University News Last updated 19 June
Pete shares how singing and playing guitar in bands can not only give someone the opportunity to express themselves artistically but also give them friends for life.
What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
I like to play guitar and mandolin and sing with my band Mr Apollo.
How long have you been performing?
I was a chorister at St Martin’s in the Bull Ring from the age of 11 to 15 but my tastes took a more secular turn as I got older.
I joined my first band, which was called Shere Khan, in 1983. We were wannabe prog but didn’t quite have the chops. That fizzled out after a year or so and so I went on to form a blues band called T’s Basement, this was the nickname for the famous club in Chicago, Theresa’s Lounge. In this band I started playing guitar, as I had only sung in my previous band.
T’s Basement was initially formed with my old school friend Ian Rushbury on bass and continued with an ever-evolving line up for about ten years. At various times the personnel included Paul Miller on viola – yes, in a blues band – and Craig Shipley on drums.
After I finally called it a day with T’s Basement, I decided to try to get into a more rootsy rock direction with more original songs. After performing under a couple of different names and a couple of years playing functions, Mustang Sally and Brown Eyed Girl can get old pretty quickly, the band coalesced around me, Paul, Ian and Craig and out of desperation we called ourselves Mr Apollo, taking our name from a song by the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band.
Where and when do you play?
We have played around various venues in and around the West Midlands. An early regular haunt was The Bear Hotel in Bearwood, also The Hare and Hounds in King’s Heath, The Flapper and Firkin, The Yardbird next to the old Central Library, The Red lion in Shirley, The Tower of Song in King’s Norton and for about 15 years in a row, on the back of a lorry opposite The Green Man in Harborne for the annual Harborne Carnival.
In recent years we’ve been playing more acoustic sets at venues like The Shirley Folk Club and Thimblemill Library in Smethwick.
Gigs these days tend to happen at weekends with the exception of gigs like the Shirley Folk Club, which meets on Wednesdays. We’ve had a number of Sunday afternoon residencies in various venues in Bearwood.
Otherwise, it tends to be Friday or Saturday nights, including this Saturday (15 March) at Thimblemill Library. Paul and I will be playing an acoustic duo gig along with Arkatus, featuring RBC student violinist Rosie Thomas, supporting Small Changes.
Some of the profits are to be donated to Birmingham Women’s Hospital.
What initially attracted you to being in a band?
I can’t pretend that ego isn’t a large part of the attraction of playing music in front of an appreciative audience. Many of us have a need to express ourselves artistically in some way, and most of us can find some creative endeavour that interests us, and we can develop enough of a level of proficiency at, that other people will enjoy.
The trick is to appreciate people going out of their way to give you the opportunity to show off in front of them.
What are the benefits of this?
As I’ve got older, I’ve found that the thing that I most appreciate about playing music is the sheer buzz I get out of spending time and creating something with my best friends of the best part of 40 years.
Every now and then, and it’s not that rare, you get these moments of telepathy, where if you slip up somewhere in a song, we know each other well enough that we can keep going and often the audience will be none the wiser, and even when it’s obvious, we can laugh at ourselves.
How can people get involved in something similar?
A good way to get into playing music to a live audience, particularly if you’re into acoustic and folk music is open mics or singers’ nights. The usual format is that you will turn up at the venue with your instrument, speak to the organiser and they will give you a slot to play usually two songs usually.
You will not get paid, in most cases you will actually be charged a small admission charge, which is the same for musicians and non-musicians alike. Some venues ask you to book a slot in advance.
The types of venues vary. Singers’ nights tend to take place at folk clubs. Sometimes there will be a guest artist who plays a longer set and the rest of the night is taken up by floor spots – that’s you. If you become a regular, after a while, you may be offered a guest spot yourself. The type of repertoire may also depend on the type of venue you play at. Venues which bill their event as an ‘open mic’ will usually be open to any style of music – original material, covers or trad. Many ‘folk clubs’ will be equally open-minded regarding repertoire, however, there are still some who may expect something a bit more traditional. It’s worth turning up to a few different venues without any intention of playing to see if you think you’ll be a good fit.
Some venues worth trying are the Shirley Folk Club, Chas Mann’s, Black Diamond Folk Club at the Jeweller’s Arms and Live at the Hive.
Pictured (l-r): Paul Miller, Ian Rushbury, Pete Holder and Craig Shipley.
Image credit: Andy Thorpe