Post by wingsj0 on May 6, 2006 17:58:28 GMT
International BeatleWeek 2005 Special.
The Beatbrothers are an energetic band from the North of England covering the most magical era of all time...the 1960's. The Beatbrothers started life as a family project, but it soon became apparent that they had something special. Phil and Eddy were quick to learn and The Beatbrothers were born. Initially , the newly formed band played at family functions, but things were moving so quickly that by 2001 they were on the bill at Liverpool Beatle Week, including a gig at the world famous Cavern Club. Many rehearsals and generous charity gig s later they were back with an already impressive gig list.
Lucy Carter
During October of last year I managed to catch up with the Beatbrothers to find out what they thought of Beatle Week, and the Beatles!
Who introduced you to the music of The Beatles & was it a memorable event?
Phil: And what a memorable event it was, oh yes, my most excellent adventure started in 1994, it was a cold bleak winters day, but seriously…it was at my Gran and Grandads, listening to CD's with my Dad, singing along to the song Elvis Costello wrote with Paul McCartney called Veronica, as well as all the Help CD.
Eddy: My Dad introduced me, no surprise there then! The reason I loved it was simple. It is really catchy stuff. I remember watching Help, and remember singing along to You've got to Hide your Love Away, I was 3 years old.
Shaun: I was born in Liverpool and the music always seemed to be around the City. I remember when I was 5 (in 1963) and my Auntie turned up at our house with a Beatle wig on and a copy of She Loves You for me and my brother! She was a real laugh!
What is it about the Beatles music you love?
Phil: Johns nasal voice , and to think he didn’t like it! and I loved their sense of fun, all the mucking about as friends…
Eddy: I love the history that goes with the band, I loved watching the Anthology, it was all new and exciting.
Shaun: Where do you start! The chemistry they had was a one off, I loved the melodies, the harmonies, the musicianship etc etc and to play their music brings it home even more what talents they were.
How old were you when you discovered you had the ability to play an instrument & who influenced it?
Phil: I was 8 when my Grandad got me a cheap drum kit from Argos! I started playing guitar when I was 9, and then trumpet when I was 10! I knew I had the ability when people stopped telling me to shut up and be quiet..!
Eddy: I was probably 9. Phil introduced me to drums, teaching me. He was 12 then!
Shaun: My Mum and Dad bought me a Spanish Guitar when I passed my 11+ exam, I would have been 11. They bought it at Rushworths in Liverpool. I loved it, put stickers on it, and played it with a plectrum near the bridge to make it sound more like a pop guitar!
Can you remember the first Beatles song that you learnt to play how did it feel?
Phil: It was on drums and it was Lucy in the Sky…"bang bang bang…Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" ! lol. On guitar it was I Saw her Standing There, it was the first time I played bar chords, I thought i'd mastered guitar then!
Eddy: One of the first songs I learnt as well was I saw Her standing there, I found it really exciting, being able to play a whole song instead of bits of ones.
Shaun: That’s a tricky one, It would have been before a lot of your readers were born! I remember buying a song book for the White album, and probably the first one I learnt was Mother Natures Son as it was the easiest I could find while I was working my way through the book!
How did you come to form The Beatbrothers?
Phil: We got a gig at the 2001 Convention so decided we'd better form a band! (Laughs)
Eddy: It just seemed to happen, with it being family we were always playing and it seemed a good idea.
Shaun: That as back in 2000. I could really see Phil and Eddy coming on well and as part of the learning process we used to play together, lots of Beatle stuff. We decided to do a few Charity gigs as they were too young to play pubs etc, and they went down really well so we decided to keep it going.
When was it that you realised that, as a band, The Beatbrothers had something special that needed to be heard at International Beatles Week?
Phil: I suppose it was when we played at a friends party, a proper gig though, hey we even got paid, it was the first time I did a solo lying on the ballroom floor, I was 13 then. From then on something changed and the energy levels went really high in the gigs.
