Two albums of Steve Antoni's music are available on CD: One Of A Kind and
Live At The Soul Cafe. There is a hint of classic mid-70s Joni Mitchell, as well as of earlier torch-bearers like Billy Holiday and Scott Walker, but also a lightness of touch reminiscent of Randy Newman, as in the tale of lonely hearts longing,
"Midlands/Anywhere", selected for a compilation of new singer/songwriters from
Moon Studios. And now, Steve answers our questions:
Q. What is your personal background?
I 'm a Londoner, with some Irish, Welsh, Jewish, Spanish and Italian in my bloodline. People often think I 'm not English, although I do feel part of English culture, music and literature, and the sense of humour and wit. My mixed background seems to have seeped into my music, which has strong Latin, Celtic and Middle Eastern influences.
Q. What inspired you to start singing/songwriting?
I 've been singing for as long as I can remember, since primary school, when I started writing poems in a little handmade book with potato prints on the cover; it got me out of doing arithmetic. When I reached adolescence, I started making up songs too, full of things I'd yet to experience. I'm not sure what 'inspired' me to do it'
- maybe Dylan, Hank Williams, The Beatles and other songs I heard on my Dad 's car stereo.
Q. How long have you been writing your own material?
All my life, as mentioned above.
Q. What drives you to write?
The need to communicate, I suppose, and share my ideas. Usually, I get a tune, a hook or a phrase in my head and it drives me mad until I get it out and make it into a song.
Q. What are your passions?
Music, obviously, of nearly all styles - Bach, Charlie Parker, Bob Dylan - except for pop r' n 'b, that 's the soundtrack to Hell! Plus poetry and good writing in general, film, art, dance and good food and company.
Q. Who has influenced you with your music?
I 've listened to a lot of Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Joni Mitchell, Tom Waits, Randy Newman, Elvis Costello, Richard Thompson, Stevie Wonder and other songwriters. I particularly like the way Joni managed to combine emotive lyrics with jazzy textures in her albums from the 70s. Speaking of jazz, Billie Holiday and Nina Simone have influenced my feel for delivering a lyric, and Miles Davis 's harmony and economy have definitely had an effect on me.
Q. What ambitions do you have?
I want my songs to be heard by as wide an audience as possible without sacrificing my artistic integrity
- I don 't see myself on The X Factor, but I do see myself on Later with Jools Holland, for instance. I 'm looking forward to touring my music and securing a market for my songs.
Q. What do you hope to achieve with your music?
I want to reach, touch and communicate with people, as I said before, and not just other songwriters and musicians. I want my songs to get people through their nights and days, as music has done for me.
Q. Where do you hope to be in five years ' time?
In a good record deal, making my fourth album, and selling at least enough copies to keep the credit card companies off my case!
