Darron J Connett
May 2008Straight from the hip with Darron J Connett
The Internet is ideal
for finding new talent. It could be an artists’ website, a forum or a Yahoo
group. You know them. People with passion and purpose, posting threads on
rising and hopeful stars. It was this way that the name of a young singer/songwriter Darron J Connett came to my attention. It was via an email from a Mod based Yahoo group I subscribe to. I was impressed by the confident manner in which the email was written. It said that Darron was a star in the making. Without hesitation, I checked out his website, and listened to the first MP3 I found. I was left with only one conclusion,ZANI had to interview him.
I am not usually in favour of describing the setting for an interview. But this time the surroundings fitted the occasion perfectly, so allow me to set the scene. It was Waterloo station, midday on a late summer’s day. I could almost hear the sweet melody of the Kinks’ classic playing in my head.
Then two men with impeccable dress sense approached me and ask if I was “Matteo from ZANI, here to interview Darron J Connett?” I simply answered “yes”.
After the initial introductions, we proceeded to an Italian Café round the corner from Waterloo. Within minutes of meeting them I felt immersed in an upbeat and positive vibe. On route, I could see the local lunatics loitering at the entrance to the station, their antics adding a drama and frisson to the occasion. I checked our reflections in a passing window. We looked smart and cool.
We sat down and ordered some refreshments. I switched on the tape player to ask the first question. In the background the cappuccino machine started to make its trade mark frothing sound. How very European and Mod I thought. A perfect atmosphere for me to meet - and introduce to you - the fast rising singer/songwriter Darron J Connett. And his manager extraordinaire Mark Baxter.
ZANI - I've done a fair bit of research on the internet on you. I found a great deal of merchandise from Café Press with your name on it, are the goods selling well?
Darron J Connett - To be honest I don’t really know a lot about it. It was a bit strange when I found out about it. It was Chromium Records idea to sell the merchandise on the Internet, and I had no say over the designs. It was a bit a surreal, but it’s nice to see the Missus in Darron J Connett thong, and for my name to get out and about.
ZANI - You’ve recently signed one single download with Chromium records entitled ‘Early in the Morning’. How successful do think it will be and are you hoping it will lead to a long-term record contract?
Darron J Connett - Not necessarily with Chromium records, but in the long term, with someone else.
ZANI - Has there been much interest from other record companies?
Darron J Connett - Slowly awareness is coming through, the label ‘Biff Bang Pow’ are showing an interest. They offered to put one of my tracks on a compilation album of theirs. I have nothing to lose, so I'm putting myself about, getting the name and my music heard. I’m willing to sell my soul to the Devi.
ZANI - ‘Biff Bang Pow’, they could be the next Creation records.
Darron J Connett - Well, let’s hope so.
ZANI - Chromium seems to be a good label, with a good insight into marketing via the web. Do you think labels like this can be the savior of the independent record label?
Darron J Connett - Of course, they help to get your links on other websites and people get to know whom I am. It’s creating a community and a counter culture on the net. At some of my recent gigs, I had girls who looked like they were Libertines fans, and when I asked them how they found out about me, they said from the website. I have only had my web site since March '05, and now I have three pages on Google search.
ZANI - So you’re embracing the internet in terms of promotion and you're going back to the grass roots of music, playing live, building up a following. When you play live, do you have a full backing band?
Darron J Connett - I have a full band in the studio, but when I go out live, I just have an acoustic set, which I think is harder on the live band, because you’re not allowed to hide behind anything like multi effects. Therefore, we can’t hit bum notes or sing off key. It’s just a voice and a guitar.
Nevertheless, I want to make it hard on myself because I am not a faker, because I can actually sing and I want people to know that. When you go in a studio and record a demo, you can get away with a lot, but I won’t do that. I want my lead vocal to be a ‘one off’ lead vocal; I don’t want to be dropping in the choruses here or dropping in the verses there.
ZANI - Who do you rate as a good singer then?
Darron J Connett - There aren't many singers, I don’t like. But, I like real singers. I don’t like what you could call vocalists, people who can just get by. I like many of the old reggae singers, and Paul Weller, Steve Marriott, Elvis Presley, just anyone who can really sing.
ZANI - What's your definition of a ‘vocalist’ then?
