Biography

 

1983 - 1985

 

My first guitar was a Columbus Les Paul Copy, bought from a shop in Birmingham on 5 February 1983.   My dad bought it for me for £125 after two years moaning.  Then £125 was afair amount of money and for a copy.  Copies then sufficed the needs of learning to play, but some were still dire.  Columbus were one of the better ones.  I practised and played most days, and within 18 months I could jam / play along with both Abominog by Uriah Heep and Machine head by Deep Purple.  Smoke on the Water was not the first I learnt, I started with Highway Star ad Maybe I’m a Leo.  I was also discovering Free and BB King, notably the styles of playing.  Kossoff hardly followed the typical 12 bar Chicago style lead playing licks, more complimenting the vocal lines and style of Paul Rogers.  BB King doing the same with his own singing.  Following seeing Whitesnake in the early 80’s I found Bernie Marsden doing very similar.  Marsden and Moody were a force to be reckoned with hard rock rhythm and blues.  I was also listening to and watching videos of Deep Purple (California Jam) and Rainbow (Live Between the Eyes).  I was a Blackmore fan, from record anyway.  Having seen him in action in 1981, Difficult to Cure tour and 1984 Bent Out of Shape, I wasn’t too impressed.  Live I got more from Marsden and Moody, John Thomas from Budgie, Paul Samson, Bernie Torme from Gillan, plus various others that toured though Birmingham Odeon.

 

1986 – 1989

 

I started playing with other people, getting the intuition of understanding how others played, linking in with their styles and abilities.  I learnt how to pick up things quickly and improvise.  This helped a lot with learning tracks form albums and even just jamming along.  This was way before looking up youtube to watch someone playing it so you don’t have to work it out.  Many false starts of trying to get to play with decent people was hard.

 

1989 – 1995: Blackened

 

I ended up joining a band called Blackened.  Local guys doing some original material.  I wanted to learn to write and compose.  We put together several tracks all self penned and got a few covers to fill out a set.   We recorded three tracks in Redditch, Worcestershire to help get some gigs.  It did the trick at one place, the Rock Tavern in Brioerley Hill.  We were using a session bassist as we couldn’t find a full time one.  The first three gigs all happened there over 12 to 18 months.  There lay the problem.  No wanting to move forward.  As the three main people, drums, Chris Harrington, vocals, Bhrett Brown and myself on guitar, with having problems finding a permanent bassist, the singer decided to leave to join another local band that had gigs. 

 

This was 1991 and I had been having some interest regarding the band, first being some gigs and secondly, a bassist come singer.  After various non starting discussions with the drummer who showed no interest, I sacked him via a letter from a solicitor.  It had been banded about he owned the name.  So I under advice, just in case I used the name Paul Anderson’s Blackened or Blackened feat. Paul Anderson.  That lasted four months to my pleasure.  A new three piece version of the band, Nigel Southers, Bass and Vox, Drums Steve Saunders did more gigs in 2 weeks than had been done in 18 months.  In one month changing line-up, we had written 6 new songs, dropped all but 2 from the originals and had them out in the open. 

 

1992 saw the band change into a multi version of the band.  The three of us stayed together but increased into having a vocalist.  Well we tried two, one was sacked after two gigs, great voice but no stage presence, the other just messed up on stage each time, if he ever turned up.  We settled for Rick Jonno, short for Johnson I remember.  We also had an occasional keys player.  We, as the three piece and four piece, had recorded a second demo, now on tape and the new CD’s.  it was a direction of Dokken and UFO as one reviewer labelled it.  For odd gigs we also had two or three female backing vocals. 

 

1993 we were gigging throughout the Midlands most weekends.  We had changed lineups with new bassist Tony McMillan.  By this time I was suffering with a recurring hand injury that was sustained in 1980 where I lost the use of my right hand for 18 months.  During 1993 I was undertaking tests on the previously severed nerves and tendons from the accident.  Autumn 1993 I had an operation to try and rectify the problems.  I put my notice in with Blackened as this put me out the game for sometime.  With my blessing they carried on with another guitarist.  I never got to see them, I don’t think I had the desire to as I had helped build the band up. 

 

Summer 1994 after practising and getting to grips with learning to move the hand again I had a call from Blackened to re-join.  The band now was back to a four piece.  Again line up changes but nothing had really moved forward musically.  By now the band were approaching 400 gigs or thereabouts.  They had recorded a couple of live gigs in my absence, and recorded three more studio tracks.  Plans were to record the ‘bigger’ gigs that had been booked in 1995 that would be about the 500th gig, under the banner ‘500 Live 1995’.  The band had been playing some 500 capacities along with bread and butter gigs.  As a band we had three different sets, two different supprts sets, depending on who or what type we were supporting and a headliner set.  The band would decide on the night which beginning to do, which ending etc, and all picked out the hat.  It gave us some danger and something different.

