Sounds of Bristol 2018 - Lewis Creaven of The Lewis Creaven Band
Posted on: 08 Feb 2018There’s a huge array of creative talent in Bristol, and whether its music, art, design or anything else, 365Bristol wants you to know about it. With that in mind, we present the Sounds of Bristol series: a detailed look at some of the brightest musical talent in the city right now. This time around we speak to Lewis Creaven – guitarist and lead vocalist in The Lewis Creaven Band.
Based in the Easton area, The Lewis Creaven Band have cemented a reputation in the area as one of the most hard-working bands on the scene, showcasing a diverse mix of blues, funk, rock, jazz and pop at venues up and down the UK as well as a few abroad. Their hectic gigging schedule (277 shows played in 2017 by Lewis’s count) is something to be admired, and the local trio have become veterans of the live circuit over the years.
In terms of musical history, Lewis recalls that he was introduced to music at a very young age. “There were always tunes blasting on the Hi-Fi” he says. “Some of my earliest memories are of jumping around to Queen’s We Will Rock You and Bowie’s Major Tom”. Having started playing the guitar around age 10, he got his passion for music from his older brother and his dad, crediting the latter as his main musical inspiration.
“Never one to discourage, he was always helping me get to the next step; showing me artists like Stevie Ray Vaughan, Hendrix and Lenny Kravitz”. That guidance appears to have stuck through his subsequent years, crediting Hendrix, Led Zeppelin and Miles Davis as influencers of his sound.
The one artist that mad e the biggest impact, though, was American guitarist and songwriter Derek Trucks. “As soon as I heard the magic slide playing of Derek Trucks I knew it would change my whole style and understanding of music. Listening to him is among the most inspirational of my musical endeavours”.
As for The Lewis Creaven Band, Lewis says they take inspiration from a number of genres and styles like 60s and 70s rock, the blues, jazz, big bass and more, playing with an old-school style. He says they like to keep it simple and low-tech, keen to “let the music breathe” and maintain an air of honesty. Primarily a rock band, they’re known to borrow aspects of other genres, something Lewis says is best described as Jazz-rock.
In their formative years, Lewis tells me he met bassist Patrick Farrell at a blues jam, introducing him to drummer Mike Wiedrich at the same event. The trio started gigging from there, going on to enlist the help of second drummer Mike Hoddinott. As for the change in personnel, Lewis explains that he and Patrick have “used a great system of using various drummers in order to keep the music fresh” and relieve the pressure of the gigging schedule. Something’s working, clearly, as the band (or variations of it) has been performing live for over a decade.
Most recently, Lewis has played shows in Melbourne and Sydney, before returning to work on the band’s latest project, Re-visiting Eric Clapton Unplugged, in which Lewis and band mate Patrick make up part of the house band. The guys appear to have a pretty busy year ahead, with two Bristol shows in February before moving on to Germany in May and settling back into their monthly residencies at The Green Man and The Gallimaufry.
Lewis clearly values the local and grassroots music scene in the city, his interest made clear by his at-will name dropping of his favourite acts and venues in the area. In terms of artists he’s got his eye on, though, one stands out from the rest in 2018. “Cousin Kula has to be one of the best bands coming out of Bristol at the moment. 2017 rightly belonged to IDLES, and my hope is that 2018 will belong to Cousin Kula”.
In terms of venues, The Old Duke and, perhaps with a hint of bias given the band’s current residency, The Gallimaufry are the two that come to mind for Lewis and his band to play live. It’s a tough choice between the two, but The Old Duke just about edges it as the absolute favourite – “Always a great crowd, the bar staff are the best; it’s simply a Bristolian institution!”
Lewis and the band are also quick to highlight the importance of keeping it local when going out for drinks, to watch gigs, going for food or just generally hanging out. Highlighting numerous Gloucester Road spots such as Leftbank, The Gallimaufry and The Golden Lion, he tells me “I try to spend most of my free time along this road, buying records, drinking coffee and going to gigs”.
As for Bristol as a whole, Lewis Creaven clearly appreciates his surroundings, and is grateful for being based in the city:
“There’s always something going on. The pace of life is one Goldilocks would approve of and there is a little bit of everything here. Music, creativity, artistry, self-expression and liberating labour are all aspects to be found in Bristol. You are never far away from green spaces and the varieties of language and culture are here in hopeful abundance. My opinion is certainly biased with Bristol being my hometown, but the opinion is much shared and seconded”.
The Lewis Creaven Band currently have two Bristol residencies; playing at The Green Man on the first Thursday of every month, and their Blues Club show at The Golden Lion on the last Thursday of every month. You can catch their next live show at The Golden Lion on Thursday 22nd February. For more information and to follow updates, check out the band on Facebook or visit their website.
Article by:
Editor - 365Bristol.com & LOUD Magazine
Matt is a Journalism graduate and writer, passionate about supporting Bristol music, art and independent business. Get in touch via email at matt@365bristol.com.
