#4 04/02/2018
Scampi !
Job Title: Tour Manager & Lighting
Designer
Q) How long have you worked with Uriah Heep?
A) 10 years
Q) Please give a brief description of your job
and what it involves on a day to day basis:
A) The lighting side is the easy part to
explain. I get to the venue, if we’re using equipment supplied by the venue, I
work out how best it can be used to obtain the looks that I want for the show.
Working with the venue crew, we then make any changes that need to be done and
then I program the lighting desk. During the show, it’s me who presses the
buttons and hits the faders that make all the lights go on and off – hopefully
at the right times and in time with the music! If I’ve designed the lighting rig
and we’re touring it with us - as happens sometimes, it’s even easier because
everything we bring in is designed to do a job and it’s the same rig every day.
The show’s already programmed, so after a few tweaks here and there, we’re ready
for the show!
The tour management side of my job is basically to make sure that the band and
crew have everything they need to be able to fulfil their function. On the road,
that means making sure that the dressing rooms and riders are all as they should
be, being the liaison between the band and the promoter/venue, making sure
everything runs on time and that everyone is happy. I also have to deal with the
money side of things, although nowadays most of that is done online – I just
have to check the figures to make sure everything is correct. When the band
aren’t touring, it’s a different story! That’s the time when I start contacting
the venues that we will be playing later in the year, make sure they have all
the correct information regarding what we will need on the day, check that any
equipment they are supplying is correct and suitable for our needs. Then usually
book flights, ground transportation, hotels, equipment transport or freighting –
anything really that needs to happen so that we can get to where we need to be
and do what we have to do, then get safely back again. Then I let everyone else
know what they’re doing and on what days!!
Sorry, that’s a brief as I can make it!!
Q) What equipment do you use, and what makes of
equipment are your preferences?
A) Mainly a laptop and printer, a mobile phone and
a lighting desk.
I don’t have a preference for laptops – I currently have a Toshiba. My preferred
make of lighting desk is Avolites. I have used them for years and the people at
Avo have become friends and have helped me greatly through the years. I even
carry a small version of there desk called the Titan Mobile with me wherever we
travel, just in case I need it. The moving light manufacturer I prefer is a
Czech company called Robe. Their lighting fixtures are simply the best that there
are, and again, I’ve been lucky enough to have visited their factory and meet
all the wonderful people who make such wonderful lights!
Q) How did you break in to the music business?
A) I had been playing in bands since I was about 15
but had a full-time job at a swimming pool as a lifeguard. I got promoted by the
council to manager of a small Community Centre which had a stage. Consequently,
I started putting on live music nights which became very popular. I was hiring
in sound and light equipment for these events and slowly realized that I was
enjoying setting the lights up much more than any other part of my job! I left a
secure job with a local council to become a self-employed lighting guy, which
was quite a bold move at the time, but one I have no regrets in doing!
Q) How long have you been in the industry?
A)Some may say too long, but the truthful answer is
35 years!
Q) Are you a musician yourself? What do you play?
A) I started to play guitar aged 12 after a T-rex
concert changed my life! I played in various bands in the Manchester area for
the next 12 years, with a small amount of success, but never enough to give up
my “day job”. I also sang in a couple of bands.
Q) What other artists have you worked with?
A)Too many to mention them all, but a few that
stick in my mind are: Deep Purple, Thunder, Blackmore’s Night, Company of
Snakes, Elkie Brooks, John Denver, Venom, Cradle of Filth, Sweet, Alexander
O’Neal, Slade, Alvin Stardust.
Q) What is it like working with Uriah Heep?
A) It’s hard work at times, but also very rewarding
because the band actually care about what they do and the show they put on every
night (an attitude that’s not as common as you might think!). We all get
together after every show for a few drinks, and when it’s been a particularly
good show, the atmosphere between us all is fantastic. That’s not something you
can create artificially, it can only come from a very close group of friends who
have all achieved the same goal.
Q) Do you have a story or anecdote from the road you
can share?
A) I had been given a tour with quite a famous
Metal Band. I’d listened to their material, but must admit, I wasn’t overly impressed
– but work is work! On the first day of the tour in Glasgow, the lead singer
came up to me and introduced himself and asked if anyone had explained to me how
the show would run. I said “no”, so he took me to the bus and drew out a very
involved stage plan and started to explain. At this point, I was beginning to
think that I would be given lots of lighting cues for different songs, and would
really have to be concentrating throughout the show to give him what he was
expecting – I had no need to worry, because this was his explanation or the
show:
Everything will be dark, then there’ll be this horrible noise. A spotlight hits
me and I’ll say “Good evening Glasgow – Welcome to HELL!!!!” …………………...Then
there’ll be another horrible noise…………………………………
That will last for about 90 minutes – and then we’ve finished!!!! We both
laughed, and I breathed a huge sigh of relief!!
Q) Do you have a picture from the road you can
share?
