About Me
Hi, everyone out there.
Any comments or suggestions re. this myspace or the music on here you wish to make, + or - ive , will be valued and most welcome...thanks.
There are 2 new tracks on here : one with me on electric slide guitar (B funky), and on harmonica again with jazz lead gtr from the now internationally acclaimed guitarist, Bruce Mathiske (It Don't Mean A Thing).THE PHOTOS: yes, I did book two gigs for British violinist, Nigel Kennedy at The Basement in Sydney, at Easter 2001, and he kindly asked me to play a couple as well, hence the photo, taken by a punter.And 'Yes' again, this is a big read, because its a sort of biography-personal history in one:I have been playing music in a semi-professional capacity since 1978.My first successful group was in the Lithgow, just on the western edge of the Blue Mountains, NSW, Australia. It was somewhat whimsically named 'Catweazel' after both the British tv series and the appearance of lead guitarist Mitchell John Smith....a classically trained player of immense skill and musical knowledge. At that time, when few rock OR classical musicians even, understood the complexities of Carlos Santana's mixture classical-dorian mode-blues scale playing in any workable fashion, he coasted through it like it was an everyday thing to do in 1978, in country Australia. It was NOT at all....nor anywhere else, either ! He was my first musical mentor.
He was taught guitar by Ali Newton, also of Lithgow...a very knowledgeable player indeed.The singers in it were, in turn, Fiona Knight and Diannia Heather, both of whom were excellent at the job. Only a few singers I've ever met had the gift for mimickry and natural sense of perfect pitch and phrasing that Fiona has. Her covers of Blondie, Linda Ronstadt, Joan Baez, Carole King songs etc were a main ingredient in that band's 2-3 year popularity and success at the local level. Classically trained, 'Dianne' Heather found her forte in live singing and took on the job next, with great enthusiam, passionate vocal delivery and innate listening skills.Moving on from that experience and a duo with me for about 2 years, Diannia later went on to move to Newcastle, Australia, and has performed very credibly indeed in musical theatre and with many the great jazz musicians there since 1996.Newcastle, Australia was a new starting point for me too, but in 1990.
I met and came to work with many great players from there in the next 6 years. From them all, individually and as a group, I learnt a lot.
There were several duos, in which I mostly played keyboards, and a couple of bands. The most well known of those was 'Steve Russell's Bluespower' a trio of brilliant Newcastle players, whom I joined in 1992:Steve Russell (excellent blues gtr /vocals) , Greg Dawson (bass: simply stunning virtuosity, flexibility and impeccable rhythmic sense of timing and dynamics !) , and the amazing Danny Davidson on drums. (Danny was in the first Australian band EVER to tour Europe in the 1970's...Khavas Jute...whose albums are STILL in such strong European demand they were re-released about 30 years after the original release ! A lifelong pro musician, Danny is also a highly skilled drum music reader / session player etc) .
( Steve Russell toured Australia with both Bo Diddley and Chuck Berry, and was more than up to the task, as always ! ) The band recorded a live album and released it to a capacity crowd at the long established Newcastle music venue, the Cambridge Hotel, in 1993. It was again played live...and probably even better...on that night. It was not common at all then, for a band of any sort to play the WHOLE album LIVE at a 'CD Release' gig.The norm was one or two songs. Those guys are/were so good at what they do, that this was just another gig ! In fact, Steve remarked to me afterwards:
'You know we should've recorded tonight.....we played better and were more relaxed than the night we did record it ! ' (which was right, it was actually a truly 'blemish free' performance.....being recorded live does tend o make you play safe and not go for it as much, eh?
I was privileged indeed to be both the harmonica and the 'a little out of my depth', piano player.Simon Chapman, of legendary blues Newcastle-Lake McQuarie blues band 'The Witchdoctors' , taught me some basics of boogie piano playing to get me started in the virtually impossible task of catching up to my fellow band members, who had cut their teeth playing this stuff. That way I came to have something feasible to contribute when not playing blues harp !
Steve felt rehearsals in a blues band detracted from the point of 'live' playing and true spontenaeity...which is a true and reasonable point, too.You taught yourself at home, as far as Steve was concerned and when you turned up, you simply could or could not do it ! It was 'The deep end of the pool'...and not for wading in, you swim..or you sink! I nearly 'drowned' a few times, for sure! Only to be smiled at calmly, by the bemused but ever-patient Greg ! A true gentleman as well as a great bass player.(Simon's quasi- metronomic, but totally soulful pianistic ability was SO good and technically stunning...he even wowed the Americans, whom invented the style after all and where it is relatively commonplace, when he went there briefly in about 1992! As good a boogie pianist as you'd hear anywhere ! and I mean START at Jools Holland (great, eh?), and then move up ten notches: you'd be getting 'close'...the guy is TRULY that good !!)
