Cellarscape (a.k.a. Paul Terry)

We had the great pleasure to interview an amazing Indie artist that Junior’s Cave feels represents the true identity of Indie Music. Take a look at this wonderful spotlight with Cellarscape (a.k.a. Paul Terry). You will enjoy what this artist/musician has to say about his music and the state of Indie Music Industry. Enjoy!

Isaac: It’s an amazing time to be a DIY artist/performer/band/musician. What do you enjoy the most about being an indie performer?

Cellarscape: I think the freedom. It means that you can stay true to the music that you want to create. Even though my Cellarscape music has a certain kind of alt-acoustic/alternative sound, I get to play around with several genres I love and weave them together to see what that brings each song – be it quiet, loud, a cappella, or instrumental – and each record. Beyond Cellarscape, being independent also means that I can produce music for other situations – like my film soundtrack/score work – without worrying about whether a label and their ‘target market’ will approve. I’m currently working on my fourth Cellarscape record, plus, my ninth film soundtrack, and I love the variety that all of this brings.

Isaac: If you had an opportunity to sign with a major label, would you sign now knowing you may have to give up some of what you have build up over the years about you in the process?

Cellarscape: No disrespect to bands that do, but no, that’s not for me. It’s a completely different situation, with – among other things – expectations for them getting a fast return on the label’s investment in you. I think if it was more like the old days where labels signed artists because they loved their music, and looked forward to nurturing their work – excited to see where it would take both the band and the label – I’d be more interested. However, smaller/medium-sized labels today do seem to have that quality, which is ace. I really enjoy having my independent label SkyBabyRecords as my outlet for all of the different kinds of music I make. And I’ve always loved the marketing side of things – if you approach that stuff in the right way, it is always creative, exciting, and rewarding.

I know that a lot of indy musicians see the additional workload/multitasking that artists have to do these days as a pain, but I’ve never felt that way. From the sleeve art, to the advertising ideas, etc, I love thinking about the different ways to get my music out there. Sure, some stuff doesn’t work as well, but like any ‘marketing team’ you learn from trying out different things, hone the aspects that worked well, and plant more seeds in those areas. Overall, being responsible for your own actions is the way forward.

Isaac: I remembered Simon Cowell from American Idol talking about the “it” Factor that makes a musician/band stand out. What do you think is your “it” factor that makes you stand out from others in the music business?

Cellarscape: Well, the whole notion of an intangible, unexplainable ‘X’ factor – with regards to things like music, film, etc – has been of interest way before those Simon Cowell franchises. I don’t think that the artists/bands themselves can easily comment on that sort of thing, as most of them tend to just do what they do, be who they are, and make the music they make. It does feel like some contestants on those karaoke shows consciously do something specific to try and engineer an ‘it’ factor, which is ironic really, as that’s the whole point of it being an ‘X’ factor – it’s an indescribable ‘lightning in a bottle’ thing. I’d say that what I hope people get the most from what I do is that I strive to do everything with integrity, and make sure that the music, at its core, is an emotional experience.



People have said that they think the context in which I use acoustic guitars is very different, and that’s wonderful to hear. Overall, if people enjoy the Cellarscape sound, and find the music rewarding in some way, that’s amazing – you can’t ask for more than that. I’m my biggest critic, and I will obsess over arrangements, melodies, and lyrics until I’m happy with them. So in a world where remakes/cover versions/auto-tuning/glorified karaoke has an annoyingly strong grip, I hope that Cellarscape stands out from all of that, in the same way that thousands of other bands do, as a project that simply thrives on making music, and puts commerciality out of the equation.

Isaac: Why should music fans listen to your music? Describe what they are going to get when they listen to your music?

Cellarscape: To echo what I was saying just then, I hope that listeners get an emotionally rewarding experience. Whether that’s a really upbeat, positive expression, or something more intimate, more introspective, I hope they can bring some of themselves to the song’s mood and intention. That’s what I admire most about the songs I love: I’ve no idea what ‘A Sorta Fairytale’ by Tori Amos is literally about, but I always combine the song’s emotions with things personal and relatable in my life, and that makes it a very powerful experience to listen to it. If listeners to Cellarscape have a similar connection to my songs, then that makes me very happy.

Isaac: Briefly describe your humble beginnings that led you to where you are at musically now.

Cellarscape: It was the classic “playing music in a band with great friends” at school that gave me the bug for writing music. I was the drummer back then, but always enjoyed writing lyrics and co-writing with the guitarists in the band. So I bought an acoustic guitar aged 19 on the way to university, and armed with some Radiohead chord/tab books, and some advice from my ex-band mates James Bellamy and Niki Jones, set out to learn how to play it, to get all of the ‘song-worms’ out from my brain and onto records.

Isaac: You have some strong iconic influences. Of these influences, which artist/band do you relate to the most and why?

Cellarscape: The inspiration for diving into the independent world came from Devin Townsend, whose musical opuses have amazed me since the first Strapping Young Lad album back in 1995. Mind you, musically, if I had 1% of Mr. Townsend’s skills and innovations I’d be a happy man! I think the artists I relate to the most are the ones whose music has, at its core, an emotionally-led intention; a vulnerability. So other bands/artists I admire very much include The Unwinding Hours (their former outfit Aereogramme), PJ Harvey, Biffy Clyro, Tori Amos, Machine Head, Radiohead, Imogen Heap, Incubus, and Queen. Basically if the music does that ‘hair stands up on the back of your neck’ thing, then it speaks to me very loudly.

Isaac: Do you feel that Indie music gets the respect it deserves? Why or why not?

