Gigging, Gear and Great Music
Andy Alston has held down keyboard duties with Del Amitri for 40 years (here’s our previous in-depth interview with Chris). On the last night of their Australia and New Zealand tour we caught up with Andy for a quick chat.
A huge thanks to Andy for giving his time on a very busy night.
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Del Amitri have been an internationally successful Scottish band that have sold well over 6 millionalbums worldwide and have been on the scene for more than forty years. Andy Alston has been around for nearly all of that, aside from his own work and fascinating history. Andy has some great tips for new players as well as an amazing story of musical collaborations with prison inmates.
To listen / watch:
Discussion topics covered during the show (links will open in new tab):
Meeting Justin Currie
The two attempts at recording the Waking Hours album
Strangers and Brothers – Sensational
Andy with Paul Quinn & The Independent Group
James Kirk – Felicity (from You Can Make It If You Boogie)
Quick visual tour of Andy’s songwriting and recording space (apologies to our audio listeners!)
Crooked Timbers – On This Ocean (James Kirk and Andy Alston collaboration)
Getting into the accordion and buying one from Blair Cowan (Lloyd Cole and The Commotions)
Accordions in rock
Andy on Del Amitri – Nothing Ever Happens
Experience of touring the US, Canada and Australia
A great history of The Sebel Townhouse as a famous rock ‘n roll hotel
Go-to keyboards with Del Amitri
Andy’s train wreck moment
Working with prison inmates to record music and the aborted ‘All Killer No Filler’ album
Tips for new players wanting to make a career in music
How Del Amitri have kept such a stable lineup for so long
Tag a keyboard player: Count Basie, Thelonius Monk, Professior Longhair
Desert Island Discs: Studio Kinda Cloudy – Keith Hudson, ‘TIl I Can Make It On My Own – Tammy Wynette, A Modern Jazz Symposium of Music and Poetry – Charles Mingus (New York Sketchbook), Let The Music Play – Barry White, The Chronic – Dr Dre.
Thanks to our supporters for this episode: Brother Paul Brown , Musicplayer.com forums, Tammy Katchur’s Musical Stew and Radio Grande
Key links:
Buy some keyboard related merchandise
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