maandag 6 januari 2014
Reblog - K. J. Keller (Author): The Royal Spuds – ‘Spud-licious Interview’
K. J. Keller (Author): The Royal Spuds – ‘Spud-licious Interview’: Posted by: kathykeller | on December 17, 2013 The Royal Spuds – ‘Spud-licious Interview’ There is no better introduction to this ...
vrijdag 13 december 2013
Gig Recap: Archeon Midwinterfair 2013
Time for a new section! Gig recaps! Oh joy. Quick explanation: we play a gig, we write a recap. We won't be writing about all of them, only the most memorable. And this one was memorable.
For all of you who don't know what the Archeon is, it's sort of a village with authentic reconstructions of archeologic finds from The Netherlands. Think prehistoric, Roman and medieval.
We planned to get to the Archeon before the fair opened, so we could get our stuff inside by car. We had some bad memories from last year and carrying everything through the snow. So we wanted to avoid that. Knowing us though, you'll find we're always late, and there's always someone who has to do something "quickly" before we take off. This was one of the rare days though where that didn't happen. So we were on time!
Getting to the back entrance is always a hassle since it invloves driving through a construction site. It's always muddy and slippery, so it takes a long time. Then there's waiting in line at the gate. Which also takes a long time. But when you're in you get to drive past Roman bathhouses and medieval inns and houses, that's such a weird thing to do. Cars just don't belong there.
After carrying all our stuff (well, not all of it, we made an arrangement with Rhovanion, they'd bring the guitar amps, we'd bring the drumkit and bass amp) up some pretty precarious stairs to the top floor of a medieval monastery, it was time to explore! But first... coffee!
Exploring these fairs is always fun. There's so much to do and see! There's stalls, lectures, shows, bands and even speeddating. Well, this one has speeddating. The fun thing about the Midwinterfair is that it's in early December, and there's still so much to do outside. There's re-enactment in pretty much all of the buildings, so you get to see how people lived in those times in winter, which isn't pretty good most of the time. There's no way I can capture the atmosphere in this blogpost so I'll just get on with the gigs.
We played this fair last year as well, we even released our EP "Start Your Engines!" there. Last year we had a pretty good crowd. But this year was insane. Both days, the monastery was packed. People were getting into it, dancing, shouting, drinking and having fun. And when that happens, we play better. As with all gigs, we like to try new things, maybe it's something on stage, maybe it's something in the set. You'll never know. On the Saturday, we almost sorted the songs alphabetically:
This one included three covers, which isn't a bad thing at all. Credit where credit's due, the covers are: Spinning Jenny by Skyclad, Drunken Lullabies by Flogging Molly, and Chip again, which is just an amazing song.
The crowd was amazing, both days, so if you were there, give yourselves a round of applause! Stomping, moshing, dancing, singing along (even with our own material, which was the best part), and having a good time. The people working downstairs in the monastery were afraid the ceiling would give in. Which might be slightly my fault as well ("How about we try to go through the floor!?").
Crowds like this give us so much energy. We'd be able to play on and on if the timeschedule would allow it.
After the Sunday gig we were interviewed by Kathy Keller. She writes about Dutch musicians who sing in English on her blog. We knew beforehand that we're horrible at making sense in interviews. It's never easy getting us to "just answer the damn question!" But that's part of our charm.. hehe. She didn't know that, too bad. We had a lot of fun there, and the interview will be published shortly on the blog.
So, day 2 was over. We went to get our cars, get some food (provided by the Archeon; great change since last year), and drove off. I think that once everyone arrived at home we all collapsed. It's good fun playing a weekend-long fair. But it's exhausting. You never realize that when you're there because you're pumped on adrenaline all the time. At home, that changes.
Anyways, we had a lot of fun playing, partying, drinking, and singing with you guys. One last thanks to all the bands, visitors, re-enacters, staff, stallkeepers and everyone else I missed. Thanks for a great weekend! We'll see you next time.
