Jack Sanderson plays the viola in the chamber ensemble "The Candlelight Players" who play for social functions around the North East of England. He also plays the organ at some of the local churches (although he'll admit to usually being a stand in), and the piano for fun. A chemist and then a mathematician, he taught at Teesside Polytechnic/University until retiring 15 years ago. Now 74, he helps out at the local schools and community centres, travels the world, and goes swimming three times a week.
He also has the dubious distinction of being my dad.

Who are you?

Jack Sanderson

Where are you based?

Middlesbrough

What instruments do you play?

Viola

What is your current or most recent project?

Playing in string quartets/quintets with amateur friends

Name a record that had a big effect on you in your youth-

Beethoven’s violin concerto

What was the last record/CD you played-

Walton’s string quartet

List three records or CDs by artists other than yourself we should all hear-

Bach’s ‘cello suites
Mozart string quintets Beethoven’s Op 18 string quartets

Describe a live performance that had a big effect on you-

Britten’s Serenade for Tenor, horn and Strings

Your favourite live venue-

Darlington Arts Centre

What's the strangest place you've performed in/at?

Minstrel’s gallery in Hartlepool Art gallery

Tell me about a great experience as a performer-

Playing a trio from a Haydn quartet when two young children left their seats and started to dance in front of us.

Is improvisation important to you?

Not yet

Name three heroes or heroines-

Yehudi Menuin, MiroslavRostropovich, Alan Barnes

What is your favourite city?

London

A couple of favourite books-

Civilisation – Kenneth Clark; The Blind Watchmaker – Richard Dawkins

A couple of favourite films-

Moby Dick; Breakfast at Tiffany’s

What makes you laugh?

The Goons


Thanks Dad
The Music Questionnaires are an ongoing series

Scott Taylor is a guitarist and composer. He has released several recordings of his own music which basically consist of treated or remixed field recordings. These can be alternately comforting or disturbing, and have been released by Phonography, Authorised Version, Stradtgruen and Sijis amongst others. his track "Droner" appeared on the Touch CD "Spire".

He runs the "lower case" music label Lapilli, releasing CDs by Daniel Menche and Francisco Lopez, and is a member of the team that runs the Sijis label - "The Home of Music With A Limited Appeal".

His more commercial music can be heard on some TV adverts, and he has a background in a successful 80's pop group. Scott and I have worked together on a couple of occasions as "Thames Barrier".

Who are you?

Scott Taylor

Where are you based?

North Kensington

What instruments do you play?

Guitar

What is your current or most recent project?

'Please Keep Clear At All Times' on Entr'acte, pop songs with an 18 year old called Kristina Harvey, an upcoming album release by Z'EV and Francisco Lopez on my label, Lapilli and an upcoming release of an album by guitarist Gary Smith with a second album of remixes/interpretations by Bernhard Gunter, Steve Roden, David Tibet, Bill Fay, Elliott Sharp, BJ Nilsen, Peter Rehberg etc on a label I co-run, Sijis. Also, currently recording Gary Smith for a duo album in collaboration with Bernhard Gunter for release next year. And just finished an album for Spanish label Conv called 'Five Dreams For Sleepers'.

Name a record that had a big effect on you in your youth-

'Easy Rider' soundtrack caught my ear first of all when I was 8 or 9. It was, 'what the hell is that', particularly after a diet of Johnny Mathis and Trad Jazz in the parental home. That was what sent me off down years of musical cul-de-sacs or wide open boulevards.

What was the last record/CD you played-

'Low Valley' - Yannick Dauby

List three records or CDs by artists other than yourself we should all hear-

The Drift - Scott Walker
Pet Sounds - The Beach Boys
The Parker Tapes - Casette Boy

Describe a live performance that had a big effect on you-

Recently, it would be seeing the Flaming Lips - rare to see such genuine, innocent fun with spirit. The entire audience left with a huge smile on it's face.

Your favourite live venue-

Used to be The Marquee when it was on Wardour Street, now, no particular favourite, although the fleapit that is the Astoria is good.

What's the strangest place you've performed in/at?

A car park in Valencia, Spain at 2am in front of 10,000 pissed Spaniards.

Tell me about your worst experience as a performer-

1980 - a pub in Peckham - a psychotic looking skinhead stood directly in front of our singer, staring her out. He ended up having a fight with some punks at the back of the pub.

Tell me about a great experience as a performer-

Playing in Germany, 1,000 people, hit the downbeat of the first chorus of the first song and all the power tripped. Very odd feeling. Like Wile E. Coyote running in mid air after he's gone over the cliff edge.

Is improvisation important to you?
Essential when working things out, but I don't think that's what you're asking, so I'd have to say no.

Name three heros or heroines-

No.

What is your favourite city?

A toss up between Paris, Barcelona or Amsterdam. Certainly not grotty, over-rated London.

A couple of favourite books-

Perfume - Patrick Suskind
A Secret History - Donna Tartt

A couple of favourite films-
Stalker - Andrei Tarkovsky
Under Siege - the director is not particularly important (Andrew Davis). The presence of the mighty Steven Seagal is what counts.

What makes you laugh?

Steven Seagal, Peter Cook, Bill Hicks, real life slapstick.

A favourite website?
http://www.stuffonmycat.com/

Is there a pop song you feel sentimental about, and can you name it?

'Everybody's Got To Learn Sometime' by The Korgis. Ahhhh!!!!!!


