Al Stravinsky

I put all I have learnt into the songs I write, and try to build each one around honest, insightful lyrics; stories of love and life, loss and hope. Everything you hear is me (except for a couple of sax solos), every note, every word, every inflection is where and how I chose it to be. Without the compromise of time, with just the compromise of my knowledge, ability, and creativity, my songs are (for good or bad) exactly as I heard them in my head.

I heard 'Space Oddity' on Radio Luxembourg (little tinny transistor radio, 2am, with the earpiece in, under the covers: 'Planet earth is blue and there's nothing I can do...') when I was about 13, and the world hasn't been the same since. I'm sure everyone here has had a similar epiphany.

My first guitar was a classical that I learnt to finger-pick while playing along to Bert Jansch records (couldn't do that), aged 16. Then I heard Jack Bruce sing and play bass and thought: 'I want to do that!' (still can't.); I bought a Fender Jazz (four months' wages) and played bass in every free moment.

My first semi-pro band formed in 1977, and since 1982 I've worked as a bass player/singer; mostly in bands but latterly in a duo, doing the clubs, pubs and suchlike of the UK's ever-shrinking live circuit. Is it like this the world over?

In November 2004, over 3,000 gigs later, I suddenly found myself with time on my hands and the days are relatively empty. I now have the equipment (which I originally bought to do backing tracks, but got distracted after a while) and the time, a bit of pent-up creative frustration, and a reservoir of bits of ideas and tunes that have floated round my head for years looking for a home. I think they have found them here...

I sing and play bass guitar mostly, but I play some acoustic/electric guitars also. Everything else is done on the computer: I use Propellerhead's Reason for all my sequencing/samplers/synths/and-other-stuff (it is a thing of rare beauty); I record audio with Cubase, use Voxengo plug-ins plus Brian Delaney, Black2Black, and Mark Walker drum loops, which all suit me just fine.

I am a student of the Alexander technique, which, together with an understanding of Speech-Level Singing (visit www.johnhenny.com, where free introductory SLS podcasts are available), is helping me overcome the debilitating vocal problems I have suffered for the past 10 years.

I have an album at CDBaby - click on link, above right.

The whole album, or individual tracks, can be downloaded from:

Payplay - again, link above right.

or from the ubiquitous iTunes, at the pithy little link they sent me:

http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?playListId=21601567

Thanks for calling in. Leave me a note and keep in touch - Al