Interview: Kristopher Walpole

It was a lazy Sunday “long dark tea time of the soul” afternoon with Kristopher Walpole, arguably one of the best LIVE singing acts on Second Life (SL), (a virtual world owned by Linden Labs) in which I had the opportunity to interview this serious up and coming talent from Bristol, UK with a voice lending itself well to an intimate acoustic guitar setting. One of the things that blew me away when I first heard Kris singing was how ‘real’ he sounded. Everyone else Mostly everyone else is just singing karaoke in SL. Kris…he’s singing for keeps.

To describe his style – Itunes would call it alternative, acoustic, indie. He’s like a Jeff Buckley, but a very distinctive low-key, smoky sound. Kris’ talent extends to writing and composing. His lyrics can be truthful, intense. But he's also a light-hearted comedian. Catch one of his live acts on SL and you’ll get a chance to hear a mean trumpet solo. When pressed, Kris says there isn’t a HUD for the trumpet solo but it’s slick enough to land him a permanent gig the first Sunday of each month at Alt7, one of the best clubs for alternative and indie music in SL.

Here’s one of my favorite original songs, “Same Stars” with great lyrics:

[soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/48105453" iframe="true" /]

And to catch a bit of the English accent, one of his NEW songs:

[soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/47665486" iframe="true" /]

 

Tell me about your music. When in real life (RL) did you start singing? And when did you start really getting into music, your earliest fondest memory when music >sound.

“I started learning guitar when I was about 12 or 13 and I found I was really impatient with it I could not play any of the songs in the books I had. They did not sound right so I just made up my own songs. But I used to make up songs all the time as a child before then....so then when I was 15 I started a band and we used to play in a little garage to kids in the neighborhood.

Then I went to university and messed about with music a little and had a band there. I have always messed about with music as a hobby I suppose...just enjoy writing songs and singing. The first song I remember writing was called "drinking coffee" and it was based on a Joe Jackson song called "Is she really going out with him."

Was he one of the big influences on your style and are there others?

The biggest influences when I was young were John Martyn and Nick Drake and Joni Mitchell but I liked everything.  I liked Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd and punk and The Smiths. I liked it all…which was kind of not allowed. You were supposed to stick to your genre…if you were a punk for example you were not supposed to like Genesis.

Hey, what was that band called, your garage band?

The first band I can't remember but the second was called Mongo. I think I have a link somewhere...I made a web link for nostalgia http://uk.myspace.com/mongolovesyou We were drum machines and stuff, a bit 80’s but we were very good live, so people said, must be over 20 years ago.

How do you see the way music has changed in those 20 yrs?

Well, the biggest thing for me is the reinvention of the "singer song writer," when I first played it was deeply uncool to play acoustic guitar and sing. Now it is completely acceptable. It is difficult to imagine just how uncool it was but I assure you…if you did not have a band and electric guitar you were nowhere.  But now people seem to just enjoy (the) music.

I just really treasure that (acoustic) sound because when I was little, I had a teacher I adored who used to sing to us in the same manner, it would just be his voice and his guitar. It stuck with me all these years so much that when I hear that, which isn't often, it is so strong for me.



What is your song/group of the moment you're listening to?

I love the song by Plants and Animals called "Lightshow," absolute wonderful song. The guitars just so powerful exuberant contrasted with angsty lyrics and I like the line he sings about never knowing when it’s going to hit. I associate that with feeling low. I never know when I will suddenly feel out of sorts for no apparent reason.

 I love songs that just when you're listening to the radio or just hanging out in SL with DJs and they just kind of make everything just stop, like grips you in a way...it speaks to you. Do you get that experience ever? Like with another song(s) and which ones really resonate with you?

It happens quite a lot, I remember Moby playing a song ages ago at Alt 7...Counterpoint by Delphic and it just blew me away, some of the TrentmØller stuff that p8 plays as well has that effect, also a song by Lovers called "Peppermint" I adored. The National usually do it for me too. But then there is all the cheesy stuff I like...Carpenters and stuff from the 60’s like Louis Louis. I think SL made me rediscover music. I love the experience of shared listening. Most interesting CD this year for me has been Lonely Drifter Karen.

I really like your trumpet solo too. Where did that come from? Also, where can I get the HUD?

lol..Well the trumpet solo comes from me feeling like I am so up (on) myself sometimes...I mean I am not a very serious person but the songs sometimes come across as very earnest and so I thought perhaps a trumpet solo may help lighten it...but also I think some of the songs would sound good with other instruments and a band arrangement. Not all songs work well as acoustic performances and often when I write and sing I am thinking of how they might sound in a band. What HUD? lol

What do you like best about performing in SL?

Oooh I  just love it, Siren, I dunno. I think I am surprised at how intimate it feels. It’s like we are all sitting round chatting and I get to show some of my songs, it’s just wonderful. I feel really lucky to sing to people. In RL, a gig is a drive to a venue and setting up and testing the sound and surly promoters and driving home alone. Here it is just me in my home feeling very relaxed and amongst good people. How strange. I could never have imagined it a few years ago, I stopped singing entirely RL for about 8 years and SL allows me to reengage.

Tell me about your song. What is "Highway" about? What does it mean (lyrics)," I wanna get lost on this American highway..?"

Highway was sort of about suicide, just wanting to disappear…that sounds a bit melodramatic, I know. The songs are stories or pictures, I hope. When I wrote it I was doing a course in RL in sound production and I was reading Big Sur by Jack Kerouac and was thinking of doing a sound/radio piece of Big Sur for the course but I ended up writing Highway. Jack drank himself to death so it was sort of influenced by all those thoughts.

Do you see in your writing and songs a recurring theme? 

I seem to write wistful songs...lots of stuff about traveling and letters. I do find writing songs very comforting but I don't know why, it’s like that thing where someone says something and you think of the answer you wanted to give 3 days later…so you write the song but dress it as a story.



What are you excited about, upcoming in the near future? Have any plans in the works?

Well, I am trying to put together a band to record in RL and I am pleased to be writing a lot at the moment and I will be playing in RL again. And I have agreed with Celtic to do first Sunday of every month gig at Alt7. (Yay!!! I’m so excited for you, Kris.)

 Is there anyone special you would like to thank (or a few people) for helping support your music in SL?

Undoubtedly, Evelyn Beaumont, when I first met Evelyn I did not play music in SL. And she talked about all the good musicians (and bad) so I said, "Well, I sing a bit" and I can play guitar. So she said she would like to hear and…to prove I was better than the musicians she was listening to or at least as good, I played. So that’s kind of why I play music in SL. And as far as the "thank yous,” I could not begin to list all the lovely peeps, we would be here all night.”

Thank you Kris for taking the time to sit with me for a “cuppa” and sharing a little bit about your musical talent.

For more information or to contact Kristopher Walpole for SL gigs or RL bookings: kristopherwalpole@gmail.com.