Eddy: When we played at Flanagans on Mathew Street when I was 9, and the crowd where all chanting my name!
Shaun: After going to Beatle Week in 2000 I thought that the lads would bring something different, young lads playing Beatle music and keeping it alive. Phil by this time had surpassed me as a musician and he was only 13! so I contacted CCT and they said yes to the lads playing in 2001.
Your shows in Liverpool were brilliant how much preparation goes into compiling The Beatbrothers Show?
Phill: Very little, can't you tell! Lol, no, I do loads and the other two do bugger all. Eddy just turns up. Don't tell him I said that!
Eddy: He's right, pass me my PS2!
Shaun: We try to get around 30 songs prepared, and run through them quite a lot in the months leading up to Beatle Week. We are together every other weekend, so spend 3 or 4 hours each time running through the numbers. My job is to try and hold it together, watching Phil particularly and when he makes a move ie at the end of a solo I try to make sure Eddys aware of where we are up to etc. There's a lot of improvisation and we love it that way, it's what gives it that fresh feel to a song every time we do it.
How did you go about choosing the songs for your set list?
Phil: Ermmmm. We listen to the CD's and pick out the songs that would lend themselves to a bit of high energy. We love doing fast stuff mainly….gets me sweating.
Eddy: We needed a good strong number to start and finish, so thought Please Please ME and Johnny B Goode would fit that, and then shouted out all the songs we liked.
Shaun: Any of us could chip in with a song we'd like to play. All the songs are in the set for that reason, because they are all songs we love. If they don't work then they get dropped and we move on to something else. We always try to drop in an unusual one as well, like Brainwashed.
What does playing in Liverpool mean to you?
Phil: Not much. I prefer Leek. No only joking. The atmosphere in Liverpool is brilliant , its great to play in the home of so many great bands.
Eddy: Its great, the home of the Beatles, so everyone is supportive of a band playing their stuff.
Shaun: It’s the place to play Beatle music isn't it! Or any music for that matter!
If you were asked to describe Beatle Week to someone who had never been to the festival, what would you tell them?
Phil: Don't like to let them into the secret, don't want it getting any bigger than it is already! I like the atmosphere now. If every day was as busy as the Monday It wouldn't be as much fun etc etc.
Eddy: That its fun, that they'd enjoy every second of it .
Shaun: I'd ask them if they like live music….if they did then Liverpool in August is the place to be. There is something magical about the city that weekend.
What's the highlight of Beatles Week for you?
Phil: The gig on the Bank Holiday Monday at the Cavern, the response from the crowd was brilliant, especially when they joined in on My Generation, you know, the line "why don't you all just…fa fa fa " and the crowd come up with a harsh suggestion! Great stuff.
Eddy: Our 3 oclock Cavern gig on the Monday, I remember thinking that I played well and that the crowd where fantastic.
Shaun: Watching Phil while we are playing a gig and he is in another world, just totally absorbed in what he is playing or singing….just amazing to watch close up. He's so quiet off stage, but on stage he is possessed! Also when Eddy and Phil are playing I watch the audience and I am invisible, for good reason the "fans" just can't take their eyes off the two lads as you never know what's going to happen next!
Who were your favourite bands from Beatle Week 2005?
Phil: The Prellies are always ace, and I enjoyed the Fab Faux of course. I like Beatlemaniacs, I thought they had a great sound and looked the part. I didn't see many other bands which is one of the disadvantages of being in a band at Beatle week!
Eddy: The Rutles and the Prellies, they were great.
Shaun: Mmmm, well The Fab Faux Ex Factor show was absolutely brilliant, The Overtures are amazing I loved their Adelphi gig. Of course watching The Prellies is a must, energy like Phil and Eddy's! I saw Mad Dogs briefly before we played the Cavern Pub and really enjoyed what I saw. It was also great to see Bob and his Banned on the Run play the best I have ever seen them in 2005. Problem with being in a band is that you miss watching loads of bands you want to see and the freedom of watching who you want when you want!