Darron J Connett - David Bowie, even though I love him, he’s not a singer. His image and songs are brilliant. Jimi Hendrix, he’s a shit hot guitarist as we all know, but he’s a vocalist.
ZANI - What about Robbie Williams?
Darron J Connett - Ha, Robbie Williams is a comedian who took a wrong turning.
ZANI - You got into the music industry at sixteen, do you feel that you missed out on your teens by starting so young at Savage records?
Darron J Connett - No, not totally, I think it added to my teenage years. Sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll baby. I got into the music industry by accident at such a young age. My mates and me sneaked into this club, we were underage and we met these girls, who were about 24 years old. We had just finished our first demo, we got chatting and one of the girls happened to an A & R girl for Savage records. This was handy, so my first experience of the industry was good fun.
ZANI - So, you sold your soul to the devil at an early age?
Darron J Connett - Well the devil has all the best tunes.
ZANI - You finally went solo in 2001, after being in a variety of bands for 11 years; did you go solo because you'd had enough of other people?
Darron J Connett - No, but with every band I have ever been in, I’ve formed the band and wrote all the material. I wanted the control, and it’s not about being a control freak or egoist. I knew what I wanted, and I knew where I wanted to go with my music.
ZANI - I see that you are a Shepherds Bush boy (home of Jimmy the Mod and The Who), do you like the spiritual connection with Mod and Shepards Bush?
Darron J Connett - Yea, it’s great. Shepards Bush has always been homeland to the Mod culture. I remember being a kid and seeing all the scooters coming round when the mod revival was taking place. Seeing all those scooters as a child, I thought it was the coolest thing in the world, and I even remember Quadrophenia being filmed, but I was too young to know what is was about. Then seeing the film years later, the penny dropped. As I've got older, I can appreciate the whole concept of where I come from far better and I am immensely proud of being a Shepards Bush boy and a QPR fan.
ZANI - Do you rate Quadrophenia as a film?
Darron J Connett - Yes, the story is sharp. Overall, it is a great film. It's probably one of the first British cult films. Without ‘Quadrophenia’ there wouldn’t have been ‘Snatch’, ‘The Football Factory’ and ‘The Business’. Films that draw on the grit of counter cultures.
ZANI - Are you a big film fan?
Darron J Connett - Of course. I saw a film the other night on BBC 2 with Peter Sellers and Ringo Starr called ‘The Happy Christian’. I didn’t know about it, great flick. I like the sixties films like ‘Up the Junction’, ‘Look back in Anger’. I like any film with a strong story line and good acting.
ZANI - How has the music industry improved (or not) over the years.
Darron J Connett - I don’t know. It’s hard for me to say because I haven’t been big in the business. I’m not really into the ‘music industry’ as such and I am not doing this interview to slag it off. There seemed to be a time, when people could get record deals at the click of a finger, but now it seems to be harder. I think because record companies are more interested in getting a quick dollar, as opposed to developing a career.
ZANI - You’ve done some modelling for the Milan based fashion agency ‘Ra Re’ and became the face for their 2004/2005 range, would you like to do more modelling?
Darron J Connett - That was just a one off thing. I did it for the exposure. A lot of bands are getting into it, Franz Ferdinand, The Killers, but why not do it if you’re asked? You get coverage, cool clothes and earn some money. It’s something that my manager and I are looking into further, to get me into the right fashion magazines. So if Fred Perry are listening, give my manager a call.
ZANI - What moment in your life did you fall in love with music?
Darron J Connett - Elvis, one hundred per cent, he was the first singer that I ever took notice of. I think he was already dead by then, but I didn’t know who he was. I remember hearing my older brother playing an old tape on a cheap cassette player, I just thought that is brilliant and my love for music went from there. Then I saw a picture of him, and thought Jesus Christ, he looks like that and he sounds like that.
Elvis is the blue print for every rock and roll star that came after him, The Beatles wouldn’t have existed without Elvis and they have always admitted it. Liam Gallagher is a big fan of Elvis. Liam’s got a ‘Taking Care Of Business’ tattoo on his arm, (the letters ‘TCB’ with a lighting flash being the ‘Memphis’ Mafia’ motto). There is no doubt that’s he is ‘The King of Rock and Roll’.
