For some the passion and drive is music. Some are born with instruments in their hand, live and breath music. The creation of a song comes from life experience and influences. The ups and downs of the path we take.
The story started on Pembroke beach when three people met on the open sea, surfing. Their friendship began there but their music would come much later. The creators of the band, Chris Stoodley and Kathryn Shanahan meet at school; they were to become the founders of Under the Driftwood Tree, a surf style folk band. They were only three at the beginning, both Chris (vocals, ukulele, guitar, accordion, didgeridoo, djembe) and Kath (vocals, percussion, accordion) were playing with the help of Dylan, who subsequently left. In 2009, they were joined by the friends they first met on the beach a few years earlier: Alex Perry (lead guitar) and Robbie Price (vocals, guitar, accordion). The quartet then started a quest: playing their original music to as many people as possible, spreading the influence across Cardiff where they live now. Later on that year, they entered The Surface Unsigned Festival where they won the first prize, shortlisted from 30000 applicants. As an award, they were asked to play in the IndigO2 at the O2 Arena in London. From then, the group have grown in confidence and strength. They carried on playing in open mic nights and gigs whenever the opportunity presented itself. In January 2010, Samuel Lloyds Griffiths (bass player) became the final member, providing the group with more depth and balance. Later on that same year, they then played beside Jack Johnson at the Eden Sessions in Cornwall. This year has been very prolific, their music went further. They played on radios such as BBC Radio Wales, Evening show, as well as playing live on Radio Cardiff on Monday nights and RTE Radio1 in Ireland. The latest was a live recording in the studios of Maida Vale Studios in London, for Fearne Cotton show, BBC Introducing.
Under the Driftwood Tree is now beginning a new year full of hopes and ambitions. This project is only the beginning as I will be following them with the ultimate intention of creating a multimedia piece for the final submission, which will include video and sound, along with the photographs already taken. The work is intended to promote and introduce the group to a wider public. The short documentary on the life of the group is created through the employment of photojournalistic methods using 35mm camera and ambient light. In contrast to earlier photographs of music bands, I have chosen not to use flash, which would detract from achieving the desired atmospheric effects. In future, the work will be exhibited in a gallery in the form of a DVD, shown on a retro TV set and accompanied by individual portraits of the five members. My influences stem from an exhibition seen in the Festival Les Rencontres D’Arles 2010, I am a Cliché, where I encountered a vast amount of diverse photographic work from different music groups and photographers.
