Crankbox-music

Becky Baldwin - Control the storm

Story and interview by Chris Koppers/image courtesy of Becky Baldwin

Becky is a graduate from Bristol Institute of Modern Music and is a passionate full time musician. She is a heavy metal bassist who stands for animal rights and feminism.

Becky had some moments to share with crankbox-music:

What was your moment to opt for being a musician?

I can't remember there being a 'moment' as such, I remember there being a slow development from music being something I just did, to being 'who I am.' I started jamming with friends as soon as I got my first bass for my 13th birthday and I just had so much fun, I didn't want to stop!
As for music as my career, about two years ago I did some summer work in a factory operating machinery and mostly just sticking bits of rubber and plastic together all day... I hated it so much and couldn't take any more after about a month! That was when I decided to become fully committed to making music my career - that may mean having no money most of the time, but for me it's definitely worth it!

What are your current plans?


It feels like my power metal band – Control The Storm www.facebook.com/controlthestorm have been making a lot of progress recently. I think things are really falling into place, it seems we've finally got the formula right and people have started to take a lot more notice. I'd like to see how far we can push it, because we really believe in the songs. We have been lucky enough to be chosen to play at one of the UK's best heavy metal festivals, Bloodstock! So I'd like to focus my attention on this project in particular.
What do you want to do in 2013?
 
A tour would be brilliant!
Other than that I'd just like to meet a lot of new people in the industry, and play with a variety of different musicians. I find that I learn a lot of new things from everyone I get the opportunity to play with or even just talk about music with.

 Please rate the following words by importance
a) Success
b) Love
c) Tons of money
d) publicity as if there is no tomorrow
e) beauty

Success
Love
Publicity
Beauty
Tons of money

What do you want to express with your music? How do you achieve it? 

Tough question... I play in several different projects, so it's hard for me to pin down one thing we want to do! I guess I always want to give my performances bags of energy, I want to give those watching that buzzing, inspired feeling I get at a great concert.
There are too many possible things to express, but I love it when music gives me goosebumps, I hope people sometimes get that when they listen to my bands!

Who is your supportive person when it comes to music?
My partner, Chris Hawkins, has always been there to encourage me. When you perform music, you put so much on the line – it's so easy to let negative comments get you down. It can really put you off your dream! You always need someone who knows what they're talking about to help you remember why you want to play!
My parents have also been extremely helpful and always able to understand what I really need. And it was great to take bass lessons instead of gym... Haha!

What do you miss in today's music industry?

I've only just finished university, so I've not been in the industry long enough to really know what to miss! But from what I've experienced so far, it's no where near as much fun as it sounds like when you read about Mötley Crüe!

Thank you for taking your time, Becky