LYR is a musical project that’s made up of musician Richard Walters, producer and multi-instrumentalist Patrick Pearson and current UK Poet Laureate, Simon Armitage. Recently released was their debut album Call in the Crash Team, Patrick kindly answered some ‘intriguing’ questions for Buzz.
What would you say to anyone that may wrongly assume that the music by LYR is just poetry, with music added?
Well, if anyone had that opinion, I’d ask them whether it makes the experience any less pleasurable. People will assume what they want, and we can only offer an emotional connection through our work.
Did you find that you always had that little Devil in your head telling you otherwise, just to keep you transfixed on your goal, rather than think this was going to be recorded to music?
It was always my intention and that of the band to use the combination of poetry and music.
LYR (Land Yacht Regatta) – what’s the reason behind the name?
Land Yacht Regatta is a concept of hybridization. We are pursuing a sound which could be viewed in that way. However, the name stuck, so we didn’t have to argue over that hurdle.
Are you all content with the three or four years it took for the album to reach fruition, or would you have preferred it much sooner?
The album came to fruition at the exact time it was supposed to. Neither rushed nor over relaxed. Just natural.
Do you hope it paves the way for other performers to go more down the spoken word path?
I hope the album enters the self-perpetuating carousel of artistic enlightenment and allows others to feel inspired for genre-splicing and forward-thinking music.
Words: Carl Marsh
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