40 Years On (subtitiled: "How can 1978 be so long ago?")

In the mid to late1970's the tip of the Wirral was a ferment of musical activity. Many unsung heroes crafted songs, constructed electronic music machines, joined bands and put on gigs, mostly in church halls.  From out of that mish-mash, two creative minds, Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphrey, managed to land a gig over the water in Liverpool, at the legendary club "Eric’s" in October 1978.

It was a lucky break that led to a musical career spanning 4 decades. Tonight and tomorrow, OMD (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark) will be playing the Liverpool Philharmonic, along with a full orchestra, to 2 sold out shows. Who knew back then where their journey would lead?

Such gave me cause to ponder the journey my own life has taken. Back in 1978 I was trying to balance a newly found Christian faith with my musical skills. I was part of a rocky, punky gospel group called "Bananas." The name came partly as a reaction to people who suggested I'd lost my mind. Maybe so.

As far as most church folk were concerned our musical style was beyond the pale. I recall one person telling me they could feel the presence of Satan as we played our music. (Incidentally 1978 is also the 40th Anniversary of the first Halloween movie.) And gigs outside of churches, weren't likely to happen. My inability to not talk about my faith, didn't make for good bar sales. Was it inevitable I'd end up as a Presbyterian minister?

In retrospect, "Bananas" and the other Christian musicians around at the time, (and there were many) were also breaking musical ground. In the UK, Christian music, to some, remains a source of mockery. In the United States, by the 21st century, CCM (Christian Contemporary Music) was one of the largest selling genres on the planet. There are corners of the church, where the idea of music that isn't played on organs or has the ability to be performed by robed choirs remains anathema, but since the rise of an influential Christian subculture, that has largely changed.

A great read on the growth of CCM, is Eddie DeGarmo's "Rebel for God: Faith, Business, and Rock 'n' Roll."  Eddie was a founder member of DeGarmo & Key, a rock group that  started professionally in 1978. He went on to be in charge of EMI Christian music and become hugely influential in the careers of Christian artists such as DC Talk and Chris Tomlin. (Maybe I should seize the moment and write a book about the unsung heroes of Wirral's Christian music scene back in the late seventies!)

40 years on, I look back and I'm amazed how music has remained a part of my own journey. Writing songs (and even musicals) for youth events, coming up with items for worship services, and even performing occasional concerts has been such a blessing. More recently I've been going along and performing at open mikes and reconnecting with a musical side of me that is outside of any church connection. It remains a part of my DNA to write songs about anything and everything.

I'm looking forward to meeting with a whole group of creative folk as I head out to a writing conference led by Judy Stakee this coming week. There may well be folk in attendance who 40 years on from now will have made their own mark on the musical culture of the future. For myself I'm hoping that the week will inspire my own creative flow, be it for writing a sermon or a song (I've discovered the process can be very much the same!)

If my presence there can be any help to others in their own careers, be it in the world of music or wherever life leads them, that would be awesome. And if by any quirk of fate I get to co-write the next multi platinum song by an international artist then my retirement income will no longer be a source of speculation. lol

Holy Moly. 40 years! Good job OMD. Great work all you folk who were once part of that Wirral music scene, be it as contributors or punters. Let's hear it for the next generation of innovators, song crafters and cultural heroes in the making. Oh my. Where do the years go?

“It all starts with a Song.” Ben Lomond, CA, September 25 – 30 2017

It was truly a privilege to join a community of 28 folk in Ben Lomond, high up on a mountain, amid clusters of awe inspiring Sequoia Trees. This retreat center in California, originally founded by the Quakers, proved to be inspirational location to explore the theme “It all starts with a Song.” We were encouraged to tell stories, craft words and create music from within the stories of our lives.

The retreat was led by Judy Stakee, who spent 20 years as Senior Vice President of Creative Development at Warner Chappell Music. In 2009 she left the corporate world in order to develop her own company focused on creative development in three areas; body, mind and soul.

Days began with an hours yoga before breakfast (a personal challenge), a morning seminar and a three hour afternoon activity that involved collaborating with two other folk, creating a narrative upon a suggested theme, then turning that narrative into a song. The song then had to be performed to the critique of the wider group in the evening. While official programming came to an end around nine thirty, stories and songs around the campfire continued into the wee hours.

