Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
This band has no press
Discography
I was the recording and digital mastering engineer for (*) 'Still' & 'Acoustically Speaking', Bruce Mathiske's second and third albums which were made in 1992 /1993. I also played electric piano on one track on each and synthesiser on several tracks on each.
These were both aired on ABC ('Australia Wide') and on RTE (Ire.) & BBC, Wales, UK in 1992-5.
I also recorded 4 tracks for his next album, 'Now and Then' in 1994, and played harmonica on his fifth album on 'Larrikin Records' , Sydney, with Aust Jazz Player of the Year 1994, Bob McIvor on trombone, Peter Dilosa on trumpet and Tim Oram from the TV Ch.9 Sydney, ' Midday Show' band on sax, who scored the arrangements for him. Bob McIvor has worked with Sammy Davis Jnr, Carmen McRae, Frank Sinatra etc in Sydney, Australia.
For about 12 mths (1994-5) we were known as 'The Top Brass' and were his Sydney and festival backing group. I was also his manager at that time.
Prior to that, I worked at the former 'Radio 90/2LT Lithgow (Blue Mts, NSW) radio station on jingles and other radio media formats for about 3 years.
In 1992, 'Bluespower' a blues band I was in, which featured Steve Russell (who toured Oz. with and was in backing band for both Bo Diddley and Chuck Berry, in the 1980's) made a live cd 'Raw 'n' Live' at The Belmont Hotel, Newcastle Australia.
It was again performed (in total, and live!) at The Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle at the album launch to a capacity crowd of several hundred.
*(footnote: Unfortunately, Mr Bruce Mathiske's former albums for 'Sandstock Records' , while still available from that source, have been deleted from his own web site for his own artistic reasons. )
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
My influences are very varied:
blues, jazz, ragtime, country, Irish (Davey Spillane!), classical, funk, fusion.
No real favourites in strictly style terms....its more in songs and arrangements of them for me.
Fats Waller, Duke Ellington, etc and all the great American songwriters (Gershwin, Porter, Berlin, Carmichael etc etc). Bach's Brandenburgs!
Harmonica?...Sonny Terry...now, today that = Tom Ball! Sonny Boy Williamson, Little Walter...(with Ken Sultan) , but to be candid and honest, what FIRST started it off was mostly Rolling Stones founder Brian Jones's harp playing...which was excellent and has been sort of lost to history.
Slide? Ry Cooder, Leo Kottke, Johnny Winter, etc and again, Brian Jones....and then there's the rest of us!! (and running a cool last in 'the race'...is ...??? MOI, of course! But Better to have hobbled than not run at all, eh?
My best slide example to put on here, 'Pony Boy' (Allman Bros) was a lousy 0.3 mbs too big...or it'd be on here...them's the breaks eh?.
Fusion: Weather Report et al.
Some each of Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles, Bobby Darin (not Frank), Christy Moore, New Lost City Ramblers (bluegrass from 1960's...Tarcy Shwartz's fiddle playing is excellent stuff!).....Steve Houghton & Tom Warrington's Master Tracks Fusion cd for learners and pros.
BUT....Davey Spillane from Ireland makes me empathise with every note when he plays either Uillean Pipes or especially, the evocative 'Low Whistle'...which is in my opinion, beyond comparison for sheer emotive power...stunning and soul-moving stuff indeed.
Just perfectly executed music. Hard to see how it could be improved? You simply enjoy music at its best emotional power. Ry Cooder's slide playing on his 'Paris Texas' Film Theme is like that, too.
I would strive to emulate that in some small way, if I can.....on ANY instrument I play.
Music without definite feeling is simply technique...all well and good as that undoubtedly is.
But for me soulful beats skilful every time.
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