Music has always been a part of Sean Deegan's life, although born in the UK his parents originated from Ireland and so growing up in an Irish family automatically gave him qualifications in providing entertainment at family gatherings, as well as joining in with countless renditions of Irish Folk Music.
At 13 and using some money he was given for his birthday he purchased his first album - Gilbert O’ Sullivan’s Greatest Hits. At 15 he went to work in a fruit shop at the weekends and started to use his "income" to really get his music collection going, starting with The Beatles singles and moving on to their albums. He claimed an old guitar that his mum had bought at a jumble sale for 50p which was lying around the house and got himself a Beatles song book. He kept practicing the chords and discovered with joy the excitement of playing music. His musical journey had begun.
Drawing from the magical sounds and inspirational characters that the late 60’s and early 70’s were blessed with such as Bob Dylan, Lennon & McCartney & Simon & Garfunkel, Sean started to create his own songs.
Creating and performing music either independently or as part of a band has continued over the years, and more recently his enthusiasm to become an established songwriter has been re-ignited.
In his own words " The hands of time have provided me with valuable experience which has allowed me to grow and develop, building songs that are inspired by the classic songwriters of the past and blending them with heartfelt lyrics taken from the experience of living in today’s world. Acoustically led songs built from the solid foundation of classic pop song structure".
In the last 2 years Sean has concentrated his efforts on creating the website www.deegansongs.com and producing an album of work to showcase his dreamy, melodic and emotional songs. Entry into the 2006 UK Songwriting Competition produced semi-final placements for 7 of his songs and the first 4 songs were described as “Excellent” with “Great commercial value”.
An invitation from Matchbox Recordings led to ‘Ease The Pain’ being commercially released on ‘The Big Indie Comeback Vol 2’. The song has also appeared on the Australian ILR World Indie Chart peaking at number 6.
“The Roads You Take” album is now released through Matchbox Recordings. Sean said " I am looking forward to the opportunity of reaching a wider audience, (as well as being thrilled of course to be working with the legend that is Dale Olivier!).
THE EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
1. Tell us where it all began, your history and where did your musical career start?
Music has always played a major part in my life, my earliest memories include playing with my cars in the front room with the Beach Boys greatest hits playing in the background ! I was about 5 at the time I guess… I also remember having a go on my Mum’s little red mono record player in the kitchen, she’d be peeling spuds or whatever and I’d be the DJ, spinning all the latest hits, Simon and Garfunkel, Tom Jones, Herman’s Hermits and such like !! Growing up in an Irish family it was essential to have a “party piece” which would be performed on all occasions, my first one was “I am Henry the 8th I am” but by the time I hit 9 I moved on to the Irish folk ballad “The ring your Mother wore”. This song has stuck with me ever since I’m afraid!! Another childhood memory is setting up the Tupperware in the living room and pretending to be the drummer in Slade whilst my brother Paul was Noddy Holder (he always got the best parts), both miming merrily along to the delicate tones of Slade Alive !!
I started a group with my friends at school when I was 14, I was to be the drummer but I didn’t have any drums ! Eventually I managed to persuade my Dad to buy a really old kit for £50 and so I was off !! At this point I still couldn’t play guitar but as time went on I started to become more interested in learning so with the help of an old guitar which I think my Mum had picked up at a jumble sale and a Beatles songbook I learned chords. We had a lodger living with us at the time who used to write poems and he asked if I could put some music to them which I did, recording them onto a cassette recorder (sadly I no longer have any of these tapes so if you’re reading this Deano get in touch!!). After this I moved on to writing my own songs and have continued doing so to this day !!
I was joined in the bedroom studio by my brother Paul who could already play guitar (his party piece had been “Sister Jane” for many years), together we formed a group with a friend of his on drums and proceeded to play a few gigs here and there, pubs, weddings, that kind of thing. From about 18 to 21 I went through the usual group thing, people would join and leave, the band would split, reform and then split again just as something interesting was about to happen !! Eventually it was just me and my brother who were left, we carried on and took out loans to buy recording gear which cost a fortune then !! We spent a lot of time recording and sending off tapes to record companies and not getting very far with them in those dark pre-internet days !! The closest we came to a “deal” was from CBS, who liked one song in particular and wanted a few more like it, we just didn’t have the resources/funds to record any more and so we had to wave goodbye to the possibility of our first contract.
After that life took us in different directions and I began to develop my own style, writing and recording songs about things going on in my life. In the years that followed, music became more a hobby than any serious attempt to forge a career. The strains of life seemed to take over and eventually I put the guitar down altogether.
2003 was to herald a new chapter in my life. I met my wife Sharon and Father Christmas brought me a new guitar, it seemed that songwriting was destined to be part of my life after all. As soon as I picked it up I was thinking up tunes and lyrics again and putting chords to the various hums I had had rattling around in my head for so long. Since then the music bug has taken hold again and I’ve been focusing on establishing myself within the music industry as a songwriter.