ZANI - Your gaining critical acclaim from the likes of Paolo Hewitt and Gary Crowley, which is no mean feat, are the other press taking an interest?
Darron J Connett - Seeping through, I'm doing a lot more interviews now. I’ve been in Disorder magazine three times now, and I did an interview for the Modraphenia website, my manager is working on that.
ZANI - Been asked to appear on any radio shows, such as Gary Crowley’s?
Darron J Connett - Who knows? But if you’re reading this Mr. Crowley, make a note. I want in.
ZANI - I see you also provided the music for the promotional video for the restaurateur Antonio Carluccio. Would you like to get involved in similar projects?
Darron J Connett - Yes, eventually. That wouldn’t be a bad thing. I am writer, I don’t want to just narrow it down so I am just releasing four-minute pop songs. If people ask me to work on projects for them, then I am honoured.
ZANI - How would you describe your music?
Darron J Connett - Council Estate Rock.
ZANI - How do you compose a song? Do you have a formula or some chords knocking about and some lyrics written down on old note pad?
Darron J Connett - I have no formula, when you get the spark, you get the spark, and that’s it. There are no fast and furious rules to it, it’s a natural thing. I could be doing the washing up, in the shower, walking through the park and an idea just comes to me. I have never sat down and purposely written a song. You can’t force a song, there have been times when I have tried to, but usually the song turns out to be shit
ZANI - I understand that you have a good relationship with your manager (Mark Baxter, who happens to be in attendance), is that right?
Darron J Connett - Yes, it ‘s brilliant, he does what he has to do, and I couldn’t ask for any more. It’s working very well.
Mark Baxter – I met him about 3 years ago, and after I heard his demo, I thought there was something special. I am music mad, and everything about it just stood out. I wouldn’t have got involved if there wasn’t that bit of magic there.
ZANI - I understand that you played the Small Faces convention recently. How did that go?
Darron J Connett - The gig went well, very daunting trying to please a Small Faces crowd. However, I think I pulled it off. Let’s put this way there were no tomatoes thrown. I was tense before the show, nervous about the fact of how I am going to put the Small Faces songs across. I was not going to play their songs note by note, I was going to do the songs my way.
ZANI - What songs did you play at the Small Faces convention? I know in your own set that you close with ‘All or Nothing’.
Darron J Connett - ‘Mad John’, ‘Whatcha Gonna Do About It’, ‘Get Yourself Together’ and ‘Sha La La La Lee’.
Mark Baxter – He only got fifteen minutes on there, and it was a real struggle to get him on the bill. Luckily enough, I am involved in the convention, so I managed to get him on there.
Darron J Connett – I done the gig acoustically, and I made an impact. This pleased Mark and I.
ZANI - Sounds good, the Small Faces are one the best band England has ever produced.
Mark Baxter – They were the ultimate Mod band, Marriott isn’t the ‘Modfather’ but The ‘Mod God’.
Darron J Connett – The coolest band.
ZANI – It was sad that Steve Marriott tragically died in 1991, because with Oasis and Paul Weller’s success in 90’s, Marriott would have been out there, gigging, maybe even guesting on certain artists’ records. A very sad day. My Steve Marriott claim to fame is that I gave him a ‘mock’ dead arm after his gig at The Half Moon in Putney.Darron J Connett - I would have punched you back mate.
Mark Baxter – It wouldn’t have been Phil Daniels on Parklife, but Steve Marriott.
Darron J Connett – The day Steve Marriott died, I was in the Face clothes shop in Carnaby Street, and an announcement came over the radio. The shop went dead quite. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing, a great loss. That’s why the Small Faces convention is a good idea, because it keeps the band alive, and they can attract new fans. Marriott probably had one of the best white soul voices ever. Full respect to John Hellier (The Small Faces conference organiser).
Mark Baxter - Marriott went a bit dodgy when he started wearing dungarees.
Darron J Connett – Come on, I don’t think anyone really looks at that, it’s like thinking about Fat Elvis.
ZANI – Do you regard yourself as a mod?
Darron J Connett - That’s a very loose concept, the mod thing is always evolving. I remember Duffer fusing Hip Hop with the Mod look, I liked their clothes at that time. However, their clothes went right across the board, you’ll see Rasta’s donning their clothes, mods, Hip Hop kids.
