Interview with Gideon Foster

What got you into music, and if you had not gotten into music what would you be doing today?

• It was quite late in life for me, following an event in my life which really lead me to reassess what I was doing and what I wanted from life, for 35 years before I started making music I had been a trader in financial markets. So I guess I’d still be doing that.

What do you like to do when you are not playing music and how does that influence your creativity?

• I love being outdoors, eating, reading, listening to music, and catching up with friends, it all helps me stay grounded and peaceful which I need personally for my writing.

How long have you been making music?

• Only for the last few years, I think I started recording early demos around 7 years ago, I’m 53 now.

Where are you based and how did that influence your music?

• I’m in Yorkshire in the UK, it’s very rural, so I’m very lucky as its perfect for the space I need to create music, but also is home to a lot of creatives and a nice local music scene, mostly rooted in folk but I love that.

Tell me about your most memorable shows, if you haven’t played live what is your vision for a live show?

• I mostly play locally and in Manchester which has a lot bigger music scene, and I’ve played a few good gigs there, there’s a great street festival in Manchester which I played at recently, the weather was great and everyone was having a good time.

What is your favorite venue to play at, and do you have any places you want to play that you have not already?

• Locally we have a place called Hebden Bridge Trades Club which is great to play at, the sound is amazing and its also a place where a lot of big names have played over the years, Chrissie Hynde played earlier this year , so its great to think I’ve stood in the same place . Places I haven’t played probably a strange one , but I’d love to play in a Church.

If you could play any show with any lineup, who would be on the ticket?

• Tough question ! There are so many artists I love listening to , the Chilli Peppers , Pink Floyd , I love the sound of bands like 21 Pilots and Muse and I love Taylor Swift’s music .

What is some advice that you would give to someone who is just getting into making music and some advice that you would give to your younger self?

• I think the answer is the same for both questions , be yourself , sounds easy but its an incredibly hard thing to do especially when you’re younger in a world which is inclined to tell you what to be .

Of your songs which one means the most to you and why?

• I think Days of Gold , its really about life , memories and learning to be yourself , those quite moments when we look back in time and smile .

Which songs are your favorite to play and which get requested the most?

• I like playing them all really but my favorites are Days of Gold , Fatal Kiss , Money Don’t Lie and Miles and Miles and Like you Like Me as they are my chance to make some noise , I get people asking me to play a song I wrote called Dark Streets , which is altogether a more emotional sound.

What is your creative process, and what inspires you to write your music?

• I tend to come up with ideas with an acoustic guitar , and then work on them with my producer to try and produce something hopefully a little bit different from the original seed of an idea , but that is convertible back into a kind of singer/songwriter acoustic track if you want to play it that way live.

Do you have messages that you like to get across in your music, if so please tell me about them?

• Yeah , I think the main message is there isn’t as much wrong in the world as we are people would have us believe .

What are your plans for the future, and do you have anything that you want to spotlight that is coming up?

• At the moment I’m really trying to promote “Prophecy” the album I’ve just released and getting out to play it live , I’ve also written quite a bit more and we’ve started recording a follow up so watch this space , other than that just to enjoy life .

How can your fans best keep up to date with you, any socials you want people to check out?

• You can find me in the usual places , Instagram @fostergideon , Twitter @gidsfos and I have a page on Facebook or on my Website www.gideonfoster.com