 

Spring 1995 to summer 1995 we did about 20 gigs and recorded about 8 on a mutli- track portable studio, run into the house PA, where they had a full PA.  We successfully recorded a decent set from about  half of these, but things werent running right within the band.  Band members employment situations were playing a part in not being able to make rehearsals or gigs, and relocation of some.  The fun had turned into a chore, into a pain.   Autumn 1995 I decided to leave.  We had three gigs booked, three members left.  I took up lead vocals for these gigs.  I had previously undertaken lead vocals when we had the two mis-matched vocalists who were both let go.

 

1996 – 1999: Session and depping.

 

I had time out from playing and spent time learning more stuff at home.  I did start looking to start another band, but with the odd audition, I actually stared depping for other bands who required a guitarist for rehearsals or the odd gig etc.  This suited me at the time, I gained a lot of experience playing with styles and people I never thought about ever playing with.  But I did turn down a residency at Ronnie Scotts in Birmingham due to it being in 4 days time and I had already been booked to help a singer out with some demo recording.  

 

2001: Eclipse

 

Not the European band of the same now.  A short lived band writing material like album tracks of Toto and heavier Foreigner.  Times were a changing on the UK scene, the ‘new’ tributes covers bands were now starting to rule the pubs, whereby in the 1990s they were the supports.  Now the originals were the supports, but some great gigs and played over 50 odd gigs. However rock fans were wanting the same old stuff and nothing new. 

 

2003: Jaded

 

Co-formed Jaded with John Matthews, formerly of the Band of Joy with Plant and Bonham.  Basically a covers band but doing something more than the same old emerging pub bands.  We drew some good interest but it wasn’t for me in the end as we moved towards the same as the others.  I left with a heavy heart but new I wasn’t enjoying it.

 

2004 – 2005: Undercover and Snakeskin Rose

 

Undercover was another covers band but now starting to do some American stuff and different Englich stuff,  The ones that you know but wouldn’t expect.  It fell apart after a few gigs.  However at the same time I had been drafted into Snakeskin Rose.  An original band doing some covers.  This was moving back to what I enjoyed.   We recorded a 5 track CD, ‘The Uninvited Guest’ at Madhouse studios in Birmingham.  Recorded over Easter weekend costing a huge £85. 8 + 5 = 13.  With it being Easter as well, hence the name. Consisting of couple of covers and originals, it got us some interest.   A couple of gigs at the Robin Hood Bilston, and a few through Worcestershire, but the work ethis was missing.  90 minutes of reherasal each week if that, and rabbit in headlamps at the Robin.  After a change of singer and two very poor gigs, along with some late postponements of gigs and rehearsals I got a call from Motorkill, a tribute to Motorhead.

 

2006 - 2011: Motorkill (Tribute to Motorhead)

 

Late 2005 I got an invitation to join Motorkill, Black Country based band tributing Motorhead.  Motorhead were a band I was obviously aware of and heard much of their material.  It was also a band far enough away from my usual tastes to appreciate it more and treat it as such.

I had a couple of provisos.  Not from being big headed but from some tribute bands I had seen didn’t seem to be ‘anything’ like their marketing.

1. I wasn’t going to wear a wig, I had my own hair. 

2. I wasn’t going to ape, mimic, pretend to be someone that I wasn’t, be it playing style, stances poses etc.

3. I would treat it as if I had been offered the gig in the actual band.

I mentality was that I would play in the traditions of the band, adhere to the sound, but play it my way with respect to the actual band.

 

I auditioned three times in mid November 2005 and got offered in the first week of December with their next gig being 4th January 2006.  This meant learning a two hour set in three weeks due to Christmas.  Two 3 hour band rehearsals each week plus a couple of hours the other nights learning 20 odd songs. 

With the help of KK on rhythm guitar I blended in with the intricate subtle ways of Motorhead.  At first hearings, many don’t get it, but there is a lot of times and subtle fills that made them what they were.  With Mase providing the power drumming and Tilly who was really the only impersonator in the band of Lemmy providing the frontage of the band

In the first year we played numerous gigs from pubs to clubs around the Midlands and beyond along with opening the Rock and Blues Festival at Pentrich.  That year Michael Schenker, The Scorpions, Bernie Torme and GMT also appeared. 

Over the next 9 or so years, we had gained a following, I had been back to playing with a band that was tight, strong and for myself kept pushing my abilities.  This is what I love with playing.  I loved the constant pushing of each other as I did with Blackened, Eclipse and Jaded.  The harder you work the easier it gets.

 

2005 to 2012: Agincourt

 

Whilst still in Motorkill, I was offered the place of second lead guitarist in Agincourt.  A NWOBHM band based in Birmingham, they had recently reformed.  After having some success in the 1990’s they were looking to reprise the band, with original members Russ Weaver on bass and Richard E. Toy on vocals and lead guitar. 