What can you tell us about your new album?
Phil: It's cheap. Buy it!
Eddy: That it fast paced loud and everyone should have one.
Shaun: Its "Live"! All the instruments bar one track were played live as a band. The other track was I'm a Loser were Phil stuck an acoustic on as well afterwards. Otherwise it sounds like a live show I think.
What has been the highlight of your career so far?
Phil:The highlight for me is literally playing Anytime at All at any gig we do! I love the song. Also every time I do a gig its a highlight for me, there is always a buzz.
Eddy:Being the youngest person to play the Cavern ( I think) and it might be a while before I top that! (Eddy was 9 in 2001 when the Beatbrothers first played The Cavern).
Shaun: I suppose the most exciting was watching Phil and Eddy sing and play Live on Spencer Leighs Show on Radio Merseyside April 2004, no nerves whatsoever! From a gig perspective the best so far was probably the 3.00pm gig on Bank Holiday Monday just gone at The Cavern, great atmosphere and we all played a whole gig that we were 100% happy with (very rare!)
Why do you think The Beatles music has stood the test of time?
Phil: Because it was put together so well, and they were NEW. Their music still sounds fresh and as if its just been recorded.
Eddy: They wrote PERFECT pop songs
Shaun: because they led the way in the 60's, they were so amazing at always looking to stretch the boundaries, and from a bass players perspective I think they had the best player in the 60's who raised the bar in bass playing totally.
If you were asked to describe a The Beatbrothers gig how would you word it?
Phil: Fast and Fun
Eddy: Hard work for the drummer!
Shaun: Unpredictable! Passionate! Fast! Hot! And a shock for people who haven't seen the band before!
Were can Beatle fans come and see you play?
Phil: Tell them to ring up Cavern City Tours and insist we are at Beatleweek 2006. When they have done that ask them for the times we are on! (Laugh)
Eddy: Nice one Phil
Shaun: A bit tricky! I am in a rock band called Bad Habits and we play most weeks, as do Phil and Eddy in The Apologies, so the Beatbrothers really are pulled together mainly for events in Liverpool. Although we are available for one offs, see our web site and book us, we are cheap! (Laughs)
Who's your favourite Beatle and why?
Phil: John Lennon, because he makes me laugh whenever I see videos of his interviews, or the films, would have loved to have met him.
Eddy: John, because he's funny, acted the fool. but fought for what he believed in.
Shaun: Nowadays it is George. I've been through them all as a favourite at one time or another. I think I will be settled on George for good now. I love his music, his playing, and most of all I loved his attitude to life, he was such a deep thinker I find him an inspiration. His last album was awesome, my favourite Beatle solo album.
What other ambitions & goals do you have for The Beatbrothers?
Phil: My main ambition is for my band the Apologies to be headlining Glastonbury, and after our gig there we will be sneaking back to Liverpool to play the Cavern with Eddy and my Dad as the Beatbrothers. It'll be invitation only of course, and our fans who come to see us now will all get tickets! There will be no queuing outside HMV for vouchers (Paul McCartney in 1999) as we know who our best fans are!
Eddy: World domination, haha
Shaun: To continue improving, and to be asked to play Beatleweek 2006 and see all the great people who were fantastic to Phil and Eddy last year. Also for the lads to make it in music with their own band The Apologies and make a triumphant return to the Beatleweek as headliners! (Laughs), never forget your roots!
I’d like to thank The Beatbrothers for taking the time out to do this interview, take a good look at these two lads because we know there going to be music stars of our future!
Jo Rishton
With The Beatbrothers
Official site coming soon....
This interview's been approved by The Beatbrothers.
Please note all articles on this site are (C) to The Beat Goes On And On Fanzine and may not be used without permission.