I went to the former Family Hotel on Tuesday night in 1990, after seeing a poster reading simply : ' Bruce Mathiske, fingerstyle guitarist '.
As I entered the room, he commenced playing a solo guitar version of 'Eleanour Rigby' . It was, as I came to realise quickly, like all his solo works, an awesome display of guitar virtuosity done with total ease, dynamic control, amazing expressiveness and total fluency.He ran open nights both there and at The Lass O' Gowrie hotel, at which guests were welcome to perform. Over the next 4-5 years, I eventually came to spent most of my time in his company :
firstly, jamming on harp with him at his live gigs twice a week, later on sitting in with his awesomely-talented and virtuoso swing blues-quasi classical band, the 'Well Swung' trio...who did swing indeed !!(They were like a B.B. King & Stevie Ray Vaughan plus 'Sky' group, all rolled into the ONE band, and are still remembered fondly by each and all of their legions of Newcastle fans today. Deservedly so indeed.)Sharing a flat and later a house together, I went on to record two of his earlier cd's....'Still' & 'Acoustically Speaking' in 1992-3, on Sandstock Music of Cardiff, Newcastle. The first of these won him an award and both were constantly played around Australia on ABC radio. Also briefly in China and on BBC Wales & RTE, Ireland.I was taught the basics of how to record by 1970's legendary Australian guitarist-vocalist, Alan Oloman, of Lithgow, and it was down to the two years spent in a successful band with him ('Ayre') and the 5 years or so spent in his recordng studio at Radio 90, Lithgow, that I was able to do that to a standard suitable for public release for Bruce Mathiske & Sandstock Music.Fomerly of Australia's leading Showband, 'The Executives' Alan had spent many years in the EMI 301 Studios in Sydney working on TV, radio and film work. That is where he learnt those skills initially, and it was Martin Benge, its manager, who taught Alan. Later, Martin managed Abbey Road Studios in the later 1990's sometime, I recall, and then designed EMI's studios in overseas locations such as India. The absolutley quintessential good English bloke !Back in Newcastle:
In the spare time, an 'occasional' band was formed by myself and Well Swung bassist, Peter Gray. We (he actually!) decided to nickname it 'The Walking Brothers' as both a pun on the walking blues style of bass, and the fact that over the next two years, a lot of Newcastle's great musicians literally 'walked in' to it (no rehearsals...ever!) and played regularly at various pub and club dates:On Guitar/s: Bruce Mathiske, Bob Fletcher. Bass: Pete Gray, Greg Dawson.
Drums: Terry Morton, Danny Davidson, Peter Houlihan & Peter Cornish were the most regular.
Despite its various line ups, it was nonetheless: 're-booked everywhere it plays' ...as Pete both accurately and whimsically described the situation. It was just as its name said, and to a tee:Pete: 'this band was formed over a pot of tea at Keith's place! '
It never took itself too seriously but and was fun and viable for all concerned.During that time, it became apparent to Bruce Mathiske, and to me, that his career was not taking off as it should have. After several managers prior to me, it was decided that I should endeavour to do that job.
It has certainly resulted in a change of fortune for this highly-talented musician...eventually !I spent from October 1994 until June 1995 contacting various British and European Jazz Blues Festivals. This culminated with a 39 date 'Debut Tour' for the 'Unknown Aussie' from July to November 1995, which included (in order) : Glasgow, Aarhus (Denmark) Marlborough, Edinburgh, Brecon (Wales), Monaghan and Cork (Ireland) International Jazz & Blues Festivals, plus a huge variety of smaller clubs. Bruce stunned and amazed all those who saw him, and has continued to do so when on tour in Ireland, UK, France (briefly), USA and Japan. He has toured EVERY year since, somewhere, and gone on to the recognition he so definitely deserved.
Two Highlights of That Tour I'd Like To Mention:1. The Cotton Club, Edinburgh:
'The Art Of Jazz Guitar, featuring Bucky & John Piarelli, Martin Taylor & 'The Spirit Of Django', and last, but in the featured spot, 'Bruce Mathiske, solo instrumental guitar.' (well, except for the songs which he asked me to perform with him as a duo: they all had more than one player, so why shouldn't we? ) To get put amongst the world's best on your first overseas tour, AND in the headline spot, is no mean achievement for a total unknown, and I'm very proud to have organised that, and ALL his initial overseas gigs for him and also to have performed in a concert format with such incredible talent, at Scotland's most prestigious of venues.( Contrary to popular Newcastle........and now Irish and god knows who else's!.....belief, a 'duo' was CONTACTUALLY OBLIGED on nearly all the gigs of his first tour!
