04/09
Dead Boy Productions with Big Boy Bloater
by Rev. Dan
Who are we speaking with today?
This is Big Boy Bloater hisself!
Can you tell me about your influences?
I hate this question! hahaaaa My influences get added to all the time, and I am always open to finding new stuff, but of course 99% of my influences are artists from the 50's and 60's, from the blues, rock'n'roll, soul and gospel fields. I guess I am famously influenced by Ike Turner for guitar, but I can't remember the first time I heard his stuff. Influences are hard to pin down, I think everything I have ever listened to has to have had an influence on me and continues to every day.
You have been playing roots music from a very early age, over the years what have you learned (as a musician)?
I should have charged more! Seriously though this is gonna be another vague answer - how can you measure what you've learned? I am much more aware of what I don't want to do now, in terms of musical styles as well as gigs and audiences. I think when you start out it is all good fun, but if you do this for a living you have to be more aware of what you're doing. That's not to say you have to be manipulative or cunning or do things for other people, but have an idea of your end goal and how you will achieve it, musically or professionally.
You have toured all over the world, is there a particular place where you feel right at home?
London, I guess. I have certainly had fun everywhere, but London, particularly places like the 100 Club always feel like home turf.
You also have another band that you perform with, what can you tell us about that?
Sure! They started as a pet project really, they're called 'The City Shakers' and it was me wanting to scratch my blues itch. It is a straight-up Chicago style old fashioned blues band with harmonica, guitar, bass and drums. We play regularly at 'Ain't Nothing But...The Blues Bar' in Soho, London as well as some blues festivals and we have a lot of fun! It is a completely different band feel-wise to the 6-piece, a lot 'looser' I guess you could say. We unashamedly do standard covers as well as original stuff. The Harmonica player is a guy called Laurie Garman who is fantastic, he has played with the Yardbirds as well as on many recording sessions over the last 30 years.
You released “That Ain’t My Name” back in June of last year. I know that you also put our a single, but are you planning on putting anything out this year?
Well, actually, we didn't put out the single, Mark Lamarr did - we've never been too into the vinyl thing. Having said that it has brought us a lot of attention from different scenes so we might consider doing it again. I released 'That Ain't My Name' not long after the City Shakers debut CD, so that was a lot of work in a short amount of time! I do have some plans up my sleeve for a release this year but it is more likely to take the shape of a 'Big Boy Bloater and friends' CD rather than a 6-piece CD. I would like to do something a little different.....but am still thinking about it.
You are playing this years Viva Las Vegas, looking forward to anything while you are going to be in vegas?
Sunshine I hope! Actually I haven't thought about it too much - I love playing VLV though, this will be our fourth appearance. I will be coming out with Lisa, my wife and our baritone sax player, and we're staying a few days so who knows...
How does it make you feel when you are called the “king of the whammy bar”?
Yeah - great! I've been trying to remember who said this first, there were a couple of promoters that just started using it a few years ago, which I loved! So I have kind of adopted it now and of course it has caught on. I've certainly been called worse things...
You seem to “do it all” when it comes to music. You also help run a recording studio?
Yeah, that has been a happy coincidence really. I always had my own small home studio and have always been interested in engineering studio and live sound (I do PA hire as well sometimes). We recorded our 'What You Been Prayin For?' CD at the studio in 2006 - it's run by a small specialist record label in the UK. The engineer working there is Darrel Higham who I know really well of course from the circuit in the UK and he knew I had an interest. Later that year when Darrel couldn't do a session he called me to see if I could cover for him and it has gone from there. I work there pretty regularly now and I really enjoy it. I do all my recording there and am learning all the time.
Well thank you for your time, is there anything else you would like to add?
I don't think so - just that I hope everyone will stay up to see our show at VLV, were not on until 02.00 Sat night!
Oh, where can we find you online?
We have a website and Myspace - www. bigboybloater. com or www. myspace. com/bigboybloater
Thank you
This is Big Boy Bloater hisself!
Can you tell me about your influences?
I hate this question! hahaaaa My influences get added to all the time, and I am always open to finding new stuff, but of course 99% of my influences are artists from the 50's and 60's, from the blues, rock'n'roll, soul and gospel fields. I guess I am famously influenced by Ike Turner for guitar, but I can't remember the first time I heard his stuff. Influences are hard to pin down, I think everything I have ever listened to has to have had an influence on me and continues to every day.
You have been playing roots music from a very early age, over the years what have you learned (as a musician)?
I should have charged more! Seriously though this is gonna be another vague answer - how can you measure what you've learned? I am much more aware of what I don't want to do now, in terms of musical styles as well as gigs and audiences. I think when you start out it is all good fun, but if you do this for a living you have to be more aware of what you're doing. That's not to say you have to be manipulative or cunning or do things for other people, but have an idea of your end goal and how you will achieve it, musically or professionally.
You have toured all over the world, is there a particular place where you feel right at home?
London, I guess. I have certainly had fun everywhere, but London, particularly places like the 100 Club always feel like home turf.
You also have another band that you perform with, what can you tell us about that?
Sure! They started as a pet project really, they're called 'The City Shakers' and it was me wanting to scratch my blues itch. It is a straight-up Chicago style old fashioned blues band with harmonica, guitar, bass and drums. We play regularly at 'Ain't Nothing But...The Blues Bar' in Soho, London as well as some blues festivals and we have a lot of fun! It is a completely different band feel-wise to the 6-piece, a lot 'looser' I guess you could say. We unashamedly do standard covers as well as original stuff. The Harmonica player is a guy called Laurie Garman who is fantastic, he has played with the Yardbirds as well as on many recording sessions over the last 30 years.
You released “That Ain’t My Name” back in June of last year. I know that you also put our a single, but are you planning on putting anything out this year?
Well, actually, we didn't put out the single, Mark Lamarr did - we've never been too into the vinyl thing. Having said that it has brought us a lot of attention from different scenes so we might consider doing it again. I released 'That Ain't My Name' not long after the City Shakers debut CD, so that was a lot of work in a short amount of time! I do have some plans up my sleeve for a release this year but it is more likely to take the shape of a 'Big Boy Bloater and friends' CD rather than a 6-piece CD. I would like to do something a little different.....but am still thinking about it.
You are playing this years Viva Las Vegas, looking forward to anything while you are going to be in vegas?
Sunshine I hope! Actually I haven't thought about it too much - I love playing VLV though, this will be our fourth appearance. I will be coming out with Lisa, my wife and our baritone sax player, and we're staying a few days so who knows...
How does it make you feel when you are called the “king of the whammy bar”?
Yeah - great! I've been trying to remember who said this first, there were a couple of promoters that just started using it a few years ago, which I loved! So I have kind of adopted it now and of course it has caught on. I've certainly been called worse things...
You seem to “do it all” when it comes to music. You also help run a recording studio?
Yeah, that has been a happy coincidence really. I always had my own small home studio and have always been interested in engineering studio and live sound (I do PA hire as well sometimes). We recorded our 'What You Been Prayin For?' CD at the studio in 2006 - it's run by a small specialist record label in the UK. The engineer working there is Darrel Higham who I know really well of course from the circuit in the UK and he knew I had an interest. Later that year when Darrel couldn't do a session he called me to see if I could cover for him and it has gone from there. I work there pretty regularly now and I really enjoy it. I do all my recording there and am learning all the time.
Well thank you for your time, is there anything else you would like to add?
I don't think so - just that I hope everyone will stay up to see our show at VLV, were not on until 02.00 Sat night!
Oh, where can we find you online?
We have a website and Myspace - www. bigboybloater. com or www. myspace. com/bigboybloater
Thank you
No - thank you!