aaamusic | On 08, Jul 2010

The Blue Eyed Shark comes from a genuinely unusual background. Taking the nickname from a female friend due to the colour of his eyes and his friends calling him a ‘shark’, the ‘experiment’ part of the name refers to the album, from its inception to delivery and BES’s (Blue Eyed Shark’s) additional musical protagonists.

Adopted at 6 weeks and growing up under the watchful eye of his Bolivian Godfather, surrounded by Andalucians and Columbians (including the great Garcia Marques) The Blue Eyed Shark certainly had a different start. With the passing of his father at age 8, trouble in his teens, broken hearts in the early twenties – and then cancer (thankfully removed and diagnosed gone) – you could say life has thrown BES a few curve balls. Regardless, as you will find, his resolve was in his cheerful, driven and optimistic nature.

The Blue Eyed Shark had musical ideas swimming around his head from an early age. After University, the first stages of the ‘experiment’ began when he started putting his experiences and people he met along the way, into his music. The Blue Eyed Shark’s first EP “Aun Aprendo” translated means “I’m still learning”, it was loosely based around Goya and his Black Paintings – an artist who also shone a light on the world around him to make some sense of things. The EP was independently picked up and put into rotation by 120 US radio stations and received plays from Adam Walton and Tom Robinson.

His debut album was recorded in Urchin Studios (founded by Gordon Raphael). The record truly showcases The Blue Eyed Sharks rollercoaster life and journey, from the opening title track that features Sean Lennon’s Chihuahua and Milla Jovovich crooning, to ‘JetPlane’ (inspired by Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic launch), to the heartfelt ‘What To Do’ which deals with The Blue Eyed Shark’s cancer scare, and the fitting self-explanatory closer ‘Ticket Outta Here’.

When asked about the record The Blue Eyed Shark grins, “It’s called the Fluffer because I see all music as a form of excitement / entertainment – I’m hoping this will tickle your fancy.  I wanted to create something that people could enjoy in their kitchens on a Sunday or at 11 driving at 120mph into the desert. It’s not about big budgets, 6 month plans, we should / shouldn’t we back him? – it’s an offering, what I enjoy doing and hoping others will find something they can relate to. One message? Yeah, never give up – something like that.”

New single ‘Tapdance’ is released 2nd August, to be followed by debut album ‘The Fluffer’, out on 16th August on Sidewalk 7.