- Maarten
For all of you who don't know what the Archeon is, it's sort of a village with authentic reconstructions of archeologic finds from The Netherlands. Think prehistoric, Roman and medieval.
We planned to get to the Archeon before the fair opened, so we could get our stuff inside by car. We had some bad memories from last year and carrying everything through the snow. So we wanted to avoid that. Knowing us though, you'll find we're always late, and there's always someone who has to do something "quickly" before we take off. This was one of the rare days though where that didn't happen. So we were on time!
Getting to the back entrance is always a hassle since it invloves driving through a construction site. It's always muddy and slippery, so it takes a long time. Then there's waiting in line at the gate. Which also takes a long time. But when you're in you get to drive past Roman bathhouses and medieval inns and houses, that's such a weird thing to do. Cars just don't belong there.
After carrying all our stuff (well, not all of it, we made an arrangement with Rhovanion, they'd bring the guitar amps, we'd bring the drumkit and bass amp) up some pretty precarious stairs to the top floor of a medieval monastery, it was time to explore! But first... coffee!
Exploring these fairs is always fun. There's so much to do and see! There's stalls, lectures, shows, bands and even speeddating. Well, this one has speeddating. The fun thing about the Midwinterfair is that it's in early December, and there's still so much to do outside. There's re-enactment in pretty much all of the buildings, so you get to see how people lived in those times in winter, which isn't pretty good most of the time. There's no way I can capture the atmosphere in this blogpost so I'll just get on with the gigs.
We played this fair last year as well, we even released our EP "Start Your Engines!" there. Last year we had a pretty good crowd. But this year was insane. Both days, the monastery was packed. People were getting into it, dancing, shouting, drinking and having fun. And when that happens, we play better. As with all gigs, we like to try new things, maybe it's something on stage, maybe it's something in the set. You'll never know. On the Saturday, we almost sorted the songs alphabetically:
Duncan McIntyre
Bottom of a Guinness
Black & Tans
Drill, Ye Tarriers, Drill
Molly Maguires
Mary Goes 'Round
Malt In
Finnegan's Wake
Forgotten Friday
Chip
Irish Rover
So that's something new. What's also pretty cool is that there's less and less covers on our setlist, the only two covers here are Bottom of a Guinnes, by Craic Haus (a really good band, check 'em out!) and Chip, by The Real McKenzies (also awesome). We're writing more and more of our own material, we're re-writing traditional songs, we're working hard.
Sunday's set:
Irish Rover
A Night Like This
Finnegan's Wake
Malt In
Randy Dandy-Oh
Spinning Jenny
Drill, Ye Tarriers, Drill
Mary Goes 'Round
Molly Maguires
Chip
Drunken Lullabies
This one included three covers, which isn't a bad thing at all. Credit where credit's due, the covers are: Spinning Jenny by Skyclad, Drunken Lullabies by Flogging Molly, and Chip again, which is just an amazing song.
The crowd was amazing, both days, so if you were there, give yourselves a round of applause! Stomping, moshing, dancing, singing along (even with our own material, which was the best part), and having a good time. The people working downstairs in the monastery were afraid the ceiling would give in. Which might be slightly my fault as well ("How about we try to go through the floor!?").
Crowds like this give us so much energy. We'd be able to play on and on if the timeschedule would allow it.
After the Sunday gig we were interviewed by Kathy Keller. She writes about Dutch musicians who sing in English on her blog. We knew beforehand that we're horrible at making sense in interviews. It's never easy getting us to "just answer the damn question!" But that's part of our charm.. hehe. She didn't know that, too bad. We had a lot of fun there, and the interview will be published shortly on the blog.
So, day 2 was over. We went to get our cars, get some food (provided by the Archeon; great change since last year), and drove off. I think that once everyone arrived at home we all collapsed. It's good fun playing a weekend-long fair. But it's exhausting. You never realize that when you're there because you're pumped on adrenaline all the time. At home, that changes.