There were some amazing young (and not so young) songwriters among the group. Since the retreat a number of them have gone on to release singles and explore other avenues available through today's internet. (Below are links to just a few of them.)

For myself it was a reminder that the songwriting task is both a great gift and a great challenge. There is always a whole lot more to learn. It was great to collaborate with others in writing, something I have not done much in my life. Since the retreat I have been in touch with a few folk who attended similar retreats and attempted a few joint writing sessions. Some worked out... some didn't.

"No Longer Found" written with Scott Thorn

"Bad Day, Bad Day" written with Nick Ryan

I was spurred on to update my website, sing a few more open mikes and even released a single “Pig On A Train” on CD Baby and across multiple platforms, (such as I-tunes and Spotify.) To date it has not returned as much as I financially invested. (Which thankfully was not a lot). Oh well.

There is an alumni retreat being held near Nashville, October 2018. It will be a chance to meet a whole different group of folk who have attended similar retreats, ask questions and do further collaborations. Looking forward to it!

 Judy Stakee ... Website  and on Wikipedia

 Luke Yates (Co-Retreat leader)

Just some of the awesome folk I met... please check out there awesome music :-)

Sabrina Lentini

Victoria Torres

Joe McGowan

Rose Shawan

Petra Jordan
Iari Melchor
Seralynne
Aya Maguire
Amelie Patterson
Savannah Rose (with Shellsea) 
Emma Holden
Elizabeth PW 
Taylor Saul 
Veronica Nelson (VEE) 
MaryLeigh Roohan
Theo des Tombe 
Meghan Monroe
Taylor Olandt 
Nkechi Live 
Ivy Christopherson
Claire McKenzie
 

And if you are reading this and you are not in the list message me on FB with your info  ....

VIDEO OF HANGING OUT BY THE BONFIRE

Andrew Hawkey - “What Did I Come Up Here For?”

Album Review – Andrew Hawkey - “What Did I Come Up Here For?”

To find out more, get your copy of his CD (or download it!) - andrew-hawkey-music.co.uk

I knew Andrew Hawkey back in my Aberystwyth days (1983-84). He was the producer at Solar Sound Studios where I played on a Welsh album called “Bywyd Newydd” and eventually made a vinyl release called “Jester Before the Throne.” In his bio Andrew describes me as a “Happy-Clappy Christian Rocker” (fairly accurate for the guy I was back then... lol.)

He was a wonderful guy to work with (in the narrow confines of Solar Sound studio.. but that's another story) and did a great job playing on the Jester album. It was Andrew's 12 string guitar that significantly filled out the sound.

At the age of 70... he finally got around to producing a CD of his own works. As he explains in the beautiful booklet that comes with the CD, his songs spring from over forty years living and working in the hills of Mid Wales, in particular from 1976 to 1981 at Maes Mynnach, an ancient mountainside farmhouse accessible only on foot. A few of the songs go back to the days at Solar Sound, but most are more recent productions.

The album kicks off in fine style with “Hold On, Let Go.” An organ note, followed by acoustic guitar leads us into his opening line... “So have you heard it, there's a warning voice that wakes you in the night” and a song that reflects on how we often hold onto the things we need to let go. “Better hold on to something and let go of nothing at all.” It's a thoughtful, mellow taster of things to come.

We shift up in tempo for a song about love, that could have been, titled “Apple Green.” I highly recommend the video on YouTube - https://youtu.be/zwujZ0xb2FI . The artwork of the album is reflected in the video and it's a touching, beautifully crafted song that deserves a wider listening.

“Forgiveness” is haunting track that features an acoustic piano that reminds me of the kind of upright piano's many of us grew up with in the front parlor. Slightly out of tune, stylistically melancholy and a fitting accompaniment to a song that speaks about the ghosts of childhood.

“No Shadow” features tasteful slide guitar by Stuart Maman Bolton and reflects on this life we all live under the ever shining sun. “The midwife sun that attends our birth, is the selfsame sun that burns us up.” The theologian in me hears echoes of the biblical book of Ecclesiastes “What do people gain from all their labors at which they toil under the sun? Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever.” (1:3-4)

“The Sidelines” is a song penned by Martin Johnson about finding our place in this crazy old world, and Andrews performance brings out the best in it!

