-MM
- Introduce the
band members to us.
Tony - Ok, first Glenn Watmough (vocals).
Pete - Glen is a great bloke with a superb voice.
Tony - Tony Marshall, guitar and backing vocals, that's me like as if you
didn't know!
Pete - Tony and I share guitar duties - he's a great player and I think we
work well together. Oh yeah, and he's quite a shy and quiet sort of bloke
(yeah, right!).
I'm Pete. I 'play' guitar - although that's probably a matter of opinion!
Norman Watson is our drummer and he's very tall.
Tony - Johnny Larson, Keyboards and backing vocals.
Pete - Jon is the newest member.
Tony - Paul Sidebotham, Bass and backing vocals.
Pete - Paul (our talented bassist) knows far too many long words and his
knowledge of crustaceous life forms is mind-boggling!
Tony - Good grief, that's a lot of people for one band!!
MM - When was the band formed and how did
you all meet?
Tony - Early in 2000, we got together over two or three months and started
writing, Mark Alger had already signed us as he didn't have a British band
on the roster, I have known Mark for years thus I was able to use my
influence and THE pictures to blackmail the deal from him!!
We were given the chance after a conversation between Mark and myself a
few months before. He contacted me and told me to get writing, I got in
Paul and Mark knew of Pete and the previous drummer and keyboard player.
The next thing was to recruit a singer and along came Glenn, and several
weeks later we were playing at Z rock 2000.
Pete - I think Paul and Tony had started getting together with Ged Rylands
(ex Ten member) and Brian Dixon (Cathedral) when Mark Alger (Mr. Z
Records) phoned me up to see if I was interested in joining.
I've known Brian for years and I had met Tony at the rock nights at
Maximes, so I said yes. Glen auditioned soon after and his voice blew us all away. Obviously we
didn't need to look any further.
Since Brian was only able to help us out for a short time (due to
commitments with Cathedral etc), we had to find a new drummer.
I had played in a band with Norman some years ago and knew he would be
perfect for the job, so I got in touch and he came down to audition. It
just 'clicked' straight away - he's a really talented drummer.
Jon (our keyboard player) is the most recent addition to the band. We
'discovered' him one day being thrown out of a Womble convention.
Apparently he'd just received a standing ovation for his solo version of
'Remember You're a Womble' but unfortunately it had all gone pear shaped
when he'd followed it up with a lascivious, naked balloon dance in honour
of Madame Cholet!
MM - Where in the world do you call home?
Tony - I live in a town between Manchester and Liverpool called Leigh,
Glenn lives in Bolton, Paul is from Southport and the rest are from
Liverpool, we do all our business in Liverpool thus we have used the city
as our home-base.
Pete - For me it's the Penny Lane area of Liverpool.
MM -How would you best describe your music
and whom do you think it would most appeal to?
Tony - Hard rock with lots of harmonies and catchy hooks, I think it could
appeal to a wide range of people.
We write songs that anyone can sing along to, a Contagious song is written
with infection in mind.
Pete - It's hard to say just yet because our style is still evolving but I
suppose melodic rock just about covers it! I hope it would appeal to any
fan of melodic rock.
MM
- The band have
just returned from appearing at the Z Festival (part 1) 2001. How did that
go?
Tony - Excellent, we opened for the second time, but this time we were
getting the confidence in the songs to bring out a better performance than
last year. We actually really like playing early on. It gives us the
opportunity to have a drink and meet the people, watch the bands and have
a few more drinks! Then really get down to some serious drinking, after a
few drinks that is.
Pete - The whole weekend was fantastic. I really enjoyed playing there.
The crowd, the bands and the whole vibe was great - I can't wait for Z2001
part 2.
MM -What sort of feedback have you
received so far to your EP 'Red, White and Slightly Blue'?
Tony - Very good actually, we have been in the play-lists of a few very
respected magazines, it is a strange EP, and the sound is very raw, not
over produced. It is very in your face, very harsh but somehow it sounds
right!