Anyways, we had a lot of fun playing, partying, drinking, and singing with you guys. One last thanks to all the bands, visitors, re-enacters, staff, stallkeepers and everyone else I missed. Thanks for a great weekend! We'll see you next time.
- Maarten
woensdag 30 oktober 2013
Introducing the band: Robin Janssens
1. When and why did you start playing?
I started taking music lessons when I was around 15 years, because i thought it was fun
2. Which instruments do you play?
I play guitar, bass guitar, drums and a bit piano
3. What was the first tune(s) you learned?
Brother john, one of the easiest tunes :)
4. Is your family musical?
My mother sings in a choir.
5. Which famous musicians do you admire? Why?
I’m not really into famous people, it’s more the bands they play in.
6. Which famous musicians have you learned from?
I never really met one...
7. Describe your first instrument. Other instruments.
The first instrument I owned was an electrical piano, next came my electric drum kit, bass guitar and electric guitar
8. What are your fondest musical memories? In your house? In your neighborhood or town?
There are many, but the most impressive one is playing our surprise act in front of the whole school during lunch break: about 500-1000 people were suddenly blown away by our folk-metal
9. Were you influenced by old records & tapes? Which ones?
Not really no
10. Who are your favourite musicians? Groups? CD's?
Mostly Machine Head, Metallica, System of a Down and Avenged sevenfold.
11. Have you been in competitions? Fleadh's? Any prizes?
Loads, but not any big ones yet.( so no big prizes yet)
12. Do you perform in public? Describe those occasions? Concerts, radio, TV?
I play gigs all the time: Bars, festivals, homes, basically anywhere where they want us
13. How do you handle mistakes during a performance?
There are no mistakes, only improvisations :P
14. Do you get nervous before a performance or a competition?
Not really no, but i always check the bathroom before i go on stage.
15. What advice would you give to beginners who are nervous?
Just start playing, and have fun!
16. Do you attend sessions? What makes a good session?
Not often, but when i do I’d like to be the drummer, that’s the easiest :)
17. How often and for how long do you practice?
About 5 times a week for 2 to 3 hours
18. What do you practice - exercises, new tunes, hard tunes, etc.?
Mostly songs.
19. Do you teach music?
Nope.
20. How do you balance your music with other obligations - mate, children, job?
It’s hard, but till now it has always been possible
I started taking music lessons when I was around 15 years, because i thought it was fun
2. Which instruments do you play?
I play guitar, bass guitar, drums and a bit piano
3. What was the first tune(s) you learned?
Brother john, one of the easiest tunes :)
4. Is your family musical?
My mother sings in a choir.
5. Which famous musicians do you admire? Why?
I’m not really into famous people, it’s more the bands they play in.
6. Which famous musicians have you learned from?
I never really met one...
7. Describe your first instrument. Other instruments.
The first instrument I owned was an electrical piano, next came my electric drum kit, bass guitar and electric guitar
8. What are your fondest musical memories? In your house? In your neighborhood or town?
There are many, but the most impressive one is playing our surprise act in front of the whole school during lunch break: about 500-1000 people were suddenly blown away by our folk-metal
9. Were you influenced by old records & tapes? Which ones?
Not really no
10. Who are your favourite musicians? Groups? CD's?
Mostly Machine Head, Metallica, System of a Down and Avenged sevenfold.
11. Have you been in competitions? Fleadh's? Any prizes?
Loads, but not any big ones yet.( so no big prizes yet)
12. Do you perform in public? Describe those occasions? Concerts, radio, TV?
I play gigs all the time: Bars, festivals, homes, basically anywhere where they want us
13. How do you handle mistakes during a performance?
There are no mistakes, only improvisations :P
14. Do you get nervous before a performance or a competition?
Not really no, but i always check the bathroom before i go on stage.
15. What advice would you give to beginners who are nervous?
Just start playing, and have fun!
16. Do you attend sessions? What makes a good session?
Not often, but when i do I’d like to be the drummer, that’s the easiest :)
17. How often and for how long do you practice?
About 5 times a week for 2 to 3 hours
18. What do you practice - exercises, new tunes, hard tunes, etc.?
Mostly songs.