I know, because as I WAS the 'player/manager' , they were posted to me, and I've kept those contracts to this day, as 'souvenirs' of my efforts, post the 'demise' of that management situation.
Most of those who hear him play, simply assume he got himself where he is today because the true facts have NEVER been said publicly, to contradict his 'ommission/s' at the time. They have not been in the decade plus since ! So, this is as good a time and place as any to have done just that.It is customary thruough out the world to at least 'doff one's hat' (UK), to 'dip one's lid' (Aust) and acknowledge the efforts of those who have helped us in any FUNDAMENTAL way, to achieve what we have in life, in any occupation. Or failing that, to at least acknowledge their presence or even their existence !! None of those options has or ever will be done, sad to say.
Any pro. muso or entertainer would NOT need me to elaborate further, I'm sure. This is not a new story, but one that keeps happening to people through the generations. So, my new and younger friends , heed you this and heed it well:C'est la vie, mon bon hommes et femmes. Regardez vous tres bien ca petit homily, et applique das vous vie. (=" such is life, my good men and women. Notice this little story and apply to your own life." )2. The Basement and Soup Plus (now defunct) in Sydney with Bob McIvor, trombone (Aust Brass Player of the Year, 1994), Tim Oram, sax (Midday Show et al too many to mention) and lastly the amazing trumpeter, Peter Dilosa, also with an enormous wealth of pro experience with the world's best, when they visited Autralia: Sinatra, Sammy Davis jnr, etc etc.The reason:
While we were packing up after that gig at The Basement, he calmly turned around to me, unsolicited, and said this:
'Its nice to hear that instrument (the harmonica) played the way it SHOULD be played ! ' If I live to be 150, I don't think a remark re my music will ever mean more to me than that one ! When it comes from the best in that natural way, its irreplaceable. I've never mentioned it to anyone except my family for 13 years, until writing this today.Nonetheless, I'm so glad for Bruce, and proud to have initiated that 'sea change' for someone who needed and deserved it so much, and who personally taught me such a lot about music, though perhaps ' somewhat inadvertently ' in retrospect (!), during our 4-5 years together. His music has given endless pleasure to many, many people right across the world, now. And, along with Tommy Emmmanuel etc, its also given more credibility and respect for Australian artists on the global stage. Australia has now produced TWO of the world's finest twenty or so solo guitarists ! (see Tommy near top of my friends list: click on THAT photo. Beware, you won't be the same afterwards, for sure!)That 'international credibility for him, and for Australia ' was the goal we set out and worked at so hard, to achieve.I moved to the UK in 2000, and played again at the Marlborough Jazz festival with The Woodbank St. Band, from Manchester, in 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2003. I arranged for the Funky Do Das to perform at Marlborough and Birmingham Jazz Festivals in 2002, and 2003, as well as in Glossop, Derbyshshire, and at Henry's Bar in Edinburgh.I am always pleased to talk to fellow musicans, and anyone at all who visits this site.PS: Bruce can be heard on the songs : 'All The Things You Are' and 'It Don't Mean A Thing' (on gtr/bass) / 'Pony Boy' (just the bass) & 'Cavatina/Corillion' (gtrs). Danny was on drums on 'All The Things You Are', 'Don't Mean A Thing' .
And its the ever-inuitive and naturally gifted Terry Morton drumming on 'Pony Boy (o)' . The harmonica, slide, 'warbled vocal' and keyboards are myself.The other tracks are me with backing tracks:
playing harp and the electric slide, which has always been my other musical passion.
Finally: As our world is being torn apart by its greediest and nastiest, and the sheer number of its inhabitants, I wonder what we all did in the 60's when the threat of nuclear war was the main real fear:
'and, What have They Done To The Rain? '
So goes the old American protest song from the early 60's. And what have they done to all else that wasn't theirs to possess nor change, too?
We aren't just musicians...we are artists and I think we have a moral duty to be part of the collective voice against these inhuman impositions, as did our forefathers in America, UK and Australia . We are in fact, just the Custodians of the planet, like the Aborigines in Australia and the Native peoples of USA.
It is not ours, but its own, for all the species left on it .Thanks for reading all this tosh...Keith.