Pete - So far it seems quite positive and my mum loves it!
MM - Where should people go if they wanted
to obtain a copy of this EP?
Tony - You can get it from Z records (cat number ZR 1997038) or most good
record shops; I think places like Groove machine and Loud 1 are the best
places to get it.
Pete - Try my mum - I think she bought them all! Or, I suppose you could
try the Z Records website (www.zrecords.net).
The best way, however, is to come to one of our gigs and buy one from the
Z Records stall.
MM - Have the band started a full-length
album yet and if so when can we expect to see that released?
Tony - We go in to the studio on June 18th; we play at the Cavern in
Liverpool with Talisman on the 17th and the morning after we are going in
to hopefully give the world a taste of our infectious groove. No doubt
with a hangover, then the album will be released on November 4th.
MM - The band has a number of gigs planned
in the near future. When and where can people catch you performing?
Tony - As I mentioned, the 17th June at the Cavern Liverpool, with
Talisman. The 19th August we are again at the Cavern but this time with
Vaughn, August 26th, we open our third Z rock at Maximes in Wigan, on
September 8th we are playing at the first German Z rock in Mannheim.
MM - Do you have any plans to do a full UK
tour in the not so distant future?
Tony - We actually have two small tours lined up for October but they are
a secret at the moment, suffice to say Z is hoping to bring two major acts
over, you may have seen them on the bill at the Z rock in Manchester.
MM
- When can we
expect to see your website up and running so that people can keep up to
date with what's going on with the band? You can't remain one of the UK's
best-kept secrets for much longer.
Tony - Don't ask, I am in the process of doing it; I have to write songs,
work and learn how to do the tango in my spare time of course. It
hopefully will be up soon.
You can find out from the Z records website as soon as we do it. I think
you will find that we will be a little less secretive when the album comes
out.
Pete - Tony and I (being the only computer literate members of the band)
have been talking about it for ages but we've just not gotten around to it
yet. I promise we'll get it sorted very soon!
MM -Which Contagious song is your
personal favourite and why?
Tony - Lost and Lonely, it is a real rocker with a great catchy bridge and
massive chorus, I love playing it live. You will get to hear it on the
album, I just hope we can do it justice.
Pete - We've just wrote one called 'Dangerous Love' which I like a lot but
I'm not sure if it'll go on the album - shame really. Apart from that I
quite like 'Hear it Calling' because Tony and I get the chance to share
the guitar solos and then do a bit of 'Thin Lizzy' type harmonies.
MM - What goes through your mind when you
are playing live onstage? Are you aware of the fans or are you in a little
bubble oblivious to what's going on around you?
Tony - I was just saying this to a friend of mine the other day, I usually
just switch off and listen for mistakes by the band (it's usually me but
don't tell them that) at the last gig I was just hoping everything sounded
good.
I don't get nervous, I wish I could. The adrenaline flows but no nerves;
this puts me in the position of being very sensible insomuch as I am able
to hear everything with a clear head!
Pete - Yeah, I'm usually aware of what's going on but it depends a lot on
my blood/alcohol ratio at the time!
MM
- Had you
performed with any of the other bands on the Z Festival before?
Tony - Yes, Seven Wishes, they were on at last years Z rock. I also met
them at the Swedish Z Rock, a great bunch of guys … and gal!
MM - Apart from at the Z Festival, what
was the last band you went to see live in concert?
Tony - Samantha 7 and Great White a couple of months ago in Liverpool.
Pete - I went to the Great White / Samantha 7 gig at the Krazy House in
Liverpool a couple of months back.
MM - What bands/artists have influenced
you the most over the years?
Tony - Eddie Van Halen, Dokken, Queensryche, Pat Boone when he's in a
metal mood.
Pete - I first got into playing guitar rock guitar through listening to my
brothers Dokken cd's.
