THE FAMOUS ELSEWHERE QUESTIONNAIRE: Kevin Mark Trail

Singer Kevin Mark Trail -- who guests on the new Sola Rosa album Magnetics and is on the tour (see dates below) -- has got other reasons to be cheerful.

His new album The Knight has also just been released, so his profile could hardly be higher. And as well as joining Sola Rosa on stage he will also open for them to showcase his own soulful material.

He describes The Knight as "an electro cinematic soul project with a conscience" which explores love, equality, identity, thought and freedom.

Trail has some impeccable credentials as he toured with The Streets and has worked with Estelle, Nitin Sawhney and Black Twang as well as opening for NERD, Massive Attack and Angie Stone.

In New Zealand he has worked with Nathan Haines, Jason Eli, Kevin Field and Pieter T, and the album was mixed in Titirangi by Chris Chetland and has a vocal by Sharlene Hector of Basement Jaxx associations.

Time for him to answer our Famous Elsewhere Questionnaire then. . . 

The first piece of music which really affected you was . . .

Kaya by Bob Marley

Your first (possibly embarrassing) role models in music were . . .

Julie Dexter, Omar, Bob Marley, Stevie Wonder , Michael Jackson, Donny Hathaway

Lennon or Jagger, Ramones or Nirvana, Madonna or Gaga, Jacko or Jay-Z?

Lennon and Jako can’t choose between the two

If music was denied you, your other career choice would be . . .

Art, theatre or film

The three songs (yours, or by others) you would love everyone to hear are . . .

Hear is one thing to understand and cause action/thought is another: Imagine,  John Lennon

Any interesting, valuable or just plain strange musical memorabilia at home?

All the performance/tour passes I’ve kept, from the 14 years of traveling round this planet

The best book on music or musicians you have read is . . .

Life, your own that is, constant inspiration

If you could get on stage with anyone it would be . . . (And you would play?)

Maisey Rika, singing Reconnect, I’d sing making it into a duet

The three films you'd insist anybody watch because they might understand you better are . . .

Princess Mononoke, Marina Abramovic: The Artist is Present, Little Miss Sunshine

Being real honest I’d have to list at least ten

The last CD or vinyl album you bought was . . . (And your most recent downloads include . . .)

Flying Lotus, You’re Dead

One song, royalties for life, never have to work again. The song by anyone, yourself included, which wouldn't embarrass you in that case would be . . .

Bob Dylan – Like a Rolling Stone

The poster, album cover or piece of art could you live with on your bedroom forever would be . . .

My first album cover “Just Living”

You are allowed just one tattoo, and it is of . . .

Te Moko, done when my first grandchild is aged 16, to represent my life story

David Bowie sang, “Five years, that's all we've got . . .” You would spend them where, doing . . .?

Do exactly what I do now, create, work with others in the artists, travel the world, learn the stories of old, and of the land, share my knowledge with others, be naughty, have fun, find a spaceship to fly back to the planet I came from, magic

And finally, in the nature of press conferences in Japan, “Can you tell me please why this is your best album ever?”

I spoke to an alien who was going to destroy the planet, he heard the album, and knew earth needed to be saved.