Thanks Scott
the music questionaires are an ongoing series

Sam Fendrich is a composer. He was born in Novosibirsk, Siberia in 1947. His music playfully mixes elements of popular music with atonality and wit. His works include "Octophobibone" for solo trombone and computer, the massive "Etude Brutus" for computer driven piano, "The Unquestioned Answer" for String Quartet and Tape, "Shulamite Requiem" for Electronic Choir and the beautiful "4G" for piano and violin, which was a finalist in the 1992 Cornelius Cardew Composition Prize.

Other interesting facts about Sam include that he spent a year as a professional poker player (in the time before internet poker I might add), he composed 39 songs for "Humphrey The Bear", an Australian Children's TV programme, and that he has a deep interest in mathematical philosophy, and when not composing, he teaches higher mathematics.

Who are you?

I am Sam Fendrich

Where are you based?

West Hampstead

What instruments do you play?

None really ...no really...I'm a composer...but I'm trying to learn piano ....so if there are any beginners out there (particularly blues or improv - ) who need inept keyboard - maybe..

What is your current or most recent project?

I've recently completed a 'challenging' piece (both physically and musically) for alto trombone and CD called ‘Von Entropicalto Memes’.

Name a record that had a big effect on you in your youth-

Charles Mingus' 'Mingus Ah Um' - it still does it for me

What was the last record/CD you played-

A various artists compilation of Kurt Weill songs entitled 'September Song'

List three records or CDs by artists other than yourself we should all hear-

'11 tracks of Wack' Walter Becker
'Fashion Music' John White
'Sinfonia Concertante' Mozart (amazingly) - the Heifetz/Primrose recording

Describe a live performance that had a big effect on you-

Cecil Taylor at Ronnie Scott's - some time in the 70's - phew

Your favourite live venue-

the old Marquee in Wardour Street - for sentimental reasons

What's the strangest place you've performed in/at?

I used to practice my double bass in bed - but more publicly - HMP Wormwood Scrubs - with the Westminster Phil.

Tell me about your worst experience as a performer-

Attaching a paper mache fish to Cinderella's fishing line as she's singing 'I caught a fish' with Buttons. I was depping, for one night in the pit of a little theatre in Watford. I turn the page of the score and read 'Attach fish to line'. But somebody had left the fish on the other side of the pit and I had to put down the bass and crawl across a couple of keyboards in full view of the audience. I couldn't get the fish to attach to the line. Cinders did not catch a fish that night - but it got the best laugh of the show.

Tell me about a great experience as a performer-

Playing a couple of gigs at the Peanuts with Louis Moholo and Mike Osborne as a dep for Harry Miller

Is improvisation important to you?

YES ....(actually I just made that up)

Name three heroes or heroines-

John White, Henry Miller, Lee Miller

What is your favourite city?

London

A couple of favourite books-

'The Phantom Tollbooth' Norton Juster; 'Foundations of Set Theory' Fraekel/Bar-Hillel/Levy

A couple of favourite films-

'To Live and Die in LA' (Freidkin) 'Once Upon a Time in America' (Leone)

What makes you laugh?

Funny Things........but seriously....verbal wit eg Graucho's stuff such as ...my favourite.. 'behind every great man there's a great woman; and behind her is his wife.'

A favourite website?

Donald Fagen's

Is there a pop song you feel sentimental about, and can you name it?

'How Sweet it is to be loved by you' by Junior Walker and the All Stars

but I got to mention 'Rainy Night in Georgia' by Brook Benton

and also ………….

Thanks Sam
the music questionnaires are an ongoing series.

I've been playing music with Mark for over five years now, as "Braby/Sanderson Underdrive", in our acappella duo singing Copper Family songs, and in Lost Robots. For many years Mark was the leader of "Joe's Comforters", whilst also offering his musical services to The Gemma Ray Ritual, Defeat The Young, Drop, Jail and many others. He is currently getting together a new vehicle for his songs dubbed "London Firesky".

Mark is also a promoter, running The Orchestra Pit and Scaledown, and presents a Resonance FM show, also called "Scaledown".

Mark used to be an actor, and his photogenic fizzog was occasionally seen in TV ads in the mid 90's. His visual similarity to Steve Brookstein is, however, purely coincidental.

Who are you?

Mr Mark Braby

Where are you based?

Muswell Hill, London N10

What instruments do you play?

Bass, drums, melodica, guitar, toys, effects, percussion

What is your current or most recent project?

Lost Robots

Name a record that had a big effect on you in your youth-

'Reward' by The Teardrop Explodes

What was the last record/CD you played-

'Real life' by Magazine

List three records or CDs by artists other than yourself we should all hear-

'Real life' by Magazine, 'Largo' from 'Symphony No 6 in B Minor' by Shostakovich, black saint and the sinner lady by Charles Mingus

Describe a live performance that had a big effect on you-

Cardiacs at the Pink Toothbrush, Raleigh, Essex, 1988. 6 smelly people in dusty sally army gear performing bonkers riffs and time changes. Reminded this 22 year old of war time songs put through scratchy metallic machines and wooden stuff

Tell me about a great experience as a performer-

playing at the Union Chapel

Is improvisation important to you?

yes

What is your favourite city?

London

A couple of favourite books-

'All quiet on the orient express' by Magnus Mills, 'to kill a mocking bird' by Harper Lee.

A couple of favourite films-

vertigo, north by northwest, the innocents


Thanks Mark
the Music Questionnaires are an ongoing series

I suspect Rhodri Marsden needs little introduction to LiveJournal users, and I think he would squirm with embarrassment if I went on too much. Needless to say, his was one of the first blogs I ever read on a regular basis, after being pointed to it by spoombung. And a bloke who appreciates Magma and the first Prefab Sprout album is obviously worthy of some attention in these parts. That's without mentioning The Keatons, Gag, The Free French and "cyberclinic"...

