A story to inspire any mind, mixed-ability rock band Caged Art’s frontman, Gary, has taken an incredibly journey from sleeping on the streets to singing on the stage. Aided by the brilliant behind behind music therapy charity T.I.M.E, Gary has put his reticent day behind him and has gone onto play such feats as the London Mermaid’s Theatre at Autisms Got Talent; we had the joy of speaking to the man himself to find out more…
UR: How did you get into music in the first place?
I always had a love for music since childhood. And I’ve always loved poems and lyrics and the way music made me feel so it seemed right to put all that together. Getting involved with TIME is where it really took off though, that was my first time playing, writing and sharing music with other people in a creative way.
UR: Did you have other goals/dreams if it wasn’t going to be music?
I loved the idea of an actor or footballer! Not sure if I could have done that though hahaha.
UR: How do you spend most of your spare time outside of music?
I love drawing and making art, mainly on my iPad and with paint. I design all the album art for caged arts. I also love walking in nature.
UR: If you could share the stage with a deceased music star who would it be and why?
David bowie. His songs are so unique, I’m really inspired by him vocally, he has a similar range to me. He was always amazing on stage too. And I love how every album of his has a different theme, that’s how I like to make music too.
UR: What’s your method for discovering new music?
Mostly YouTube and Spotify.
UR: What has been the hardest thing to overcome in regards to writing/playing music?
The writing and singing have come naturally to me, but playing on stage has always been very scary for me, especially at the beginning it was really out of my comfort zone. But the more I did it the more comfortable I became. I had lots of help from the TIME guys with those initial feelings of being scared to be on stage.
UR: What’s the bond like between you and the other members of Caged Arts?
I have a great relationship with our bass player martin, I understand he has struggles of his own but I feel like being part of the band really helps him. We really connect when it comes to making music, he writes lots of his own lyrics too and in some songs, we switch and I play the bass and he’s sings, I really like it when we do that. Aside from that I’m basically the old drummer’s therapist haha!
UR: How has T.I.M.E helped you as a musician and as a person?
They’ve really helped me push the limits of myself and show the artist inside of me. Even when it comes to painting and drawing, I only every started that once I began singing at the TIME’s music sessions. They helped me write and record songs, get gigs for the band and take me to really exciting places and meet great people. It’s given me much more confidence and purpose in my life. I came from a very dark place before making music with TIME. I was facing homelessness and didn’t have anything to do in my life, and I would spend a lot of time getting drunk. But being in a band has turned my life around. I also help TIME with their disability nightclub where I’ve made lots of friends and get to help other people, I love to give back and make other people happy. We also get to play gigs there too.
Connect with T.I.M.E down below:
Connect with Caged Arts Below: