Transatlantic Modern

“I’ve managed to play the ‘Concerto For Group and Orchestra.’ I’ve played the drum fill in ‘Won’t Get Fooled Again.’ I’ve played ‘Don’t Look Back in Anger.’ I’ve played ‘Sunflower.’ I’ve played ‘Walls Come Tumbling Down.’ I got to play with Ian Dury. You know, if you don’t rise up and say, ‘I’m gonna have a go at this,’ then you’re just sitting back, looking at other people and going, ‘Oh that’s easy, that is, mate.’ No. It isn’t.” 

Drumming legend Steve White talks in depth about his career, from being a teenage Style Councillor to diversifying his resume as a drum teacher and music manager. Oh, and he manages to fill in the gaps with more than a few nifty stories about Paul Weller, Ian Dury, Ginger Baker, Oasis and some withered old puffin with a pointy finger. Continue reading →

“You know, my music kind of dances on a fence. They’re songs, therefore they’re pop. Therefore they have hooks. But the hooks aren’t typical and the songs aren’t typical, so, for a guy who’s working at a radio station with a baseball cap on who just wants to instantly get pulled into the simplicity of pop music … He’s gonna be like, ‘I don’t get it.'”

Jason Falkner at length about his past and future, from the renewed interest in Jellyfish and working with Paul McCartney to the special place in hell for songwriting-app developers. Oh, and also that failed attempt to get Liam Gallagher listening to Leonard Cohen.  Continue reading →

“I remember going into record shops on Portobello Road in London in the Stairs days and looking at the Standells and Chocolate Watch Band albums when they were like 50 pounds, and I was thinking, ‘Wouldn’t it be great if the Stairs album was next to the Standells one for 50 pounds?’ And then 10 years later, it was.”

Edgar ‘Summertyme’ Jones at length about recording through recovery and numerous phases of his career, including an aborted Joneses album, a stint with the La’s and leaving Johnny Marr for Paul Weller  …  Continue reading →