You just can’t not like them. They are fun, they are real, they understand what it means to give back to the community. And they are brave enough to start something really new yet familiar with energy rarely seen these days. They are Grace can’t play Guitar. Hear this Brighton based UK band. You will definately meet a new household name for good, contemporary indie music.
And while you are it, listen to their great new song Narcotica!
Music Authentic: Here at Music Authentic it seems to be the traditional question to start with is: How did you sleep last night?
Mr Chris Payne: I didn’t sleep very well last night as it very hot in the UK at the moment, so I lay on my bed dreaming of Grace songs.
Tyler: I slept very well, very hot, very humid and because of the main road we can’t have the windows open.
Mr Chris Payne: At least I can have the windows open, life is a very small window of opportunity.
Music Authentic: We can’t avoid reality around us. Where do you usually gain strength during these changing and challenging times?
Mr Chris Payne: I probably gain most of my strength from trying to creating, writing new songs and playing, that is very true actually and being positive, positive aspirations!
Tyler: Family and working towards the main goal of Grace and trying to push her out there.
Music Authentic: There is a lot of uncertainty nowadays, our lives have been different in so many ways making a lot of people afraid of the future. How do you think your life will be in a few years from now on?
Mr Chris Payne: Hopefully, freedom to gig and to promote Grace.
Tyler: To be playing live and to get the album done, which we’ve got a lot of new songs to process, to be able to get out there in the public eye and perform these songs.
Mr Chris Payne: perform the songs and to wear sunglasses!
Tyler: Absolutely!!
Music Authentic: Here is an intriguing question: Do you consider yourself an artist or a musician?
Mr Chris Payne: I am not sure if it actually matters, if you can make people smile doing what you enjoy doing then I reckon you’ve cracked it doesn’t matter if you’re a musician or an artist.
Tyler: I can’t play an instrument so I consider myself an artist due to the fact that I have to use my voice and I have to use my personality to get my craft over.
Music Authentic: Do you think there are firm lines among the different roles all you need to be an all-in-one solution for your art?
Tyler: No blur the lines, you blur the lines and you can cross effortlessly from one side to the other and plus it also keeps people guessing don’t want to be a one trick pony so if you can blur the lines then yeah you could you can move across the dimensions that’s my opinion.
Mr Chris Payne: You can never have firm lines, maybe slightly changing. You can’t be put in a little box; space is needed to grow!
Music Authentic: There is a new cold war, now in outer space. What about you, would you take your chances and be the part of the first Mars colony in 20 years or rather stay in Earth?
Mr Chris Payne: Do you know weirdly enough; I love this planet and I love Grace obviously and I love the way we move forward with music with a view to the past. I think if we were on Mars it would be dominated by the more corporate music.
Tyler: I would rather to be here because we have got a lot of unfinished business on this planet with Grace and we can conquer this planet and then go to Mars and conquer there too (laughter)
Music Authentic: Have you ever felt promoting your music become almost like a door-to-door selling?
Mr Chris Payne: Yeah, with no gigging it is definitely different, but hey let’s move with the times. Promoting your own stuff should never be boring it is part of the deal
Tyler: Personally with what is going on in the world at the moment, you do feel like a door to door salesman because if you not on Twitter, you’re on Instagram or TikTok etc., it is like moving around knocking on doors trying to get your music hear because you can’t play live which is so much more fulfilling.
Music Authentic: Some argues concept albums are over, others insist storytelling is still important. And you?
Both: We don’t think concept albums are over because when you look at #RevolutionGrace it is slightly concept we have made it that way unintentionally. We are not sure that the album will be concept but there is a possibility, our first video ended with the character who also started the second video. Subconsciously, we have linked all the songs but we could end up with a blend of both concept and storytelling but both can be important.
(the interview continues with some fun below the photos)
Music Authentic: Let’s have some funnier questions! If you had a chance to play a superhero character in a movie or a series, whom would you choose?
Mr Chris Payne: If I could play any superhero it would be Daredevil!
Tyler: Antman all the way for me because he can be really small and unnoticeable but equally he can be really big!
Music Authentic: Nowadays, the frames of so-called „traditional” values are not only questioned but mostly being “attacked” by more and more all around. What characteristics do you think should be valid then?