Who are you?

Rhodri Marsden, I'm a writer and musician, and I'm embarrassed saying this.

Where are you based?

Tooting, London.

What instruments do you play?

Keyboards, bassoon, various kinds of guitar, and I sing a bit.

What is your current or most recent project?

I'm currently playing keyboards in Scritti Politti. To my shame I've written none of my own material for about 18 months.

Name a record that had a big effect on you in your youth-

"The First After Epiphany", a compilation of acts on the Ron Johnson record label - including Stump, Big Flame, The Shrubs & The Ex. It was a completely random purchase from a local record shop in Dunstable, and completely changed the way I felt about music. I guess it was a punk-style epiphany, realising that effort and ideas were more important than any notions of musicianship.

What was the last record/CD you played-

50000 BC, by Shudder To Think. A friend of mine says it sounds like Rush, but I've never heard Rush, so that's OK.

List three records or CDs by artists other than yourself we should all hear

Magma - Retrospektiv I/II
Prefab Sprout - Swoon
Art Of Noise - Who's Afraid Of The Art Of Noise

Describe a live performance that had a big effect on you-

I went to see The Stretchheads play at the White Horse in Hampstead at some point in the summer of 1990. By the end of the evening I was rolling around the floor - along with everyone else in the venue - while a fat bloke in a spacesuit screamed his head off and battered us all with a huge plastic tube. In the words of John Travolta, it was electrifying.

Your favourite live venue-

I'm hard pushed to think of anywhere nice.

What's the strangest place you've performed in/at?

On top of a car in Brno. On top of a pool table in Komarom, Hungary. In a tiny hut on a mountain somewhere in North Wales.

Tell me about your worst experience as a performer-

There are so many I don't know where to begin, but I remember playing at Hull Adelphi. A shocker. Half the band had disappeared, so the numbers were made up by friends who lived locally and who we'd taught the songs to that afternoon. 2 of my guitar strings had snapped, and I had no replacements because I had no money. It sounded abymal, the audience were restless, we ended up throwing ourselves about in the hope of generating some excitement and while doing so I fell off the stage. As soon as we were finished I chucked my guitar into the amp and ran off stage, and out the back, where I sat on a bollard and cried my eyes out. As I was doing so, I saw 3 blokes run out of the front of the venue and down the road, and one of them was shouting "that was the best gig I've ever seen in my life." This taught me something, although I'm not sure exactly what.

Tell me about a great experience as a performer-

Playing a wonderful set on an open air stage at Castle Buchlov in the Czech Republic in front of 1000 people - mainly parents with theirkids - as the sun dipped behind the hills, and then out of the corner of my eye seeing our singer fall out of a tree.

Is improvisation important to you?

Not in the slightest. It's probably because I've never played music with people who are any good at it (and I obviously include myself in this) so to me, improvisation equals "jamming", which is the most repulsive activity imaginable. Clearly there are good improvisers out there, but the only ones I've seen and thoroughly enjoyed are Ticklish, which you were in, of course.

Name three heros or heroines-

WC Fields
Stephen Fry
Keith Floyd

What is your favourite city?

London

A couple of favourite books-

Confederacy Of Dunces
The Scheme For Full Employment

A couple of favourite films-

I'm really impatient with films. I can tolerate Annie Hall.

What makes you laugh?

A joke I read at the weekend with the punchline "does it look like my f*cking parents are in?"

A favourite website?

The Onion is consistently great. The BBC Weather site is reasonably accurate.

Is there a pop song you feel sentimental about, and can you name it?

"Night To Remember" by Shalamar. It puts me in a fantastic mood every time I hear it, which is often, because it puts me in a fantastic mood.


Thanks Rhodri
The music questionnaires are an onging series

Kev Hopper has been one of my best friends for the last 12 years or so, although he already had a quite successful music career behind him before I met him. As bass player with Stump he'd already experienced a level of popularity in one of the more original bands to emerge from the "C86" scene.

A restless musician who tends to seeks out new musical areas to obsess about, after leaving Stump he made a groundbreaking LP of Sampler music, "Stolen Jewels" when the technology was still in its infancy. He took up the musical saw which became the lead instrument on the albums "Whispering Foils" and "Saurus", whilst also immersing himself in the fiendishly complex mathematical world of the electronic music program Reaktor. Recently he has become enormously attached to the sound of the acoustic guitar. His most recent album is a most effective synthesis of all of these elements. It also provides "Little Atoms" with its theme tune.

Kev was the founder of the South London electronic group Ticklish (with Phil Durrant and Rob Flint, and until 2003, me).

LiveJournal readers may know Kev as spoombung.

Who are you ?

Kev Hopper. I'm 45 years old. I make a CD about every 4 years or so. I do occasional gigs and play with a group called Ticklish.

Where are you based?

Deptford, South London.

What instruments do you play?

Bass guitar, acoustic guitar, musical saw and computer. Acoustic guitar mainly.

What is your current or most recent project?

I made an album last year called I SAW SPOOMBUNG'S DAUGHTER CONSUMED BY KIRBY DOTS that was released exclusively in Japan. I've been quite inactive for the past year or so due to circumstances beyond my control and have been less interested in making another album even though my love of music remains strong. i just can't drum up the enthusiasm to make another record only for it to trickle away selling 300 copies.

Name a record that had a big effect on you in your youth-

'Close to the Edge' by Yes. Wow, Chris Squire - what a bass player.

