flector - Interview With Cedy - No. 234

flector - Interview With Cedy

And here we are, the last installment of the interview series (before a shortened translation comes up). This time it's Cedy, lead guitarist and responsible for some great licks. I hate to admit it, but by listening to recorded flector tracks, sometimes I couldn't make out who is who. Carlo or Cedy, Cedy or Carlo. Glad this has been settled ... sort of.

There are certain telltale signs that make you realize it's either Cedy or Carlo. Just by rereading this interview, it finally dawned on me, but don't ask. I'm telling you anyway. When the guitar opens up to widescreen, it's Cedy. When it gets lyrical and at the same time pompous, it's Cedy. And if it's solid and in the service of the song, you're talking Carlo. But we don't do shootouts, it's about the final result.

Cheers

Roland

flector - Interview With Manu - No. 233

flector - Interview With Manu

And here's the interview with Manu (bass). You know, once upon a time I really thought a bass player made dumdumdum all night long and he/she was best pal with the drummer who went bambambam (or thereabouts). Well, I changed my view on drummers a long way back, especially with my Jazz leanings and realised, there's more to the noble art of drumming than hammering a drumset through the floor. Although I do admit, I saw Apocalyptica once in concert (Montreux Jazzfestival) and their drummer, I swear, I don't exaggerate, actually hammered his equipment through the stage floor. O.k., maybe a bit! It was wonderful, it was great and a marvellous sight and sound.

Bass players with their dum dum dum are an altogether different beast. It was also a long time ago that I realised, it's not what it appears to be. Take Norman Watt-Roy (The Greatest Show On Earth, Ian Dury or the Wilko Johnson Band) and you know what a bass guitarist can do. Granted, Norman is not your typical bassist and rather extroverted when playing his instrument, but what a performer he is. Another is Mellow who I've seen only once at a gig and he seems to be a "free form" bass player as well and Teppo who is more structured, but this comes with the terrain. Btw, the coolest bass solo? Definitely the Siegel-Schwall Band on their "Same" album during the "Next To You" track. Wonderful, just wonderful and I kid you not, especially the bits he doesn't play. I still get goosebumps listening to this.

But I digress, this is about Manu and his views on life, playing bass in flector and the general pitfalls of life (the latter is going to be part 2 😎).

Cheers

Roland

Mick Clarke - Big Wheel - No. 232

Mick Clarke - Big Wheel

I've downloaded(!) (thunder and lightning!!!) Mick Clarke's latest opus "Big Wheel". You can get it for free on Bandcamp and he's only asking for your working e-mail address.  I know, I know, requests for e-mail addresses are soon followed by spam, but I don't fear the like from Mick Clarke. A message every now and then, that's o.k. with me.

Normally I don't do downloads, I'm old-fashioned this way and I want to hold a physical object in my hand, be it CD or LP (and no, a USB stick doesn't count as physical object where music is concerned). The bad news first, there's no CD available so don't go searching. The good news, it's free, but I hope you retaliate in kind and buy some of his releases.

Of course, I had to download the wav-file and burn it to disc (I'm not seriously listening to some speaker integrated into the laptop-/desktopsystem. I might check a 30 second clip, but that's the extend of my listening online). CDr done and dusted, this is now playing for the second time on my second standalone HiFi setup (this one a smaller Yamaha Network one) on my working station. I've found, however, if I switch to my main one, this is going to be like day and night. A while ago I started on a CD on the Yamaha and halfway through I went over to the living room stereo (because I was done on the laptop) and lo and behold, the sun went up,  the curtains were drawn and a former average sounding CD shone bright (and I'm not talking about a cheapo setup on my desk). However, I believe, these Yamaha speakers are not made for nearfield listening. I'm sitting practically inside these things and that's not the pure audiophile idea of HiFi.

The recording sounds a bit muffled on the Yamaha, but I bet it'll all change when I take it to the main stereo. What you get is almost 60 minutes (and exactly 14 tracks) of prime Mick Clarke. Naturally, Mr. Clarke is not going to reinvent the wheel, but he's doing here again what I like him best for, churning out his brand of Rock and Blues. And this is the point, listening to these songs, they are like old acquaintances, the kind you've never really lost sight of. The ones you don't have to ask "Sorry, btw, I forgot your name, who are you?". Fact is, I'm at home (in the proverbial and literal sense) with these songs. Mick Clarke is on my heels for at least a couple of decades. And I'm grateful for guys like him.

I've no intention of analyzing this bunch of songs to death, I'm really enjoying it much too much. Mr. Clarke, keep on going, the world needs people like you.

Cheers

Roland

Bootlegs And (More) Stuff - No. 231

Bootlegs and (More) Stuff

The Saturday before the lockdown came into effect around here (announced by the government the next day - Sunday), I paid a visit to a record shop (little did I know that it should be my last in-person visit to such a place for the foreseeable future) and bagged me a bunch of Rolling Stones Bootlegs (plus a few "official" LPs - a misnomer if I ever heard one, there's nothing "official" about any record release).

I'm quite into this stuff. Do I listen to it? Hell no! I'm having it up to here (pointing above my head), having listened to, uh, questionable recordings where you can't hear wether it's a steamroller in action, the fast train Hamburg to Paris in a tunnel or the industrial rebuilding of postwar Germany. No, I'm buying this stuff for the collection only and it's stuck there forever.

The Trident Mixes, well, I didn't pay attention, as this is one record only and it should be a double LP. Worse things have happened and I'll get over it.

Cheers

Roland

P.S.:
April  18, 2020
Just realised that this blog has been censored inasmuch as most scans in this number 231 contribution have been deleted. Not sure why, but there you go. The sole survivor can be seen above, but I don't expect this to be here for very long either.

flector - Interview with Steve - No. 230

flector - Interview with Steve

Here's the next installment of the ongoing series about flector and the heads behind it. This time it's Steve in his capacity as drummer and percussionist. The funny thing with drummers, they always mention some influence leaning in from the Jazz genre and Steve does so with his mention of Frank Zappa. Makes me think, why do so many drummers have such a bond with Jazz musicians, although probably not with the music itself. Is it the way an instrument is played in Jazz? Ask a Death Metal drummer and don't surprised if he/she mentions Max Roach or Art Blakey.

Well, not for me to say. As with the previous installments, this interview lets you have a glimpse of a band with full bodied statements and something you can sink your teeth into.

I'll have a shortened translation up within the next one or two weeks. Check back.

Cheers

Roland