18/06/2007 by Andrew Smith.

This weeks, I’m playing Guitar 2 (mostly acoustic strummy stuff, with the odd bit of electric) in an amateur production of Tommy: The Musical, reorchestrated from The Who’s classic 1969 album and the resulting 1975 film. This takes me right back to the roots of my rock music heritage…

By the early 1980s (aged 11-12) my musical taste ranged from baroque classical music to traditional jazz (Fats Waller was a particular favourite of mine, and my Dad’s). Then I “discovered” some of my Uncle Michael’s old vinyl albums, and, as they say, my life would never be the same again! The Who was the first band to really grab me, particular the two albums released immediately after Tommy (ie, Live at Leeds and Who’s Next).It was a while later before “Axis: Bold as Love” and “Led Zeppelin II” moved the process on a bit more and in 1984 I was introduced to bands like Kiss and (particularly) Rush and I was hooked.
Anyway, biographical details over with, it’s great to be playing with such a great MD and band (I’ve not heard the cast properly yet, but I’m guessing they’ll be great as well!) and particularly with another guitarist with pit experience; it’s nice to compare notes on equipment, tips and techniques for the unique setting of the orchestra pit.
I’m also thrilled to be playing a jazz gig next Sunday with the Andy Drysch Band. We rehearsed last night (after the Tommy band rehearsal all day!) and tried a few new numbers (eg, Watermelon Man and impromtu versions of Birdland and 42nd Street) which might even find their way into Sunday’s set…

My thrill-dom was further enhanced by a phone call over the weekend asking me to dep(utise) for the guitarist of a soul band in a couple of weeks. This was from Robin, an excellent keyboard player who I met doing Bat Boy a few weeks ago. Once Tommy is out of my head, my attention will turn to the “other” classics of 1960s American soul!

And I’ve written all of this without even once mentioning our new son, George, and how significantly touched I was by a poem given to me by Thomas for Fathers’ Day (he didn’t write the poem - he’s not quite 4 - but he added his hand prints…) Hopefully I can write something else later in the week…

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18/06/2007 by Andrew Smith.

I really must start finishing my drafts and posting stuff! Here’s something I started writing back in May:

A couple of days ago, I played some of the most enjoyable music I’ve been involved with all year. Every now and again, I get back together with the guys I first played with back at school, to spend a day playing/recording cover versions of old favourites and new discoveries. The last time we did this was back in March 2006, but I was very pleasantly surprised at how quickly and how well we jelled once again.

This time, we played:

• The Trees - Rush
• The Ace of Spades - Motorhead
• Take Your Whiskey Home - Van Halen
• Supernaut - Black Sabbath
• Black Night - Deep Purple

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