I play bass with various bands in many genres, and also perform at mainly acoustic-style venues as a solo songwriter-guitarist-singer (in that order)
Hmm. I was born and there's a gap, musically, of about four years. My song "News, Weather and Archers" covers from then to when I began learning to play guitar in my teens. It's a long song... I just carried on from there, really. I switched to playing mainly bass fairly soon, and also had a gap of several years with a spinal problem when I couldn't play at all.
I very much enjoy playing bass on gigs with many different bands, as I have done for my living most of my adult life, but now, following the release of my album entitled Sleeping Dogs Never Lie (which also incorporates The Simplicity Suite), and the end of my main band Bright Spark on the tragic death of our main man, John Bartram, I hope once again to expand my work as a solo songwriter-performer and guitarist.
Everyone I've ever played with has influenced me, and I go to hear a lot of music live, but really since my teens I've never listened to much mainstream recorded music. A little bit of the following has probably rubbed off, though: The Beatles, Bach, Joyce Grenfell, Bob Dylan, Carol Kaye, Jobim, Dave Brubeck, early Yes, Jackie Flavelle and Led Zeppelin. Hymn-tunes from my schooldays and the music-hall songs beloved of my parents have also probably had more influence than I would previously admit.
2001 Parker Fly guitar, 1937 no-name acoustic guitar, 2004 Iceni fretless single-bass, and, for live work, 600w Trace-Elliot bass rig, Peavey/Electrovoice PA.
All my old solo tracks are simple minidisc recordings using my PA amp as a mixer. All my more recent ones, plus the Bright Spark and UnSparkPlugged tracks, are recorded on one of my 16-track desks (Yamaha AW16G and AW1600). The guitar and bass are always DIed, and the vocals recorded using a CAD condenser mic.
I never use any automated effects, such as rhythm machines, harmonizers or midi, nor do I use guide-tracks or click-tracks, though I do of course multi-track both vocally and instrumentally. I can't sing more than one voice at a time and I can't play guitar and bass simultaneously, either...
My website
