Keefhidef's work, using 60s footage. Thanx a lot.
2011/01/31
2011/01/30
Andy Lewis' interview, part one (Blog Exclusive)
Mighty Andy Lewis has been kind enough to answer the first questions yet! You can also ask him what you want. Write me (yviseur@free.fr) and let the questions, I’ll forward it to Andy.
(Yann) How did you decide to go on the road with Paul Weller? Paul Asked? I'D DONE "ARE YOU TRYING TO BE LONELY" AND PLAYED ON "22 DREAMS" IN 2007. I HAD GOT ON VERY WELL WITH PAUL AND HIS CREW, WHO I'D ACTUALLY MET BEFORE WHEN I WORKED AS A ROADIE FOR A BAND CALLED DOGS WHO SUPPORTED HIM ON A COUPLE OF UK TOURS. IT WAS EARLY 2008 PAUL ASKED ME IF I'D BE INTERESTED IN BEING IN THE LIVE BAND. OBVIOUSLY I SAID YES..!
(Yann) You’ve toured a long time and recorded with Paul Weller but also with Andy Crofts, Steve Cradock, Stevie Pilgrim and you are FIVE songwriters. Have you worked together? BEING IN A BAND WHERE EVERYBODY IS A SONGWRITER WITH THEIR OWN INDIVIDUAL PROJECTS AND STYLES IS INCREDIBLY EXCITING AND INSPIRATIONAL. WHEN WE ARE ON TOUR WE ARE ALL WRITING AND SOMETIMES DOING DEMOS, WHICH WE PLAY TO EACH OTHER. WITH THE FEEDBACK AND CRITICISM WE GET FROM EACH OTHER, IT'S LKE A TRAVELLING SONGWRITING WORKSHOP. I FEEL THAT THE SONGS ON "41" WERE IN PART INFLUENCED BY BEING IN SUCH TALENTED COMPANY. I KNOW THAT ANDY CROFTS AND STEVE CRADOCK HAVE COLLABORATED ON SOME SONGS FOR STEVE'S NEW ALBUM- "LAST DAYS OF THE OLD WORLD" IS A CLASSIC EXAMPLE OF A SONG THAT CAME TOGETHER OVER THE COURSE OF A TOUR. I EXPECT THAT AT SOME POINT WE WILL ALL COLLABORATE TOGETHER AND MAKE A TOTALLY BIZARRE BUT RATHER WONDERFUL ALBUM... ALTHOUGH UNITED BY A LOT OF COMMON INFLUENCES OUR INDIVIDUAL STYLES ARE ALL VERY DIFFERENT!
(Yann) How do you imagine Andy Lewis’ fan? Are you a fan yourself? I SOMETIMES CAN'T IMAGINE ANYONE ELSE LIKING MY MUSIC APART FROM ME! I'VE ALWAYS MADE MUSIC THAT I'VE WANTED TO HEAR MYSELF, BUT EVIDENTLY I MAKE MUSIC THAT OTHER PEOPLE WANT TO HEAR AS WELL. IT REALLY HELPS IF YOU ARE A FAN OF WHAT YOU'RE DOING- I DON'T LIKE MUSIC THAT INSPIRES NO EMOTIONAL CONNECTION WITH IT, MAYBE BECAUSE IT'S BEEN WRITTEN OR PERFORMED BY PEOPLE WITH NO EMOTIONAL CONNECTION TO IT.
I think than great songwriters have been dry from a creative point of view because they live in manors and stopped being fans themselves, is it a stupid idea? LIVING IN A BIG HOUSE DOESN'T NECESSARILY MAKE YOU A LESS CREATIVE PERSON, BUT STOPPING BEING REALLY INTO WHAT YOU DO PROBABLY DOES. ALSO IT REALLY HELPS IF YOU'RE STILL INSPIRED BY NEW IDEAS, NEW MUSIC, NEW PEOPLE. ANYWAY, IF I EVER GET TO LIVE IN A BIG HOUSE, DROP MY BUTLER A LINE AND I'LL LET YOU KNOW!
