out, turn off the lights and listen to blues music compilations until the early hours. Happy times! Lightning Hopkins, Junior Wells & Buddy Guy, John Lee Hooker, Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac, T bone Waker, Roosavelt Booba Barnes, RL Burnside, Taj Mahal, Asie Payton, Howlin Wolf were always regulars on the compilations.

Some bands seem to have conflicts with producers in the studio? Have you ever had bad experiences?
Yeah, unfortunately. I worked with a guy the once who didn't have a fucking clue what he was doing. His production and mixes were worse than rough demos I was quickly putting together at home. A view that was echoed by other members of the band at the time after we heard his results. Due to a recommendation that he was a decent producer, I decided to keep my mouth shut and follow his way of doing things. A big mistake looking back but hey ho you live and learn. Following this shambolic experience I reverted back to our former producer, Simon Reeves from Birmingham. a guy who puts his heart and soul into everything he does and knows how to adapt to different bands that come through the door. He may not have fancy dancy recording equipment but It was such a relief for me to be working with him again after working with that other numpty dumpty.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years time?
Well hopefully I'll be in good health and can still strum away on a guitar to write new songs. I doubt whether I'll be on an extended beach holiday in Hawaii living off the revenue of Gasfoodlodging album sales! {laughs} But I'm definitely not ready for the pipe and slippers anytime soon. I know I joke around a lot on social media etc because I keep things realistic with the way thing are. But in my quiet moments alone, I'm still proud of the songs I've written and songs like Six Strings Ringing, Caitlin Silvers, Get with the Program, Life is for living and Walking the Wire from the new album are as good, if not better, than the songs many professional guitar bands are churning out in my opinion. Its not arrogance, you just have to have belief and faith in the music you're writing otherwise its a pointless exercise.

A big thank you goes out to Dave Griffiths once again for taking part in my interview.
You can buy the great new Gasfoodlodging album, All Trashed Out by clicking the link below:
https://gasfoodlodging.bandcamp.com/album/all-trashed-out

Brett Jameson 2019.

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"Be Careful What You Throw Away"- Interview with Dave Griffiths of Gasfoodlodging by Phillip Jarvis

4/4/2019

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Photo courtesy of Kato media
It has been 2 years since Gasfoodlodging released their debut album, Blue Collar Rain. This Americana & UK Indie influenced collective fronted by Dave Griffiths of Sutton Coldfield could be compared to a valuable item that one might find at a car boot sale. You never knew it was there but what a great thing to find after rummaging around. In a time where new bands and music arrive on the internet at a frequency that is downright impossible to keep up with, its of no surprise that many interesting and refreshing bands fall under the radar and go undetected.
With their musical influences seemingly stemmed from homegrown America such as Bob Dylan, The Velvet Underground, through to the UK shoegazing jangles of Echo and the Bunneymen and The Kinks. They most certainly have an impressive portfolio of original songs tucked away under their guitar straps and belts already. They release their follow up album, All Trashed Out, later this month.

A busy 2 years since your debut album was released?
Yeah, for sure. I started putting pen to paper again before the first LP was released. I'm guessing most songwriters work that way, its an ongoing process that never stops. Although if lack of inspiration steps in you have no choice but to take a break for a while. Thankfully those periods are rare overall and I'd finished writing this album in the spring of 2018.

How do look back at your debut album, Blue Collar Rain now?
I still enjoy it, I wish I'd done a better job vocally on several of the tracks but hey ho, you live and learn. I'm still proud of some of the songs, We've Done Alright, Corporate Disease, Moving Along, Banging Drum come to mind. I did record another collection of songs with former members of the band that made it onto a demo CD called Happy Ever After, but we had issues releasing that online because there were cover songs on there. Still, one of my songs from that called Dirty Little Love Song was really fun to do and I made a video for that which made it onto on youtube. But yeah, Blue Collar Rain was officially our debut LP and contains all original material of mine.

Do you think the new album, All Trashed Out is an improvement on your debut?
Yeah, without doubt. You have to view music as a progression and taking constant steps forward otherwise what's the point of carrying on? I think a band will always view their next album better than their previous one when they're recording it. In time that view can change but in the moment that's the positive and common sense approach to have.

Before approaching the process of writing a new album do you spend a lot of time listening to the key musical influences you have?
I'm constantly listening to the music I enjoy anyway so I wouldn't say I listen to it anymore than I normally do when I start writing again. I'm never going to be as good as the people I admire anyway, so I just make the best of what I've got. The important thing is putting your heart and soul into what you do and in that respect I can't do anymore than I have been doing.

Are you politically motivated as a songwriter? Your song Corporate Disease from the last album was clearly a lyrical attack on the class system.
You need to keep in check with reality and what you see going on around you even if you don't like what you see. So naturally many songwriters will end up writing songs that are political and social issue related. But I wouldn't want to write an album of songs devoted to the war against terrorism or this current Brexit saga for example. People are angry and frustrated in relation to both topics but I think music still needs that escapism or fun quality for the listener too. However, the tangled web of relationships and the theme of love in songwriting is something that will always sell records because as human beings its what dominates our existence.

