Weaselberry profile picture

Weaselberry

Me, Myself and Idleness

About Me


1968 - Busy being born.
1970s - Largely ignored music in favour of Star Wars figures.
1980 - Grandma bought me "Don't Stand So Close To Me" by The Police: Star Wars figures benefit from temporary ceasefire.
1981 - Mum gets Queen's Greatest Hits for Christmas, and I decide that I would be a more appropriate guardian of this item: Star Wars figures demobbed and sent to live in a box in the attic.
1982-ish - My friend Tim (who is into the Stray Cats at the time) gets a snare drum, and invites me to learn the guitar so we can form a band. Having suddenly found myself with lots of spare time on my hands...I accept.
1982-1985 - Several years of deciding what our band is called, without actually writing or playing any music.
1985 - First gig as last-minute-hanger-on bass player for punk band Abusive Mayhem.
1986 - First "proper" band, as guitarist and sometimes singer, Torture Garden (largely "The Mission"-loving, goth wannabes).
1987 - Quit band to concentrate on A-levels. Fail A-levels!
1988-1992 - String of different bands and projects (gothy, grungy, folky, hardcoresque, punky, proggy). Best of the lot: Gestalt (once described in local press as "The Smiths meet Rush"...you can only imagine, eh?).
1990s - A few bits and pieces, but largely thought music was shite in the 90s, and didn't really feel like throwing my hat in the ring.
2000 - Started to get a bit interested again. Bought an acoustic guitar, and decided to become sensitive.
2003 - Bought a PC and got some software. Began to write and record a bit more seriously.
2007 - Never one to rush anything, gave my first live peformance in a about 14 years. At this rate I might be ready for gig number 2 some time before I retire. Currently recording first solo CD... don't hold your breath.
"St Martyrs' Town" by Matt Henderson. Filmed by Neil Dalton
"The Thing That Never Was" by Matt Henderson. Filmed by Neil Dalton N.B. Other performance videos can be seen at "http://www.YouTube.com/matthenderson1968"

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 2/28/2007
Band Website: purevolume.com/matthenderson
Band Members: Just me!


Influences: XTC, Steely Dan, Richard Thompson, David Bowie, Rush, Crowded House, Magazine, The Police, Peter Gabriel, Elvis Costello, Squeeze, ELO, Small Faces, King Crimson (particularly Discipline era), The Beatles (of course), 10cc, Todd Rundgren, The Who, Roy Harper, Muse, Beach Boys, Ian Dury & The Blockheads, Aimee Mann, Stevie Wonder, Sparks, Queen, Elbow, Crosby Stills & Nash, Jellyfish, The Feeling, Roxy Music, Talking Heads.
Sounds Like: Ideally:
A seamless, varied and inventive blend of my formative influences, culminating in a cornucopia of harmony cascading over intelligent and pertinent poetry.In reality:
A fifth rate Paul McCartney...or possibly a tone-deaf Beach Boys
Type of Label: None

My Blog

08/03/08 Muso’s corner - The String’s the Thing!

Hi folks, Insomniac's blog time: having heard a couple of friends who use these coated Elixir guitar strings (Dez Preston and Terry Wood), I've been inspired to give them a go. I've been really impres...
Posted by Weaselberry on Sat, 08 Mar 2008 08:57:00 PST

05/03/08 The Song Wot I Wrote

Hiya Another new song (you can tell I'm on holiday can't you). I wrote "Negative Pressure" first thing this morning, and recorded it before my lunch (sausage, mash, carrots, cabbage, marrowfat peas an...
Posted by Weaselberry on Wed, 05 Mar 2008 08:42:00 PST

16/02/08 Another new song

Crikey, I'm going  bit crackers here: woke up about 07:30 this morning with an idea for a song in my head. By about 09:00 "Is It Such A Crime?" was all written. Went back to bed and Gemma complai...
Posted by Weaselberry on Sat, 16 Feb 2008 12:27:00 PST

06/02/08 New songs

Hello there (and a belated happy new year) Ive just stuck a demo version of a song I've just recorded: "Sunshine & Rain", a bit rough round the edges, and still requiring proper mixing and masteri...
Posted by Weaselberry on Wed, 06 Feb 2008 05:16:00 PST

03/11/07 Music Live event at Birmingham NEC

Hello there, Gemma and I went to the "Music Live" show in Birmingham yesterday (my first time at a music trade show, and the first time at the NEC...bloody hell, it's like a small town). Had a great t...
Posted by Weaselberry on Sun, 11 Nov 2007 07:34:00 PST

15/10/07 Rush at Manchester M.E.N. Arena

A bit of breathless "fan"ism now I'm afraid. Last night we went to see Rush in Manchester as part of their "Snakes & Arrows" world tour (tickets were a birthday present from Gemma): they were amaz...
Posted by Weaselberry on Mon, 15 Oct 2007 03:17:00 PST

14/10/07 BENFEST with the Gemma Wylde Band

Hello Last Friday we played at the BENFEST UNPLUGGED night, as the Gemma Wylde Band, at the Robert Ludlum theatre in Derby. We had a great time meeting up with old (sorry Neil) friends ...
Posted by Weaselberry on Sun, 14 Oct 2007 06:00:00 PST

05/09/07 My CD progress update

I thought that I would give you (I don't know who I think is reading this) an update with regards to the progress of the CD. I still have no idea of when it will be complete, but at a rough guess I w...
Posted by Weaselberry on Wed, 05 Sep 2007 09:58:00 PST

22/08/07 Bass beast

I'm going to be playing bass for some live stuff that Chris Baldwin (http://www.myspace.com/chrisbaldwinmusic) is doing over the next couple of months. The band line-up is Chris (lead vocals/guitar), ...
Posted by Weaselberry on Wed, 22 Aug 2007 01:57:00 PST

05/08/07 Richard Thompson gig

It seems that the last three gigs I have been to have all been (pretty much) "one bloke and his acoustic guitar" sort of arrangements. Well if that's your sort of scene (as it is mine) you can't do be...
Posted by Weaselberry on Sun, 05 Aug 2007 11:38:00 PST