The best musicians are forever evolving – and there’s arguably no better example of this than Uncle Greedy.
The folk-rock artist first picked up a guitar when he was 15. Almost 30 years later, he’s still learning, growing and coming to understand where his talents can take him.
Take, for instance, the strides he’s made after turning his attention to songwriting at the age of 39. It’s opened up an entirely new way for him to express himself through the medium of music.
On taking a course in songwriting, Uncle Greedy reflected: “It’s something I’d always wanted to do. Music had always been a passion of mine and it kind of grew from there.”
The venture paid off, setting the scene for him to compose a number of songs and think about putting together an EP. That EP, called The Journey To Mile 39, will be released on June 1st.
It highlights the fast pace at which Uncle Greedy has been able to evolve from a guitarist largely performing covers, to his own original artist. He puts it all down to that songwriting course.
He explained: “It was all purely just because I took some writing course and had the conscience to finally do what I had meant to do for years. I got bored of doing cover versions, so I decided I wanted to start writing my own music.”
Summing up his rapid journey, he added: “It kind of went from good to better to excellent!”
Uncle Greedy – who now lives in London with his wife of four years – first realised that the guitar was more than just a hobby when he was 19. This realisation ultimately led him to Spain, where he would play hits of the day such as Wonderwall by Oasis to locals and tourists.
He continued gigging when he returned to the UK, showcasing his talents in places like Putney. He’s now had more than two decades performing live, but – like anyone who cares deeply about their craft – he gets pre-show jitters even now.
“I still get nervous even to this day,” he revealed. “But I don’t get as nervous as I used to.”
So what makes Uncle Greedy apprehensive? Well, it could be the likes of forgetting the lyrics or falling out of tune. These aren’t ideal situations for any musician to find themselves in, but for Uncle Greedy – a self-professed ‘perfectionist’ – there’s an added pressure to get things just right.
This is something of a double-edged sword for a man who’s now turned his attention to songwriting. Even when he does put together a studio-ready track, he’s always eager to keep working on it.
He said: “That’s one of the worst things about being a perfectionist. I don’t think you’re ever truly finished with it. I think you can tweak it and mess around with it forever and a day.
“You have to get to the point where you say, ‘Do you know what? That is enough’.”
He added: “I really have to force myself to stop, otherwise I’d just keep going and going.”
While the process is obviously quite frustrating for Uncle Greedy, it’s the kind of honourable quality that you would expect to find in a musician who’s keen to make his mark. It’s also no surprise to see this in an artist whose inspirations include many past and present legends of the music industry.
Just some of the names that influence him and his sound include Freddie Mercury, Jon Bon Jovi and Brian Fallon of The Gaslight Anthem.
These men achieved huge chart success and picked up numerous awards in their careers. While glory and accolades are always huge motivations to make any musician put pen to paper, Uncle Greedy’s main motivation is instead to make people ‘happy’.
He said: “I want people to enjoy [my music]. Enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
“I just want people to just enjoy the music and think I wrote some lovely songs and hopefully the songs are going to be timeless – where people listen to them in 30, 50 or 100 years time.
“That’s all I could really ask for.”
Uncle Greedy could certainly achieve this with his song This Ghost Remains. A powerful track featured on his upcoming debut EP, it tells the story of a relationship between two people that’s just not meant to be.
It’s an almost haunting sound that showcases two newfound abilities: songwriting and piano playing. It’s amazing to believe that these are both skills Uncle Moody’s amassed during this evolution as a musician rather than from the very beginning of his journey.
It’s led to a multi-layered song that can evoke several different interpretations.
He explained: “I’ve played on lots of words and stuff in the song, so there’s lots of double meanings. It was a lot of fun to play around with actually. I enjoyed writing it.”
Due to this, he also accepts that the track might hold greater relevance during the uncertain times we’re going through because of the outbreak of COVID-19.
“Music is very personal, isn’t it?”, he said.
“You kind of take it as you see it and I’ve never told people really too much about what my songs are about. I give them enough to make up their own minds.”
So what’s next for a musician who’s shown just how much an artist can evolve and grow over the space of two decades? It shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise to hear that he’s set his sights firmly on developing his sound and producing a second EP.
Uncle Moody is so full of ambition, promising that the next record will be ‘even longer’, ‘a lot heavier’ and feature ‘stronger vocals’. It’s yet another example of his determination and willingness to push himself to another level.
He concluded: “No one’s going to come to you and say, ‘You know what? You’re an excellent songwriter and guitarist’.
“I’d love to sign to a big label, but it just doesn’t happen like that. You’ve got to go out there and make as much effort as you can.”