To book tickets or to find out more about International Beatles Week visit here: www.cavern-liverpool.co.uk/beatleweek
Photos from Beatle Week 2005 can be viewed at: www.cavern-liverpool.co.uk/beatleweek/history/2005/BWscrap2005.htm
The Beatbrothers are an energetic band from the North of England covering the most magical era of all time...the 1960's. The Beatbrothers started life as a family project, but it soon became apparent that they had something special. Phil and Eddy were quick to learn and The Beatbrothers were born. Initially , the newly formed band played at family functions, but things were moving so quickly that by 2001 they were on the bill at Liverpool Beatle Week, including a gig at the world famous Cavern Club. Many rehearsals and generous charity gig s later they were back with an already impressive gig list.
Lucy Carter
During October of last year I managed to catch up with the Beatbrothers to find out what they thought of Beatle Week, and the Beatles!
Who introduced you to the music of The Beatles & was it a memorable event?
Phil: And what a memorable event it was, oh yes, my most excellent adventure started in 1994, it was a cold bleak winters day, but seriously…it was at my Gran and Grandads, listening to CD's with my Dad, singing along to the song Elvis Costello wrote with Paul McCartney called Veronica, as well as all the Help CD.
Eddy: My Dad introduced me, no surprise there then! The reason I loved it was simple. It is really catchy stuff. I remember watching Help, and remember singing along to You've got to Hide your Love Away, I was 3 years old.
Shaun: I was born in Liverpool and the music always seemed to be around the City. I remember when I was 5 (in 1963) and my Auntie turned up at our house with a Beatle wig on and a copy of She Loves You for me and my brother! She was a real laugh!
What is it about the Beatles music you love?
Phil: Johns nasal voice , and to think he didn’t like it! and I loved their sense of fun, all the mucking about as friends…
Eddy: I love the history that goes with the band, I loved watching the Anthology, it was all new and exciting.
Shaun: Where do you start! The chemistry they had was a one off, I loved the melodies, the harmonies, the musicianship etc etc and to play their music brings it home even more what talents they were.
How old were you when you discovered you had the ability to play an instrument & who influenced it?
Phil: I was 8 when my Grandad got me a cheap drum kit from Argos! I started playing guitar when I was 9, and then trumpet when I was 10! I knew I had the ability when people stopped telling me to shut up and be quiet..!
Eddy: I was probably 9. Phil introduced me to drums, teaching me. He was 12 then!
Shaun: My Mum and Dad bought me a Spanish Guitar when I passed my 11+ exam, I would have been 11. They bought it at Rushworths in Liverpool. I loved it, put stickers on it, and played it with a plectrum near the bridge to make it sound more like a pop guitar!
Can you remember the first Beatles song that you learnt to play how did it feel?
Phil: It was on drums and it was Lucy in the Sky…"bang bang bang…Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" ! lol. On guitar it was I Saw her Standing There, it was the first time I played bar chords, I thought i'd mastered guitar then!
Eddy: One of the first songs I learnt as well was I saw Her standing there, I found it really exciting, being able to play a whole song instead of bits of ones.
Shaun: That’s a tricky one, It would have been before a lot of your readers were born! I remember buying a song book for the White album, and probably the first one I learnt was Mother Natures Son as it was the easiest I could find while I was working my way through the book!
How did you come to form The Beatbrothers?
Phil: We got a gig at the 2001 Convention so decided we'd better form a band! (Laughs)
Eddy: It just seemed to happen, with it being family we were always playing and it seemed a good idea.
Shaun: That as back in 2000. I could really see Phil and Eddy coming on well and as part of the learning process we used to play together, lots of Beatle stuff. We decided to do a few Charity gigs as they were too young to play pubs etc, and they went down really well so we decided to keep it going.
When was it that you realised that, as a band, The Beatbrothers had something special that needed to be heard at International Beatles Week?
Phil: I suppose it was when we played at a friends party, a proper gig though, hey we even got paid, it was the first time I did a solo lying on the ballroom floor, I was 13 then. From then on something changed and the energy levels went really high in the gigs.
Eddy: When we played at Flanagans on Mathew Street when I was 9, and the crowd where all chanting my name!