(Flavio. Captain Stax, MOD radio UK) - Anything new planned for/with Pimlico? last heard from 
them the mighty mruk jingle and the fantastic "anything you say". Pete Twyman collaborates and plays with you already, what about the other members and the reunion album? I THINK IT'S TRUE TO SAY THAT PIMLICO NEVER REALLY SPLIT UP. MOST OF MY SOLO MUSICAL ENDEAVOURS HAVE INVOLVED PETE TWYMAN AND DRUMMER MILES CHAPMAN- IN FACT YOU'LL HEAR ALL OF US REUNITED ON THE FULL-LENGTH ALBUM DUE IN THE SUMMER...SINGER WESLEY DOYLE SINGS A SONG THAT HE AND I ORIGINALLY WROTE IN 1997. WE HADN'T PLAYED IT AS A BAND FOR YEARS, BUT I THINK IT ONLY TOOK TWO OR THREE TAKES AND WE HAD IT IN THE BAG! PETE T WAS THE MAIN WRITER IN PIMLICO, AND HE'S WRITTEN LOADS OF GREAT MATERIAL OVER THE LAST TEN YEARS OR SO. A NEW PIMLICO ALBUM IS NOT UNTHINKABLE...
(Flavio) Will you release another Weller/Lewis single as good as "are you trying" and what can we do to oblige Weller to play it live? I think it's the most desired song the fans would like to hear from him and you live :O) THE THING IS, THERE ARE LOADS OF SONGS THAT PAUL HAS DONE WHICH I THINK THAT AS A PAUL WELLER FAN I'D RATHER HE PLAYED INSTEAD. IT'S ALSO A REALLY TRICKY SONG TO DO LIVE BECAUSE IT DOES REALLY NEED A PROPER HORN SECTION AND TWO KEYBOARD PLAYERS. IN THE MEANTIME, I WILL STILL PERFORM IT DURING MY OWN LIVE SHOWS- SINGER JESS ROBERTS PUTS A NEW SLANT ON IT WHEN SHE SINGS IT. ALSO DAVE JAY FROM TWISTED TONGUE SANG IT A FEW YEARS AGO AT A SHOW I DID AT 93FT EAST IN BRICK LANE... IT'S ONE OF THOSE SONGS THAT SOUNDS GREAT WHOEVER SINGS IT (WITH THE POSSIBLE EXCEPTION OF THE COVER VERSION THAT'S ON SPOTIFY! DO HAVE A LISTEN IF YOU COULD DO WITH A LAUGH!) AS FOR FUTURE COLLABORATIVE RECORDINGS WITH PAUL, IT'S REALLY NOT MY PLACE TO SAY. IT'S NOT AS THOUGH HE NEEDS MY HELP TO COME UP WITH AMAZING SONGS, IS IT?!
(Ian, Cornershop’s request): Are you still involved in Kevin Rowland’s solo lp? I WORKED WITH KEVIN AS HE WROTE AND DEMO'D A LOT OF AMAZING SONGS A YEAR OR SO AGO. HE'S GOT A VERY STRONG IDEA FOR THE EVENTUAL DIRECTION OF THAT PROJECT AND I HOPE THAT THERE'LL BE SOMETHING TO LISTEN TO IN THE VERY NEAR FUTURE. I WAS PRIVILEGED TO BE WITNESSING THE DEVELOPMENT OF THIS MATERIAL- IT SOUNDS LIKE A POTENTIAL FUTURE CLASSIC ALBUM. HE AND I HAVE TALKED A GOOD DEAL ABOUT A COLLABORATIVE PROJECT OF OUR OWN, AND THERE'S EVERY LIKELIHOOD OF SOMETHING HAPPENING SOON.
To be continued...
2011/01/29
Andy Lewis new Mini LP (Interview soon By Mike and Yann)
Paul Weller’s bass player Andy Lewis and Acid Jazz records are proud to present “41”, a mini album of seven songs that Andy wrote and recorded during the last fortnight of 2010. “In the space between getting home from my touring duties with Paul Weller in mid-December and the end of 2010, I found myself gifted with a particularly hyperactive musical imagination. New musical ideas and lyrics were coming to me on an almost daily basis. I set myself a bit of a challenge to see how many of them I could turn into complete songs before the year was out. I expected to finish about one or two, and put the others on the back burner, maybe forever. I ended up finishing seven.”Having completed a total of seven songs, Andy played them to some of his close family, friends and musical collaborators and was pleasantly surprised by the reactions
“My usual method is to write and record a song and do a guide vocal, then pass the track on to a singer who then interprets the guide part in their own way. However with these new songs, I’d obviously found my own voice because nobody was seriously suggesting I should get other vocalists in. I think it was because I was really enjoying the experience of writing these tunes, I felt good about singing. And I think that being in Paul’s band has given me more confidence. Doing the high harmonies in “Start!” in front of thousands of people every night for six weeks will do that to you!”
