Pop Junkie Q&A With The Hidden Masters
A few days ago I wrote that I had returned to Scott-mode, my ‘normal’ state; that of being incapable of listening to anything other than the works of Scott Walker and The Walker Brother. About three weeks ago I got stuck on one song for around four or five days. It was a song by a band who were new to me, discovered via the wonderful Shindig compilation that I reviewedhere.
For a while I only got as far as track 11 because I was listening whilst cooking dinner or tea. When I finally got around to playing the rest (for the review), track 14 blew my head off and I probably played it about 60 times over the next few days.
The song was called Into The Night Sky, a stunning piece of modern psych-rock from Scotland’s Hidden Masters. Take a listen ~ the song is currently up on their myspace. The trio are formed by drummer Johnny Wolfe, guitarist Dave Dixon and bassist Alpha Mitchell. All three also sing.
I knew nothing about the trio, read a little about them on their Myspace and found they’d recently changed formation having been a five-piece. Alpha was kind enough to answer some further questions.
1. Let’s start with Into the Night Sky & the Shindig CD. Did Shindig approach you? If so, do you know how they became aware of you?
It’s very nice to be on there. I’ve known Jon and Andy for many moons; both were friends and supporters of my erstwhile combo Bangtwister (featured way back in Shindig vol.1 issue 4) and are splendid fellows.
2. Did you set out to write in such an odd time signature or did it just turn out that way once the band started rehearsing it?
It’s the work of Mr Wolfe which yours truly saddened with a minor chord change then damned with a Satanic Sabbath riff at the end. The time signature came as part of the package when he first sang and played it to us. That boy’s not right. Actually, I reckon he’s EXACTLY right.
3. I don’t know the Needles - Were they cut from a similar cloth?
Our story for these purposes begins with The Needles, featuring Dave Dixon, Johnny Wolfe and Paul Milne, a splendid Powerpop outfit with Garage and New Wave tendencies who made quite a name for themselves with some smashing songs and a vibrant live act, releasing several singles and an album, ‘In Search Of…’. Having been working up some of the material which was to form the basis of what we do now, and gradually evolving into something quite different indeed, I was enlisted to play lead guitar, being a good friend and sometime bass understudy. I brought with me Nic Denholm on keys (with whom I had been collaborating inThe Likes Of Us and had latterly played in The Owsley Sunshine), whereafter the group took on a life of its own, with all five us singing and contributing ideas. This lineup played little more than a dozen shows, did a session for BBC radio, and self-recorded 11 songs (conceived as an album) before the gold-paved streets of London Town spirited Messrs Denholm and Milne away from us.
4. Have Dave & Johnny joined Alpha’s band or are you an egalitarian trio?
Our tale could have ended there, had it not been for the epiphany I experienced one night, in which I pondered that, were I to switch to bass (my first instrument) and incorporate the salient points of the missing guitar and keys parts, It Might Just Work… and HEY PRESTO! Not only DID it, but it’s even better than before, the chemistry between the three of us is special, and we’re a much more dynamic live band now.
5. Is the song still in your set?
‘Into The Night Sky’ is always aired.
6. Amazing - I noticed The Fallen Angels occupy the first place on your Top friends. Is this deliberate or random? Their Room at the Top is an all-time fave of mine and a true lost psych masterpiece. A big influence on the HM?
The Fallen Angels are a huge favourite of mine, and a major influence (on me, at least). I’m especially keen on the ‘It’s A long Way Down’ LP, and regard them as truly unsung greats, with so much depth and originality. The songwriting, arrangements and playing are magical, and their recorded legacy in general is an embarassment of riches indeed, only telling a mere fragment of their story. I’m currently working on a feature on them for Shindig with the co-operation of the band themselves. It’s been a lengthy process, mostly because quizzing sexagenarians about the events of forty years hence can take a little time, but it’ll be well worth the wait. Stay tuned…
7. I was impressed by your small but judiciously chosen set of influences and intrigued and impressed to seeJohnny Kidd, Buddy Holly & Gene Vincent listed. Not many people who dig the whole garage/psych thing bother to trace it back to those guys. I suppose that’s not really a question, just an observation. Okay, here’s a question. Were you fans of the rock’n'roll stuff prior to discovering say Nazz, Zombies and The Byrds or did you work backwards to them?
