incoming: PADDY STEER!
This Friday sees musical leftist Paddy Steer return to The Tudor to play more delightful weirdness pertaining to genres such as jazz, hawaiian, psychedlic, electronica and folk amongst many others. He plays everything from his unique drum setup using electronics that date back to the 1960s. Once described as a ‘Zelig-like character’ (if you’re not familar with Albert Zelig you should watch more Woody Allen movies) Paddy has been performing in many forms for many years now; a member of prestigious Manchester collective Homelife, he comes to town after recently returning from a tour of France. His debut album Dragonbreath has received fantastic reviews and is a must-have for all adventurous muso’s. He caught up with us before tomorrows gig to discuss robots and sweaty ramshackle affairs..
WMC: Hello Paddy, how are you?
Paddy: I’m fine …just reconfiguring the knob layout to accommodate a second Thomas Henry Mega Percussive synth into an old Bush radio..
WMC: Are you excited to be returning to Wigan?
Paddy: Yes sure, it has 216 listed buildings, of which are 20 Grade II*.
WMC: How did the shows in France go with Homelife?
Paddy: Very varied..The worst gig for us was in a toilet smelling basement of a bar in Toulouse about 20’ by 10’ …40 capacity max and we shared it with a great 6 piece band from Texas called Balmorhea. Strangely we sold the most merch on this night - admittedly to one slightly deranged but very appreciative fella. I’d have to add that it wasn’t the smell that was the problem; we just played crap that night. Tony had to sit behind me just to fit in the place.
Paris and Pau were the best - good lively crowds, sweaty ramshakle affairs..
We stopped off at our friends in a band called Vialka in Thiers; we met their neighbour Henri Vaillon a boutique damascus steel knife maker who showed us his workshop and collection of animal parts, including mammoth tusk and walrus penis..He then invited us into his home, gave us very fine Japanese whiskey and 2 great vintage scotchs and fed Tony the finest pigs arsehole paté …
We played a tiny village called Monheurt to a pair of old couples and some very appreciative drunks.We played a big festival in Vendome.
Payzac..sud Ardeche. We came to that through hairpin bends up in the clouds - very zoned out crowd, wild party beasts.
WMC: Your setup is quite the spectacle, how did you come up with the idea?
Paddy: Well the older Homelife group varied between 7- 12 and up to 18 people for a couple of gigs. The band was great, all that colour and sound the people but organising rehearsals for diminishing gigs took the fun out of it for me; 20 phone calls for one rehearsal, then that would be split rehearsal with maybe 5 or 6 players, then another to fill in etc..whoever could make it.
I let the monster shrivel up for a couple of years.
But I’d got used to the wide colour of sound and was used to carting ten tons of shit about the country: timpani,pedal steel, huge bass cabs and all the rest, so that bit never bothered me and I figured folks want to see and hear something with a bit of effort involved.
So I started playing drums; a guy David Lunt sold me the Eko bass pedals.. I electrified the glockespiel with humbuckers (they were always an engineers nightmare in a loud group to mic up) started making fuzz boxes then a few synthesizers and now percussion synths.
I sold my pedal steel because it weighed a ton and bought a nice 1930s Epiphone Electar 8 string lap steel…
I cut down on weight with the drum kit, cutting off any bit of metal that was too long or unnecessary. All cymbals mount onto the bass drum and so does the jingle snare. The glockenspiel sits on bass drum also; it’s still growing and shrinking all the time. I’ve made a couple of electric shakers to add to the variety.
WMC: Was the solo stuff a way of thrashing out stuff you wasn’t able to do in Homelife?
Paddy: Yes, but I play in a few groups, so not only the the stuff I can’t do in Homelife.
Plus I can just get on with it and potter around in my own time.
WMC: You not so long ago released Dragonsbreath, any plans for a new album?
Paddy: Yes. I have a lot of stuff recorded that’s rough, out of time, out of tune and full of imperfections.
WMC: Who/what are your major influences?
Paddy: Sun Ra for his hard work attitude; he was hugely prolific, open minded and unfazed.
Moondog for the shear adversity life through up at him, to make clothes, percussion instruments, compose and play. Rashaan Roland Kirk strangely another blind unique, huge energy.
Harry Partch…Ravel, Debussy,…..this list could go on…..Silver Apples….I haven’t got all day…
WMC: Are there any new bands out at the moment we should be checking out?
Paddy: Check out Ergo Phizmiz. I played with him at Liverpool the other night.
WMC: What was the last album you bought?
Paddy: BBC Radiophonic Music(pink album) and Doctor Who volume 1: the early years 1963-1969.
WMC: Do you believe in extraterrestrial life?
Paddy: Yes, but not in imposing hair, hat, or diet stipulations.
WMC: You sometimes have robots feature in your sets.. Can you do the robot?
Paddy: I can dance like A robot…maybe like Robby the Robot.. Nothing too 80’s though I’m afraid.
WMC: Finally, what does 2011 hold for yourself and Homelife?
Paddy: For Homelife another french tour and a tour of Luxembourg
and we should pull our finger out and record another album..
for myself ..solo..I don’t know….. I’ll try and make a bad smell.
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Paddy Steer plays The Tudor tomorrow with Boy Or Bison.
www.myspace.com/paddysteer