The new album title, All Trashed Out is interesting, what are you referring to?
You can look at it whichever you want really, but my thought behind it was related to people who've sorted or are in the process of sorting their lives out and are far better for it. Off to pastures new and all that. It takes a lucky person to travel through life without complications and dilemmas to deal with and I've never met anyone who has had that amount of good fortune!

For someone who was impressed by your debut album as I was, are we likely to be getting more of the same on the new album in respect of the mixture of musical styles?
Yeah, definitely. I've never wanted Gasfoodlodging to be restricted to one type of musical style alone. But equally, I don't think Blue Collar Rain or the new album suffer from poles apart musical differences that don't make sense from one track to the next. There's definitely cohesion there. I enjoy retro punk, alternative country, indie, blues and rock & roll and I think there's elements of all those to our sound.
For marketing purposes we've always described what we do as Americana/Alternative because under that banner it covers a lot of the above. We're definitely not a country rock band. Songs like Corporate Disease which you mentioned earlier are hardly country rock. But for our few fans out there I can assure them we'll be keeping things just the way they are as long as Gasfoodlodging carries on. Its a formula that I believe in because when relevant music fans do come across what we do, they more often than not enjoy it. The trouble we have constantly had is acquiring regular gigs because the whole live music gig scene is saturated with cover & tribute bands.

Did you use all your own musical equipment for the making of the album?
Yeah, pretty much apart from vocal mics. Every guitar part on the album apart from a small segment on the title track were miked up through a couple of Fender amps I own. The other guys in the band also used their own equipment apart from the drum mics that were already in place at the small studio we used for recording.

I presume Fender amplification is your favorite to use then?
Well it's the amplification used by many of the guitarists and bands I admire so it makes sense to stick to what sound you enjoy the most. Its no secret to people that know me that an American guy called Chuck Prophet is my favorite guitar player. I preferred his lighter sounding guitar tone on his earlier solo albums such as Brother Aldo and Balinese Dancer but they were Fender amps he was using even back then. Regardless, I love his style of playing and technique. He's a great songwriter, vocalist and producer too, it makes you sick! Haha.

I noticed on a video interview you gave recently that you mentioned having a dance music mixing page on soundcloud. Another musical passion of yours?
Yeah, I like to play around with drum loops and edit different vocal parts in by other singers to make something different. Just something I like to do from time to time if the mood catches. I had a thing going on with a track for our new album where I'd sampled some Lana Del Rey vocal parts in but couldn't quite get it to work. Maybe not the greatest disappointment seeing as I could of got sued!

Are you a big fan of Lana Del Rey then?
I like quite a lot of her earlier music. Reminds me of that whole Leonard Cohen type thing. I can hear elements of Lee Hazelwood in there too. She's seems to adopt that whole Nancy Sinatra thing with ease when it suits her.

Any other female singers you admire while we're on the subject?
I love the voice of Linda Thompson. The former wife of the UK guitar maestro, Richard Thompson for those who don't know who she is. In fact I'm a big fan of him as well. They worked so well together doing that quintessential British folk rock thing in the 70's. Richard Thompson is a crazily talented guitarist that anybody who likes guitar playing should be aware of. Obviously more widely known as a former member of Fairport Convention. He turns 70 in a couple of weeks and still going strong which is great to hear.

Do you get excited when a release date for a Gasfoodlodging album draws ever closer?
I would if I knew we were going to sell 10'000 copies of the thing! Haha. It's just pleasing that's it all wrapped up and done. There are times in the process of making an album that you think, "Man, is this ever gonna get finished!" due to various issues. Even when the music is recorded there's still the task of mixing, mastering, designing the artwork for CD's etc etc. It can all take a lot of time. It's definitely worth the effort though. I'm fully aware its not professional quality music we can offer people, we have to record on a tight budget like countless of other bands so professional recording studios are way out the question. But taking that aside I'm still proud of what gets done. If the quality of the music sounds decent through studio monitors, headphones, a car stereo, hifi system, through to a laptop and mobile phone etc then it's good enough quality to distribute out to sell in my opinion.

The time to worry about perfection is when you can afford the resources that can potentially create the perfection! I like keeping things raw anyway, a sickly over produced and professionally recorded album might attract more musical clientele and interest from the music industry moguls, but it will cost you 1000's to get done so you need to sell a handsome amount of copies to get anywhere near breaking even. Times have changed, record deals are rarely offered and recording artists are losing money hand over fist with illegal downloading and the physical music market being overtaken by streaming and digital downloads. The sensible approach in my view is head to the back street studios, do the best you can and at least have your music floating around the internet. Something is better than nothing after all. Be careful what you dismiss and throw away in recordings you do as well. You could potentially have an album worth of songs at a later date when your opinion changes.