What was the last record/CD you played-

'Never the Same' a British folk revival compilation

List three records or CDs by artists other than yourself we should all hear-

They're probably records you've already heard: Laura Viers -'Carbon Glacier '. This record is extraordinary,inspired, and totally cringe-free. Steve Reich 'Music for 18 Musicians'- a classic. Keane - 'Crystal Ball' dead catchy y'know... but, as you might expect, NOT cringe-free.

Describe a live performance that had a big effect on you -

Brand X at The Venue 1979. It was like a pilgrimage.

Your favourite live venue-

They're all overseas but I supose I like the Albany Empire in Deptford.. although they sell rubbish beer there.

What's the strangest place you've performed in/at?

I can't think of any right now - you may have to remind me, Richard...

(I would suggest playing avant electronica to a load of pissed up stockbrokers in a barge, for starters -RS)

Tell me about your worst experience as a performer-

Ah, it was at the Royal College around '98 or so with a guitarist I'd rather not mention. He prepared a backing track that I hadn't actualy heard before the gig so it was kind of sprung on me... and it was the worst bit of industrial, doomy nonsense I've ever come across and was quite impossible to contribute anything to. He also insisted on playing at deafening volume which made the poor innocent punters retreat to the back of the hall. Really embarrassing.

Tell me about a great experience as a performer-

They've been so many! Ireland with Ticklish. Brixton Academy with Stump in front of hostile audience that we won over somehow. A good solo performance in Japan with a pick-up band.

Is improvisation important to you?

Only if it's a mutual agreement between consenting adults.

Name three heros or heroines-

They're all heroines: Emma Carter (my wife and best friend who died early this year) and two ultra-helpful friends, Hazel Jones and Sam Graham.

What is your favourite city?

I suppose it's London - because I don't have enough experience of living anywhere else.

A couple of favourite books-

Anything by Iain M Banks ...

A couple of favourite films-

Solaris - (the remake) and ' My own Private Idaho'

What makes you laugh?

I read a story in the press recently were police were called to a barn following a disturbance and lots of noise from horses. They found a stark- naked man who had covered himself in olive oil and hay being licked clean by horses. 'It was a life's ambition' he told the police.

A favourite website?

3 blogs: Bagrec , Timewasting and imomus .

Is there a pop song you feel sentimental about, and can you name it?

There are loads but probably my favourite is 'Easy to Love' by Cole Porter - the singer imagines being with someone they can't have in a such a lovely, warm, innocent way. It's beautiful. I've never understood why sentimentality is such a dirty word among avant garde wannabees.



Thanks Kev

the music questionnaires are an ongoing series

Graham Halliwell is a saxophonist, whose work has recently been exploring
ideas of stillness and sparseness, to this end he has been supplementing
its normal sound by utilising it as a device for shaping feedback. This
has lead him to work with some of major names in the "reductionist" or
"lower case" school. He plays in the brilliant trio +minus with Bernhard
Gunter and Mark Wastell, and has recorded with Rhodri Davies and Steve
Roden. Other groups include VHF (with Simon H Fell and Simon Vincent).
His CD "Recorded Delivery" has been very well
received.

Who are you?

Graham Halliwell, age 47, born Liverpool, August 1959, 6ft 1inch and
bald as a coot.

Where are you based?

North Norfolk, England

What instruments do you play?

Saxophone, feedback saxophone, electronics

What is your current or most recent project?

Current is duo recording with Tomas Korber (to be released in October),
most recent is duo recording with Lee Patterson (still being mastered).


Name a record that had a big effect on you in your youth-

Legend by Henry Cow followed closely by Faust Transparent (ecstatically
found second hand in Probe Records 1976)

What was the last record/CD you played-

"Stone Circles" by Bernhard Gunter - I have been commisioned to do a
remix - so I've been listening to it today.

List three records or CDs by artists other than yourself we should
all hear-


Bach's "Violin Partitas and Interludes" played by Rachael Podger.
Morton Feldman's "For Bunita Marcus" played by John Tilbury
Paul Desmond with Strings (Desmond Blue?).

Describe a live performance that had a big effect on you-

Judas Priest at Wigan Casino in 1976. It made my ears ring for days,
and I got off with a rather beatiful person called Gill who came from
Wigan and believe it or not wore clogs!! (well it was the 70's). The
love affair lasted for one week. I hated Judas Priest by the
way........far too loud and pompous (but what a week!!).

Your favourite live venue-

Liverpool Stadium in the mid 70's. The rock gigs I saw there in "my
youth" (Gong, Henry Cow, Faust, Hatfield, Van der Graaf etc) always
sounded great and the atmosphere was superb - bordering on the surreal.

What's the strangest place you've performed in/at?

The Club Room!! Come on Richard - you know it was strange!!

Tell me about your worst experience as a performer-

Every saxophonist's nightmare - you pick up your sax and are about to
play intense quiet music and the reed has broken and is unplayable since
you last put the instrument down. This happened to me at a VHF gig at
the Red Rose in the late '99. Never been back since.

Tell me about a great experience as a performer-

Performing a duo for live feedback sax with Rhodri Davies playing ebow
harp in Norwich 2003. Everything was perfect and beautiful for a whole
12 minutes. Creating sounds that the inventors of both instruments
would never have dreamed of (and probably wouldn't condone).

Is improvisation important to you?

Yes - but only as important as anything that can also be called
composition.

Name three heros or heroines-

Morton Feldman.
J.S. Bach.
Samuel Beckett.

