UK Americana artist, Gareth Lewis has released ‘Vultures’, the new single and first from his forthcoming solo debut EP.
Coming out of lockdown and looking at effects on people’s mental health during the pandemic, Gareth wanted to release music that reflected his personal experience and the strength he found to be open and face it. Working for a mental health organisation as well as working in the music industry, Gareth has been able to use his creativity to get his message across and hopes others can relate.
‘Vultures’ is an upbeat, rocky and vibrant song with a strong rhythm. The opening beat of the song played on Gareth’s dobro guitar sets it up to take you on an unexpected journey. The lyric “I’m tired of playing dead; you’ve got to stay alive when the vultures come” sets the tone about overcoming adversity.
On the meaning of the song, Gareth says;
“It’s about the root of a lot of our problems stemming from overthinking and negative thoughts; we have to fight off the vultures to stay in a good place.”
Influenced by many genres, Americana is the perfect fit for Gareth as it combines his love of blues, country, rock, acoustic and gospel music. The lyrics in ‘Vultures’ are powerfully evocative and showcases Gareth’s experience and talent as a songwriter.
“One of my biggest influences, and why I play guitar is the film Crossroads. There’s a slide guitar piece of music in that film called ‘Feeling Sad Blues’ written and performed by Ry Cooder. When I first heard that and watched the film as a child, it sparked something inside me. As you’ll see from the music video, Vultures was inspired from elements of this film”.
Originally from Swansea in Wales, Gareth has had a successful career in the music industry as a songwriter, musician and band member. His song ‘Don’t Let Your Love Lay Down’ made it to the final and the top 2% in the Americana category at the International Songwriting Competition (ISC) in Nashville. The competition has 18,000 entries each year and is judged by artists including Tom Waits, Coldplay, Hozier and George Thorogood.
Last year, Gareth had the opportunity to record a song he’d co-written ‘Don’t Feel Like Love’ at broadcasting legend Bob Harris’s house for Steve Balsamo’s latest EP. This year, a song he co-wrote called ‘Something New’ with songwriting team Delta Kills was used in an advert by Porsche featuring Bill and Ted stars Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter. After some time in bands including the Dukes of Hafod and working as a musician supporting British rock band The Struts, Gareth is now focusing on his music as a solo artist. He has released four tracks and his latest two singles ‘If I Don’t Make It Home’ and ‘All Because Of You’ have both featured on the BBC Radio Wales A-list for four weeks. Gareth's voice as a writer is about the human condition and looking for a connection with people through his songs.
Listen to Vultures Now: https://garethlewis.hearnow.com/vultures