All Trashed Out by Gasfoodlodging is released on April 25th.

©Phillip Jarvis 2019.

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Gasfoodlodging - Blue Collar Rain Review By Matt Hayes

3/1/2017

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Nobody buys music like they used to anymore. We all know that. So for the majority of unsigned groups the future hardly signifies the bright lights of success where they can kiss a fond farewell to the day job. If Charlie was a wannabe recording artist and the golden ticket was a recording contract he'd still be opening chocolate bars with his walking stick by his side to this day. Besides he'd more than likely meet Willy Plonker the unscrupulous record company owner if indeed he was successful. Many of us have witnessed our beloved recording artists reach the heights of creativity where they record their "classic" album only to see them fade away when subsequent albums fail to match it's brilliance. What I personally enjoy about good unsigned bands is the passion and hunger they have for their music, bearing in mind that 99.9% of these poor souls will never reach their aims of popularity.

Gasfoodlodging with their debut album "Blue Collar Rain" are clearly hoping to find themselves in that lucky 1%. At the forefront is Dave Griffiths, the songwriter, vocalist and guitarist of the band who interestingly plays keyboard on some of the tracks and was also involved in some of it's production. This is not a lazy guy we have here.
This LP dips in and out of some great musical stylings and textures, from 60's hippy trippy fun of "Banging Drum" which contains a somewhat psychedelia feel with it's swirling rhythmic 60's "leslie speaker" guitar effect through to great ballads like "Wherever" where Griffiths's lyrics really do shine. "From the city and all this neon, from the concrete down to the sea" "from the length of this country, from the sleepy towns to the loud" as he describes the unknown whereabouts of someone precious that has been lost. There are some lovely guitar textures on this track.
"Corporate Disease" delivers a dose of punk pop. Simplistic lyrics of corporate greed and working class strife would echo many people's opinion on the outrageous class system we live in and for that reason is very apt in 2017. Griffiths delivers yet another earnest vocal and the whole song fuses together really well. A great track with commercial appeal that could sit perfectly on any TV or Film soundtrack that deals with corporate greed and control.
The playlist then heads back to the musical style of the opening track with the groove laden "Under the Texas Sun" It tell the listener a tale of two high school girlfriends who fall off the beaten path and end up being involved in a murder in the hot and sultry state of Texas. I'm not sure whether this song is based on true events or not, but either way Griffiths seems to be definitely having fun during it and it shows. Some great guitar textures once again.
Following on next is the slow indie rock of "Play it from the Heart" that is probably the most commercially appealing track on the LP after "Corporate Disease". Griffiths is a fan of the late American comedian Bill Hicks and on this track he waste's no time in echoing Hick's opinion on the music business. "I've had enough of Taylor Swift and those same old romantic hits" sings Griffiths on the opening line through to "I just like my music played from the heart, after all that's the most important part".
"We've done alright" enters the playlist frame with it's country rock feel next. Griffiths's choice of guitar chords on this one are wonderful as he leads the bass and drums around from pillar to post musically. The feel good factor of the lyrics are great too "Like a big truck that needs to turn around, I may need to go to some other town, but if there's you and there's me we will be alright". Simple lyrics yet great lyrics for a country rock song of this ilk

We then get transported to the soul brother look of the 70's on the next track for the funky one chord rap melody of "Another Day Gone". Griffiths leads the listener through a list of events covering the period of 24hrs but with the most important part of the day being "Guitar Time!" Some great humor is on offer here, "My neighbour comes he's a handsome guy, he's always got a girl that stays at night, I hear that bed go bang bang bang as he plays her songs by the Wu Tang Clan" (The Wu Tang Clan being a hip hop collective from New York if you didn't know who they were!).

Other tracks include some good old fashioned rock & roll on "Daniella Delray" which appears to be a story of a sex obsessed office girl who goes through men like lawyers go through paperwork and "Solitudeville" that covers the topic of loneliness and how destructive it can be. This is my favorite track off the LP. I You can feel the sadness cut through on every note he plays during the guitar segments and the lyrics are exceptional.

"Blue Collar Rain" does not contain professional industry standard production, unsigned bands can rarely afford that luxury. But personally I didn't care one little bit by it's absence. Call me old fashioned, but if I like a song then I like it, whether it's been produced in a kitchen or a high end recording studio. "Blue Collar Rain" is a very impressive debut LP of original songs that contain some splendid songwriting touches. I hope this is one success story I get to hear about.

Matt Hayes. © 2017
hayes88aheadunsigned@yahoo.com / www.aheadpr.com

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Gasfoodlodging: Blue Collar Rain LP - Review by Alexander Gregory.

