There are people who have talent inside them and need to work hard to get it out and express it. Then there are others who are naturally gifted and it is given to them. For Ebony Thomas aka Ebony Bones, the British singer songwriter has been crafting her own music for years without ever picking up a guide book or getting a lesson. She feels it and expresses it. One of the most talked about new artists of 2009, Ebony Bones has gone from catching the attention of BBC DJ Zane Lowe to performing at Glastonbury and selling out clubs around the world. Combining Off-Broadway theatrics with Brazilian flair and African drums and straight British attitude, Ebony Bones is one musician that is serious about what she does but knows how to have fun with it. I had the chance to speak with Ebony and we discussed her influences, rise and personality. Take a look at my interview with Ebony Bones below.Your style is so unique and fruitful. You combine so many different genres, who are some of your biggest influences?
London has always been a melting pot of cultures and eccentricities, rainy days and grey skies all of which I am heavily influenced by ..
Theater has always played a major role in your live sets and music. Why is this?
I like imagination -- and the way I think things could be, had been, or should be , better than reality. Imagination can transform all sorts of personal insanity into elements of self-invention.
You combine punk DIY aesthetics and Glam all at the same time. Interesting combination that you make work so well, how did you decide to blend the two together?
I come from the home-grown punk ethic, where it doesn't matter if you can't play a note, it's how you communicate. I was never interested in making pretty music or looking cute, I dreamt of something greater.
Describe your sound for someone who has never herd you before?
Tastes like chicken..
You have been a buzz artist for a while, being played on heavy rotation on Zane Lowe’s show in UK to selling out shows in the US before even having a record, to opening for the Slits and playing Glastonbury. How do you respond to the overwhelming attention?
Its been such a train ride of option and interaction. Doors have been opened and experiences I will never forget. From performing live to 60,000 in Japan, singing on stage with Damon Albarn, to French Vogue photo shoots, so much opportunity. I’ve learned so much as a human being, a creative person, a business person and a spirit.
In your press release I saw this statement you made and I laughed, “I am Cleopatra reincarnated, in search of a KFC.” What exactly does this mean?
Its a cheap joke, Im full of them
Hailing from South London, the area is known to be a bit dodgy, has that neighborhood had an influence on your music?
Smooth seas dont make skillful sailors
What does the title, “Bone of my Bones,” suggest?
Bone Of My Bones is taken from Genesis - (the book not the band). This debut like the book, marks my beginning. The track itself on the album is an instrumental, after all God gave us all music so we might pray without words..
Some of your song titles, "In G.O.D We Trust (Gold, Oil & Drugs)", “Story Of St.Ockwell" and “W.A.R.R.I.O.R.” have political connotations to them. What do you think of politicians and do you think they will ever listen to their people?
Just like poetry, my music does not state anything.. It merely suggests.
I ask this question to many British acts, is it still a big deal for a singer or band from the UK to make it in America?
Its important for an artist to have their music heard by as many humans as possible. But its a far greater achievement for an artist to have a career - in a time when many are only promised a moment.
Ebony Bones performing in Miami 2009, covering The Stooges "I Wanna Be Your Dog."