After a few auditions and jams I joined a makeshift band.  We did a few short set gigs around the Midlands getting the name put around and to rehearse some of their earlier material that was going to be recorded.

 

Ten tracks had been decided on which had been written and previously recorded in the 1990s, some of which by the BBC for their rock show.  The album ‘Angels of Mons’ took over 700 days from first recording sessions to release,  This was due to the studio that had been booked, was also being used by Beholder and various other bands.  We had to get in when we could.  Also various personal issues cropped up.  For me my father passed away in 2009. 

 

The album was released, giving us some press coverage over the internet and in hard copy press.  We were even track of the day for Classic Rock magazine. The album got taken on with distribution deals in Germany with Hi Roller records and in Japan with Spiritual Records.  The album also got played across most hard rock, heavy metal territories across the globe.  By the time we were ready to start gigging post release, Steve Riley had been recruited as permanent drummer.

 

Again a band with hard work ethics, making playing live so much easier, which stood us in good stead in gaining support slots on festivals susch as Leather and Steel, Wolverhampton, British Steel Festival, Camden and Hard Rock Hell in Prestatyn  and Open Air Headbangers Ball in Germany, along with supporting Jameson Raid and Tygers of Pan Tang.

 

2011 to 2012

 

It was a time of change and in 2011 I left Motorkill to concentrate on writing original material and help out with various projects.  Aginocurt seemed to be slowing down.  New material was being written, but being pushed aside in favour of more 1990s written material that hadnt been deemed good enough to appear on ‘Angels of Mons’.  It had been a couple of years since the first album had come out and momentum had slowed with the interest.   2012 we decided to call it a day. 

 

2012 – 2013: Milestone Road

 

A short-lived affair with an original Birmingham based band.  I joined with the thinking that I would broaden my horizons with another style of  self proclaimed ‘hardrock’ group.  The advert stated influences of Vixen and Def Leppard. Excellent Marko Kuszta on keys was a force and inspiration.  One counter side, Roger Lee, so called singer keys and guitar player was the weakest link.  Continually in rehearsals, out of tune playing became the norm. 

 

Under the banner of Milestone Roger, Lee put out versions of songs he had written, but horribly out of tune. A Christmas song, written by Lee, which non of us had any part in, was released under the banner of Milestone Road, which non of us had any part in.  This song would tip the most positive person over the edge.  Again hugely out of tune.  Les Dawson would be either be proud or cringe.  After an American company filmed credible documentary about Birmingham original music, I decided to leave.  Marko had decided to leave and I followed, following Lee’s desire to play with places with only Birmingham postcode, although Tamworth and Redditch were too far away, with their Birmingham postcodes.  A so called democratic band was really under a dictatorship of the Straw Man with Delusions of Grandeur.  Many or the type I have met over the years in both music and life. 

 

2014 – ongoing: Epiphany 5 and Triple Point

 

I continued writing and home recording under two banners.  Epiphany 5 and Triple Point.  Also a more lean time with performing.  Doing the odd gig and stand in, I was concentrating on writing material for any type of project that may come along.  But I was also enjoying the freedom of not having shackles of a band around me and experimenting with various genres, styles and sounds.

 

Epiphany 5 was born out of five styles of music I liked and appreciated.  Rock, Blues, Classical. Jazz, Metal.  I had always admired bands like Focus, Queen,, Emerson Lake and Palmer, along with Deep Purple, Rainbow who all seemed to merge different influences.  I also loved Free, BB King, Mike Oldfield in my early years through to Dream Theater and many more.  Epiphany 5 was/is basically my interpretations or re-arrangements of covers.  I can still learn on how arrangements were put together, along with it being a ‘labour of love’.  It has brought me more appreciation of writing and arranging.  And if ever live, being five instruments/members.

 

Triple Point, more of a concentrated version of Epiphany 5, but inline with a three piece arena writing original material.  Triple Point is where water can be in three different states at one time at one temperature.  Also three members, bringing in three different tastes.   Several tracks have been recorded in demo and pre-production form, with idea to finalise the arrangements and put out both live and on record.

 

2015 – ongoing: Retribution

 

A Shropshire based covers band playing through Shropshire, however playing covers rock fans know but wouldn’t expect.  Put together originally but Ang Hayward on Bass and myself, I re-took up lead vocals along with guitar as any vocalist we tried couldn’t meet basic requirements. After various auditions Ade Holford joined on drums.

Undertaking dual duties for the first time in over 20 years I have enjoyed.  I have had to learn a new skill of singing, using vocal chords effectively, playing and singing at the same time, and moving from the sides to take the fronting of a band.  This is still an ongoing development where just being OK isnt good enough.  I still have a long journey ahead.