I found this interesting tidbit while working the overnight shift. It has a history of the band by Simon during the Be Yourself timeperiod:

http://www.dynomite.be/interviews.php

THE NEW MASTERSOUNDS - Be Yourself

october 2003 interview w/ Simon Allen (Thierry Steady Go !)

 


Q. could you give us a brief history of the band from the first steps as THE MASTERSOUNDS trough all the different periods ( yardbird suite , blow it hard , deepfunk , kay dee , cooker ).

 

here it is, in tedious detail:

1997 - Eddie is in a quartet called 'The Yard Movement' with Sam Bell (Congas), Dan ('One-Note') Brown (bass) and Tim Goodhill (drums)

Wants to try a less accomplished drummer - feels Tim's playing is a bit too clinical for the music. Dan introduces Eddie to Simon Allen - they have a jam in Simon's basement. Eddie likes it. so...new band: The Mastersounds - Eddie, Dan, Sam, Simon perform mainly in Leeds and Manchester in bars and clubs. They record a single: 'GT / Minnie the Kicker' which is released on Yardbird Suite Records. Yardbird Suite is the name of Eddie, Gip, Chico and Lubi's jazz night at the Underground in Leeds, where the Mastersounds regularly play.

1998 - The Mastersounds briefly introduce Jay Waterhouse on Wurlitzer Electric Piano for some of the live gigs. Jay is a gifted songwriter who doesn't particularly enjoy performing live, so he quit by mutual agreement. A few months later Dan moves to Bristol and Sam leaves to set up his own salsa / bugalu band.

1999 - Eddie and Simon decide to put together a Hammond funk band. Inspired by Jimmy McGriff and the Meters, they hook up with organist Bob Birch and veteran bassist Pete Shand, both of whom are in the Leeds area. The band is called The New Mastersounds.

feb - may 1999: weekly residency in thirst bar, Leeds

During this period they recorded 'One Note Brown' 'Burnt Back' 'Taurus' and 'Ode to Bobbie Gentry' on an eight-track in Sam Bell's basement. The purpose of this recording was so that Bob and Pete could remind themselves of the tunes.

June 1999 - Jan 2001: installed as the resident band for Friday and Saturday nights at the Atrium club, Leeds

During this period, guest DJs like Snowboy and Adrian Gibson played at the Atrium and witnessed the band for themselves. Some time in 1999, Eddie's promoter partner, Gip Dammone slipped a CD of NMS's basement recording session into Snowboy's record bag.

Clive Johnson, owner of independent jazz label, Blow it Hard Records contacts the band to see if he can release One Note Brown as a single. The single proves very popular with collectors and earns the band a total of £90. So they release another one: Taurus / Ode to Bobbie Gentry.

Then Clive suggests a collaboration with James Taylor (JTQ) who has also released some music on Clive's label, and has jammed with NMS after hours at the Atrium.

Jan 2001 - Simon, Eddie, Pete go to James Taylor's house to record Fire / Foxy Lady - Hendrix tributes

Oct 2000 - NMS meet Keb at Jazz Cafe - he suggests DeepFunk album project

Mar 2001 - first DeepFunk sessions in Leeds with Keb Darge and NMS8

Apr 2001 - NMS to Mexico City

July 2001 - More recording for the 'Keb Darge Presents...' album

Oct 2001 - album is released

 

Q. what is the story behind ONE NOTE RECORDS ? is this your own label ?

 

One Note Records is our own label, yes. It's set up as a four-way partnership between Eddie, Bob, Pete & Simon, and distributed by Kudos, who also do Cooker's stuff.

Simon runs the label and manages the band, Eddie is the musical leader. The four invested their own money in setting up the label and making the album, after various offers from other labels failed to materialise. The band was getting less and less work, to the point when Eddie had to start working as a builder's labourer to make ends meet. He did that for a several months, then we realised we needed to do something pro-active, or it would have been the end of the New Mastersounds for ever.

 

Q. from what'ive heard so far , it seems that you've chosen a more soul jazz orientation than your first album on DEEPFUNK . why this choice ? was the DEEPFUNK period more a crowd / Keb Darge pleaser .

 

It was something we had taken to its natural conclusion. There wasn't anywhere else to go with it - we really enjoyed it at the time, but it was becoming a bit dull to play - the same every time. We just wanted to get some new material together, and because Keb wasn't involved, we weren't restricted to what he wanted to hear.

 

Q. there was also some talk about a library album with Eddie ROBERTS , was that ever made ?

 

Something he did with the guys from JTQ last year.

It was released but I don't have the details

 

Q. will we see the band on tour as a quartet from now on , or will it be again with full brass section and guest vocals ?

 

We're touring as a quartet to promote the new album for the next year or so. If we ever get to the point where money is no object we might start mixing it up again and get the horns and singers involved for some live work. We've got a lot of ground to cover before then!

BE YOURSELF info :

line up + guest artists:

Eddie Roberts - Guitar, plus: salt tub (home-made shaker) on Your Love is Mine, Sitar on Better Off Dead, 3/4-Classical Guitar & tambourine on Coming Up Roses

 

Bob Birch - Hammond Organ, Wurlitzer Electric Piano, plus Upright Piano on Do What You Gotta Do (#12)

Pete Shand - Electric Bass Guitar

Simon Allen - Drums (& tambourine on various tracks)

 

guests:

Corinne Bailey Rae - vocal on Your Love is Mine (#2)

Leigh Kenny - vocal on Idle Time (#13)

Ed Collins - trumpet / flugelhorn on RTA (#11) and Idle Time (#13)

 

recorded at / period.

Better Off Dead and Can't Hold Me Down were recorded in October 2002 at Hall Place Studios, Leeds (where most of the first album was recorded) and were released as singles on Cooker Records.

The rest of the new album was done at The Attic, another analogue studio in Leeds, run by Richard Green (ex-guitarist in Ultrasound, UK indie-ish band) between May and July 2003

 

TOUR info:

line up

NMS4 - Eddie, Pete, Bob, Simon

For the launch gigs only (Leeds & London) we also have LSK and Corinne Bailey Rae performing as guest vocalists.