“Treasure of Time” reflects on just how easy it is to allow time to slip through our fingers. As one who is often overwhelmed by procrastination, the message “Just remember you can't put a price on the treasure of time” is a welcome reminder that none of us have all the time in the world in which to do the things in life we reach towards. Some nice mandolin breaks also feature!

“Invitation (For N.T)” is a track back from Andrew's Solar Sound studio days, reflecting on friendships that last... and the song is faithfully bought into new life from a cassette tape restored by Gwyn Jones and Donal Whelan. I like the line in this song... “There's a soft summer mist in the valley and the gutters are chuckling with rain, and I'm so looking forward to having you around me again.”

An album from the midst of Mid-Wales that didn't have a harp on it just wouldn't be complete. The playing of Sian James adds an extra dimension to “Wild Flowers” a gentle song reflecting on lost love. “And the wild flowers grow by the side of the road to her heart...”

On “Turn Around” Andrew reflects on our capacity to totally misread relationships to the point where saying sorry becomes to late. Love can be a fragile thing. His tasteful harmonica playing adds to the vocal harmonies and lift this song to another level.

“I had a fight with my heart” is currently my favorite on the album. A live performance recorded at the Cwmann Tavern in Lampeter reveals Andrew's ability to both write and play the blues. Will Davies offers up the guitar in a performance from 2004. Sounds like they were truly having fun with this one!

“The Land beyond Compare” reflects our longing for home and our relationship to the land that has nurtured and kept us. There are mystical places and amazing people who have shared our journey.

The final track... “Senior moments” is a fitting benediction to a wonderful collection of thought provoking and reflective songs. Andrew sings “I continually climb with my mind in search of direction. If the only way is up, that's just fine, at the end of the day... What did I come up here for?”

As I say, this is a great album and I hope it gets the airplay and exposure it deserves. If you go for the CD you get the artwork and lyrics as well. Get yourself a copy. I see on Andrew's website he continues playing and performing....

“Friday 1 September, 2017: The Senior Moments Roadshow (Andrew Hawkey & Stuart Maman Bolton) at The Old Mill, off High Street, Llanidloes, Powys. Possible guest appearance by Zoe Spencer. Stoically ignoring the melancholy fact that their combined ages tot up to 144, the veterans hit the road or, to be more precise, amble up the street, once more, bringing you a selection of each other's songs plus some hand-picked covers. Oh, and it just happens to be Andrew's **th birthday. 8.00pm-ish, free admission.” 

Musical Friends

 

Whilst I was living in Long Island. NY, I took time to have my ancient Teac A3400 (affectionately known as "Terry") serviced by a company called "New Jersey Factory Service Inc" based in Emerson, NJ. They describe themselves as "Your Reel to Reel Experts" and they did a great job. The old lady is working better than ever she did!

Not faring so well are all the old reel-to-reel tapes in the basement, that seem to shed ferric particles every time they are played! Some, in fact, are barely playable. So, I've been trying to copy them onto the computer (with Terry's help of course). It's been fun revisiting recordings made in college days... and having the technology on the computer to remix some of them. 

One such song was a little ditty titled "Musical Friend" which I remixed, posted on Facebook and it seemed to be enjoyed by numerous folk. One lady told me she just let the "Adrian Music" keep playing all afternoon, as once the song had finished it moved onto the next in the list. Good to know my dulcet tones can still keep folks engaged! As a result of F.B. folk giving it a listen it rose to the top of Soundclick's acoustic folk charts. (See illustration at end of post lol).

The song is all about the comfort that my musical friends... in particular musical instruments... have given me over the years. Music is a wonderful place to dwell when everything else in your life is chaos.  Playing music with others is preferable... but when that's not an option I'm happy to escape to a land whose only border is my imagination. I highly recommend it. Some folk journal. Others take a walk. Me? I play. It's amazing how a little creative meandering can clear your mind.

I see Teac A3340 vintage machines are selling on E-Bay for up to $700 in good condition. We are currently downsizing... but getting rid of Terry would be like selling a much loved pet purely for monetary gain. I know. It'll happen one day. But for now, I'm very thankful indeed for all my musical friends, both human and mechanical!

