Kim Seviour - Touchstone
Interview By Mark Hateley
Touchstone's first recording was an EP called "Mad Hatters" released in 2006 featuring vocalist Liz Clayton. This was followed up with full length CD "Discordant Dreams" this saw the debut of Kim Seviour with this album they won a Classic Rock Award for the best newcomer in 2007. In 2009 they released in June the next CD "Wintercoast" which featured a narrative by British actor Jeremy Irons this album was released to critical praise.
In 2009 the band toured through the USA at the Rosfest (rights of spring festival) they also played back in the UK at the Cambridge Rock Festival. In July 2010 Touchstone were invited to open the Prog stage of the award winning High Voltage Festival at London's Victoria Park, the festival included bands like ZZ TOP, Emerson Lake and Palmer, Marillion and Asia on the Prog stage.
It is said that Touchstone's sound consists of
"a band who combine the prog sensibilities of Yes with the hard rocking aptitudes of Van Halen" Touchstone's current line up includes the founder Rob "Cotts" Cottingham (vocals and keyboards), Adam "Hodge" Hodgson (guitars), Paul "Moo" Moorghen (bass) and with me is the lead vocalist Kim Seviour I spoke to her at on December the 12th at the Robin 2 at Bilston nr Wolverhampton, England. From speaking to Kim I find that she comes across as a bubbly confident young lady with a smile for everyone.
I’m here with Kim from Touchstone
Hi
How did your interest in music and singing start?
I’ve always had it really; I’ve been performing since I was in little school, ever since I had the ability to back in primary school. I’ve always liked being in productions and things. But I’ve grown up in a very musical family anyway, my dad was writing an album when I was a little kid and I’ve always grown up with lots of different types of music playing around the house; metal to folk music to ABBA to Bobby Vincent to everything.
That leads me nicely into my next question. What music were you brought up with?
Well yeah, I actually found my first compilation tape that my dad made me when I was about nine actually. It had cutting crew on it, it had John Denver on it, Buddy Holly and then it had Nirvana on it, it had Metallica on it, Jethro Tull, too old to rock and roll on there. A good mixture really!
Of these which became the most important of your career?
Of these bands? Ooh . Tough question! Erm I think. Probably I was brought up with a lot of Enya actually as well. She’s a huge vocal influence for me; I just love the fact that she can use her voice as an instrument, not just to sort of sing the words. She makes all sorts of noises with it, some of the harmonies she uses. I really like that. But also the folkiness in John Denver’s voice and the sort of passion that comes from his voice I really like that. So yeah, I think a lot of that has a lot to do with it. But I do like when I hear things like Nirvana; Metallica I like the kick that they have. And Ozzy, I love Ozzy as well.
You used to enter talent shows, what are your thoughts on the TV talent shows for instance here in GB the X-factor?
Yeah It’s a tough one, I do like the fact that they give people the opportunity to come into the forefront. Where they might not have been before because there are so many artists slogging around the circuit that you know don’t get the breaks they should do and don’t get the audiences they deserve. So I think its great to help bring talent through. However it can seem to be greatly exploited by profit makers and I think it exploits the wrong type of people.
Personally I think that bands like yourself work extremely hard to get themselves known and they can’t get the breaks by just doing gigs. I think it’s a shame that you can’t get onto a bigger stage like that.
Yeah that can be a big thing, but also a lot of people that come through that part of the machine, do tend to get spat out quite quickly so it’s actually quite nice when people build up. Bands like Dream Theater who’ve been going for 25 years now but now they’re big, it would have been nice if they’d made it quicker than that but you know that they really have worked their way up there. But I don’t know, just when they exploit people that come through those shows I think, that’s the part I don’t like. You see people, you can see that they’re putting they’re life and soul into it and they’re seen as entertainment value by the producers and I think its playing with a lot of peoples dreams. I’m not a fan of that but if it brings people to the forefront then its great for showing talent.
How did you become a member of Touchstone?