I love that band and George Lynch's playing style and technique are
incredible! Whitesnake '87 is one of my favourite albums of all time. I
love everything about it but especially John Sykes' sound and playing.
MM - Who writes the songs that you
perform, is it a joint effort or more of a solo thing?
Tony - At the moment I am writing most of the music and Glenn and me are
doing the lyrics, but Pete is writing some awesome tunes, which we will be
using on the album.
Pete - So far Tony and Glen have come up with a lot of the stuff but we
all do our part really.
I've written loads of stuff too but most of it too late to be used on the
album - so we're just concentrating on the chosen album tracks for now.
MM - What's the most memorable thing
that's happened to the band so far?
Tony - We got signed! And we also saw Mark Alger's bank balance, Pete is
still having therapy.
Pete - It's all been pretty memorable for me so far but I'd say perhaps
our first gig, when we opened the Z2000 show.
MM - Have
any of the band members appeared in any other bands prior to Contagious?
Tony
- Yes too many to mention and all brilliant if anyone asks.
Pete - Yes. Tony and Paul were in a band together - I think they were
called 'Ragged'. Norm and I were in a band called 'The Gerbil' and Glen
and Jon were in a band called 'Armageddon!'.
MM - What was the first record you ever
bought?
Tony - Blizzard of Oz or was it the Wombles?
Pete - Shh don't tell anyone but I think it was 'Pop Musik' by 'M'.
Actually it might have been a Beatles album - I'm not sure.
MM -What instruments/equipment do you
use?
Tony - We just got a deal from a British guitar company called Maverick;
they make some very cool guitars, our relationship started not too long
ago but Baz (the part owner got us two guitars in a day for the Z show.
The man is a genius.
Pete - Tony and I have just got an endorsement deal with MAVERICK Guitars.
I was using Ibanez, Jackson and Yamaha's before but Barry (from Maverick)
sent me a 'Street Fighter 1' - it has the best neck I've ever played. I
know that sounds like a shameless plug but I really mean it.
My amp is a Line 6 HD - It's the best amp I've ever had. I used it
at
the Z2001 show and it was awesome - in fact, nearly all the other bands
used it too! I'm very pleased with my setup right now.
MM - Tell us one thing about yourself that
not many people know.
Tony - I am handsome and good in bed!
Pete - Erm, my first name is Kurt. Half the people who know me call me
Kurt and the other half call me Pete - which is in fact spelled Pieter!
Confused? well you did ask!
MM - Are the band optimists or pessimists?
Is your glass half full or half empty?
Tony - Yes and no!
Pete - As a band I think we try to be realists but as for myself, I think
of myself as an 'inverse pessimist'. That is, I think the worst but try
and see the loss as the potential for more gain.
This is my own theory which I have proved by the following experiment.
Take a full glass of beer and drink it. You now have an EMPTY glass.
This glass has now GAINED the potential for a whole new pint of beer!
Repeat this exercise until it all makes sense (or you fall over).
MM
- How would you
describe the bands mood right now?
Tony - Upbeat, we realize that we have to do a good job in the studio and
that we have to push ourselves to get better and better.
Pete - Eager to finish the album and get on tour.
MM - Lastly, is there anything you would
like to say to all your fans out there?
Tony - Yes, will they both please sit down and shut up! Honestly if we
have any fans then there's only one thing to say, prepare to be infected.
Pete - Hi Mum! Actually I'd like to say thanks to everyone who has
supported us at our gigs or bought our EP.
MM
- Introduce the
band members to us.
MM
- The band have
just returned from appearing at the Z Festival (part 1) 2001. How did that
go?
MM
- When can we
expect to see your website up and running so that people can keep up to
date with what's going on with the band? You can't remain one of the UK's
best-kept secrets for much longer.
MM
- Had you
performed with any of the other bands on the Z Festival before?
at
the Z2001 show and it was awesome - in fact, nearly all the other bands
used it too! I'm very pleased with my setup right now.
MM
- How would you
describe the bands mood right now?