A) This is a favorite of mine. We were on the Rock
Legends Cruise in 2015 with Peter Frampton and many other acts. The only people
who don’t usually mix with the bands are the senior crew. One day, we all got a
message sent through the production staff, that the captain was a huge Uriah
Heep fan and would like to meet us. We ended up meeting him on the bridge of the
ship, which is somewhere that nobody other than authorized personnel are usually
allowed. The captain was great and showed us around. It was a real honour and a
privilege and something that I’ll remember for a long time!
Q)
Who are a few of your favorite bands or types of
music?
A) I know it’s a bit of a cliché, but I can enjoy
most types of music if they’re played well. Obviously, my main preference is
rock music, but some of the other artists I’ve worked with have been Country,
Soul, MOR – all of them have been a pleasure to work with if they have been
talented and nice to get along with. The other cliché is that your favorite band
is “whoever’s paying me at the moment”, So by default it has to be Uriah Heep.
However, that’s also the case in reality because they fit all the other criteria
above. Good music played well and nice people!
Q) What
hobbies or interests do you have away from the music business?
A)
Other than spending time with my family (wife, kids & grandkids etc), I like to
play golf. It's the best way I've ever found of taking my mind off everything
else that's going on.
#3
01/02/2018
Davey Rimmer
Q: HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN
PLAYING?
DR: I got my first bass at age 11 and carried on from there.
Q: WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST BASS GUITAR?
DR: My first bass guitar was a very cheap Kay Bass which was right handed but
flipped over to play lefty.
Q: DO YOU PLAY ANY OTHER INSTRUMENTS?
DR: I am a frustrated drummer so I love to bash the kit occasionally. I also
play a bit of guitar at home for writing and demo purposes.
Q: WHICH BASSES HAVE YOU TOURED WITH BESIDES THE ONES YOU CURRENTLY
ENDORSE?
DR: I am endorsed by Warwick Basses but I have played live with Fender and
Spector Basses over the years.
Q: ARE YOU A COLLECTOR? IF SO HOW MANY BASSES DO YOU OWN?
DR: Being left handed has always been a problem to grow my collection but yes, I
have a collection of about 20 basses of various shapes and sizes… and all left
handed!
Q: WHICH ONE IS YOUR FAVORITE?
DR: My favorite would be my Warwick John Entwhistle Buzzard bass.
Q: DO YOU HAVE A DREAM BASS YOU DON’T OWN RIGHT NOW?
DR: It would probably be an Alembic Dragon Wing bass… but at about $10,000 I
will have to think about it carefully!
Q: WHO ARE YOUR FAVORITE MUSICIANS?
DR: I have so many favorite musicians… Bass players are John Deacon, John
Entwhistle, Billy Sheehan and Chuck Wright. Guitarists are Paul Gilbert, Brian
May, Richie Blackmore and of course Mick Box! But if I had to pick only one,
probably Freddie Mercury.
Q: WHAT WAS THE FIRST CONCERT YOU EVER ATTENDED?
DR: My first concert was Queen with Freddie back in the 80’s.
Q: WHAT WAS THE FIRST ALBUM/SINGLE YOU BOUGHT AS A KID?
DR: The first album I ever bought was “Queen Live Killers”. The first single I
ever bought was Queen’s Don’t Stop Me Now. I was 9 years old and it blew my
mind!
Q: IF YOU HAD TO PICK YOUR TOP 5 MUSIC ALBUMS, WHAT WOULD THEY BE?
DR:
1. Queen – Sheer Heart Attack
2. The Beatles – Abbey Road
3. Thin Lizzy – Live and Dangerous
4. Queen – A Night at the Opera
5. Uriah Heep – Look at Yourself
#2
12/19/2017
Phil Lanzon
Q :
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN PLAYING?
PL: Started Piano at eight years. went onto Hammond organ some years later -
M162 which was stollen from the back of our van. Had a hand built Leslie which
was amazing but got smashed up somewhere.
Q: WHICH KEYBOARDS HAVE YOU TOURED WITH BESIDES THE ONES YOU CURRENTLY
ENDORSE?
PL: Roland and Korg for 99% of the tours
Q: HOW MANY RIGS DO YOU OWN NOW?
PL:I'm using the Leslie 3300B which is a monster, plenty of overdrive and tone.
I also have a trusty monitor engineer. Thank God!!!
Q: WHICH ONE IS YOUR FAVORITE?
PL:The above
Q: DO YOU HAVE A DREAM RIG?
PL:I suppose I could always stack a half dozen 3300B's. let me think about
that!!!
Q: WHO ARE YOUR FAVORITE MUSICIANS?
PL:For innovation, Tony Banks of Genesis. For manual dexterity, Keith Emerson.
For one of the originators, Jimmy Smith. Then there’s Todd Rundgren, Neil
Hannon, Dave Gilmour. No need for any more as I'll run out of computer storage.
Q: ANY ADVICE FOR BEGINNERS?
PL:Be passionate about the music you want to play. If it's really what you want
then let nothing get in the way.
