The Highliners - ProfilesArchive

About Me

My name is Marc Clements, music has been a part of my life in one form or another as long as I can remember. My father worked for the charming Don Arden in the late '50s, moonlighting to promote Sam Cooke and Gene Vincent himself in the early Sixties. '67/'68 seems to stand out in my mind. A lot of blues and soul was being played by my mother and step-father (as well as the immaculate mariachi of "gunfighter ballads" by Marty Robbins).Taught myself guitar at 17 and formed The Untouchables with my brother Jerry in late '77. I was inspired by memories of seeing the Feelgoods in '75 - they posessed a pre-punk dynamism, without all the Khmer Rouge year zero stuff. And when it came to it, we didn't so much sound like Dr Feelgood as believe, quite profoundly, that we were Dr Feelgood... Wilko later remarked that "We sounded more like them than they did". The band was together for five enjoyable years, in which we toured and made a record for a local Bristol label. I took to life on the road readily and developed a lifelong aversion to working. Lived in London in late '80's, played in a couple of good bands, The Passengers and Miss America, created lot of interest...but alas. I've played with many musicians I admire along the way including Wilko Johnson, Ginger Baker, Andy Rourke, Pee Wee Ellis and Van Morrison. I eventually settled back in the West Country in '03 started writing songs and formed The Highliners. When I'd finally written enough decent material for a set, the first incarnation of the band started playing around Bristol in 2003. People have come and gone since then; hopefully the present line-up will hang around long enough to get out of town...

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Music:

Member Since: 14/03/2007
Band Members: Marc Clements gtr/voc/songs, James Ryan-drums, Phil Amore pedal-steel, Chris Gregory-bass.
Influences: Hank Williams, Dillard and Clarke, Rolling Thunder Revue, Grievous Angels, The Byrds, Harmony Ridge Creekdippers, Moby Grape, Lefty Frizzell, The Muleskinners, Wilco, Jerry Lee Lewis, Cosimo Matassa, Mississippi John Hurt, George Jones, Louvin Brothers, Everlys, Bert Jansch, Mickey Jupp's Legend, The Band, Stax, Motown, Grateful Dead, The Stones, James Burton, The Faces, Slim Chance, John Hiatt, Dr Feelgood, Neil Young, Leonard Cohen, Sun Records, Lord Buckley, Fred Neil, Muddy Waters, The Stanley Brothers, Bill Monroe, Chess, Genuine basement tapes, Vivian Stanshall, Curtis Mayfield, Richard Thompson, American Music Club, Big Star, Velvet Underground, The Jayhawks, The Flying Burrito Brothers, Peter Sellers, Peter Cooke, Peter Paul and Mary...
Sounds Like: They know how to string a few chords together.
Record Label: Unsigned

My Blog

'Good Times Gone'

Good Times Gone, was recently recorded in a friends basement. Basements seem to be highly conducive to making music in general; its probably something to do with the time-factor, i.e. owner of th...
Posted by on Sat, 16 May 2009 19:17:00 GMT

Highliners live.

Here's a couple of clips from a recent Highliners show in Bristol.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tc71eEz9HVshttp://www .youtube.com/watch?v=HqA1rkrrpYA
Posted by on Tue, 03 Feb 2009 10:40:00 GMT

Bluegrass - bores?

Another outfit I play with, The Loose String Band, had a spot at Didmarton Bluegrass Festival on Saturday afternoon. We rattled through our short set and it was seemingly over before it be...
Posted by on Mon, 03 Sep 2007 06:39:00 GMT

OH MOMMA...

Well the monsoon has let up and it's a beautiful day, so kat and I decide to take the camera and drive down to the Severn estuary and stop at Severn Beach where I spent a lot of my childhood. A coupl...
Posted by on Mon, 30 Jul 2007 18:31:00 GMT

" WHAT, NO FAGS...EVER!!? "

Wishing you a speedy recovery Chris. The Highliners bassist suffered a heart attack last week but seems alright judging from our recent phone conversation. Although he'd spent a week in hos...
Posted by on Sun, 17 Jun 2007 16:15:00 GMT

More residual energy...

Just got a friend request from Joe Meek..what d'you reckon? Don't get me wrong, I like Joe's work, I've got " Have I The Right " on my burn list somewhere....but there's something a bit sin...
Posted by on Sat, 09 Jun 2007 14:30:00 GMT

"RESIDUAL ENERGY"

Recently mixed the four songs that can be heard at this site. The songs were recorded at Queen Elizabeth's hospital school, Bristol, in one of their spacious music rooms. &n...
Posted by on Fri, 08 Jun 2007 17:06:00 GMT

HELL WITHOUT THE CENTRAL HEATING

The other outfit I gig with, The Bones, accept an invitation to play at the Hell's Angels clubhouse in darkest Lawrence Hill, Bristol. I'll try anything once, and besides, it can't be worse...
Posted by on Fri, 30 Mar 2007 16:27:00 GMT