Open Mike Nights

That's me in the corner...

So it's been quite a while since I attempted to play music in a public setting. O.K. I've occasionally led music at church and at youth events over... Lord knows how many years... but opportunities to be outside my comfort zone have been few and far between. Which is crazy, because I love to play and perform original songs... or even odd versions of other peoples songs.

I think my last truly public outing was a performance at 'Tamarak' in West Virginia, playing with reggae artist 'Shayer', as warm up to a belly dancing competition. That guy was awesome, having once played with 'Burning Spear' in Jamaica.

More recently I was privileged to have jazz drummer Matt Wilson as a member of my church in Baldwin, NY, and he was gracious enough to allow me to play along at numerous events, including a "Bread for the World" concert that featured other awesome musicians such as sax player Jeff Lederer.

So now I'm living in Ellicott City, MD and have discovered that a local pub, "The Judges Bench" has open mike nights. Truth is, until earlier this month I'd never been to an open mike night, let alone considered performing at one. But I was home alone, decided to check it out, and took my guitar along.

Having only ever performed at concerts or events where people came along specifically to listen to what you had to offer... and sat in rows facing a stage... the whole setting was new and a little intimidating. I guess most folk take friends along with them for support, but being new in the area that was not an option.

Basically, at this particular open mike, you stand and play 3 songs in a corner, in front of a TV showing a local sporting event (thankfully the sound is turned down on the TV).  You put your name on a list and performance is first come, first served. Which means you can get home really late if you arrive really late.! A lovely lady called Kelly operates the sound desk, whilst bar-maid Angela works like a crazy thing keeping up with the drinks order. (They have a darn good selection of ales and malts).

For me it was weird singing to a room full of people who were busy doing other things than listening to whomsoever was singing. Not really a performance as much as providing background ambience. Not used to that sort of setting. While it was not an unfriendly atmosphere to perform original songs in, those performing cover versions seemed to evoke more positive responses. Has it not always been so?

It seems to be one of those places that has regulars. The bar advertises itself in 'Cheers' like fashion as being a place where "Everybody knows your name". It was fun getting to chat and hang out with total strangers. Maybe if I keep going along I'll become one of those whose "name is known!"

A challenging environment... just to perform and wonder if anybody is even listening.... LOL. Yet for me, the HUGE joy in doing it was that I love singing my songs. I'd kind of forgotten how much. Maybe, in time, that joy will infect others. But for now, I'm quite happy to listen in to the other acts (and some were indeed awesome) and when my 10 minutes of fame arrives, stand in the corner and do my thing before the indifference of many a punter who only came for the beer in the first place.

And if in any dark corner of the room I get a hum or raise a smile or even a glance in my general direction... then mission accomplished. So here's to next time. Who knows where, who knows when? Bring it on!

Meanwhile, in other news, out in Internet land, one of my solo concert performances from back in the late 1970's made number 1 on a random chart. Proof below. Comedy indeed....

Moods, Memories and other Manoeuvres

I wouldn't normally do a book review (and this isn't really much of one) but how often do you come across a book which includes a slice of your personal history within its pages? Julia Kneale is the author, a fellow Wirralian who spent part of her teen years hanging around the 70's Merseyside music scene. In particular she sang with a band called 'THE ID', one of Andy McCluskey's pre-' Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark' bands (OMD).

Receiving a mention are previous bands I'd been a part of such as 'Mr. Grumbold', 'Pegasus' and the infamously titled 'Hitlerz Underpantz'. Other folks from those days such as John Bleasdale, Graham Gait, Jimmie Rae and Neill Shenton also get a mention. There's even a few pics. At one point even my old friend (and Underpantz founder) Toad gets a mention.

However, the music memories form just a part of the book. Her younger days, her post ID nursing career and a whole lot more, form the bulk of the narrative. The sad loss of her brother and her ongoing friendship with Andy are reocurring themes. There's even some poetry thrown in at the end, alongside the lyrics to 'Julia's song' an OMD classic track that as recently as 2015 was released as a single on vinyl. (And did pretty darn well in the UK vinyl charts).