Shaun: After going to Beatle Week in 2000 I thought that the lads would bring something different, young lads playing Beatle music and keeping it alive. Phil by this time had surpassed me as a musician and he was only 13! so I contacted CCT and they said yes to the lads playing in 2001.
Your shows in Liverpool were brilliant how much preparation goes into compiling The Beatbrothers Show?
Phill: Very little, can't you tell! Lol, no, I do loads and the other two do bugger all. Eddy just turns up. Don't tell him I said that!
Eddy: He's right, pass me my PS2!
Shaun: We try to get around 30 songs prepared, and run through them quite a lot in the months leading up to Beatle Week. We are together every other weekend, so spend 3 or 4 hours each time running through the numbers. My job is to try and hold it together, watching Phil particularly and when he makes a move ie at the end of a solo I try to make sure Eddys aware of where we are up to etc. There's a lot of improvisation and we love it that way, it's what gives it that fresh feel to a song every time we do it.
How did you go about choosing the songs for your set list?
Phil: Ermmmm. We listen to the CD's and pick out the songs that would lend themselves to a bit of high energy. We love doing fast stuff mainly….gets me sweating.
Eddy: We needed a good strong number to start and finish, so thought Please Please ME and Johnny B Goode would fit that, and then shouted out all the songs we liked.
Shaun: Any of us could chip in with a song we'd like to play. All the songs are in the set for that reason, because they are all songs we love. If they don't work then they get dropped and we move on to something else. We always try to drop in an unusual one as well, like Brainwashed.
What does playing in Liverpool mean to you?
Phil: Not much. I prefer Leek. No only joking. The atmosphere in Liverpool is brilliant , its great to play in the home of so many great bands.
Eddy: Its great, the home of the Beatles, so everyone is supportive of a band playing their stuff.
Shaun: It’s the place to play Beatle music isn't it! Or any music for that matter!
If you were asked to describe Beatle Week to someone who had never been to the festival, what would you tell them?
Phil: Don't like to let them into the secret, don't want it getting any bigger than it is already! I like the atmosphere now. If every day was as busy as the Monday It wouldn't be as much fun etc etc.
Eddy: That its fun, that they'd enjoy every second of it .
Shaun: I'd ask them if they like live music….if they did then Liverpool in August is the place to be. There is something magical about the city that weekend.
What's the highlight of Beatles Week for you?
Phil: The gig on the Bank Holiday Monday at the Cavern, the response from the crowd was brilliant, especially when they joined in on My Generation, you know, the line "why don't you all just…fa fa fa " and the crowd come up with a harsh suggestion! Great stuff.
Eddy: Our 3 oclock Cavern gig on the Monday, I remember thinking that I played well and that the crowd where fantastic.
Shaun: Watching Phil while we are playing a gig and he is in another world, just totally absorbed in what he is playing or singing….just amazing to watch close up. He's so quiet off stage, but on stage he is possessed! Also when Eddy and Phil are playing I watch the audience and I am invisible, for good reason the "fans" just can't take their eyes off the two lads as you never know what's going to happen next!
Who were your favourite bands from Beatle Week 2005?
Phil: The Prellies are always ace, and I enjoyed the Fab Faux of course. I like Beatlemaniacs, I thought they had a great sound and looked the part. I didn't see many other bands which is one of the disadvantages of being in a band at Beatle week!
Eddy: The Rutles and the Prellies, they were great.
Shaun: Mmmm, well The Fab Faux Ex Factor show was absolutely brilliant, The Overtures are amazing I loved their Adelphi gig. Of course watching The Prellies is a must, energy like Phil and Eddy's! I saw Mad Dogs briefly before we played the Cavern Pub and really enjoyed what I saw. It was also great to see Bob and his Banned on the Run play the best I have ever seen them in 2005. Problem with being in a band is that you miss watching loads of bands you want to see and the freedom of watching who you want when you want!
What can you tell us about your new album?