2. Who or What are your influences ?
Musically the first person I think of is John Lennon, I have been a fan of the Beatles since I was very young. I remember watching the film “A Hard Days night” one Saturday morning, not really knowing who they were but loved the music and the humor. Years later when I started a part time job I started buying their records and was really hooked. I think I missed the early 80’s music scene altogether and was floating about somewhere in the 60’s in my head, I really love lots of 60’s bands, The Kinks, The Byrds, Velvet Underground, The Who all that kind of stuff. I really like the honesty and clarity of John Lennon’s songs after the break up of the Beatles, I can really relate to what he says. Other songwriters like Bob Dylan, Lou Reed and Neil Young have also been a major influence on me. I love the way they express their feelings through songs and tell things straight. Other music and bands have also no doubt influenced me, The Stranglers, Echo and the Bunnymen, U2, Oasis to name but a few, but I think on the whole I am mainly influenced by the artists of the 60’s and 70’s.
3.What modern artists do you like? What are you listening to at the moment?
Well I’ve learned how to play “Chasing cars” by Snow Patrol and “America” by Razorlight in recent weeks, something I don’t usually do !! I quite like the sound of those groups, I don’t know how long they’ll be able to keep my attention though ! I am always drawn back to my “oldies” in the end! At the moment I’m listening more and more to unsigned artists, there really is a lot of good stuff out there and thanks to the Internet it’s getting easier to find things for all tastes.
4. If you could choose to record a song with any other artist / band alive or dead who would it be and why ?
I think it would have to be John Lennon ! As I am a bit of a Beatles anorak, I have followed his life and really identify with him in many ways, I like his knack of putting things simply, “life is what happens to you whilst your busy making other plans” or “there are no problems, only solutions”. Makes sense to me. Would be so nice to work on something with him, I think “Ease the Pain” would be a good one and I’d be happy to sing on one of his too if he wanted !!
5. What inspires you to write your music/lyrics ?
Now that is a good question and not really easy to answer ! I seem to spend my whole life being bombarded by hums and bits and pieces of lyrics which just come from somewhere… and arrive. I think a lot of my work has come at times when my personal life has been, well, “strained” to put it mildly ! I think that songs are a way for me to release and try and explain and cope with emotions… They are very personal yet find a connection with others because the things I sing about are not unique experiences to me. I have found a way to talk about and express my inner feelings through music which is a great relief to me but I think can also be of comfort to others because they can listen and then think, “oh yeh, I know that feeling”.. I like to think of my songs as a way of helping to provide the words for people to put to the emotions and feelings that they may find hard to express themselves ! They are a bit like those Valentines cards with lovely verses, written for people who love their partner, but don’t really know how to say it !
6. Name your all time fave track by another artist ?
This is another difficult one ! There are so many songs that I love and think deserve to be mentioned, but the one that keeps popping into my head is “The Long and Winding Road” by the Beatles. It never fails to strike a chord with me, it is full of emotion, it flows between despair and hope yet the message for me is mainly of persistence, no matter what happens Mr. McCartney is always drawn back to his “Long and winding road” which is leading him to where he wants to be !!
7. What sort of sound can we expect from your forthcoming album ?
This album is mainly acoustic based, acoustic guitars and piano and rich vocal and harmony arrangements. The songs all tell their own story but listened to as a whole make up a journey, from “Give me the news”, which is really a plea to be accepted and loved for who you are, through to “My Reason”, which is an affirmation of what Sharon and I believe to be the answer !! The sound on the whole is melodic, lush, gentle, relaxing, calming, heartfelt, at times even choral / gospel inspired.
8. How would you describe your music and what genre do you think it fits into?
I like to think of my music as a blend of musical flavors all mixed together like a trifle ! Each spoonful gives you a slightly different taste! The various influences are evident but never quite defining, a little folk, a little rock, a sprinkling of gospel and snippets of classic pop !! If I have to stick my neck out and give it a genre, I would go for something like melodic retro Pop !
9. Where was your album recorded and who did the producing ?
The album was recorded in my home studio, the location of my home studio changed from Abingdon to South West France though !! Three of the tracks were recorded in Abingdon, the rest whilst we were living in France.
The album was mainly produced by me and Sharon, my brother Paul also
had a hand in the recording and production on two of the songs we did in Abingdon.
10. What is your favorite Sean Deegan lyric ?
Well my favorite lyric on the album is actually a Sharon Deegan lyric !
“Believe in yourself, believe in your dream” is from “My Reason” which is a poem that Sharon wrote for me and I put to music. It has a lot of personal meaning for us and has been a catalyst for me to resume believing in fulfilling my dreams !! One of my favorite lines by me is in the song “Many Roads”, which is a reflective song about life’s journey and the meaning of it all, which I think is summed up with “The love you make and hearts you break, will depend on the roads you take”.
11. What is your opinion on the modern music business? Do you think the internet has made things better or worse for new artists ?
I think it’s an exciting time for new artists, the internet has provided a platform for new acts which just didn’t exist when I started off… I think that there is a wide range of very good music out there which is now accessible thanks to the Internet. In the past you only had the music which was made available through the big record labels, if they didn’t think it fitted in they wouldn’t use it. Although the big labels still dictate the trends in the mainstream world, the listeners can now choose if they want to go along with it or not. If they don’t, they have much more freedom of choice and can seek out the music and acts they like and that can only be a good thing.
12. Even though you sing and play on your own records you are a songwriter at heart. Would you like other people to cover or sing your songs and if so how can they get in touch ?
I would be really interested to hear from anyone who would be interested in either covering my songs or from companies interested in licensing the recordings for use in film or TV or advertising. One of our dreams is to hear “My Reason” played at the end of a Walt Disney film !! You can contact me by email seandeegan@deegansongs.com or through the website www.deegansongs.com or through Matchbox Recordings Dale Olivier.
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