2/28/2017

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One British band in particular that has consistently leaned towards Americana and all of it's sub-genres resulted in huge popularity. Surely you have heard of The Rolling Stones?. West Midlands band Gasfoodlodging may not have Mick Jagger at the forefront, but the frontman, guitarist and songwriter of the band, Dave Griffiths certainly knows how to handle and deliver a Keith Richards guitar hook or two and and can definitely put pen to paper and deliver a quality original song!
Furthermore, Griffiths must surely have the satisfaction that it's his own 12 original songs that form this forthcoming LP "Blue Collar Rain". What's evident when listening to this LP is the continual high quality songwriting that runs solidly throughout from start to finish, we have corporate domination anger with the infectious punk pop of "Corporate Disease" through to tender tales of loss and loneliness with the beautiful melody of "Wherever". Griffiths also shares with us his humorous side with tracks such as "Another day gone" and "All for your country". The latter track suggesting that we are all doing our bit for our individual countries even though some of the mentioned activities are not the most productive or legal.
Bands such as the Artic Monkeys who have themselves delivered their fair share of sarcasm would more than likely raise a wry smile listening to this track. The Rhythm section give a steady backbone to the songs as Griffiths leads them through constant rhythmic guitar hooks and very impressive bursts of his distinctive lead playing. This brings me nicely to another of my favorite tracks off the LP, "Play it from the Heart" A song which name checks the former iconic US comedian, Bill Hicks. A song filled with angst towards the hideous mediocrity of purposely built pop bands for young people consumption. Griffiths sings "I will turn my speakers loud if what you say sticks out from the crowd" "But I will turn my speakers down if I hear your familiar sound", as he makes reference to commercial music that gets produced without an ounce of soul within it's foundation. "Blue Collar Rain" is an impressive initial stamp on the musical landscape as Griffiths is clearly capable of writing clever lyrical content. The wonderful seductive rock & roll of "Daniella Delray" comes to mind as does the tragic road trip theme of another impressive track, "Under The Texas Sun".
It's a debut LP that certainly manages to entertain. In a drab and sunken UK guitar music scene, it's nice to see good songwriting is still going on out there. We just have to find it.

A.Gregory. © 2017
andrew.force10media@gmail.com / www.outpostmedia.co.uk

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GASFOODLODGING - BLUE COLLAR RAIN REVIEW BY HEATHER J WILLIAMS

2/26/2017

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*Photo courtesy of Dave Griffiths
If you type "Gasfoodlodging" into Google you will find this 3 piece West Midlands based group at the top of the first page. Bands worldwide would be more than happy with that result. However this is not a band who have gained overnight popularity, after all with the steady demise of record sales over the last decade and the ever decreasing support for original acts it's a tough old slog out there for any original unsigned band regardless of their status on Google's search engine. Getting established quickly is nothing more than a urban legend within this modern musical world that bands now participate in.
What becomes apparent after a first listen to "Blue Collar Rain" is the memorable nature that many of the the songs have. I'd first played this advanced copy that was sent to me containing no artwork in my car on my commute home from work. Later that evening I found myself still humming the melody of several of the songs.
The beautiful ballad "Wherever", was one of the tracks that really cemented itself as did the marvelous infectious punk pop of "Corporate Disease" which reminded me of "The Clash" in parts. Dave Griffiths, the singer/songwriter/guitarist of the band, pulls off the vocal requirements of each song with ease. Songs such as "Play it From the Heart" a really nice indie rock track reminiscent of early Neil Young & Crazy Horse days demonstrates this perfectly as he drifts in and out of melody changes with great execution.
Although the LP doesn't contain that top of the tree professional production that professional bands have at their disposal this is by no means weakly produced. Each track comes through warm and clear with some really effective dynamic touches.
There really are some great tracks on here, "Under the Texas Sun" "Another Day Gone", "Banging Drum", "It's Good To Be Back" "Moving Along" "Solitudeville" are others that I really like. I think the distinct advantage this band could easily have over some other original bands is their unique style and most certainly the quality of the songwriting.
Gasfoodlodging are a band that merges the influences of Americana with splashes of retro punk and Indie influence and they do it in a highly impressive way as this LP demonstrates. I think people across the age spectrum who enjoy guitar music would really enjoy the music of this band if they manage to get heard to a wider audience.
Their LP "Blue Collar Rain" is due for release on the 27th February 2017.

Heather Williams.
© 2O17
heatherwpromotion@earthlink.net

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GREED, LONELINESS, OFFICE NYMPHOS & LESBIAN LOVERS ON THE RUN....Dave Griffiths of Gasfoodlodging Talks Songwriting.

12/14/2016

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*photo courtesy of gasfoodlodging
As Birmingham based alternative countrified/indiefied band Gasfoodlodging work behind the scenes on their new collection of songs called "Blue Collar Rain", I had a coffee and a sandwich with Dave Griffiths in Sutton Coldfield to discuss the new songs that were all penned by himself and to find out why he likes true crime documentaries so much......

I've heard your home demos for many of the songs that will make up "Blue Collar Rain" which travel back and forth between musical styles. Was this deliberate or was it just something that evolved when you were putting the songs together?