Phil: It's cheap. Buy it!
Eddy: That it fast paced loud and everyone should have one.
Shaun: Its "Live"! All the instruments bar one track were played live as a band. The other track was I'm a Loser were Phil stuck an acoustic on as well afterwards. Otherwise it sounds like a live show I think.
What has been the highlight of your career so far?
Phil:The highlight for me is literally playing Anytime at All at any gig we do! I love the song. Also every time I do a gig its a highlight for me, there is always a buzz.
Eddy:Being the youngest person to play the Cavern ( I think) and it might be a while before I top that! (Eddy was 9 in 2001 when the Beatbrothers first played The Cavern).
Shaun: I suppose the most exciting was watching Phil and Eddy sing and play Live on Spencer Leighs Show on Radio Merseyside April 2004, no nerves whatsoever! From a gig perspective the best so far was probably the 3.00pm gig on Bank Holiday Monday just gone at The Cavern, great atmosphere and we all played a whole gig that we were 100% happy with (very rare!)
Why do you think The Beatles music has stood the test of time?
Phil: Because it was put together so well, and they were NEW. Their music still sounds fresh and as if its just been recorded.
Eddy: They wrote PERFECT pop songs
Shaun: because they led the way in the 60's, they were so amazing at always looking to stretch the boundaries, and from a bass players perspective I think they had the best player in the 60's who raised the bar in bass playing totally.
If you were asked to describe a The Beatbrothers gig how would you word it?
Phil: Fast and Fun
Eddy: Hard work for the drummer!
Shaun: Unpredictable! Passionate! Fast! Hot! And a shock for people who haven't seen the band before!
Were can Beatle fans come and see you play?
Phil: Tell them to ring up Cavern City Tours and insist we are at Beatleweek 2006. When they have done that ask them for the times we are on! (Laugh)
Eddy: Nice one Phil
Shaun: A bit tricky! I am in a rock band called Bad Habits and we play most weeks, as do Phil and Eddy in The Apologies, so the Beatbrothers really are pulled together mainly for events in Liverpool. Although we are available for one offs, see our web site and book us, we are cheap! (Laughs)
Who's your favourite Beatle and why?
Phil: John Lennon, because he makes me laugh whenever I see videos of his interviews, or the films, would have loved to have met him.
Eddy: John, because he's funny, acted the fool. but fought for what he believed in.
Shaun: Nowadays it is George. I've been through them all as a favourite at one time or another. I think I will be settled on George for good now. I love his music, his playing, and most of all I loved his attitude to life, he was such a deep thinker I find him an inspiration. His last album was awesome, my favourite Beatle solo album.
What other ambitions & goals do you have for The Beatbrothers?
Phil: My main ambition is for my band the Apologies to be headlining Glastonbury, and after our gig there we will be sneaking back to Liverpool to play the Cavern with Eddy and my Dad as the Beatbrothers. It'll be invitation only of course, and our fans who come to see us now will all get tickets! There will be no queuing outside HMV for vouchers (Paul McCartney in 1999) as we know who our best fans are!
Eddy: World domination, haha
Shaun: To continue improving, and to be asked to play Beatleweek 2006 and see all the great people who were fantastic to Phil and Eddy last year. Also for the lads to make it in music with their own band The Apologies and make a triumphant return to the Beatleweek as headliners! (Laughs), never forget your roots!
I’d like to thank The Beatbrothers for taking the time out to do this interview, take a good look at these two lads because we know there going to be music stars of our future!
Jo Rishton
With The Beatbrothers
Official site coming soon....
This interview's been approved by The Beatbrothers.
Please note all articles on this site are (C) to The Beat Goes On And On Fanzine and may not be used without permission.
To book tickets or to find out more about International Beatles Week visit here: www.cavern-liverpool.co.uk/beatleweek
Photos from Beatle Week 2005 can be viewed at: www.cavern-liverpool.co.uk/beatleweek/history/2005/BWscrap2005.htm