Cellarscape: I think it does, as music fans are very dedicated to the independent bands they come across. As far as the industry/radio play, etc is concerned, I don’t know if there will ever be a time where DJs/radio presenters will be able to choose a large chunk of what they play – there’s just too much money changing hands to secure good playlist positions – something indies don’t haven’t the cash to compete with. But that okay, I love the smaller stations around the world that play my stuff because they choose to. That means so much.

Isaac: If you could change one thing about the music business, what would it be and why?

Cellarscape: Related to what I was just saying about radio, I’d love the big UK stations to be braver, and to defy the trappings of profit/playlists a bit more. They claim to offer ‘music variety’ but they don’t at all. They don’t play any metal on the airwaves because they worry it will be “too loud for radio”; they don’t play obscure, experimental music like Mike Patton’s many incredible offerings; or something like the alt-orchestral genius of Godspeed You!Black Emperor.



A repetitive sample in a hollow pop song can be far more offensive to the ears than metal, but pop-stuff like that gets on the A-playlists all the time. So I’d love to hear some of my favorite artists on the radio more, simply because they make incredible music. Waking up with my cereal and hearing Machine Head blasting out of the speakers from a BBC radio station would be a truly great day, and a great win for music fans.

Isaac: What type of feedbacks have you been receiving about your music from fans and music critics?

Cellarscape: I’m overwhelmed with the press and fan feedback my latest Cellarscape album ‘Animation, Suspension’ has received around the world. Connecting with people via music is a very heartwarming thing, especially when the listeners are so far away in places like Australia and the States. People who enjoy what I do seem to be really enjoying the melodies, the lyrics, the structures, and they’ve been pointing out the genre-blending of intense rock through to fragile, minimalistic songwriting. Those are things I obsess over for every song, so for similar feedback to be coming through focusing on those elements is wonderful.

Isaac: If you knew that you would never gain fame and fortune with what you are doing now, would you continue to make music? Explain.

Cellarscape: Of course. “Fortune and glory” is never the intention. Anyone involved with music, film, novel/comic writing will tell you that they never embark on a project and consider their personal/financial investment in a kind of “profit versus loss” account situation – they do because they love it, and they can’t imagine not doing. Without sounding too cheesy, but they do it because it’s who they are. Just in the same way that a gymnast doesn’t train for fortune and glory, they train because it’s who they are and they love it.

Isaac: How do you handle negative feedback or negative energy about your music?

Cellarscape: I’ll never forget the first review that came through about the ‘Animation, Suspension’ record. The journalist (who shall remain nameless) basically trashed the entire album. She hated the lyrics. She hated every word, every punctuation mark. She hated the music. She hated everything about it. I read it and walked into our lounge and just looked at my girlfriend with this sort of zombified/haunted expression, and said “Have I got this all backwards… am I terrible at music?” She was fantastic and immediately told me everything that I needed to hear – that this was the opinion of ONE person, and that there will always be negative responses to everything. Subsequently, we realized that not only did this reviewer’s website/webzine get so little traffic that we couldn’t find one ‘Comment’ left on any review, but that also, she hates everything! So, so funny! The only thing she praised was something recorded on a cassette in a garage. So that moment taught me just that – the bad review was just a moment in time.

Regardless of who likes/hates the music you strive to make is pretty much irrelevant: you make it because that’s how the ideas come to you – they are the stories you want to tell. If the press/people experience those stories and go, “Yeah, I like this” then that’s fantastic. If they don’t, that’s cool too.

Isaac: That is funny. Some people just amazed me (not in a good way either! ).

Isaac: What role do your family and friends play in the equation of your pursuant of a music career?

Cellarscape: They’re very supportive, from attending gigs way back when I was in my mid-teens, through to suffering me disappearing off the map for quite a while when I’m in ‘new record mode’ – which I’m kind of in at the moment. It’s when I can’t really sleep much because the arrangement ideas won’t be quiet! Hopefully this new 5-track EP will be out around March/April. It’s kind of a stop-gap ‘interval’ record, as the next full-length Cellarscape album will be out at the end of this year.

Isaac: What is the best site/s that you can be found on the Internet?

Cellarscape: My main website for all of my different projects (music, film & writing) is www.paulterryprojects.co.uk , and that also has links about my writing work, including about the official LOST Encyclopedia that I co-wrote with the uber-amazing Tara Bennett. My independent record label’s website is www.sbrecords.co.uk , and then you can find me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/PTprojects , Facebook at www.facebook.com/cellarscape .

So please do join me on all those and you’ll get lots of exclusive, regular things via the Facebook page and Twitter too. If you’d like to buy my records on CD or Download, Cellarscape is available – as the phrase goes – “wherever music is sold”. Amazon, iTunes, CD Baby all sell Cellarscape, so search for it there, and your local record store should easily be able to order them in for you too. If you end up buying anything, a huge thank-you for that!

Isaac: The floor is yours; final words…

Cellarscape: I just want to say a massive thank you to you Isaac, to all at Junior’s Cave, and to everyone who is reading this. There is so much music out there these days that getting your voice heard can be nigh on impossible, so I really appreciate you interviewing me about what I do. If you’re reading this and are intrigued about what my Cellarscape project sounds like, there’s a jukebox that you can play at the top of the screen on my www.sbrecords.co.uk website that will cycle through some tunes and should give you a pretty good idea of what I do. And if you dig it, please join the Cellarscape Facebook page, tell your friends and family, and I wish you well in exploring the tunes that come out of my brain. Thanks very much for your time, best wishes, and wherever you are on this strange planet, have a terrific year… I hope to see you at a gig where you live sometime in the future soon. X