Mr Chris Payne: The old values have always kept us in good stead however there is too much bigotry and racism, so I think new values are needed, human resilience and fundamentals but lets look after our planet most of all.
Tyler: I agree with that but let’s learn from the past learn from our mistakes, but we are not doing that we need to be stronger and sort this out or we will all end up on Mars!
Music Authentic: For different reasons we are having newer and newer challenges these days. Are you striving or thriving?
Tyler: I’m striving to be a better me, striving to make better music, striving to learn. Definitely striving!
Mr Chris Payne: I’m definitely not thriving, still full of optimism, always strive to be creative and create little blocks of Grace that make people stand up and listen, more importantly smile and laugh and like Tyler striving to learn.
Music Authentic: What things would be the greatest achievements for you through your art?
Mr Chris Payne: To make people sing, smile, dance, laugh, you can’t beat any of those things it is all anyone can wish for.
Tyler: I agree to put a smile on people’s faces to see a whole room in unison when we play, (longingly) when we play!!
Music Authentic: Recently there are these so-called icons whom we are told to look up though only being a mirror of a fading beam of light. Personally you, which artist do you recommend to listen to from the past or the contemporary era and why?
Mr Chris Payne: Mine is a weird one – The Strokes, every single song has so much emotion behind it they make me want to listen to them.
Tyler: The person I think that people should listen to more from the past is Prince! Why, because he was a genius, he was a triple threat he could dance he could sing he could write he was…. People say there would never be another Jimmy Hendrix but Prince… If you want to learn about music and how to perform watch that man, he was phenomenal!
Music Authentic: These years are more about people’s power in almost every aspect of our life. Let’s imagine you you were the Prime Minister, what would be the most crucial to begin a change with?
Mr Chris Payne: To get in touch with the normal people, the normal working class people and their love of the arts and music at these really crumby times
Tyler: I agree with that, start from the bottom up and stop looking after the rich people because the richer get richer and poor get poorer! Start looking after the people at the bottom, think how many homeless people there are in the world at the moment, every child should be able to have a hot meal every day, a healthy meal every day!
Music Authentic: I really like your tone and unique voice making you stand out even from the so called TOP 40 lists. What important project you are working on these days? What makes it precious for you?
Both: To make the best album possible, we hope this album is going to be a killer, a most awesome album!
Music Authentic: Whose story had a great effect on your life?
Mr Chris Payne: A Hare and Tortoise – shows determination, perseverance and knowing you can do it and everyone should aspire to that definitely.
Tyler: Mine is Freddie Mercury, his life coming from nothing, fighting every demon he had, being a gay man at the wrong time but pushing forward to becoming the best rock star on the planet
Music Authentic: Have you ever used your stage as a platform to help out others?
Both: I think we do in general, we have been in bands before haven’t we and the idea of being stage is to encourage people to dance to like to love and that for us is the most important thing. For Grace, we have used local people in all our band stuff, in our social media, our website, modelling and our music videos to give them an opportunity to be part of something fun in these strange times, to get a buzz and motivation to give it a go, to believe in their dreams and not give up. We are still striving to get there and we have never given up!
Music Authentic: Artists, musicians I believe have an utmost responsibility to advance the communities and the societies. What do you think the hardest challenges are in society these days?
Mr Chris Payne: As a musician personally, it is not fall into the trap of thinking that everything is going back to normal. Need to stand up and move with the times and social media is not our enemy it is to be embraced. From a society perspective, confusion in politics and the lack of closeness to others, the lack of simple closeness to others!
Tyler: At the moment, putting a brave face on such a crap time, and remembering that your glass is half full and not half empty. There is an end to this and you must be positive, we will get through this!
Music Authentic: What is your favourite pastime activity?
Mr Chris Payne: Cricket, I absolutely love it, traditionally English I know, trying to write songs on my computer and growing vegetables!
Tyler: Soccer, I love soccer and am a big Liverpool FC fan and some of the best things come from Liverpool – The Beatles. Listen to music and embracing it and finding new bands to listen to, it is great!
Music Authentic: At last but not least, please, send your message to encourage others!
Mr Chris Payne: Keep going, keep striving to achieve make yourself happy and those that surround you
Tyler: Never give up!
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