I don't restrict myself by writing in one musical style, I like a variance in music and I try to show that in the songs I write. The main aim of songwriters is surely to stand out from the crowd but obviously that's a tough thing to achieve in the competitive world of music. I'll give it my best shot though.

I'd like to ask you about the working track listing you have for "Blue Collar Rain" at present. 'We've done alright' is a great slice of bouncy punky country rock if there's such a term?

We've been opening with this one at gigs recently and it seems to be getting a good response. It's got a nice lively tempo. But personally I love that mid-tempo groove the best, you know "Tumbling Dice" by the Rolling Stones? That's just a great tempo to my ears.

The next song on your proposed track listing is "Corporate Disease". A track that I'd suggest many people could relate to nowadays. I'm hearing the Artic Monkeys mixed with your guitarist hero Chuck Prophet on this cleverly structured track. Do you consider yourself a politically motivated songwriter?

Chuck and The Artic Monkeys? It's interesting to hear how other people interpret music. Not that I'm complaining about your opinion haha. Well I have a great distaste for many things that go on in this world like many other people but I could never end up being a Billy Bragg type songwriter. It's not that I don't find global issues important enough to address but continually writing about them would be too depressing for me. We can all yearn for a wind of change to come along and blow all the world's problems away but it's not going to happen, not now. We've declined too far in my opinion to the point where damaged limitation is the best we can hope for.

The next song on the track listing, a ballad called "Moving Along" is a true gem and reaches the high plains of alternative country at it's best in my humble opinion. Was there any other influence behind this song apart from the obvious subject matter of moving on in life?

Thanks, not directly, no. The "moving along" theme wasn't just about relationships or careers etc I was also making reference to other unknown bands involved in musical pursuits like us. As in the lyric "When the radio keeps on playing the same old song". It's tough to get heard on the prime radio stations, recording contracts and professional production quality is everything and they aren't interested unless those two things are in place. The majority of unsigned bands (including us) can't afford professional recording costs and obviously we are not signed so musical exposure is limited. There are some shows that highlight 'unsigned' bands but mostly it's internet radio that offers the best exposure. The downside is they don't have a great amount of listeners compared to stations such as Radio 1 for example. So therefore it's tough to "move along" in musical pursuits as well, constant obstacles doesn't make things easy. But there's no point moping around, feeling sorry for yourself, it's just the way it is and you have deal it with it".

The next inclusion "Daniella Delray" gave me a wide smile. The infectious Rock & Roll of a nympho office girl should have many tapping their feet in unison. Your lyric "You wouldn't wanna be the wife of a guy who has to work alongside Daniella Delray" sums up the mood perfectly. A girl you knew?

Haha, no. The influence for this track was based on the topic of dealing with "temptation". I really enjoy true crime documentaries and there's been more than one case that I've seen where some vivacious girl joins a company or organisation, creates sexual temptation in the process and turns lives upside down. Black comedy was the aim of this song. I guess many guys would like to have some fun with a Daniella Delray but they may have to face the consequences if they do. It used to be the case that it was either the workplace, bars, nightclubs etc where affairs would manifest themselves but since the internet has exploded into everybody's lives, it brings along a whole new easier way to meet people. The temptation to stray is everywhere. I don't know the statistics, but I would guess since the birth of the internet the divorce rate has risen.

Your lyrical ability on the next song, "See ya next time", signifies to me that you have the metaphor angle covered in splendid fashion in your writing as with others in this collection. "I'm whizzing round like a washing machine, I step out dirty but I should be clean".

Yeah, I have to admit, I do like the usage of metaphor's in songwriting. They can be used to get across a humorous or serious topic equally as good in my view.

"Play it from the Heart" has that dirty and sleazy bluesy rock feel that guitarists will love. You were a big Bill Hicks fan like myself then?

For sure, I loved his comedy style. His way of talking about everyday or historic/current affair issues and putting his own slant on things was really funny. I always wanted to write a song that hat tipped him and I'm pleased I managed to do it. I was obviously focusing on his well documented distaste for manufactured pop acts, a view that I'm confident many people share. He was a real talented guy.

"All for your Country" is the next song you have lined up. A satirical romp featuring Hookers, Lollipop Suckers, the Unemployed and Chef's, just the average everyday subject matter for a song? I played this one 5 times in a row the first time I heard it.

It was just another song I wanted to write that would hopefully give people a smile. But on a serious note it's about taking pride in your own nationality as well as trying to focus on and accentuate the positives in life.

We now move on to your tale of lesbians on the run in this summery crime caper, "Under the Texas Sun". As with the song "Moving Along" you instill the necessary imagery for a listener to get inside this song with your lyrical content extremely well. What's the background behind this song?

This was influenced by a true crime episode I was watching the one night after which I watched the film "Blood Simple". The next day I was in my car playing "Dyin' all young" by Chuck Prophet, then when I got home later I mixed everything together and came up with this song. I wrote this really quick too, it's good when that happens. You don't even have to try, everything just flows like water out a tap.