It’s very much a gestalt; we all write, and have a very broad pallette of influences on which to draw as we each have diverse tastes. To simplify matters, and generalise to an extent, you could say the Kidd/Vincent/Holly thing comes mostly from Dave, who is very much the moody-yet-sensitive early-Rock’n'Roller in his singing and stage presence, John brings a kind of upbeat West Coast folk-rock melodic sensibility and I darken the proceedings with a menacing Hard-Psych-Prog mood. Or sumat.
8. I also see The Thanes and Wildebeests on your friends list. Are they chums or guys you feel a musical kinship with or both? (I’m a pal of Russ Wilkins of almost 3 decades and a more recent pal of Lenny Helsing)
I’ve known Lenny even longer as an excellent musician, beat historian and dear friend. Russ, also, is a stout fellow, and produced Bangtwister’s ‘Grounded’ ‘45 at Toerag Studios in September 1997.
9. Any chance of seeing you cross the border to play (London specifically - that’s where I live)? Have you played in England previously?
We played at The Acid Gallery at the George Tavern in London back in February with the MK1 edition, and were planning to return soon afterwards but lost a fair amount of momentum with all the musical chairs which took place around that time. We’ll come again if invited (and the price is right!). We ideally want to take this beyond the UK, primarily to Europe and the US as there just isn’t much happening here from what we can see.
10. Have you done a BBC 6Music session? If not, why not (have they got cloth ears or simply not heard of ye)?
As for BBC6 Music, I don’t suppose they know of us yet. You have our permission to make an introduction on our behalf. As previously mentioned, we did a live session for BBC Radio Scotland last December.
11. What’s next for the band? Gigs/tour/discs? How are things shaping up for the first album? Is it all recorded yet? Do you have a label to put it out?
As far as our recordings are concerned (some of which can be heard on MySpaz), they are a specific body of work created by an effectively different entity and as we thus far haven’t had any interested parties or benefactors, nor the resources or budget to release it ourselves, and given that we’re rapidly moving on from it musically, it’s destiny is unclear. Our set at present still comprises most of those songs, but we’ve been working on some very exciting new material which we shall be unveiling soon. We’re aiming to get the album out one way or another early next year, probably on CD (groan) with a download single ahead of it, all primarily in the interests of having some kind of “product” available to use as a promotional tool.
12. Is the lack of covers (so I’ve read) a deliberate policy or just the way it’s worked out?
We have neither the inclination nor the energy or time to invest in playing covers though, that’s just not what we’re about.
13. Some dumb(er) questions to finish - Favourite Zombies Track?
Favourite Zombies song? Where to begin? (other than ‘…Here’, that is…) For starters: ‘Don’t Cry For Me’, ‘Indication’, ‘She Does Everything For Me’, ‘It’s Alright By Me’, ‘I Want You back Again’, anything by Chris White…
14. Who’s the greatest pop songwriter?
Oh my giddy aunt. There is no “greatest pop songwriter”, there are way too many candidates to mention and such an accolade is entirely subjective in any event. Define “pop”!
15. Is Charlie Watts not the coolest dude in rock history?
Charlie Watts is indeed a fabulous guy, and easily the connoisseur’s Stone. My favourite Charlie moment may well be punching Jagger out in the 80s for referring him as “my drummer”, adding, “I’m not your drummer - you’re my singer.” His drumming is none too shabby either.
16. I always ask this - are you Elvis fans? If so, please name your fave tracks.
My choice Elvis stuff would be mostly Sun-era; ‘I’m left. You’re Right, She’s Gone’, ‘Don’t Be Cruel’, and the obvious ones. Dave’s the Presley man, I’ll ask him.
Dave says: ‘Lawdy Miss Clawdy’, ‘My Baby Left Me’, ‘Polk Salad Annie’, Run On’, Blue Moon’, ‘An Evening Prayer’, ‘Blue Moon Of Kentucky’.
17. I gather you’re originally from Sirius? What’s it like? Were there buses on Sirius?
Sirius was a good 5000-or-so years ago, and could be better described as more of a race-memory than anything else. You probably wouldn’t understand. Travelling mostly by Vimana meant we had little or no need for buses, as you would think of them.
18. What colour are the buses in Glasgow?
Glasgow buses now look much the same as buses anywhere else in the UK. They used to be orange, and before that, yellow, green and cream. Those were the ones I liked best. Such primitive vehicles, though; you have so much technological catch-up left to play on your world.
Vic Templar - popjunkietv.com