RM Hubbert: Punk As Folk

Ask around the Scottish music scene and you'll learn that Robert 'RM' Hubbert has become something of a legend. A master captivator of crowds and equally inventive composer, Hubbert's intoxicating acoustic guitar pieces draw on his own exotic strain of samba and taiko styles. Oh, and it's all rooted in punk.

After a decade playing with now defunct math-rock provocateurs and John Peel favourites, El Hombre Trajeado, Hubbert released his debut solo effort, First & Last (initially on a pay what you like basis) to glowing praise last year, which Chemikal Underground recently reissued.

That was followed by a heavy bout of live performances, which has included support slots with Godspeed You! Black Emperor and sister band A Silver MT Zion; being invited to open for Mogwai on recent European dates this year; and quite possibly some deft finger-picking over a salad in your mate’s front room, as part of his homely ‘Will Play For Food’ policy.

Now, with a second album in the works, featuring creative partnerships with the likes of Alex Kapranos and Alasdair Roberts, we had a word with the man himself to learn more about the origin of his music.

What was your first instrument?
I played violin for a while when I was very young. Got kicked out of the class for repeatedly trying to play it like a guitar! I started playing guitar when I was 16.

What music influenced you early on in your career?
I actually remember the exact time I decided to learn guitar. It was whilst watching a Buzzcocks live video. It looked fun and relatively simple. I basically learned by learning Buzzcocks, Black Flag and Minutemen songs by ear. My style of guitar playing is still punk. It just doesn't sound like it. A wise man once said 'punk is what you make it'. Wise words.

Why did you start playing solo acoustic guitar, as opposed to electric rock guitar?
I started to learn flamenco techniques as a distraction when my father was very ill. After he died, it seemed natural to write music about the experience and as I was uncomfortable getting others involved in that process, solo acoustic guitar was ideal.

You've spoken about your guitar playing being a therapeutic thing. Could you go into more detail about that?
Like a lot of Scottish males, I find it very difficult to talk about emotional issues. I went through a very difficult three year period wherein both of my parents died suddenly, and I was finally given a diagnosis for the chronic depression that I had been experiencing since my teens. I was finding it impossible to communicate my feelings about this to my loved ones and figured that it might be easier to write music about it.

These pieces ended up being released as First & Last which then led to me playing live again. I tend to talk about the motivation behind each piece when I play live. I find this easier than one-on-one conversation for some reason. I look forward to the day when I can just talk to the people I love so honestly.

You originally let fans set their own price for First & Last. Was that a successful way of going about the release?
Very much so, at least until I signed to Chemikal Underground. Prior to that, most sales were well above the cost price. It meant that those sales more than offset those that took the album for free; and also meant that the album got wider distribution than it would have otherwise. I had been aware that this model might not scale at a certain point but I was very surprised when the average price paid dropped so dramatically, literally on the day that the signing was announced. The last couple of months actually lost money on this model.

What inspired the decision to use that business model in the first place?
There's a quote from (open source software advocate) Tim O'Reilly that I have always felt is pertinent to this subject, namely, "obscurity is a far greater threat to authors and creative artists than piracy". Allowing people to set their own price and encourage sharing is a great way to spread your art quickly and efficiently whilst also taking an income. I would recommend it to anyone planning a DIY release.

Tell us about your forthcoming album, is recording underway?
The next album will be made up of a mix of solo guitar pieces and collaborations with some of my favourite musicians. The basic premise is about the process of building and reconnecting friendships. It's kind of an extension of First & Last, in that I find it easiest to connect with people through writing music about and with others.

At this point, the collaborations with Aidan Moffat and Luke Sutherland plus all of the solo pieces are done. We will be finishing it off once I get back from supporting Mogwai on their European tour.

How excited are you to be working with the likes of Alex Kapranos, Emma Pollock and Alasdair Roberts?
It's been really great to work with everyone involved. I've always been really interested in others' creative processes. I've been a big fan of Emma, Alasdair, Aidan Moffat and Stuart Braithwaite for a long time so it's a real treat to get to write with them.

What is the songwriting process like on these collaborations: do you work on a piece together in the studio, or do you prepare a guitar part and let them write to it?
I deliberately didn't write anything in advance of meeting up with the collaborators. The whole appeal of these collaborations for me is the writing process itself. I didn't want it to become 'RM Hubbert plus such and such.'

Will people be surprised with the direction you've taken on any of the new material?
I suppose that depends on how much of my back catalogue they are aware of. There is a lot more instrumentation going on. Chinese harp, piano, banjo, Cajon, drums, vocals, electric guitar and violin all feature alongside the flamenco guitar so it certainly has a different dynamic. I think that it still sounds like a RM Hubbert record though.

You've gigged prolifically in the past year or so. Which shows stand out to you?
Playing Glasgow Barrowland with Godspeed You! Black Emperor was a big deal to me. The three dates I did in Ireland with Mogwai were amazing too. Other than that, playing in a cave outside of Anstruther, and in the deep end of a disused Victorian swimming pool in Govanhill was pretty cool too.