Track number 9 "Stoned Delight", sends out imagery of hippies attending a Rolling Stones gig circa 1969. I would bet my house that Keith Richards would like this track.

That would be a pleasing thought. Yeah, this was obviously influenced by my love of music by The Stones but equally the former American band Green on Red.

"Banging Drum" is up next.Yet another song filled with summery psychedelic imagery. you own a drum that you bang yourself? What's this song actually about?

No haha But if you have the beat of one it's when magical things can happen musically. In addition, it's the beat of a banging drum that makes people move, dance, it works as metronome for their inner rhythm. Its the heartbeat of musical life! I basically wrote this song about the fun that can be had taking part in outdoor pursuits such as music festivals, camping, running, picnics, etc. The things many people do to get away from the hustle and bustle of surburbia. A simple and short song about an aspect of "Escapism" really.

We now move on to the one chord blues rap of "Another day Gone" featuring name checking of "Eric" from the True Blood TV series through to the Hip Hop collective, "Wu Tang Clan" in the lyrical content. When you told me you had a song lined up featuring just one chord I feared the worst but I was wrong. I loved it.

Thanks, yeah, I had the idea one day of writing a song based around the events of a 24 hr period in life. I'm sure these theme has been covered before by some other band! Still, I wanted to give the song a comic edge and it worked out better than I figured it would.

The final song on your current working track listing "Wherever" is my personal favorite at the moment. It's a beautiful ballad that virtually everybody could relate to. Losing something precious. Is the English Riviera a place you frequent a lot? You mentioned Torquay within the song.

Yeah, I try and get down that way as much as I can. I love being by the sea. I saw a TV documentary the once which featured different stories concerning holiday romances. On the one particular episode this guy had fallen in love with some girl but before he got chance to speak to her she'd vanished and her identity remained unknown. It was a pretty moving piece of TV as this guy was heartbroken as hell and had tried everything within his power to find out who she was but to no avail. So this song was influenced by that story mostly, plus the guy in the TV show was a resident of Torquay which is a place I love to go to so that worked out well lyrically, I got to use Torquay in a song!

The bonus track, "Solitudeville" is a seething heartfelt tale covering the topic of loneliness. Your lyrics and guitar riffing on this song are wonderful. Was this based on personal experience?

Yeah, at times, sure. It's something that can creep up on you, a death of a loved one, a sudden change in your social life. Before you know it it can strike and it can happen fast.

You've mentioned True Crime documentaries in relation to your influence on songwriting, are they something you spend a lot of time watching?

yeah, way much time watching them I guess! I take after my Nan she always liked real crime things on TV as well as magazines and books. I just find the forensic aspect on how they solve the crimes fascinating. It's just the psychologists that annoy me, it seems to me their a pointless overpaid crowd, the lot of them. All they do is point out the obvious, they simply stitch together the strands of common sense that anybody with half a brain could figure out.

Are you writing anymore new songs at present?

Yeah, I've a got half finished ideas all over the place, as well as the majority of songs written for the follow up LP to this one. Sometimes songwriting can be easy but sometimes it can be one of the hardest things to complete. I'm sure other songwriters who may read this, can fully relate to that. I wouldn't say I'm a lengthy songwriter where lyrics in songs stretch out forever. Every songwriter is and should be different, I guess I like to keep things relatively simple and to the point instead of wondering off into lyrical meanderings. I don't think people like Dylan deliberately set out to write lengthy songs at times. it's just the way a song can come together, if Dylan has lot to say he'll say it. I'm a huge fan of Dylan because you get a mixture of everything from him. Sure, in his early years his songs were heavy on the political side but that stemmed from what was going on around him at the time. Vietnam, race riots, Anti-War protests and so on. But there's a lot of his music that isn't political at all. I'm sure that Dylan himself wouldn't want to listen to music that's always "doom and gloom" or "depressing" in nature and I don't think the majority of people driving to work on their regular morning commute would be overly keen either! The songwriters that seem to be the most successful since the heydays of Rock & Roll in the 50's and 60's are the ones that cover all angles of life. From happiness to sadness and everything in between.

Finally, what made you decide on the LP title "Blue Collar Rain" ?
One of my favorite films is a 1978 film called "Blue Collar" that stars Richard Pryor, Harvey Keitel and Yaphet Kotto. It's about the struggles of 3 working class guys who work on a car assembly line in Detroit. The overall theme of the LP is based around doing the best you can in life whilst dealing with shit life can throw at you, which is pretty much what the characters in the movie are trying to do, although in their case they resort to drugs, crime and adultery. Obviously not everybody would choose that route as a solution to enhance their lives but lets face it, drug use, crime and adultery goes on in the real world nevertheless. I added "Rain" at the end as a metaphor for a 'downpour of misfortune' that can sometimes occur in life and blue collar workers around the world have historically had plenty of those in relation to the workplace without doubt.

Gasfoodlodging release "Blue Collar Rain" in March 2017.

