Riffed

This week RIFFED chatted to 16 year old singer/songwriter Danny Aspinall. As he states within the interview, Aspinall offers something different, an element of rock, to the occasionally bland acoustic game. This is how it went down:

1) Who is Danny Aspinall?

I am 16 year old singer/songwriter from the North of England, bringing an element of rock to the acoustic singer/songwriter genre. 

2) Favourite gig of which you've played?

I played a really fun gig at my local pub last month. Which has probably been my favourite to date due to the liveliness of the crowd. The audience plays an important role in my live performances, and thus I think I'll always judge a show by its crowd rather than venue. I do however, have a gig lined up on my birthday later this month which I'm very excited for... I see that becoming my favourite gig I've played!

3) Who are your biggest inspirations?

This is an interesting one. The way I see it, I have three main inspirations. First and foremost, Bon Jovi. They're the reason I started doing what I do; I remember watching a clip on YouTube of 'Livin On A Prayer' live from Wembley Stadium, and thinking "woah, that's what I want to do!" From that moment on I became, and indeed remain, a bit of a Bon Jovi 'Die-Hard', and for around 2 years they were the only band I listened to. Much of my stage performance and presence is down to things I've picked up from studying Jon Bon Jovi, who's really mastered the role of being an entertainer. A couple of years ago, my music taste began to branch out a little more and I started exploring the catalogues of the 'legends'. That's when I discovered Bruce Springsteen. For me, Springsteen is without a doubt the greatest songwriter of all time. From a songwriters point of view, he's my sole source of inspiration. This can be both a blessing and a burden; I pick up techniques and ideas from studying Springsteen's lyrics, however more often than not want to throw my lyrics straight in the trash when comparing them to a master class such as 'Thunder Road'. My third and final inspiration is Frank Turner. I was introduced to his music by my girlfriend early this year and I really connected to it as it is so relevant to what I'm doing. Similar to how I am an acoustic songwriter with classic rock routes, Frank Turner is an acoustic songwriter with punk roots. The way he's managed to adopt a new style whilst in some degree sticking to his roots is something I can learn from.

4) Where do you see yourself in 5 years time?

A lot can happen in the space of 5 years. There's been talks of very exciting prospects including much bigger stages in the near future. I'm lucky enough to live near Leeds which has a thriving music scene, so at the very least I'd like to establish some sort of name for myself on the Leeds music scene.

5) What's next for Danny Aspinall?

As mentioned, there's exciting prospects ahead! For now, I'm enjoying doing what I'm doing, working the local scene and getting to meet a lot of great people. Over this coming summer I hope to spread to a little bit of a wider audience, and keep climbing up the ladder of the industry step by step. I'm currently writing new material to join my current single, 'The Road', and would eventually like to get round to recording an EP in the near future. I can't guarantee what's going to happen next, but I can ensure you that I'm incredibly excited about wherever this road will take me.

Huge thanks to Danny Aspinall for the interview.

Danny is offering a free download of his new single 'The Road', download via the link: http://api.artistlink.com/home/widgets/209529/account_fan_transactions/new?brand=mtv

Follow Danny Aspinall on Twitter: @Danny_Aspinall

And

Like Danny's Facebook page: www.facebook.com/dannyaspinallmusic

Also visit Danny Aspinall's official webpage: www.dannyaspinall.com

RIFFED x