Bookends - Dan Haynes and Pete Richards - talk about their music and their show 'Through the Years' ahead of their performance at the Flavel on 7th May.
Could you tell me briefly about your musical backgrounds?
Dan:My
passion for music began when I was 10 years old and my father made me a toy
guitar which I religiously pretended to play until I was bought a real one a
year later. Learning the songs of my favourite artists I honed my guitar
playing skills which were further enhanced by the discovery of the
fingerpicking style of Paul Simon.
Pete: grew up with a musical family (his
Mother a music teacher) and often harmonised with his brothers who both sang
and played guitar. With his Father being a Simon & Garfunkel fan it was
inevitable that Pete eventually discovered their music and captivating
harmonies.
How did you get
together to form Bookends?
Pete
and myself met in the first year of secondary school and we quickly became
close friends. We would regularly share musical tastes and started learning the
songs of our favourite artists but it was the music of Simon & Garfunkel
which seemed to immediately sound natural and we discovered our voices blended
together as well as the famous duo's.
What drew you to the
songs of Simon and Garfunkel?
The music of Simon & Garfunkel naturally lent itself to two voices and a guitar, just how Pete and myself were playing songs. There is no other music quite like Simon & Garfunkel's and the songs are timeless.
The music of Simon & Garfunkel naturally lent itself to two voices and a guitar, just how Pete and myself were playing songs. There is no other music quite like Simon & Garfunkel's and the songs are timeless.
This music is all
about wonderful harmonies - is it difficult to sustain that throughout a show?
From the very first Simon & Garfunkel song we learnt we immediately enjoyed replicating the impeccable timing and diction of their harmonies, something which comes naturally to us. We react so quickly to each other on stage it can sometimes feel like we're reading each others minds!
From the very first Simon & Garfunkel song we learnt we immediately enjoyed replicating the impeccable timing and diction of their harmonies, something which comes naturally to us. We react so quickly to each other on stage it can sometimes feel like we're reading each others minds!
Your shows are
clearly very successful - do you perform other types of music as a duo or as
solo artists?
We don't perform any other music as a duo, although in the past we have performed some original music and some of other artists but nothing ever sounded quite as good as when we sang Simon & Garfunkel (often pointed out by our friends and family). I do write and occasionally perform my own songs and I also have an album of original music which I sell after our shows!
To find out more and to book tickets click here: http://theflavel.org.uk/TheFlavel.dll/WhatsOn?Programme=2657134
We don't perform any other music as a duo, although in the past we have performed some original music and some of other artists but nothing ever sounded quite as good as when we sang Simon & Garfunkel (often pointed out by our friends and family). I do write and occasionally perform my own songs and I also have an album of original music which I sell after our shows!
To find out more and to book tickets click here: http://theflavel.org.uk/TheFlavel.dll/WhatsOn?Programme=2657134
No comments:
Post a Comment