C.Whittaker © 2016
Whitmusicmatters@gmail.com

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Tales from The Unsigned- An Interview with David Griffiths of Gasfoodlodging, by Heather Andrews

6/15/2016

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*Photo courtesy of David Griffiths

On a humid Friday night at the end of May in Birmingham, I attended the Hollywood Club Open Mic event in Kingsbury Road. I was greeted by the usual mixture of acoustic acts that played enthusiastically to the half empty room, as what appeared to be regulars to these nights played on a solitary pool table to the rear. There was the customary forgettable cover version played with drunken execution and spontaneous jams, as performers invited people to join them on stage to assist with those good old karaoke favorites like Hey Jude by The Beatles. Fortunately I was sat in a darkened area of the room and my presence went unnoticed and my services weren't required.

As I sat with my friend my attention span was quickly diminishing until in the second half of the night a guy walked to the microphone and exclaimed "I had to borrow this acoustic for tonight and the guy likes crazy tuning, so if you can bear with me a couple of minutes I'll tune up! He introduced himself as Dave Griffiths from 'Gasfoodlodging', a Sutton Coldfield based alternative band.I guessed he was in his early to mid 30's which was a fair bit younger than many of the participants in attendance tonight.

He began with a gloriously catchy punk pop song called 'Corporate Disease' which after only a few bars grabbed the attention of the pool players who stood to watch as they leaned on their cues. At last, here was somebody who knew how to write and deliver a bloody good original song!
He then moved on to a great slice of country rock with a song he called 'We've done alright' that bounced around in melody like some fusion between Tom Petty and Lou Reed. He finished his all too brief set with a wonderful ballad called 'Wherever' which appeared to be about lost love. The guy with the borrowed acoustic deservedly received the greatest audience response of the night from the pool players and others in attendance including myself.

As a former Music Journalist for over 8 years during the 1990's, I was curious to find out more about this guy who had grabbed my attention and decided to introduce myself. A few days later he agreed to do an interview for my upcoming new blog 'Planet Sound' where I will be sharing a collection of other interviews from people currently involved in the West Midlands alternative and indie music scene. To get a genuine accurate representation, I will be talking to people on both sides of the musical fence from the promoters and venues through to the artists and music listeners themselves.
I would like to thank David Griffiths once again for taking part and what follows is our discussion together:

Do you often borrow a strangely tuned acoustic guitar and play open mic events? I was very impressed.

"Thanks. I've done quite a few in the past but this is the first time for a while. I'm getting out and about again to promote the new songs of mine that will feature on my band's next recording project. Promo for the band more than anything else.."

How do you find the local music scene in Birmingham these days? Do you find venues are accommodating for singer/songwriters of original material?

"Well it's not easy in many places. The bigger venues and more popular pubs tend to have tribute acts more often than not because it's more healthier for their revenue to do so. Especially on weekends which is a sucker punch for bands and artists who play original material seeing as that's the time that most people go out to pubs and clubs. It's obviously the best chance to get heard by a greater number of people. Open Mic nights serve a positive purpose and they give songwriters an opportunity, but it depends on who turns up and how they are run. Some are badly organised."

What do you mean by badly organised, the acts they let play?

"There's some Open Mic nights where you have to phone up to reserve a place, but in my experience most of them rely on advertising via social media or a poster placed here and there on the street and simply hope people turn up on the night. That's all fine and well on both accounts, but problems can arise if a load of musicians turn up at once. Performance slots can get mixed up and even forgotten about if the person organising them is lousy at organisation themselves. I've been to a few like that"

Didn't you tell me you once ran an Open Mic night yourself with members of your band?

"Yeah, my previous bass player and I ran one for a while at a pub in Lichfield but it was supposed to be a 'Blues Jam' night not an Open Mic. So you know, people were supposed to come down like harmonica players, guitarists, singers and jam out some blues songs. The trouble was the pub was restricted to what days we could run it due to other entertainment they had going on throughout the week. So we had to make do with a Tuesday night slot which worked out terrible, hardly anybody came down. People just don't go out to pubs during the week in the UK like they used to do. So we used to rehearse our Gasfoodlodging setlist in the empty room until we heard or saw someone coming down the corridor then we'd quickly stop and start playing some blues song instead, Haha"

Do you find local promoters are continually pushing for original acts?

"There are some that do their best but because they have to make their events financially worthwhile for themselves they operate a strategy based around ticket sales that you need to sell yourself as the band. So basically, if you can get a load of people to come and see you at a gig you'll get a better chance of a future gig. The unfortunate catch 22 scenario with this strategy means that if you're a band or artist starting out or struggling to get gigs then there's no way you're going to have a decent fan base. Equally, if you haven't got heaps of friends or a large family that you can invite down to see you play, you're screwed too. I haven't got a big family myself and over recent years due to close friends moving out the area to different parts of the country or growing apart issues, my personal friends list isn't a huge one either. But if you're a college or university band where potentially bucket loads of people could come from your campus to support you then you'll get on with the certain promoters just fine. As long as you get a good turn out of people up at your gigs"

That doesn't sound a great situation for newly formed bands?

