The Havana Fireflies - ProfilesArchive

About Me

As with the genesis of most bands the Fireflies started in 1987 as a scratch band playing blues and rock covers. However as a regular line up started to emerge they began to write, record and include much of their self- penned material into their live shows. During their 10 year existence they became loved throughout the South-West for their storming live shows and their inventive original material that seemed to transcend the boundaries of genre classification. Two wonderful CDs are a fantastic legacy to this creative group of musicians who encapsulated all that was good in British rock music. The majority of their songs were recorded in their own studio and mixed by Steve Evans (The Girls, Siouxsie Sioux, Robert Plant) who almost became another member of the band such was his influence in the studio. The line up that most people remember were Griff Daniels (vocals, rhythm guitar,keyboards), John Freeman (vocals and bass guitar) Paul Hartshorn (lead guitar) and Blair Keltie (drums). Other notable players included Harry Brassington (slide guitar), Craig Crofton (saxophone) and Paul Blandford (guitar). The song - writing partnership of Daniels and Freeman penned such live favourites as Mystified, Black and White Angels , Blue Highway, Money Man, Turn Around, Hard Decision and the Meeting Room. Other classic Firefly songs such as Geisha Syndrome, Sleep, Jacob's Creek, Into China, Crown me with Roses and Passion are testament to their ability to use the studio to create wonderful soundscapes. Daniel's distinctive vocal style, Hartshorn's virtuoso guitar playing, the pounding,hypnotic rhthyms of Keltie and the sweet harmonies of Freeman were the distinctive features of the band. The highlight of their live performances probably came at Glastonbury in '92 when they wowed the packed Avalon Stage marquee. Many fans miss this inventive band, but you can still hear them at their musical best on the albums Barbed Wire Prophets and Safe, both of which are still available by requesting through this web site. Keep the memory alive.

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Member Since: 03/02/2008
Band Members: Griff Daniels - vocals, guitar, keyboards. Griff had been a stalwart of the folk and acoustic blues circuit before forming the Fireflies in 1987. His distinctive vocal style -part Tom Waits, part John Hiatt - was at the heart of the band's sound and his ability as a wordsmith took many of the Fireflies songs to intriguing places. His stage presence and humourous interchanges with the audience endeared the band to crowds all over the South-West. Now a respected performer on the acoustic circuit, Griff is still worth capturing live.John Freeman - bass guitar and vocals. Alongside Griff, John was the other original member of the band who was with the Fireflies from start to finish. John brought a melodic sensibility to the songwriting, as he and Daniels shaped the band's direction by the strength of their melodies and lyrics. His harmony vocals were also integral to the firefly sound. Since the Fireflies he has written and produced two solo albums - Migrant and Forgotten Heroes - and has spent the last 10 years playing Sir Paul McCoatoff in the successful Beatles tribute band, Sgt. Pepper's Only Dart Board Band.Paul Hartshorn - lead guitar. Paul is renowned up and down the length of the country for his virtuoso guitar playing. No style was absent from his vast reportoire. Instinctive and inventive, he has mesmerised audiences up and down the country with his inspirational playing. Many other great performers have sought and gained his services but much of his greatest work is captured on Fireflies recordings. Listen to his country picking on Mystified, his classical guitar work on Sleep or Into China or his ablity to concoct an experimental solo as on Passion and you have only heard half the story.Blair Keltie - Drums. Blair was a guitar and keyboard player who got lured into the drum chair almost by accident. however he quickly became the rock on which the foundations for the bands sound was laid. His keeness to experiment with new technology also had a major influence on studio recordings and brought about some of the more left field studio arrangements.
Influences: Everything except Nellie The Elephant
Sounds Like: The rock almanac chopped up and reassembled in a million different ways!
Record Label: Unsigned

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