What is your favourite city?

London

A couple of favourite books-

Ulysses by James Joyce and almost anything by P.G. Wodehouse.

A couple of favourite films-

Caravaggio by Derek Jarman and anything by Tarkovsky

What makes you laugh?

My wife! and P.G Wodehouse and absurdity in general

A favourite website?

I really don't have any...

Is there a pop song you feel sentimental about, and can you name
it?

Al Green's "Simply Beautiful" from "I'm Still In Love With You" - listen
to the amazing hi-hat playing!! - oh, and Al's voice of course.......


Thanks Graham
the music questionnaires are an ongoing series

Caroline Kraabel is an improvising saxophonist who has been working with
extended techniques (employing simultaneous voice and sax for example)
to produce a new language for the instrument. She is also the founder of
the utterly amazing Mass Producers a 20 piece all woman
saxophone/voice orchestra, who have recorded a CD and an analogue LP,
and a new one is promised featuring the voice of Robert Wyatt.

She works in several duos and groups with msuicians like John Edwards,
Veryan Weston, Maggie Nichols and Charlotte Hug.

Her work often carries a strong philosophical purpose or intent, and
reflects her long standing interests in electricity, amplification, the
experience of "live" music and gender issues in music.

She was the editor of the magazine Resonance 10.2 devoted to the
interface of music, place and technology.

She is responsible for the long running Resonance FM show "Taking a Life
for Walk" which in many ways encapsulated the pioneering and spirit of
the station.

Her own website is here.

Who are you?

Caroline Kraabel

Where are you based?

London

What instruments do you play?

Saxophone/voice

What is your current or most recent project?

Getting my children settled at school

Name a record that had a big effect on you in your youth-

Horses

What was the last record/CD you played-

a private cd of microphone experiments I had been trying out.

List three records or CDs by artists other than yourself we should
all hear-

"Curandera" by
Susan Alcorn.
I'm sure there are others but I can't think of any just now.

Describe a live performance that had a big effect on you-

verbal description of live performances seem futile to me.

Your favourite live venue-

the streets

What's the strangest place you've performed in/at?

streets? Anechoic chamber? Tunnels? A person's head and face? A car?

Tell me about a great experience as a performer-

see above re: descriptions

Is improvisation important to you?

Yes.

Name three heros or heroines-

Maggie Nicols, John Edwards, Walter Benjamin.

What is your favourite city?

London

A couple of favourite books-
Arg!
Illuminations
La Chartreuse de Parme
A la recherche du temps perdu
the immigrants
wide sargasso sea

A couple of favourite films-

seven samurai
la regle du jeu

What makes you laugh?

don't know

Is there a pop song you feel sentimental about, and can you name it?

lots of pop songs make me feel sentimental, and sentimentality seems to
me to go along with the dislocation created by the commodification and reproduction of music - a matching distortion of emotions in time, intensity and object.

My favourite pop song is "Shipbuilding", as sung by Robert Wyatt.
I don't think it makes me sentimental.


Thanks Caroline
The Music
Questionnaires are an ongoing series

Dan Whaley is a self proclaimed purveyor of "sinister stripped down instrumental" music. For many years Dan played lead guitar in the instrumental "mondo wray" band The Charles Napiers releasing several albums and touring Europe regularly as well as a stint as the house band at The Comedy Store. He also spent 6 years being the only male member of fuzz-spattered garage band The Diaboliks.

These days he does solo gigs of moody film-noir soundtracky stuff as Evil Jack McDeath, whose name is also attached to a more energetic trio, with added drums and bass. He's also taken a somewhat unpredictable turn into folk music with The Flaming Czars, a duo with accordionist Geoff Graham, performing sets of Russian and East European traditional music.


Who are you?

Dan Whaley aka Evil Jack McDeath aka Big Ron Turner aka Mrs Edna Watley

Where are you based?

Sussex

What instruments do you play?

Guitar, Bass, Drums, Assorted other bits and pieces

What is your current or most recent project?

Two current projects: The McDeath Trio & The Flaming Czars

Name a record that had a big effect on you in your youth-

Songs The Lord Taught Us by The Cramps

What was the last record/CD you played-

Baby Let Me Follow You Down by Bob Dylan

List three records or CDs by artists other than yourself we should all hear-

It’s Alive by Ramones, Early Recordings by Link Wray, Goldfinger Soundtrack by John Barry

Describe a live performance that had a big effect on you-

First time I saw The Cramps in 1984. I was 14 years old and really had no idea that 4 people could make that much noise.

Your favourite live venue-

Atomic Café in Munich

What's the strangest place you've performed in/at?

Either a car showroom in Holland supported by a puppet show or a restaurant in Italy where we were attacked by spacemen

Tell me about your worst experience as a performer-

Playing to a packed Garage in Islington, but we had consumed too much stagger juice, so half the band started playing one song and the other half started playing a different song. The promoter quickly hopped on stage and pulled the curtains in front of us. 6 years later, that same promoter hopped on stage mid set to announce that the bingo was starting in the other room

Tell me about a great experience as a performer- Playing in front of 1000+ manic Italians in Florence and watching them jump around to songs that I’d had a hand in writing

Is improvisation important to you?

Absolutely. I could never entertain the idea of playing to backing tapes or a drum machine, as you would not be able to, say, play another verse if the fancy took you

Name three heros or heroines-

Link Wray, Poison Ivy Rorschach, Blixa Bargeld

What is your favourite city?

