Millis Music Magazine with POL Arida

First out of the artists I´m curious about is POL Arida. I remember very well the first time I heard him. It was spring in 2009 and he was playing after Bara Jonsson in a venue. POL started hammering the guitarr and I remember it sounded amazin. Then I crashed and I couldn´t come back to the venue because it was full and I was so disappointed because I wanted to hear a lot more of the guitarr. I didn´t hear more of POL that night but I have been doing that a lot of times after that.

(Bild hämtad från flickr.com)

POL Arida is a sing-songwriter from Scotland with a very special voice and a very special guitarr technique and you can read more about him at his excellent website, in this article and in one of my earlier blogposts.

How would you describe your music, what style is it?
My music is not of a perticular style, I suppose alternative acoustic. I tend to try and write things which are a bit different from styles I have heard. I don`t really listen to music as that tends to influence me too much.

How long have you been doing music?
I have been writing all my life, but stopped about 15 years ago. 5 years ago I picked up the guitar and started hitting it:~) Then started writing again.

Are you writing your own songs?
All my songs are self written.... go to http://polarida.com/ for music, video, words and pictures...and much more.

If you do, what comes first when writing your songs, the lyrics or the music?
I write `subject specific` songs about subjects that I want to analys. The musical part sometimes comes first, but then there is a long delay as I decide on subject and words.

Where do you find the inspiration for your music?
Well I open my eyes:)

Who are your role models in music?
None.

How long have you played in SL?
Nearly 3 years now.

What is the difference between playing in SL compared to RL?
I like SL because people can hear the words and can ask questions about songs. It allows people to experience the words on a much more personal level.

Why did you join SL? Was it because of your music-making or something else?
I came to SL to have a look and relaised they had live music. I thought...I could do that:)

Which is your favorite venue to play in?
Here are many cool venues....Pixel Hill is one I love as it specialises in original music, but there are many many more I have played that I love, some owned by friends of my music. I also like creating my own venues.

Do you remember your first SL gig? Please, tell us about it.
I cannot remember my first gig, it may have been the Hummingbird or Pixel Hill.

What are your plans for the future in SL?
To create more interesting projects involving original music and crossing over sl and rl in innovative ways.

I asked POL if he wanted to pick out a video who plays his music from Youtube and he choosed this one:


Thanks POL for answering my questions and the best of luck with your musical career.