After going platinum in his native U.K. and scoring a No. 1 download at iTunes, singer, songwriter and guitar virtuoso Netwon Faulkner is ready to roll out his debut album, “Hand Built By Robots,” in the U.S.
“It’s gonna be weird,” says Faulkner, who releases a three-song iTunes EP on March 4 to preview the album, which is due out April 29 on Aware/Columbia. “I’m doing the last tour with the album (in England) and there’s going to be a certain amount of closure when the tour’s finished. Then I have to start again, so, yeah, that’s a little strange to think about.”
Faulkner, who learned much of his guitar craft at the Academy of Contemporary Music in Guildford, England — where he studied with Eric Roche — says his U.S. game plan is “just lots and lots of gigging. That’s my favorite bit, really, so it doesn’t seem like too much trouble.”
He expects to start doing headline dates in April but hopes to net some choice support slots; Faulkner credits British tours with Paolo Nutini and James Morrison as helping him build a buzz that led to a warm reception for the “…Robots” album when it was released in July.
“I’m amazed it’s still doing well,” says Faulkner, who played some U.S. dates earlier this year. “I got back from American thinking nothing’s going on, and the album was at No. 4. That’s insane, bizarre.” He surmises that the music — which also includes four pre- “…Robot” EPs and singles such as “I Need Something,” “Dream Catch Me,” “All I Got (Everyone is You”) and a cover of Massive Attack’s “Teardrop” — is only part of the story, however.
“The whole thing is built off live gigs and word of mouth as opposed to having it shoved down your throat,” Faulkner explains. “I don’t think that works as well as it used to. You end up with a peak, and after that no one wants to hear it again. I’ve just been building it up slowly, which hopefully means I’ll be around for awhile.”
