Chris Brain: An artist ‘bound to rise’

The singer-songwriter cut his teeth as a full-time busker “playing Bob Dylan and James Taylor stuff” before graduating, three years later, to shows of his own. “When you take it to a venue it’s a different ball game, please want to listen to you then,” he says.

There were forays into bands as guitarist and a few folk trios but “nothing that’s ever been serious”, he says. “We just played the local scene, a guest show at the Brudenell every now and again, but never really took it anywhere.”

Now at last he’s found his vocation as a solo artist.

The songs on the album were written over the past year and a half. “It was recorded over lockdown, when we had lots of free time to think about stuff,” he says. “It was mostly just things about going for walks and being outdoors. I’ve always done a lot of that, but I did a lot more when we were locked down. You could just go off on your own on the bike or out walking, that’s where it all came to fruition.”

The influence of John Martyn and Nick Drake is noticeable both in Brain’s finger picking and his vocals. He admits both artists have been “big inspirations” in the past five years, but adds: “When I first learned how to finger pick I played Don’t Think Twice by Bob Dylan, then I started playing James Taylor stuff and I remember thinking to myself when I was a kid, ‘If I can play Fire and Rain when I’m older I’ve done it’. I learned it after a year and then I discovered (John Martyn and Nick Drake), they just took it to another level with the tunings and the musicianship.

“It felt like home playing in those alternate tunings and with it being a bit more intricate. Especially when you play on your own, I think it sounds a big stronger when you can play in that style and sing at the same time. You don’t always need to be accompanied.”

Brain is also an admirer of the songwriting craft of Joni Mitchell. “Her structure is incomparable, I can never figure where the song is going to go next,” he says. “The way that she plays as well – no-one plays like her. I’ve listened to a lot of her work and it’s seeped in over time.”

Bound To Rise features pianist Simeon Walker and his wife Mary Jane on violin. They first met four years ago at the Brudenell Social Club in Leeds. “Simeon said he wanted to join the band because my pianist was leaving and I was like, ‘Yes, get in!’ because he’s a great piano player and he’s got a really good ear for arrangement.

“Sim has mostly arranged the pieces. We went round to his house and played it all live. I think that’s the best way of doing it, it feels a little bit more authentic.”

The album was produced by friend Tom Orrell at The Nave Studios in Leeds. “I’d played a few shows with Tom because he was in a band called The Big Wheel. He was really good because he had a fine ear for the folky stuff and he said he’d got access to a tape machine at The Nave. It’s got a beautiful big space in there, it’s all hard walls and a natural reverb. When you’ve got tape and you just place a few microphones around the room with the warm reverb it just sounds really nice. Especially with the record being in a similar tone to all my inspirations, I thought that’s the best way to go”

Bound To Rise is out now. Chris Brain plays with Will Varley at Brudenell Social Club on May 5 and with Katie Spencer at Seven Arts, Leeds on June 4. chrisbrainmusic.com