- Fri, 2010-01-29 14:54
London born, Irish raised singer-songwriter Maverick Sabre has already supported Plan B and Speech Debelle on tour, shared a stage with Get Cape, Wear Cape, Fly, Natty and Bashy, rocked the Big Chill Festival stage and wowed crowds at London club nights.
His honest blend of soulful, acoustic hip/hop laced with the storytelling sensibilities of folk have captured our hearts here at I Like Music. With his debut single Sometimes already picked up as a weekend anthem by BBC 1Xtra, recieveing constant rotation on the I Like Music office soundsystem and genrally chilling out all those who hear it, I Like Music snapped up some time with Maverick before he's shipped off on the whirlwind journey he deserves.
"I Like Music because… music is the air that keeps me alive.” Maverick Sabre
ILM: How would you describe the sound and vibe of Sometimes?
Maverick: Sometimes is basically an introduction to me as a person. It's a narrative of my early years growing up between London and Ireland. The sound is just a mix of everything I'm influenced by. There's acoustic soul in there along with some hip hop vibes as well.
ILM: How would you describe your process of writing music? How does it all come together?
Maverick: I write music in a lot of different ways. Most recently I've been putting on videos from the 90's that I like, say like Nas - One Love. I'll put the video on mute and loop it so it plays over and over again. Then I'll sit down with a guitar riff or instrumental that I've been working on and write a track from that. Just letting the visuals inspire me.
ILM: What are your influences?
Maverick: I'm inspired by everything. I move around from Ireland to London quite a lot and meet a lot of different people. That alone gives me good inspiration for stuff to write. I write about everyday things really, any problems I see in my life or in the world around me. Everyone in the world goes through the same basic emotions. So if I write a simple track about something I've gone through there will be someone else out there than can connect to it. It could even be something as simple as a documentary I've seen that will spark off an idea of a story or an idea to base a song around.
ILM: Who are your musical inspirations?
Maverick: Everything from my dad to Tupac to Bob Dylan. I like to listen to music that says something, that helps me learn or I can connect with in any way. Obviously there's some music I listen to just for the feel good factor because you always have to have that. At the minute, just from what I've been listening to the last couple of weeks, I'd have to say Johnny Cash is inspiring me a lot. If you don't know about him (I'm sure most will!) you need to check him out, it doesn't even matter what type of music your into for that.
ILM: What's your earliest musical memory? When did you first fall in love with music?
Maverick: I used to go to my dads band rehearsals when I was like 4/5. I'd sit in the corner and play a lot, with a harmonica or bongos or something just to get into it. That's where my love started.
ILM: What music have you been listening to recently?
Maverick: A lot of Johnny Cash, plus some UK grime, reggae, a bit of dancehall as well.
ILM: What do you think of the current UK music scene?
Maverick: I think it's in a good position really. When you see UK acts going to no.1 in America it speaks for itself. I just hope more acts can follow suit in 2010.
ILM: What are your goals and dreams for your music career?
Maverick: My main goal is to make music that crosses borders and genres. Music that anyone and everyone listens to, in however many years it takes! I want to do tours and shows where the audience are a mix of people from all walks of life, coming together to see me and connect with what I'm saying. I want to make albums that will live on and will be relevant in 50 years, not just something for this year and this moment.
ILM: What are your future plans – what’s coming up?
Maverick: I've got my first single Sometimes out on the 15th of February 2010. Hopefully I will have a debut project out this year, nothing confirmed yet though. Gig wise I've got quite a bit. On the 11th of feb I'm playing at Stratford Circus for the Industry Takeover's 10 for 2010. On the 13th I'm headlining with my band at Bustin' Loose in Bloomsbury Lanes, Bedford Way, London. Also keep an eye out for my BBC Maida Vale session & Interview on the Ras Kwame show on 1Xtra in the first week of Feb.