Q: ANY ADVICE FOR ADVANCED PLAYERS IN GROWING THEIR SKILL LEVEL.
PL:Yes, Get as much experience in the live situation as you can and keep trying
new ideas. there are many different techniques out there but you already know
that. Also, incorporate your style into your writing to take it further.
Experiment with different genres.
#1 12/11/2017
Mick
Box
Q:
For so many guitar greats it was the
Beatles on the Ed Sullivan show that was their first inspiration to learn
guitar, form a band, or write songs. What was the initial motivation that got
you to pick up a guitar and learn to play?
MB: My introduction was via Jazz Guitar with such greats as
Django Reinhardt, Barney Kessal, Tal Farlow & Mickey Baker. My guitar teacher
was from Walthamstow in the East End of London and he was a guy called Alan
Hodginson who played with with Django in France. He was apparently the back-up
guitarist for him in the famous Paris Hot Club 5. Hence the jazz connection, as
that is the style that he taught.
In the Rock field, it was seeing Micky Green the guitarist with Johnny Kid and
the Pirates. He played a Telecaster and they had a song called ’Shakin’ All
Over’ with a wonderful shimmering riff in it. The other concert that made me
want to be a musician for life was a band called ’Them’ with Van Morrison
singing for them. They had a great song called ‘Baby Please Don’t Go,’ with
another great riff. I also saw the ‘Kinks’ on a package tour at my local cinema
playing ‘You Really Got Me’ and that was it. Another great riff though this time
a chord based riff.
Q: Do you play any other instruments?
MB: Not that I can say I can play them.
Q: Of all your influences, who are they and which of them do
you think comes through in your playing the most?
MB: My favourite guitar player of all time is Jeff Beck, but I
have never ever sat down to work out any of his guitar licks. I don’t really
copy anyone or anything, but I doodle to a point where something interests me
and I develop that. That way you develop your own playing style. Along the way
of course there has been Buddy Holly, Eddie Cochrane, Hank Marvin and the
Shadows, The Beatles, Joe Walsh, Neil Young etc
Q: Guitar players who own several guitars will usually say they
have a couple of favourites. What are some of yours?
MB: Electric: Black Beauty Les Paul, Fender Stratocaster, and
my own signature Carparelli S4. Acoustic: Martin D28 6 & 12 string.
Q: Do you write with the guitar, or is there another instrument
like piano that you compose with? If it is guitar do you have a preference,
acoustic or electric, when you are coming up with new material?
MB: Only on guitar either Electric or Acoustic. Usually it is a
riff or chord sequence that excites me, then I will work on it and develop it
into a song format.
Q: Do you still have a practice regime?
MB: I just doodle. I am not one for playing scales and all of
that as I am self taught, so I doodle away to me hearts content. Usually I am
writing in this process which kind of comes under the heading of practice too.
Q: You play a number of different guitars. When playing them
live, do you do anything to your signal chain to compensate their different
output levels?
MB: I usually run with the same sound from start to finish live
and I only ever use the volume pot for loud or louder. At most I will add a
chorus pedal but I would rather be playing than tap dancing. I do use the Cry
Baby as more of an expression pedal than the Wah function. I sometimes try and
find a frequency that when I solo it sits on top of the band.
Q: Do you use in-ears or wedges for monitors live, and why?
MB: Monitors. I do not like having things in my ears anyway and
I am prone to getting infections that way too, so it is a no no. The other thing
is that if live I get a lovely feedback note out of my cabinet I can move into
it and use it that night to great effect, but I am not sure with in-ears you can
do that. Also you are reliant on your monitor engineer, and I like to control
that myself. Sometimes you see band members waving so hard at the monitor
engineer throughout a show that it looks like they are trying to land a plane. I
will only have my guitar in the monitors if I have a problem getting over the
volume of the band. I do have the Acoustic through the monitors and I really
have to rely on that.
Q: Is there a song you would like to one day cover?
MB: I am not a person that likes to cover other artists. It is
just not my thing I am afraid.
Q: What strings and gauges do you use and do you have different
preferences for different types of guitars, say between a Strat and a Les Paul?
MB: I am endorsed by Rotosound Pink Elec: 9-41 Acoustic 11-56
They are great strings and never let me down.
Q: Do you have a preference in what kind of guitar picks you
use?
MB: I have recently started using a really thick pick Jim Dunlop Big Stubby
3.00mm
Q: What sort of pedals make up your live rig?
MB: Boss Chorus, Boss Tuner, Carl Martin Chorus, Jim Dunlop
5535Q Cry Baby Wah Wah
Q: What Amplification do you use.
MB: I am endorsed by Engl Amps and Speakers Germany. They are
fantastic and very reliable. I presently use the Artist Edition Amplifiers with
my own custom speakers grills with my name along side the Engl logo, that the
company made for me.
Q: Do you watch people’s You Tube videos doing covers of your
material?
MB: Only if I run across them.
Q: Finally, if you weren’t doing what you do now, what might
you be doing?
MB: A Footballer