Amsterdam. I lived there for 18 months in the early 00s and still miss the place

A couple of favourite books-

Feast of Snakes by Harry Crews, anything by Richard Stark

A couple of favourite films-

Faster Pussycat Kill Kill, Blazing Saddles

What makes you laugh?

Most things. I laugh a lot

A favourite website?

http://www.danwhaley.co.uk

Is there a pop song you feel sentimental about, and can you name it?

Not really, I don’t really do sentimentality. Or pop songs for that matter.


Thanks Dan
The Music Questionnaires are a continuing series

Kate Waterfield is a vocalist, violinist and guitarist. She has sung with several bands and composed music for theatre. Her vocal work has seen her taking an experimental "extended technique" approach to European folk influences, the results can be heard on her CD "Runa Megin"- her hypnotic collaboration with Georgian guitarist Zura Dzagnidze, which imagines Meredith Monk transposed to a Scandanavian folk club.

When not performing her own music, Kate is often organising music events for young people. She also added fiddle to the "rustic" version of "Half Empty" on my own "Pinhole" EP.

Kate blogs occasionally as sham9.

Who are you?

Kate Waterfield

Where are you based?

I work in London and live near Southend. Originally from Great Wyrley in Staffordshire.

What instruments do you play?

Violin, Voice, guitar.

What is your current or most recent project?

I’m still working on promoting my first album, released a year ago. The album is a folk/world cross, heavily influenced by Scandinavian folk. The music is an exploration through improvisation of the layers of meaning surrounding nine runic symbols. You can find out more about it and hear samples here.

Name a record that had a big effect on you in your youth-

The musicals of Stephen Sondheim were a heavy focus for me during my teens. ‘Sunday in the Park With George’ is an excellent example of his work.

What was the last record/CD you played-

The Sophtware Slump by Grandaddy. (brilliant band live)

List three records or CDs by artists other than yourself we should all hear-

1. ‘Whatever and Ever Amen’ by Ben Folds Five, because when he’s not being irreverent, Ben’s a damn fine pianist and songwriter.
2. ‘Supper’ by Smog, one of the best performers I’ve ever seen live. Saw him perform this album at the Union Chapel, wonderful.
3. The recording of the Elgar Cello Concerto by Jacqueline du Pre , poignant because Daniel Barenboim was conducting.

Describe a live performance that had a big effect on you-

Sounds corny, but going to see ‘ Joseph at the Birmingham Hippodrome aged 13 was the reason I started singing.

Your favourite live venue-

Symphony Hall in Birmingham is pretty amazing both visually and acoustically.

What's the strangest place you've performed in/at?

In the year 2000 I sang two songs as part of a promenade performance on the Thames path walk in East Greenwich between Greenwich and the Dome. The weather was horrific, we were cold, wet and miserable, I had the flu, and we had no amplification!

Tell me about your worst experience as a performer-

As a young person I belonged to the local youth choir. It was our end of term performance, and halfway through I started feeling ill. I didn’t know what to do, and felt horrified at the prospect of having to walk out of the hall we were singing in, in front of all those people. Ironically, that would have been the lesser of two evils, as I ended up doing something far more embarrassing and promptly threw up all over the piano player! Oh dear….

Tell me about a great experience as a performer-

Playing ‘Don’t Look Back in Anger’ with the teacher’s band at the end of a music residential. We all got to pretend to be rock stars, and the kids thought we were cool!

Is improvisation important to you?

It is through improvisation that most of my writing is informed. Some of the best ideas come about during a stream of consciousness type moment, although you sometimes have to wade through a lot of rubbish before finding it on a bad day!

Name three heros or heroines-

Growing up Harrison Ford was a great film hero, although his light has dimmed somewhat. Wonderwoman was a great heroine as a kid, I remember being told to stop spinning around in the butchers, otherwise I wouldn’t be allowed to watch the show later on. From a song writing perspective, Ben Folds is up there.

What is your favourite city?

Prague. I spent a magical Christmas there with my partner recently.

A couple of favourite books-

‘Persuasion’ by Jane Austen - I have a great affection for this book, and try to leave a couple of years in between re-reading, just so that I can bask in the comfort of the familiar and brilliant. ‘An Evil Cradling’ by Brian Keenan – how strange to encounter a work of strength, beauty and lyricism within the confines of a book about confinement of the worst kind.

A couple of favourite films-

There are so many films I love, it’s too difficult to answer, however… ‘The Piano’ is an important film for me because the music is so integral to the themes and moods of the film.

What makes you laugh?

General silliness.

Is there a pop song you feel sentimental about, and can you name it?

Anything by A-ha reminds me of an excited 13 year old at the Birmingham NEC way back when! So I guess ‘Take on Me’ would be the one.

Thanks Kate
the music questionnaires are an ongoing series

Brian Inglis is musician whose work falls into two very distinct camps. He is classical composer whose recent projects demonstrate a prevailing
interest in connecting ancient spiritual themes with present-day concerns (both "Peace" and "Invocation" combine texts drawn from Islamic Sufi mysticism with those from Eastern and Western Christian
traditions).

His other hat is as a member of the rock group Hicks Milligan-Prophecy, The band has recently been seen supporting The Fall, and their jerky, sarcastic and at times hysterical take on "rock music" is destined for great things.

Who are you?

Brian Andrew Inglis. I'm sometimes known as Dr 'Fingers' Inglis
by my musician colleagues in Hicks Milligan-Prophecy and the Zoltan
Kodaly School for Girls. I am a real doctor! though not a medical one.

Where are you based?

London - mainly east and central.

What instruments do you play?

All kinds of keyboard instruments from piano to Casio keyboard.
Also tuned percussion and a little theremin.

