High and Dry is the brilliant new debut single from Mancunian singer songwriter John Reynolds. Ahead of the release, we caught up with John, at boomshack studios in east Manchester to ask him about his music, influences, and plans for this new record. John gave us an exclusive interview and shared how the song came about, the influences that shape his music, and shared the thought provoking short film, that accompanies High and Dry. 

What's are your musical Influences?

I’ve played music since first learning the guitar at 8 years old. Influenced in my early years by Irish and Country music before discovering Rock music in my teens. American music has always appealed to me from Springsteen and Pearl Jam to Guns n Roses and the heavier end of the rock spectrum. 

This music remains with me until this day and I’ve also been influenced in the last few years by bands such as Dropkick Murphys and Gaslight Anthem – real music, that tells a story and doesn’t bullshit.

Old School rap such as Ice-T has never been far away from my decks so don’t be surprised if I bust out a rap song at some point! 

Why Music?

What drives me to write and perform music is a burning feeling in me that this is what I am meant to do. It gives me great pleasure and is the only time in my life that I feel completely comfortable and true to myself. The more I do it, the more confident I become and natural anxiety issues fade away – life is much easier with music.

I’ve lived a colourful life, full of adventure but now it really is time to do for myself what I truly want to do and for me to have the confidence enough to just go for it. I’ve tried it before but not seen it through fully due to lack of self - esteem and self-belief in truth, but this time, I’m not going to hold back and just allow my path to open for me as it is meant too.

What are your future Plans?

The plan now is to release this song and use it as my calling card, I see it as an "introduction to John Reynolds" as "the singer songwriter", "a musical appetiser for my music" that will provide the music public, their first taste and introduction to the music I write and produce. After the release, I want to use the remainder of 2017 to promote this release, generate awarness and hopefully turn more people on to my music. I hope to gig as much as possible from 2018 onwards.

Where did you record and when is it released. 

The album was recorded, produced and mixed at Boomshack studios, in East Manchester. The studio is a former textile mill, and the place is steeped in urban history, giving it a real urban vibe. The studio  producer really worked with me to get the most from this track. I am really happy with it, its a song from my heart, steeped in emotion, reflecting the struggles we all face in our day to day lives. Its an accoustic based tune, with a pulsing beat and melody that I hope will stick in peoples heads when they hear it. I am recording more tracks in the studio right now and an album release is scheduled for April 2018. 

Release Date

High and Dry is my first single and will be released on November 24th, 2017. A video to accompany the release will also be available the same-day

Look out for a video teaser on my Facebook page (JohnReynoldsMusic) and Twitter Account (@JohnReynoldsUK) in the next couple of weeks.

 About John Reynolds - Biography 

John is a Singer Songwriter from Manchester, England. Writing songs about the life and times of those around him and his own personal experiences, John captures the very essence of wearing your heart on your sleeve and putting the emotions he feels into his music. High and Dry is his first single and is a song that captures the struggle we all sometimes face in how we actually spend our days, compared to what we dream our days should look like in our heart and mind. It's a song of hope to trust our souls and follow what we believe in… Always.

LINKS
Facebook - John Reynolds Music
TWITTER  @JohnReynoldsUK 

HIGH AND DRY RELEASED 24TH NOVEMBER