12/02/2010

Black Peak Interview: Part Two

In 2009, having bumped into each other at various gigs and festivals in Hampshire, where they are based, Darren Black joined forces with Deborah Peak to form a new duo, 'Black Peak'. They perform their own blend of original contemporary and traditional acoustic/folk, mainly around Darren's thought-provoking songs and tunes, and Deborah's creative fiddle arrangements and songs.

In Part Two Deborah Peake answers the questions...

As a new act how has it been getting a foothold with the media and bookings?

The media are always interested in new acts, and because of our previous exposure through other projects we already had a foot in the door, so it was a case of building on it. A certain amount of bookings come as a result of that but there are so many great new acts that you still have to work hard to gain and maintain attention. 

Where do other projects fit into things at the moment?

I am always busy with Classical playing in string quartets and show work, and I perform regularly in the Portsmouth area with the Irish band 'Mist on the Bog'. I also have violin pupils ranging from complete beginners to Grade 8 players intending to go to music college. I am currently furthering my own playing by studying the LRSM violin syllabus to keep my hand in with the classical technique.
 
What do you feel you retain from your days studying classical music? Have you discovered much of a crossover with your folk/roots music?

Studying classical violin will always give you a good grounding in the various techniques required in playing. As a classical player, I always favoured music by the composers who were heavily influenced by folk music, the greatest example being Vaughan Williams.

As a duo, in contrast to your individual solo work, you seem more drawn to trad material/sound. Would you agree? If so, is that something you want to explore more?

When writing in Amalthea there were always pop and country influences mixed in with the folky sound. Now when writing with Darren, I am aware that we both favour a more traditional sound and violin accompaniment. I recently bought a medieval vielle that we would like to incorporate into our sound. It is quite difficult to play, but once you get the strings making a continuous drone it becomes a great accompaniment to a fiddle tune.

What have been some of the highlights of 2009?

The highlight for me this year was performing on the main stage at the Stokes Bay Festival in Gosport. It was such a brilliant atmosphere, the crowd were very enthusiastic and the organisers really looked after us. It has also been so exciting to support artists such as Karine Polwart and Eliza Carthy as I admire these artists very much.

What treats are there in store for us with the forthcoming Album?

Darren and I are keen to put even more duelling fiddles on the next recording as it always seems to go down well at gigs, with positive comments from the crowd. From a sound point of view I would like to add some more layers to the arrangements. The EP was very much a natural reflection of our sound to show the listener what we are like live, and I would now like to hear some different instrumentation in our future arrangements.

www.myspace.com/blackpeak

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