19. Do you teach music?
Nope.
20. How do you balance your music with other obligations - mate, children, job?
It’s hard, but till now it has always been possible
dinsdag 22 oktober 2013
Introducing the band: Dave Schrijvers
1. When and why did you start playing?
I started playing when I was around 16 years old. My first intention was to play bass, but I started on an acoustic spanish guitar.
2. Which instruments do you play?
I mainly play bass, but I can also play a bit of guitar ( chords and stuff )
3. What was the first tune(s) you learned?
The first song I really learned on bass was season in the abyss-slayer. The band I started with played this song, so it was the first thing I picked up.
4. Is your family musical?
My mother really likes to sing, but that's about it.
5. Which famous musicians do you admire? Why?
I don't admire special musicians, but I admire part of music or songs some musicians play, but this is a wide variety.
6. Which famous musicians have you learned from?
Not one in particular, I learned all the techniques I play from my bass-teacher, Alex v. Elswijk.
7. Describe your first instrument. Other instruments.
The first instrument I owned was a cheap-ass spanish guitar.
The first bass I owned was a 60's Avora Jazz bass. ( also cheap-ass by the way ).
My gear at the moment:
main bass:
Vig cobra-pro ( 5 string )
backup bass:
Dean Edge ( 4 string )
amp:
Ashdown Engineering 300W amp.
8. What are your fondest musical memories? In your house? In your neighborhood or town?
I don't have a fondest memory, I have many fond memories, but the one I remember best was our gig in "de Meester-Almere" on st.Patricks day. Everybody went mental when we played!
9. Were you influenced by old records & tapes? Which ones?
Not in particular..
10. Who are your favorite musicians? Groups? CD's?
I like all sorts of music: Korpiklaani, Finntroll, Eluveitie, Blind Guardian, Kontrust, Gogol Bordello, Flogging Molly, Dropkick Murphey, Doe Maar, Spinvis, Boudewijn de Groot, Wardruna, Metallica, System of a Down... This list is far from complete, it really depends on the mood i'm in.
11. Have you been in competitions? Fleadh's? Any prizes?
At the moment we're competing in de Popprijs westland. On 16th november we will play in the finals!
12. Do you perform in public? Describe those occasions? Concerts, radio, TV?
We are very active with the Royal Spuds, performing in public as much as possible
13. How do you handle mistakes during a performance?
Just keep smiling and concentrating.
14. Do you get nervous before a performance or a competition?
It depends on the gig, but sometimes I do. I am always hungry when we have to play, so most of the times I have extra food with me..
15. What advice would you give to beginners who are nervous?
Get used to it!
16. Do you attend sessions? What makes a good session?
A good session is when everyone has fun, it makes practising a lot easier.
17. How often and for how long do you practice?
I try to play at least an hour a day. When we have an important gig I practise a bit more.
18. What do you practice - exercises, new tunes, hard tunes, etc.?
All the above.
19. Do you teach music?
Nope.
20. How do you balance your music with other obligations - mate, children, job?
When you have a hobby it takes time, so a lot of free time goes to playing, but that's what I like.
Photo's by: Nouzie van den Bos and Cornflower Photography
maandag 14 oktober 2013
Introducing the band: Maarten van Vliet
1. When and why did you start playing?
I think that was about 11 years ago. I heard 'Be Like That' by 3 Doors Down and wanted to learn how to play it. It's also about the same time I started singing, in a school band.
2. Which instruments do you play?
I started out just singing, later I added the guitar. Now it's all banjo, and the odd bouzouki and tin-whistle (still practicing that one), for me. In between I tried bass, ukulele, violin, and I think I tried some percussion.
3. What was the first tune(s) you learned?
On guitar, "Seven Nation Army" by the White Stripes, on banjo "Drunken Lullabies" by Flogging Molly.
4. Is your family musical?
Not as far as I know. My sister plays the guitar, but that's about it.
