Getting to Know… Leon Marshall

Reading Time: 5 min read

For the 142^nd interview on The Musical Hype, we get some background and insight from singer/songwriter Leon Marshall.

“My music has sort of a country pop kind of feel, with toe tapping rhythms and catchy hooks that’ll have you joining in by the second chorus.” Awesome 🎙 Leon Marshall – AWESOME! Marshall is our totally awesome interviewee on the 142^nd interview in our Getting to Know…series. The rare solo artist, Marshall provides background and insight into his craft. So, without further ado, here is Getting to Know… Leon Marshall: Interview #142.

Starting things off right, for those who may not be familiar with you, what would you say makes you distinct or unique? How do you rock the audience’s socks off?

🎤 I am a solo singer songwriter with a big sound. My music has sort of a country pop kind of feel, with toe tapping rhythms and catchy hooks that’ll have you joining in by the second chorus.

Okay, let’s explore some juicy backstories. How did you get started and what were some of the goals or the visions you had early on?

🎤 I started playing guitar when I was quite young (not that you can tell by my skill level now!) and I’m pretty sure that my goal back then was to be Elvis, not be like Elvis, BE Elvis…that didn’t happen.

Let’s talk more about goals. Have your goals or your perspectives changed since first starting out? What do your aspirations or goals look like now?

🎤 Well, I no longer want to be Elvis, which is probably a good start! I like to set myself goals to stop me from treading water, a big goal and then little ones to keep me motivated. When I started taking music seriously, my main goal was to make a career out of it and the first mini goal was to land a paid gig, that goal then changed to land one paid gig a month, then one a week, get some studio time booked in, so on and so forth. But things change and goals need to have flexibility, one door can open unexpectedly and all of a sudden, your goal has changed. With the current pandemic my goals have changed again, at the moment, it’s to build up to gigging regularly again and to write, I found when recently flicking through my songbook I had pages and pages of hooks and choruses with no verses or story because I’d started them and not finished them, so my goal at the moment is to finish each song I start.

Everybody is influenced by somebody else. Who would you consider some of your biggest musical influences and how are they influential?

🎤 I take influence from so many other artists, the list is endless, and again that changes over time. At the moment I’m listening heavily to The Barenaked Ladies, especially the earlier stuff with Steven Page, I think he’s an incredible lyricist, and when put together with Ed Robertson, it just works. So, at the moment I’d say I’m taking influence from them, exploring different ways I can evolve as a writer.

Ah, the fun stuff. What’s your craziest tour story or the wackiest thing that’s happened during a performance? Feel free to be creative.

🎤 I was booked to play for a 60^th birthday party, I’d had good correspondence with the customer in the lead up and everything was sorted, but a vital piece of information had been left out…it was a surprise party. I arrived at the venue early to get set up, but the car park was already full and I had to park a fair distance from the door. I loaded my shoulders with speakers and bags trying to take as much as I could to reduce the trips back and forth. I clumsily pushed the door open with my gear and stumbled into the room, dripping with sweat, hair all over the place and as a smoker, gasping for air, and as I did, the lights turned on, the DJ played “Celebration” by Kool & The Gang and the whole room unloaded their party poppers on me. It was like a bad film; I was so embarrassed. The birthday boy arrived shortly after and thankfully found it quite amusing.

Up until this point in your career, what would you describe as your favorite song you’ve recorded or performed live? What makes that song special?

🎤 Probably 🎵 “Chainsmoking” 🚬 at the moment. I wrote it after playing a proposal gig in Edinburgh at the top of Arthur’s Seat. I drove four hours to get there, climbed to the top, hid behind a rock (like a real plonker) waiting for the signal to start playing, played the song, he popped the question, I drove home. I was exhausted and trying to stay awake, I came up with the song on the drive home. I sang it over and over again so I wouldn’t forget the lyrics. It’s really visual for me, and so whenever I hear it, it takes me right back to being sat in the car chain smoking.

Is there anything else awesome, cool, or left of center the worshould know about you? Secret talents or surprising tidbits?

🎤 I’ve got strangely long Twiglet toes and can text, use the remote control and generally pick things up with them, like a monkey, I’ve not quite mastered the guitar yet, but watch this space!

Closing things out, what are you currently working on, promoting that you can share with us or want us to know about? We love secrets, but there’s no pressure.

🎤 So I’ve just released my latest single 🎵 “Going Nowhere” which I’m really buzzed about, it’s quite an upbeat track that I really enjoyed making, and I’ve just got back from a few days in the studio recording some new songs which has been great, one about love, one about loss, and one about the Devil. I can’t wait to share them with everyone.