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How old were you when
you did your first gig?
How old were you when you did your first gig? I was fifteen. How many bands have you been in? I’ve been in many over the years, some good, some
not so good. What equipment do you use on stage? My main stage set up for guitar is a Strat, a Les Paul,
an amp, a volume pedal and a tuner. As well as this, I have a tobacco-sunburst Epiphone ‘Sheraton’
semi-acoustic guitar that I use occasionally. The only other effects I have are a Boss CS2 Compression-Sustainer,
a Boss CE5 Chorus Ensemble and an ancient Ibanez PT909 Phase Tone phaser,
all of which I use rarely if ever. My main stage set up for bass is very simple. I also have a blue-burst, 5-string Musicman Stingray bass, which I use less and less on stage as the years go by – but it’s still great for recording. Who are the best / worst musicians you’ve ever played with? I’ve been lucky enough to play alongside many quality musicians and I don’t mean to offend anyone by leaving them out, but if I have to name my personal favourites, my ‘top fours’ would be: Favourite Vocalists – Favourite Guitarists – Favourite Bassists – Favourite Keyboard players – Favourite Drummers –
Have you played alongside anybody famous? I’m not sure what the definition of ‘famous’ is, but regarding people well known in the music business, I have performed or recorded alongside musicians who have also been members of Feeder, Dub War, 60 Ft Dolls, UFO, The Damned, The Darling Buds, The Racing Cars, The Saw Doctors, The Brotherhood Of Man, Chris Rea’s band, Burt Weedon’s band, Suzi Quatro’s band, Paul McCartney & Wings, Doctor Bison and The Abs. Have your bands supported any famous names? Nobody hugely famous, but bands I have been with have shared the bill with artists as diverse as Paul Jones & The Blues Band, P.J.Proby, The Pirates, Nine Below Zero, Steve Marriott (Small Faces/Humble Pie), Mickey Gee, Russell Watson, Fogwell Flax, Owen Money, Bobby Davro, Russ Abbot and Bucks Fizz!! Yes, firstly with Ritzi, then several more times with That’ll
Be The Day. How many gigs have you done altogether? Not that many really, compared to most people who have been
gigging for so many years, as in more recent years I have concentrated
on teaching rather than performing live.
I have also had several long periods
without gigging at all in the past and have not played in a regularly gigging band since 1998. As of 21/08/08 I have done 968 gigs, of which I have a record in my work diaries. If there are any more it could only be a handful. Have you done more gigs on guitar, or bass guitar? As of 21/08/08: 67% (644 gigs) on bass, 33% (323 gigs) on guitar – the one missing gig was vocals only. Have you done more gigs as a full time member of the band, as a ‘dep’, or as a guest? As of 21/08/08: 72% (698 gigs) with bands of which I was a full time member; 26% (247 gigs) with other bands, hired to deputise for an absent member; 2% (23 gigs) as an additional player, simply a guest of another band. Which countries have you performed in? Not many as I’ve done very little foreign touring. As of 21/08/08: Wales (645 gigs), England (281), Scotland (14), Germany (13), Northern Ireland (11), Spain (2) and Tunisia (2). Which towns have you performed in the most times? Not surprisingly (as I live in Newport), as of 21/08/08 top of the list are Newport (176 gigs) and Cardiff (83). I’ve also done plenty of gigs in Cwmbran (35) and Caerleon (29). Outside Wales the most common are Great Yarmouth (18), Birmingham
(17), Camberley (16), Bournemouth (14), Blackpool (12) and Manchester
(10). Which venues have you performed in the most times? As of 21/08/08: Most common nightclubs – Most common pubs – Most common theatres – Most common cabaret club – Which are your favourite venues to have played in? Venues become enjoyable for me because of either atmosphere or nostalgia. Atmosphere wise I have always loved TJ’s, in Newport, with a full house and I used to love Sam’s Bar, in Cardiff, before it was re-fitted and lost all its character. As far as nostalgia is concerned, knowing who has appeared
on the same stage before me has made it a big thrill to appear at places
like The London Palladium, The Symphony Hall in Birmingham and The Green
Room at
The Café Royal, on Regent Street in London. On a more local level, having been to each so many times as a spectator, I enjoyed the first time I played at St. David’s Hall in Cardiff, Colston Hall in Bristol and The Bristol Hippodrome. I think the most beautiful venue I have ever appeared at is The Grand Theatre in Leeds. top
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