5. Which famous musicians do you admire? Why?
Jeff DaRosa, Winston Marshall, Brain Setzer, Matt Freeman, etc. etc. Why? Because they're all awesome at what they do!
6. Which famous musicians have you learned from?
I have a songbook by Gerry O'Connor, so I guess I learned from him.
7. Describe your first instrument. Other instruments.
My first guitar was a cheap acoustic one, I think a Spanish guitar, no idea about the brand though. Later I bought a third-hand beat up electric guitar. Still no idea about the brand.
Over the years I've owned (don't judge me if I don't know any types!):
Ibanez Artcore
A Hudson semi-acoustic guitar
Ibanez 12 string
An electric bass guitar (it says Muse on the headstock)
Cheap Ukulele
Walton's D Whistle
Stagg electric violin
Another violin
MAIN Mandolin semi-acoustic
A brandless guitarbanjo
A brandless 3/4 acoustic guitar
And my Aria Banjo
8. What are your fondest musical memories? In your house? In your neighborhood or town?
One of my fondest is the first live concert I ever saw. It was at a local venue I never even knew excisted. A friend of mine dragged me there. There was a metal band playing, and it was loads of fun. My first experience with live music.
9. Were you influenced by old records & tapes? Which ones?
Not really
10. Who are your favorite musicians? Groups? CD's?
At the moment my favorite band is The Dreadnoughts, but that might change when I find something new. Other great bands are of course the Real McKenzies, Dropkick Murphys, Rumjacks, NoFX, Stray Cats, Katzenjammer, The Clash, The Creepshow, Sublime, and many many many many many many more!
11. Have you been in competitions? Fleadh's? Any prizes?
Yup, like the other guys explained in their introductions.
12. Do you perform in public? Describe those occasions? Concerts, radio, TV?
Yup. Everywhere, as much as possible. Exposure!!
13. How do you handle mistakes during a performance?
I don't, I just keep playing.
14. Do you get nervous before a performance or a competition?
Not anymore, I've been playing in bands and on stage for so many years now. The last time I've been really nervous was the first gig we played with The Royal Spuds.
15. What advice would you give to beginners who are nervous?
I always like to drink a few beers before a show, a few. Too many? You're playing horrible. Too little? You might get nervous.
Also, remember that it always gets better after the first song.
16. Do you attend sessions? What makes a good session?
Every now and then in a local bar.
A good session is one where everyone gets to play.
17. How often and for how long do you practice?
Not going to lie here, pretty much never. I practice new songs or songs I find difficult to play, but that's about it.
18. What do you practice - exercises, new tunes, hard tunes, etc.?
New songs ;)
19. Do you teach music?
I think I've tried to in the past, but I'm not a great musician, so teaching isn't my job. I don't know any theory and can't really explain what I'm doing. I'm learning though!
20. How do you balance your music with other obligations - mate, children, job?
At the moment school's priority number 1, since I've been going there for far too long now. Music and mate are a tied second though.
Photo's by: Nouzie van den Bos and Martin Evers
woensdag 9 oktober 2013
Introducing the band: Mark de Jong
1. When and why did you start playing?
I started playing the drums when I was about 8 years
old. Before that I already beat on a drum kit, and of course my parents’ pots
and pans. I also made my own drum kit out of closets and plastic containers.
All of this started because I went to a YES concert,
and saw Allan White playing a huge drum kit.
2.
Which instruments do you play?
I play drums and electric guitar.
3. What was
the first tune(s) you learned
Hmm.. not really a tune. The first song I played
though was Another Brick in the Wall.
4. Is your
family musical
Yeah, a guitarist, accordionist and a couple of
singers.
5. Which famous musicians do you
admire? Why?
Allan White, his drums are a big part of the melody.
Without all the other instruments it still sounds as a complete song to me.
6. Which
famous musicians have you learned from?
Smelly
Travis Barker
Simon phillips
7. Describe
your first instrument. Other instruments.