I moved to London back on 2006 and went to see a friends band playing, I was in bands back at school and I always liked it and when I saw the band play I just thought "I really want to get back into a band again" so I put an advert on gumtree and the old drummer found me on there. I just posted a sort of sultry picture of myself. Sort of "singer looking for a band for raucous nights out and drinking binges and things" he just found me, I went for an audition, it was an audition in a random warehouse in the middle of a random industrial estate.
I had to say to my housemate if I don’t get home by midnight can you try and call someone because I have to get into a strangers car to drive me off into the middle of nowhere for an audition with a bunch of men I’ve never met before, so it was quite an experience!
How did your first gig with them go?
It was okay it went well it was up in Crewe we were supporting The Reasoning and it was nice that Touchstone had a bit of a following before we got there because when I went through the room to go up to the stage for my first show I actually heard someone say "good luck Kim" and you know the fans were really supportive however, sort of looking back at photos and things, I’d sort of only joined the band a few weeks previously I had to literally learn the songs as quickly as I could although I sang them I let Cotts (Rob Cottingham) take over all the talking. I’ve literally, sort of frozen on the spot like singing my harmonies thinking "I will sing what I’m supposed to and the rest of the time I will just stand here quietly"
How nervous were you?
I was, yeah I was I was nervous I enjoyed getting up there to sing but I was not used to bantering with an audience in between songs so much. I’m used to performing songs that I can banter with but the talking between songs I was always crap at.
You always seem pretty confident to me on clips that I’ve seen.
I still make it up, I just make it up and see where it takes me on the night, but it seems to work.
What has been your biggest gig so far?
High Voltage
What was it like performing at the festival at London’s Victoria Park?
Amazing, the whole experience, the whole weekend. I think it wasn’t just the gig it was the atmosphere of the weekend we were treated like rock stars while we were there to get up onto the stage apparently there were 2 or 3 thousand people there which was amazing seeing as we were the opening band like there was a bit of a delay getting people through the doors when we were on stage I could literally see the back of the audience crowds of people running people legging it from the doors to come and see us play to see that it was just incredible it was a great ego boost (you could feel how excited Kim was when talking about the High Voltage Festival)
At the festival which band did you watch for yourself
Can you yodel?
No but I wanna learn actually that could be quite fun. I’d love to try and perform that song one day. I watched Opeth and I watched down, my dad and I used to listen to down a lot when I was about eleven so like stone The Crows is like one of my dad's and my songs so we both had a bottle of Jack Daniel’s with us and sort of screaming along to them watched some of foreigner they were really good
Even with the new singer (Kelly Hansen)
Yes, yes he’s a brilliant performer he was really good. I did get there towards the end of the set but I wanted to hear I wanna know what love is, you know I didn’t get to watch many others cause when wed done our set we were taken backstage to do interviews and things so I missed a few of the ones I wanted to see
How would you describe the sound of Touchstone to someone who’s never heard them?
I like to think, I say to people that if Pink Floyd and Evanescence had a love child it might sound a little bit like us we do have a proggy edge but we do have a sort of commercial kick to us as well and we do like to have people sing along to the songs and have a bit of fun with it.
Do you like having the prog tag some other bands I’ve spoken to previously don’t think of themselves as prog.
If someone says what kind of music are you I wouldn’t say "we are prog" but we’ve got a prog fan base and just to be respected in prog is amazing because there are such talented musician in prog circles that just to be considered any good in this is a real compliment.
It helps as well being mentioned in Classic Rock magazine and others
Being a crossover is great, I don’t think anybody likes to be labelled with one particular type you like to believe you can reach as many people as possible.
You haven’t got the grey hair or the beard for prog yet have you?
I’m working on it, I’m working on it give me a few days and the five o’clock shadow will start showing.
The "Wintercoast" album, your last studio album so far features actor Jeremy Irons on the opening narrative, how did this come about?