But what was to be done with a set of seven songs? Andy already had a virtually complete album ready to go, and these songs wouldn’t easily fit into the concept. So, realizing that he hadn’t released a record of his own in around three years, he decided to package the new songs together as a good old-fashioned mini album. A quick polish in the mastering studio and the mini album was ready for release. With the enthusiastic backing of Acid Jazz records, the recordings have been uploaded to iTunes in record time (and will be available to the public from February 7th 2011) and will be for sale in a physical format in all good music retailers in mid-March (date TBC).
The songs...
1. 41 “We hope you enjoy your stay at 41”
2. Complexity A partially successful attempt to make sense of quantum physics and the mysteries of love.
3. Sky Bar In a city in the north of England, the exclusive bar of a ridiculously top-heavy luxury apartment block looks down upon the faded glamour of the past.
4. Yarbles Do you have any?
5. Centre Of Attention A wedding guest spoils the party by unleashing his rampaging ego on the others.
6. Mr Camera The Coalition view of the recession- “You’re all in this together”.
7. Last Song Of The Year Time and inspiration run out as the year draws to a close…
The music of Andy Lewis has found its way into film scores (he remixed “On A Magic Carpet Ride” by Gabriella Cilmi for the soundtrack of the film “SOULBOY” and co-wrote & produced the opening title music to the 2005 film “BEST MAN”), websites and commercials. He played bass in Brit-Poppers Pimlico and perennial Indie favourites Spearmint, as well as carving out a career as a DJ (famously at Wendy May’s Locomotion and London institution Blow Up, and for Blur’s “Parklife” tour), songwriter and producer. In 2005 he released his first solo album “Billion Pound Project”. In 2007, he had a hit single collaborating with Paul Weller- “Are You Trying To Be Lonely” and released his second solo album “You Should Be Hearing Something Now”. Joining Paul’s live band and playing on hit albums “22 Dreams” and “Wake Up The Nation”, Andy’s toured the world and elsewhere since 2008. In April 2011, a single “A Good Soul In The Good Times” featuring singer Jess Roberts will precede the summer release of “South Herts Symphony”, his third full-length solo album.
2011/01/28
2011/01/26
2011/01/25
2011/01/23
Are you the Mods? Answer the John's questions and win the DVD "We are the mods"
Send your answers to yviseur@free.fr
The dvd will be sent to the first who send the right answers! :)
1 IN 2001 WAPPING WHARF STAGED A MEMORIAL CONCERT AT THE LONDON ASTORIA....TO WHOM?
2 BOTH A DVD AND A 3 CD SET WERE ISSUED FROM THE CONCERT..WHAT IS THE TITLE?
3 IN 2004 WAPPING WHARF STAGED A MEMORIAL CONCERT AT THE ROYAL ALBERT HALL....TO WHOM?
4 AT THE ROYAL ALBERT HALL HALL A ROLLING STONE SANG A DUET WITH PAUL WELLER (OOH LA LA)....WHO WAS IT?
5 WAPPING WHARF RECORDS IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE STEVE MARRIOTT ESTATE ISSUED A 2 CD RARITIES SET BY STEVE IN 2010 WHAT WAS THE TITLE?
6 WHICH BAND HEADLINED AT THE WAPPING WHARF CHRISTMAS MOD BALL IN LONDON LAST MONTH?
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Angela Zimmerman
Rock ‘n’ roll is full of fascinating characters, but Dave Wakeling belongs squarely in the league of the most gregarious and interesting among them. He came through town last week to play a show with the English Beat, the band that put him on the map and made his reputation as a champion of the Brit-ska movement when they emerged from the shadow of Birmingham’s political, social, and musical upheaval of the late ’70s. When the door shut on the Beat in 1983, his next project, General Public, rose from its closure and Wakeling’s voice continued to be heard across the globe. Today, after years devoted to Green Peace and other projects, he’s back on the road touring as the English Beat, and he proved to be one of the most insightful and energetic musicians to hit the Vault yet. It’s not every day a rock luminary swings through our doors, so don’t miss our interview below and a track from the session after the jump. And be sure to check out the rest of his session at his Vault page.
Courtesy of MikeC