A darn good read... and available of course at AMAZON.COM or a host of other grand bookshops.

OMD in Concert in NYC

Many moons ago in Wallasey, England, a band called Jasper played in a church hall... a kind of farewell concert before heading off to college. As I'd played with a couple of them in a previous band called 'Bananas' I was invited to sing a few numbers with them.

The support band that evening were called the ID, and featured Andy Mcluskey, Mal Holmes and Paul Humphreys. Paul and Andy had previously played in a band with the unlikely name (sadly suggested by myself and friend John Rodgers) of "Hitlerz Underpantz". They even played variations of a couple of tunes I'd had a part in creating as a member of the 'pantz'.

To cut a long story short Andy and Paul (along with Winston the Teac) went on to form a band called 'Orchestral Manoueveres in the Dark" (OMD). OMD went on to have a string of electropop hits throughout the 80's and make some extremely original albums, 'Architecture and Morality' proving to be a classic in its genre.

In the USA their music came to public attention in 1985 after their song "If you leave" featured in the movie "Pretty in Pink" and reached the Top 5 in the US and Canadian charts. However their larger audience still remained in Europe, where their albums (under various incarnations of the band) continued to produce hits. However by the mid-90's the band members went their different ways.

In 2006 the band, in its original line up of Andy, Paul, Mal and Martin Cooper reformed and embarked on a tour featuring songs from  'Architecture and Morality' that eventually became a DVD release. In 2009 they performed a selection of their music with the Liverpool Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. They also went back into the recording studio to record an album of new material entitled 'History of Modern' supported by a European Tour throughout 2010.

In 2011 OMD made the decision to tour in the USA... for the first time in 23 years. I managed to catch their performance in New York at 'Terminal 5" on March 8th. In their earliest days back on the Wirral we had mutually shared instruments. I even remember moving a piano to Paul's house on one occasion (I was in a band that had a big green van). However, despite following their career with interest and buying a number of their albums over the years, the the only time I'd ever seen any of them perform was back in Wallasey when they were still 'The ID'!

My good lady wife Yvonne got me a Christmas present of the 'History of Modern' album, (which in my humble opinion it is one of their best). So it was we headed out to Manhattan looking forward to the gig. We were not dissapointed.

The set featured many of their newer songs alongside their better known hits. Andy Mcluskey is quite the performer, demonstrating his self-named 'spaz-dancing' and oozing with energy. His vocal performance was impressive. The audience spread across the age range, with a large number of European folks around us. Many were obviously long time fans and sang along with the hits. 'If you leave' received a particularly warm reception.

'Messages', 'Enola Gay', 'Maid of New Orleans' 'Locomotion' 'Telsa Girls', 'Walking on the Milky Way', were all in the set, alongside newer songs such as 'History of Modern' and 'Sister Mary Says' (which apparently isn't newer but an oldie revived - kind of fitting really.) The set concluded with the song that first caught the public's ear, written when they were 16, 'Electricity' (and still one of my faves- partly because I once played the clunky piano the melody is played on at a Pegasus gig back in the day.)

Terminal 5 is a standing only venue. Our feets were aching by the time we headed home! It must be a sign of my age that I would have much preferred a venue with seats. It was also noticeable towards the end of the set that there was some loss in the sound quality. There seemed to be some tuning difficulties with the synthesizers. The bottom end was distorted to the point of the sound breaking up. But by this time they had totally won over the crowd, so maybe nobody cared.

It was great to see them after all these years. They seemed surprised at the welcome they received in the Big Apple. It would have been nice to have had a chance to make contact and talk about the old days on the Wirral but such an opportunity never presented itself.

It was kind of fun to hear them being interviewed on the radio and mentioning bands I had played in such as "Hitlerz Underpantz' and 'Pegasus'.  And many years ago I did lend them my synthesizer so I'm quite sure they would never be the world renown stars they are today without my help (LOL).

Seriously, it is strange how life twists and turns. Never in a million years would I have thought that one day I'd be standing in a warehouse in NY listening to a hit-producing band that in a previous incarnation I'd played alongside as I grew up on the Wirral.

And it was well worth it. A fun time that generated many happy memories, despite the aching back and feet to which we awoke in the morning :-)

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