From A to B to CD
People often ask me how I met up with certain musicians, how musicians find each other to form bands, or how I got involved in particular bands. The truth is it is often a series of windows of opportunity that do not seem like anything significant at the time - but turn out to be later, or chance meetings or one thing just leading to another to another to another.

With Gong, for example, in 1999 I was looking for a studio in London and surfing the net came across a website of Mark Hewins. I ended up not using the studio, but we played together (he is a fine guitarist), became friends and did some recording together. Then one day some time later, he invited me to a jam with some of his friends and colleagues, one who was Keith Bailey, the then manager/ agent for Gong. Soon after that, Didier Malherbe said he did not want to do the next Gong tour, so they were looking for someone. Keith remembered me, so asked if I would do it. I said yes. It was fun - and I stayed. 10 years, 2 studio albums, 2 DVDs, 3 Live CDs and about 155 gigs later, I am still playing with them.

More recently a series of small steps has led me to being on a fine album by an international group of musicians that will soon be released. In 2005 I guested on a wonderful album called Snow Bourne Sorrow by the band Nine Horses. Looking through the sleeve notes I noticed a guitarist called Tim Motzer, who I had seen on myspace. We e-mailed each other and became "myspace friends" (yes, I know, I know...) We chatted online about projects we were involved in. He then said that he was doing some recording with Markus Reuter, a touch guitarist from Germany who I had once met in Norwich at a Burning Shed event (the same event I first met Steve Lawson at - but that is another story). He asked if I could contribute to some tracks. I have a home studio so I said yes, sure. That was about two years ago and those tracks have not come out yet, but in June 2009 I played with Gong at Nearfest in the US near where Tim lives, so he came down and we hung out. We got on really well and I liked his vibe as well as his great playing and music. He then asked if I'd contribute to a new project called Goldbug - with the excellent Eric Slick on drums (of the Adrian Belew Power trio) and bassist Barry Meehan. I said send me the stuff and I really dug it. So yes - I overdubbed some tenor solos and flutes and sent it back to Philadelphia over the internet (amazing how you can do that these days).

Last week I received an e mail with the mixed tracks attached including my solos. Well - I was blown away. A mixture of exotic, electronic and natural sounds mixed with great but subtle and building grooves topped with great guitar playing and now my tenor sax too. The music is sonically every rich and powerful but not overbearing - sometimes occupying that interesting rhythmic territory between abstract rhythm and great grooves. Whilst I don't remember my solos being anything special, and my recording equipment is quite basic really, Tim has done such a great mix, that everything sounds fantastic, and the sound of my sax is one of the best mixes I have heard. The full title of the project/ album is called Goldbug-Journey to Eskeopia and Tim describes it as " a journey in groove exploration, textures, and orchestration cut up, mis-aligned, and re-imagined for the wandering ear." Yes indeed!

Current playlist -
Peter Gabriel - Passion
Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here
Nightfever compilation - 40 Disco classics

Cheers

P.S. Do come and say "Hi" if you come to a gig and also feel free to contact me about anything and nothing if you feel like it. I manage to reply to just about all personal e-mails and it is always good to get feedback.