What is your current or most recent project?

I recently had a concert performance in London of chamber songs
setting poems by the medieval mystic Hildegard of Bingen. But my main
ongoing project at the moment is the band Hicks Milligan-Prophecy - our
first single is being released this autumn.

Name a record that had a big effect on you in your youth-

Beethoven: Symphony No 5 recorded by (I think) Karl Boehm and
the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. It was the first 'proper' classical
record I got (part of a series sold with a magazine in the newsagents)
when I was about 12 and it opened up the whole world of classical music
for me.

What was the last record/CD you played-

'Battleship Potemkin' (Tennant/Lowe)

List three records or CDs by artists other than yourself we
should all hear-

1 'Lil' Beethoven' (Sparks) - an absolutely inspired
fusion of classical and popular music by a band who are very underrated
in the UK being known by most people only for 'This Town Ain't Big
Enough For Both Of Us'.

2 'The Age of Plastic' (Buggles) - again the Buggles are
very underrated being known only for 'Video Killed The Radio Star'. All
the tracks on this album are great especially 'Elstree' and the sound is
very prescient.

3 'The Veil of the Temple' (John Tavener) - I went to the
all-night live premiere of the full-length verson of this work (lasting
7 hours!) in 2003. It was a transformative experience, the music is
probably the best Tavener has ever done and the combination of religious
texts from Christian, Hindu and Islamic Sufi sources is very relevant
now.

Describe a live performance that had a big effect on you-

A performance of Francis Poulenc's opera 'Dialogues of the
Carmelites' at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama 10 years ago or
so. The opera is set in a convent during the French revolution and the
final scene shows the nuns being guillotined one by one. They sing
prayers as they approach the scaffold so you hear the strong voices in
the nuns' chorus gradually reduce as they are executed until only a solo
voice is left which is cut off in the middle of a phrase. A crowd of
townspeople watch this and the production had them start out by jeering,
mocking and spitting at the nuns. Gradually however the crowd became
emotionally affected by the nuns' dignity in the face of public
humiliation and death, and by the end they were turned away in horror
and shame, tears streaming down their faces. It was incredibly powerful
and well performed and I was stunned by it, almost paralysed rigid in my
seat.

Your favourite live venue-

The Royal Albert Hall is a great place for concerts and it seems
to work well for both classical and popular music.

What's the strangest place you've performed in/at?

Probably at a garden party on the outskirts of Gothenberg in
Sweden. It was pouring with rain and we were playing in a marquee, near
the beginning of the set my keyboard stand collapsed and the keyboard
crashed to the floor. The band just kept playing so I had to continue
sitting cross-legged on the floor; a couple of members of the audience
tried to help me lift up the keyboard and stand during short interludes
in the song where I wasn't playing - but they were never long enough!

Tell me about your worst experience as a performer-

Playing WKD (Camden) in August 2003. It was boiling hot and
everything seemed to go wrong from the keyboard falling off its stand (I
seem worryingly prone to this - see above) to the guitar going out of
tune. It was one of those moments where you just wish the earth would
swallow you up.

Tell me about a great experience as a performer-

I Karlekens Namn (Love Festival), Norberg, Sweden, August 2004.
We were near-headlining the festival, playing in a fantstic barn venue
and the crowd of beautiful, interesting people went wild for us. It was
such fun! The pear cider was great too.

Is improvisation important to you?

I used to be in a free improvisation group in Durham when I was
at university. It's still important to me as a means of generating
ideas/material (I started off composing in my teens just by making stuff
up at the piano before trying to write it down) though less so as a
means of performance. Most of the songs we write in Hicks
Milligan-Prophecy start off as group jams, also I provided the
incidental music to a play in this way a couple of years ago with a
singer friend.

Name three heros or heroines-

Neil Hannon
Germaine Greer
Tracey Emin

What is your favourite city?

I love London, Paris and New York, though my favourite would
have to be Paris as it's the most beautiful, cultured and stylish.

A couple of favourite books-

I love anything by Anita Brookner, especially 'Falling Slowly' -
the sheer quality of the prose make her books a joy to read, and such
bittersweet tales she tells. Also 'Foucault's Pendulum' by Umberto Eco -
it covers a lot of the ground popularised by Dan Brown's 'Da Vinci Code'
but much more besides and is far better written.

A couple of favourite films-

A threesome rather than a couple but the 'Three Colours' trilogy
by Krzysztof Kieslowski has to be my favourite cinematic experience.

What makes you laugh?

I love Carry On films. I watched 'Carry On Captain' on TV once
and laughed virtually all the way through.

A favourite website?

At the moment I'm addicted to Youtube. There's a video made for
a competition of a Divine Comedy song performed by Muppets which is
sheer genius.

Is there a pop song you feel sentimental about, and can you
name it?

'Red Letter Day' by the Pet Shop Boys. It's about the
pointlessness of life without love and a plea for a world in which
people are allowed to be themselves, treated equally and not judged by
their sexuality. And I think that's a good thing to be sentimental
about.


Thanks Brian
The music questionnaires are an ongoing series.

Doug Adams is a musician who performs English traditional music. As an enthusiast and performer his reputation is respected widely within the traditional music community, albeit below the radar of more commercial interests (and in this sense, this "scene" has parallels with English free improvisatrion).

He is a member of "The Pigeon English Band" along with Paul Gross (fiddle) and Sarah Crofts (concertina). He is also the head musician and "Gaffer" for Blackheath Morris, and was instrumental (if you'll excuse the pun) in me deciding to take up morris dancing. He can often be heard, along with many other excellent musicians, at the weekly sessions at the Greenwich Traditional Musicians' Collective every Tuesday, and the monthly Sunday lunchtime sessions in the Borough

Who are you?