Complete and utter blaggery!! Hodge (Adam Hodgson)contacted his agent and literally said you know do you think you’d be up for it? And sent him a copy of the "Discordant Dreams" album and he really liked it and I think he’s just sort of a decent guy who’s up for a laugh and likes to try some new stuff and he was like ok yeah. But he was doing this show on Broadway when we needed to get his monologue down so in the middle of recording Hodge had to jump on a plane and fly over to New York with a Dictaphone and sit in his apartment with him to record it.
Have you met him?
No, I haven’t met him. But we got e-mail from Hodge in the middle of recording saying
"I can’t believe this I’m here directing an Oscar winner with a Dictaphone", it was pretty intense for him.
Touchstone have recently released a live CD called "Live in the USA" what can you tell me about this?
It was recorded at Cal Prog and Rosfest. Rosfest, which was in, May last year in Philadelphia and Cal prog was near LA in October I think last year. We did the two festivals, got to play in America twice and we thought it would be a great opportunity to get some stuff recorded from them, it’s a mixture of tracks from our "Mad Hatter" EP, it's got "Discordant Dreams" tracks "Wintercoast" so it’s a great introduction for someone to hear what our music has sounded like.
Looking to the future what input would you like to have on the next studio album?
I would like to, (pauses) I was actually speaking to them about this today I would like time to get more time on the vocals not just for "moi" but for everyone to try a get more Enyaesque and to get some more harmony work going through it something like Karl Jenkins Project a band I like and I am a fan of more contemporary rock band like Linkin Park and System of a Down I was teenager (laughing) through the nu-metal thing and make no apologies for this to get some of commercial beats and things and get some wafts of that I think as well.
Are there any other projects your working on ?
I want to but I don’t have time to do much I’m doing a open university course while I’m doing this and I have a full time job so don’t have time to other things. I do have a friend of we’re writing a couple of songs for fun and when I get some more time. I do want to write my own stuff I’m not going to release my own material and just record them for my self.
Who would to work with in the music industry?
I’d love to work with Lacey from FlyLeaf, a female fronted metal band from America. I really like the messages in their songs amazingly talented. Muses’ Matt Bellamy and 2 others I’m a Josh Groban fan which is a very different type of music. I like all sorts of stuff. My favourite band at the moment are Our Lady Peace, from Canada I love their lyrics he has such a wacky voice he has a really incredibly different voice. I would like to collaborate with that lot it would quite a interesting mix.
We are talking here in 2010 looking to the future in 12 months time what would you like to have achieved by this time next year?
Planning on releasing another album next year, we are recording hopefully in the spring- summer time we do have another tour, we are doing with Classic Rock Prog, we are playing Scotland, Northern England, Bristol, London, we get to go to Glasgow where I’ve never been in my life so we get to go to new areas and yes just to get the new album out promote the new album and just keep the momentum the energy going.
In conclusion what are your thought of what Touchstone and your self have achieved since you joined the band?
It's incredible (laughs), yes well when I auditioned for Touchstone Moo Bass (bass player) phoned me up afterwards to let me know, we are going to have a go at it with this band, we wanna know that your committed and really gonna have a go. I thought, ok you know. We were doing gigs supporting other bands in small venues. I’ve never thought that I’d go into HMV and see my face on the shelf. I never thought that I’d be at a festival meeting Tony Iommi and Zakk Wylde backstage or supporting Joe Elliott because I grew up listening to Def Leppard as well. Working with all these names. I never thought I’d open a magazine and see a double page spread with my face on it, (they’re all in a box just to look at when I’m 50 "those were the days"). It all happens as you go along and sometimes it doesn’t feel as much as it is but if anyone had told me when I was 17 pick up this magazine your gonna be in it id have said "no way".
Touchstone and Kim went on to perform a great set later in the evening with the crowd getting right behind to make it one of the most memorable concerts for them and their special guests on the night Panic Room. Many thanks to Ralph Rea for organising this interview and a big thank you to Touchstone especially Kim for taking time out of your busy schedule.
Links
Sharing Is Caring!