My first kit was a cheap standard 5 piece drum kit
from Basix with some Basix cymbals. Later I added cymbals from Paiste and
Zildjian.
The drum kit I currently own:
Tama 6-delig BMW- SL62HZBNS-BMW Superstar Custom Hyperdrive.
Istanbull alchemy rock hi-hat 14’’
Sabian crash cymbal 16’’
Paiste crash cymbal 18’’
Sabian thincrash cymbal 18’’
Anatolian ride 20’’
Dw 4000 twinpedal
I also have two electric guitars:
Epiphone SG
Epiphone SG
Hudson HTCX
Hot Cherry
8. What are
your fondest musical memories? In your house? In your neighborhood or
town?
Every musical memory is a great memory in its own
right. But the best one is the first show I played with the Black Roses, the
band I played in when I was in elementary school.
9. Were you
influenced by old records & tapes? Which ones?
10. Who are you’re
favourite groups?
Lots of punk like: NoFX, Bad Religion, Pennywise, The
Bouncing Souls, The Ramones and De Heideroosjes. I listen to every type of
music though.
11. Have you
been in competitions? Fleadh's? Any prizes?
With The Royal Spuds we won the Live & Lazarus
audience award. Right now we’re in three other competitions.
In the past I competed with other bands as well.
12. Do you
perform in public? Describe those occasions? Concerts,
radio, TV?
We’re playing quite a lot with The Royal Spuds.
13. How do you
handle mistakes during a performance?
That’s different every time. Mostly I act as if
nothing went wrong. Sometimes, when a fill is too short or too long I play a
kick instead of a snare, if the rest keeps playing everything gets back in
place again. Every mistake is different though, so you’ll react different every
time as well.
14. Do you get
nervous before a performance or a competition?
I actually don’t. Sometimes I have to poop a lot
before a show though.
15. What
advice would you give to beginners who are nervous?
Some people just drink beer before a show, this will
influence your playing quality. I’d say: look at the other bands or sit
backstage with your own band and play some songs to get ready.
16. Do you attend sessions? What makes
a good session?
Very little, I used to attend more than I do now. A
good session happens when there’s enough beer and everyone’s listening to each other,
so don’t just do your own thing.
17. How often
and for how long do you practice?
I try to practice as much as possible. But there’s
always neighbors complaining when you’re beating the drums.
18. What do you practice - exercises, new tunes,
hard tunes, etc.?
Badass fills, weird measures and speed!
19. Do you
teach music?
No.
20. How do you
balance your music with other obligations - mate, children, job?
Shows during the week are often tricky, I work ‘til 5
and we have to be at the venue at 7 to set up. Dinner’s somewhere in between.
Working the day after a show is never good, sleepy in the workplace. In October
we have 2 shows almost every weekend, so there’s not a lot of time for other
people.
Photo's by: Nouzie van den Bos and Cornflower Photography
maandag 30 september 2013
Introducing the band: Milan Boom
1. When and why did you start playing?
I started playing the drums when I was 6. At 8, I switched to acoustic guitar and a year after that I picked up my first electric guitar.
2. Which instruments do you play?
My main instrument is electric (and to a lesser degree acoustic) guitar. Furthermore, I can slam on a drum kit and a bass guitar in time with the music, have a basic understanding of piano and I recently started playing the bouzouki.
3. What was the first tune(s) you learned?
Boston - It's more than a feeling. I managed to play that on my first acoustic guitar at age 8.
4. Is your family musical?
Yes. Both my parents have performed with bands in their twenties.
5. Which famous musicians do you admire? Why?
At age 9, I saw Steve Vai's performance on the Crossroads DVD. That performance inspired me to switch to electric guitar. Over the years I've come to know quite a few great guitar players like John Petrucci, Paul Gilbert, David Gilmour and Stevie Ray Vaughan. These players with their own unique playing styles inspired me to develop my own way of playing guitar.
6. Which famous musicians have you learned from?
John Petrucci, Paul Gilbert, David Gilmour and Stevie Ray Vaughan.