Doug Adams

Where are you based?

SE London, SE3 SE10

What instruments do you play?

At the moment, Melodeons, Leics. Small pipes, occasionally Mandolin, Recorders, Whistles, tenor banjo and triangle.

What is your current or most recent project?

The Pigeon English Band

Name a record that had a big effect on you in your youth-

"See Emily Play" (Pink Floyd), Magical Mystery Tour (The Beatles)

What was the last record/CD you played-

"Wingin'" by Steamchicken

List three records or CDs by artists other than yourself we should all hear-

Any by Rory McLeod

Describe a live performance that had a big effect on you-

Curved Air, that Sonja Kristina, phwoar...

Your favourite live venue-

Don't go to a lot now beyond pub rooms and small theatres.

What's the strangest place you've performed in/at?

A run down barn in deepest Essex. It rained and punters had to walk through half an inch of slurry from their cars. The stage was a knackered farm wagon, for the power supply they cut the lead to a grain dryer, we needed good filters to cut out the interference from the strange lighting that had been rigged.

Tell me about your worst experience as a performer-

See above, at the end of the dance a fight broke out which soon spread. Fortunately our sound man was an ex-army NCO with enough agression to keep them at bay while we cleared the kit.

Tell me about a great experience as a performer-

Playing for end of year parties at the then Dartford site of Thames Polytechnic in the 80s. These were standard format barn dances from 6 to 9 pm but the audience was huge and enthusiastic (and probably pissed and relieved at having finished their exams), everyone got up and danced and demanded encores, not normal at a barn dance.

Is improvisation important to you?

No



Thanks Doug
The Music Questionnaires are an ongoing series

It's fitting that the first subject of the Bagrec Music Questionaire is Mark Spybey, as he's a musician I've known for some 33 years. We became friends in our early teens (Mark was the best friend of my cousin), listening to prog-rock and German electronic music in the mid 70's. Mark was the drummer in our first group- the "spacerock" trio "Solaris", which mutated into my punk band "Drop". In the mid 80's we worked together again in the Television/Fall influenced band "The Euphoria Case" before I moved to London. Since then we have collaborated sporadically.
Moving further up North, Mark worked with the Newcastle experimental band :Zoviet*France:, before moving to Canada. In Canada he worked on a number of projects, the most important being Dead Voices On Air- a solo project for samples and toys, which is still going and has released 8 CDs on the Invisible label. A box set of DVOA is to be released shortly. A fervent colloborator, Spybey was a member of Can guitarist Michael Karoli's "Sorfortkontakt!" and has toured the USA with Michael Karoli and Damo Suzuki. He has also worked with Faust, Genesis.P.Orridge, The Teargarden, I Am Spoonbender, James Plotkin, Niels van Hoorn, Mick Harris, Martin Atkins, Jarboe from The Swans and Not Breathing amongst others, appearing on over 40 releases. Now living in England again, his current project is Reformed Faction with Andy Eardley and Robin ("Rapoon") Storey- all three are former members of :Zoviet*France.

The Questionaire-

Who are you?

Mark Spybey

Where are you based?

Northumberland

What instruments do you play?

Drums. I actually make music with anything.

What is your current or most recent project?

Reformed Faction.

Name a record that had a big effect on you in your youth-

Can - Tago Mago.

What was the last record/CD you played-

Third Ear Band, Alchemy.

List three records or CDs by artists other than yourself we should all hear-

I would NEVER list anything by myself. That would be repugnant.
1. This Heat – Health and Efficiency
2. Can – Tago Mago
3. The Fall – Hex Induction Hour

Describe a live performance that had a big effect on you-

Can, at Redcar Coatham Bowl, 1976. We were too young to be there. We sat in the front row. Michael Karoil’s amp was smoking. Jaki Leibezeit started by playing his drums solo for a while (just a beat, nowt flash) and Holger spoke into a telephone saying, “Hallo.”

Your favourite live venue-

Tons. Off the top of my head, Moritzbastei in Liepzig. A hollowed out cave, ex-place of student GDR revolution.

What's the strangest place you've performed in/at?

Underneath the arches (another Cave) of the Brooklyn Bridge (NYC)

Tell me about your worst experience as a performer-

Tons! When my beloved Godzilla toy was stolen at Masquerade, Atlanta GA 1996. My gear was also going nuts.

Tell me about a great experience as a performer-

Los Angeles, Spaceland 1998. Appearing for the first time with Michael Karoli and Damo Suzuki. Wonderful friends; Tommy and Kathy, a great gig with sublime hosts and cEvin Key from Download/Skinny Puppy mixing me, beating Adrian Sherwood at his own game.

Is improvisation important to you?

Yes. It’s the heartbeat.

Name three heroes or heroines-

1. Derek Jarman
2. Joseph Beuys
3. Michael Karoli

What is your favourite city?

Berlin.

A couple of favourite books-

Franz Kafka – Metamorphosis and Other Stories
Rothmans Football Yearbook

A couple of favourite films-

Werner Herzog – Fitzcarraldo
Wim Wenders – Wings of Desire

What makes you laugh?

Absurd, biting, sarcastic, black humour

A favourite website?

http://www.metoffice.co.uk

Is there a pop song you feel sentimental about, and can you name it?

Buzzcocks – Love You More



Thanks Mark. Mark Spybey's own website is here