Pete Thompson is a solo act that performs as Play_Rewind_Eject.

We had the opportunity to speak with him about this new album, Back to Forward. We discussed Pete’s inspirations, using the web to promote music, and the music scene in his area of the UK.

You can click play below and listen as you read.

Let’s break through this ice. Who are you? Where are you from? What style of music do you create?

I’m a solo artist based in Ipswich, Suffolk in the UK and I play under the name play_rewind_eject as I thought it’s a bit more interesting than playing under the name Pete Thompson! I’d class the type of music I write as Indie Rock Pop. I always find it hard to describe my own music but critics have said there are elements of The Cure, Oasis, U2 and Echo & The Bunnymen in the music I make.

What is the music scene like in your area?

It’s a good vibrant scene in Ipswich, it’s not a large town but in terms of the number of creative people making music and performing it’s impressive. Luckily there are a lot of promoters who do it for the love of music rather than ripping bands off. Ipswich is only an hour away from London so there are lots of opportunities there too if you’re willing to travel. I tend to play most of my shows acoustically so it’s easy for me to chuck the guitar in the car and head off to a show.

Back To Forward is an impressive album. What inspired this groovin’ wall of sound?

Thanks, the songs on the album were a mixture of old ones from the former band I was in or ones I wrote during the recording sessions. I write everything on my acoustic guitar so the inspiration comes from singer/songwriters from a writing point of view. However, when I record them i like to do more than just do 10 acoustic tracks. I wouldn’t say there was a particular album sound or artist that inspired how the songs ended up, it’s more a melting pot of all my influences really, from Springsteen to James via Noel Gallagher.

What was the last song you listened to?

The last song I listened to was Broken Stones by Paul Weller, I was in the car and it’s the one place I still listen to CD’s so I pulled out ‘Hit Parade’ which is a Weller greatest hits. Great songwriter and listened to a hits compilation of his just showed how his writing as developed from The Jam, to the Style Council and on to his solo work.

What did you listen to a kid? What do you listen to now? Have your tastes changed?

My music tastes were pretty shocking up to the age of about 16, it was all the pop and chart stuff. Then I discovered Oasis and the Britpop explosion which made me pick up the guitar and start writing songs. These days I’d say my tastes have shifted to Americana, Alt. Country and lots of American solo artists – Griffin House is someone who I really like at the moment and Rival Sons are one of my favourite Rock bands.

Where did you record this album? Did you have help from outside musicians and/or producers?

I recorded the album in my own Home Studio and played all the instruments myself. The album was mastered by Pete Maher who is a top mastering engineer, he recently finished working with U2 and has worked on other albums by top artists. We met when I was in a band back in about 2006 and he has mastered my stuff ever since.

Do you actively gig? Where can people catch you live?

I do gig, mainly acoustic and mainly around London. My next gig is May 25th at the George and Vulture in Hoxton. Check out www.playrewindeject.com for all my live dates. I’m currently working on a new album which I may gig with a full band and rock it out a bit more.

How is the Internet helping (or hurting) your efforts to promote and market your music to a wider audience? Are you connecting with new fans?

The internet is my main tool for promoting my music. I use all the social networks and have an active mailing list so I can keep my fans up-to-date with all my latest news. I give away the majority of my music for free and have all my tracks on Spotify and in rotation on a number of internet radio stations. If it wasn’t for the internet I would still be playing to one man and his dog in a back end pub in Ipswich.

Is there one thing you wished someone told you in the beginning that you can share with aspiring musicians now? What’s one thing you know now that you wish you knew back then…?

Enjoy the moment and don’t keep chasing the dream or you’ll forget all the good things that are happening along the way. I was in a Rock band for about 10 years and a lot of the time I would think about what we hadn’t achieved rather than what we had. Looking back we were successful in our own way – we recorded in great studios, played with top bands, toured the UK twice and released music on our own record label as well as having a management deal. They are all things to be proud of which, at the time, I took for granted really and always wanted the elusive record deal. Now I’m a lot more chilled about it and enjoy building up my home studio, writing, recording and gigging.

Where can we find your album online? Where can we connect with you?

All my albums are available for free download from www.playrewindeject.com and you can find me on twitter at @playrewindeject and on facebook.

Any last thoughts? Shout outs?

Well I’d like to thank you for the interview and the exposure you’ve given to my album. I’d like to mention that there will be a new album out later this year called ‘play rewind eject and the hired guns‘, I’m recording it with a full band of musicians I’ve played with over the years…expect big guitars and choruses.