Nope, it's not. I don't blame the promoters, everybody has to make a living and make the effort worthwhile for themselves, but nevertheless that's the unfortunate reality for bands who don't have a good number of people that they can get to come out to support them.

Do you think that unsigned bands are still hopeful that they'll be signed one day in this present climate. Are you?

"No, I'm a realist and the chances are slimmer than Kate Moss these days to make a living from full time music especially if you're trying to push original material. I think most level headed unsigned artists and bands accept that's the case too. The record industry changed forever once the internet exploded and music was more accessible and illegally free.
Let's face it, there are also many mediocre bands who even though they got a record deal when it was more easier to do so twenty years ago and beyond wouldn't have a prayer of getting one these days and they know it too. They must be thinking "Thank fuck we were around and making music when we were!".

Do you think TV shows such as 'The X factor' and 'Britian's Got Talent' have proved a benefit to unsigned acts over recent years?

They've definitely given a platform for vocalists with huge vocal ranges and the area of manufactured pop music but those shows are obviously too one dimensional. There are loads of good singers around who can belt out a popular song but for music to progress there's got to be new songs that get written which in turn become popular themselves. Otherwise popular music just comes to an abrupt halt and we simply sing along to the hits of yesterday forever!"

Do you think we've reached that point already, where not enough high quality new songs are filtering through in popular music?

"I think so for sure. We still get dictated to by the music business to what they consider is cool and hip. This involves some terrible song being continually force fed to you through the media to the point where you can wind up singing along to the shit yourself eventually. It's just mind control like with TV commercials. For me personally, it's the music that's going on below the surface in non-mainstream circles these days that has the most credibility. It's not like I always choose to support the underdog or obscure bands, but the truth is, in those circles it's where some genuine and great talent can be found"

Who do you admire yourself in the music world?

"There's many people, I can come across somebody at a gig or open mic night here in Birmingham that hit my musical spot so to speak. There's many people out there playing music in flats and houses all around the country that are hugely talented but you won't see them on TV or hear them on Radio anytime soon. YouTube is obviously a good source for seeking unknown talented songwriters and musicians but the trouble is there's that many people on there it would be impossible to come across everyone! As for professional recording artists, members of the former American band called 'Green on Red' are my personal heroes, even though I don't like to use that term. Chuck Prophet and Dan Stuart are like my Keith Richards and Mick Jagger to Rolling Stones fans. I'm sure many people won't have heard of "Green On Red" but if you like Lou Reed, The Rolling Stones, Neil Young and like great punky alt country songs with exceptional guitar playing thrown in for good measure, then there's a good chance you will like them. Both Chuck and Dan went onto form solo careers with Chuck especially managing to gain a wider audience with his own great songwriting partnership involving Kurt Klipschutz. In fact I had the pleasure of conducting 2 interviews with Dan Stuart myself over the past couple of years which were featured by the renowned Americana 'No Depression' website and are also published on this site's blog archive. I'd like to interview Chuck one day too, but he's always on the road and touring here there and everywhere, he's a busy guy with his band the Mission Express. Chuck let me join him on stage at a gig in here in Birmingham in 2013 which was a memorable event for me. He really is a demon of the fretboard and the guitarist that pleases my ears the most. Both Dan and Chuck are really great guys off stage as well and will always make the effort to mingle with their fans at gigs unlike some artists who would quickly pack up their gear and fuck off back to their hotel or whatever in a hasty getaway"

Can you tell me some more about the next Gasfoodlodging recording?

"It will be called "Blue Collar Rain" and will consist of all my original songs which I'm really pleased about. Hopefully we will sell a few copies at future gigs and online via bandcamp and similar sites. That's the best we can hope for. I don't do music for financial gain, it's a good job too! This time around it's been nice, I've had some good feedback from my home demos for Corporate Disease that I've been recording before we head into the studio which have included thumbs up from Dan Stuart himself and also Kurt Klipshutz who is Chuck Prophet's co-songwriter. If I can impress these guys then I figure I must be doing something right.

Thank you so much for sharing your experiences and views. One final question, what is your favorite song you've written so far yourself as a songwriter?

"At present I would probably say a song called 'Under the Texas Sun' that will also feature on the new band recording "Blue Collar Rain". It was influenced by watching a film called "Blood Simple" and the following morning listening to a Chuck Prophet song called 'Dyin' all Young', I kind of mixed the two sources of inspiration together and then I wrote it really quickly".

For further information on David Griffiths and his band Gasfoodlodging please use the links below:

Gasfoodlodging website: www.gasfoodlodging.co.uk
Facebook: www.facebook.com/officialgasfoodlodging
Twitter: www.twitter.com/officialGFL

Heather Andrews. ©2016
heatherwpromotion@earthlink.net

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