7. Describe your first instrument. Other instruments.
The first guitar I ever played was a beat-up 3/4 size classical guitar. My first electric was an old (but very good) Epiphone SC-450G Scroll I found in the attic.
I've owned many guitars over the years. Swapping them out for increasingly better ones. This is a list of the guitars I currently use for live performances with The Royal Spuds:
PRS SE Custom 22 Semi-hollowbody
Ibanez RG1570 Prestige
Fender Stratocaster (U.S.A. Special, hot rodded/"blackified")
ESP LTD EX-401DX
Morgan W1CE semi-acoustic (yes, we occasionally play acoustic sets/songs!)
Other guitars in my collection (at the moment of writing):
BaCH XPL FR
Schecter Hellraiser C-7 FR
ParamountX semi-accoustic
I've owned many guitars over the years. Swapping them out for increasingly better ones. This is a list of the guitars I currently use for live performances with The Royal Spuds:
 |
| My Ibanez getting some action. |
PRS SE Custom 22 Semi-hollowbody
Ibanez RG1570 Prestige
Fender Stratocaster (U.S.A. Special, hot rodded/"blackified")
ESP LTD EX-401DX
Morgan W1CE semi-acoustic (yes, we occasionally play acoustic sets/songs!)
Other guitars in my collection (at the moment of writing):
BaCH XPL FR
Schecter Hellraiser C-7 FR
ParamountX semi-accoustic
Zen-on western guitar
SigmaGuitars 12-string western guitar
Century 5-string bass guitar
SigmaGuitars 12-string western guitar
Century 5-string bass guitar
8. What are your fondest musical memories? In your house? In your neighborhood or town?
Listening to rock&roll music as a toddler. My parents played it for me to keep me quiet.
9. Were you influenced by old records & tapes? Which ones?
I was raised on a musical palette ranging from classical music to hard rock. Therefore, I've never had the need to stick to a single genre to play.
10. Who are your favorite musicians? Groups? CD's?
Ayreon, Dream Theater, Porcupine Tree, Symphony X, Racer X, Slayer, Metallica, Europe.
That's just scratching the surface, really. I know and love so many bands it would be very time-consuming to comprise a full list!
That's just scratching the surface, really. I know and love so many bands it would be very time-consuming to comprise a full list!
11. Have you been in competitions? Fleadh's? Any prizes?
I have, with The Royal Spuds. We're currently in several band contests.
12. Do you perform in public? Describe those occasions? Concerts, radio, TV?
I play quite a lot of shows with The Royal Spuds. I especially like playing on festivals, but every one of our shows is a party!
13. How do you handle mistakes during a performance?
If the mistake isn't noticeable (doesn't interrupt the song) I play along as if nothing happened. If it's really obvious I messed up, I laugh, pull a face and continue on anyway. The show must go on!
14. Do you get nervous before a performance or a competition?
Not nearly as much as I did when I first started performing live. I still feel slightly anxious whenever I walk onto a big stage, but as soon as I hit the first note that feeling instantly disappears.
15. What advice would you give to beginners who are nervous?
If there are people in the audience, they've most likely come to watch you perform. Keep your head up and play your music. Made a mistake? Re-read question no. 13!
16. Do you attend sessions? What makes a good session?
Occasionally. If there's chemistry between the attending musicians, good music will follow.
17. How often and for how long do you practice?
In high school I practiced at least 2.5 hours a day. With work, study and lots of live shows I'm down to an average of half an hour a day.
18. What do you practice - exercises, new tunes, hard tunes, etc.?
Scales, chords and progressions, new songs.
19. Do you teach music?
I've taught a few of my friends guitar in high school.
20. How do you balance your music with other obligations - mate, children, job?
I don't plan on having children for at least the next decade. Iplan on finishing my education this year. After that, I plan on dividing my time between my girl, my job and my music!
Photo's by: Nouzie van den Bos and Cornflower Photography
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