ZANI – What about Chav culture?
Darron J Connett - I see it as a modern day mod movement. I don’t like what they wear, it’s a bit too sporty for me and there is nothing really smart about it. However, their clothes cost a lot of money and they go around on scooters. Instead of fighting the rockers, they are now having rows with the Goths. The gangs that you see hanging around, they are alright, just kids, growing up and exploring. You might get the odd arsehole, but as a rule, they’re ok.
Mark Baxter – The Chavs are the bastard sons of the Casuals.
Darron J Connett - And the Casuals are the long, lost cousins of the Mods.
ZANI - You like your clothes, where do you going shopping?
Darron J Connett - Anywhere and everywhere, I go to charity shops, Ebay and other sites. I love a bargain.
ZANI – I love a charity shop, but it seems harder to get a bargain these days?
Mark Baxter – When I used to run a clothing stall, I had these little old ladies, who worked in the charity shops on my payroll. They used to put aside all the good clobber.
Darron J Connett - So that’s why you never see Fred Perry in a charity shop.
ZANI – What other bands do you like? What about the man who's in the press all time, Pete Doherty?
Darron J Connett - When The Libertines started, I thought this is great. I liked the way they looked, the way they sounded, and that Pete Doherty was a fellow QPR supporter. I thought they were going to be as big as Oasis, but they fucked it. But the sad thing is they could have been. Oasis in their early days went on about how many drugs they took, but it didn’t over shadow the music.
ZANI – Oasis was more about cocaine and champagne.
Darron J Connett - As opposed to smack. Oasis lived the cliché rock and roll life style, not jacking up or doing crack. Both these drugs are seen as dirty, whilst cocaine is associated with money and sex, making it glamorous. But there’s nothing glamorous about it when you’re hooked on drugs, whether it’s coke or smack or whatever.
ZANI - Do you have a good guitar collection?
Darron J Connett - No, I only have one guitar, and it’s an old battered up acoustic. I don’t really play guitar that well, but I have a good guitarist in the band.
ZANI - What do think the future has in store for you?
Darron J Connett - World domination, I hope and why not? What’s the point of doing things half-heartedly? What I would really like is millions of people owning my album and loving it. Similar to the success Michael Jackson had with ‘Thriller’, where it has been said that seventy per cent of the world owned his album.
ZANI - Finally, what’s your perfect day in London?
Darron J Connett - A nice sunny day, centre of town, a couple of beers and watching the girls go by. Just chilling out.
ZANI – Perfect choice.
In terms of marketing, gigging and promotion Darron J Connett is faultless. He has been building a reputation on the live circuit and gaining a fan base via the internet. It seems only a question of time before the major labels start to show an interest. Surely it cannot be long before he is getting prime radio airtime? (Please take note Mr. Crowley.)
Britain is a great breeding ground for singer/songwriters, and Darron certainly fits the mould. He is the real deal. He offers potential record labels a complete package. On the one hand he is an ambitious and talented singer, passionate about his craft. Then combine that with intelligence, model good looks and a brilliant dress sense. He could easily be a pin-up for thousands of teenage girls, and a style icon for a generation of cool young dudes. In short he’s a classic in the making.
“All the girls want to sleep with him. All the boys want to be him”.
When you first come across Darron J Connett, you may think that he is just another Weller wannabe, but he is far from that. Especially in terms of music, performance, and outlook. A swift trip to the hairdressers and the association with Weller will be gone forever.
After the interview, I had a listen to his new demo and was very impressed. Three tracks in particular stood out. The angry young man anthem, ‘Ego Ascending’, the haunting ‘Star Potential’, and the poppy ‘ Early in The Morning’. I could hear the strong influences of Morrissey and Elvis Costello within the music, all fine songwriters in my book.
I think Darron J Connett's description of his own material, ‘Council Estate Rock’, is spot on. And as well as that, he can really sing. Is he wishing on a star? Nah mate, he is a star.
©Matteo Sedazzari / ZANI
But chilly, chilly is the evening time
Waterloo sunset’s fine
Millions of people swarming like flies ’round waterloo underground
But Terry and Julie cross over the river
Darron J Connett's Official Site
Darron J Connett's MySpace Page
