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Islamic Pluralism |
Christie Books |
Roger Flack |
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NorOil |
Mick Knight |
Haywood Guitars |
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Catsfield Steamers* |
Charles Sherwood |
Heather Stuart |
Regular John |
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Barry Watson |
Mani Olive Oil |
John Warwick |
Chocalicious |
*maintained by the Steamers
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ANDREW WALKER
aka 'Mister Nobby' aka 'That's him, officer'
A musical biography
Click here for Nobby's tackle
1958 - out he pops
The past (shrouded in mystery, as was most of Little Common at the time) - Begins to sneak into his brother's bedroom on a quasi-regular basis to have a go on his bro's old EKO twelve string (built like a brick shithouse but easy on the tiny fingers - bolt on neck!)
1973 - Gets a girlfriend! Important not only for the usual reasons but also because she has a nice acoustic guitar (silk and steel strings - remember them?) - gathering dust at the bottom of her bed. Can he borrow it? Yes he can!
- Achieves a fair standard of playing and singing quite quickly and forces himself upon the public at large whether they like it or not. School concerts, folk club at the Little Common Wheatsheaf, parties (very sick at Lesley's party, helped home by Alice) etc.
- An advert in the Daily Mail is looking for musicians and singers to go to Sweden and perform. Sweden? The home of free love? Rather! Off he goes with oppo Andrew 'Spiny' Norman and booking agent/restaurateur Mr Sung to play a two-centre two-month spell. Lovely girls, crayfish season, fights in the restaurants and slightly strange towns - Filipstad and Kristinehamn (spelling optional)! Met a girl with a tail.
- Travels again to play in Nuremberg with old friend Barry Denyer and expat Mike Wells. Lovely city, Old Town a treat and a jolly good time was had by all. Nearly laughs himself to death when Mike scampers round the furniture naked but for a frock coat and a WW2 gasmask. Appears live at a Hell's Angel hangout and a snake dance disco bar.
- Calms down a bit after a second German trip and forms duos and trios around the locale of Hastings, most notably with his brother David as Gadfly - remember them? Never mind. Begins to buy and sell gear at an alarming rate, leading eventually to his most 'fervent wish' - that he could go to a warehouse and wander through all the gear he should have kept for a second go.
- Marries twice (one gone, one great) and brings up a daughter, Hannah. Continues to write, play and sing. Discovers a liking for all sorts of music and makes it his life's work to have 'big ears' - that is to listen to everything and dismiss nothing (no, really). Finds the lost chord, then after a drinking spree, loses it. Makes a couple of solo albums (cassettes back then) - First Hand and Second Nature - and an album with Kelvin Message in Eastbourne - Third Half - and continues to refuse to lay down and be quiet. Has a fallow period before meeting his second wife, who gets him back into playing with the Stag Band in Hastings if only to stop him moaning all the time. Roger Flack of the TABS in Hastings helps him record his best effort so far, Kippers and Custard, which unfortunately encourages him to start recording at home and to work on the next album, Solo Monkey ('He's buying gear again, someone speak to him' - Wife II) Finally, after a drink, admits to be having fun. Begins negotiations with World Domination Music in Croydon over publishing his stable of works.
continually refuses to shut up. Meets fellow 'Curmudgeon' Michael 'He's in the Street' Prochak and sporadically begins to enjoy life as a musical duo and stop moaning about things beyond his control (at last), instead just moaning generally.
2009 - a year's semi-retirement? What's going on? Having played to the fronts and the backs of most of the people in Hastings and in almost every venue imaginable in the town (some no longer there, not my fault) he finds the lure of recording too strong to resist. Everything to learn and who knows, perhaps he'll become a better musician into the bargain. A year away from humping gear into taxis and getting back at all hours seems subtly seductive ... we shall see
On top of the Nuremberg Old Town wall, by torchlight through a tiny Peavey 20W practice amp that performed unbelievably well! Bless.
First words, Eve to Adam - that's a hard one! My big old Breedlove is sounding partic. sweet at the moment and acoustically there was a cheap old Yamaha jumbo that sounded JUST like a Martin Dreadnought. Why did I sell it? Jeez! Main electroacoustic - a cheap old Fleetwood from KO-rea that stays in tune and sings so sweet ... and has a great bug and a great crosshole for deviant stereo effects! Oh, and me Teles too (one with a Roland synth pickup) - really sweet ...
Roland AC90 (no contest) - sings like an angel would if there were such things
OK - that's enough - ED
| SOME GEAR, here ... |
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Breedlove AD25/SR Plus
The AD25/SR Plus is a solid sitka spruce topped and solid rosewood backed acoustic electric dreadnought with a soft cutaway. The plus package includes abalone top purfling, plus rosette, tortoise pickguard and the Breedlove Diamond inlay pattern. Mmmm - MM!
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Tiny Roland MicroCube
COSM amp modelling, six different effects and smaller than your hand. How can you not love it?
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15W of pure power! No but really, very sweet, and sits under your chair when you need a little reinforcement or you're out with your Telecaster
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A 90W stereo black beast with the power to knock the hats off the front row, but the tone and subtlety to make a grown man knaw his knuckles and clutch himself - a PA in a sweet, small package |
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Red and sweet and just a treat - at last there's a Tele in the house! |
Also in the GiddyKipper stables, a venerable Yamaha FG310 (once mended by Russ Haywood himself) with a crosshole mag pickup, a real Spanish classical guitar from Barcelona (Admira) all bugged up, a Fleetwood stereo acoustic-electric that will not go out of tune however you treat it (discontinued, no pix available) and a wee Vintage baby acoustic to be grabbed in an emergency. Mix in some Shure microphones, a Line 6 pod full of effects (mmmmmm ... FX), a Roland GR-30 guitar synth and you're there!
And then ... a Parker P36, genetically-modified brother of the Telecaster with that sweet Tele sound and a secret on the side - a Fishman Powerbridge and a mix switch/volume setup that brings acoustic twinkle and shimmer to the electric player ...
And even then ... a tiny, tiny little acoustic from the people at Seagull, with a cedar top, cherrywood back and sides and a sparkle like no other - hoowee!
And finally (no, really) the tiny Seagull's bigger brother, cedar top, womanly curves
and a deep and satisfying tone - yum ...
And then, from out of the darkness --
Godin come to call with a synth access Freeway - see it below!
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