LICKS n' SPITS

After State of the Harp  was released in 1990, the obvious thing to do was to get out and promote it with a national tour. As sallying forth around New Zealand's rural hinterland playing eclectic harmonica-led instrumental music with a six-piece band was a sure recipe for financial suicide, I instead asked guitarist Gary Verberne to accompany me in a duo format.  At first he was hesitant, as he'd mostly played electric guitar previously (in some of the country's top rock bands), but our early rehearsals were enough to convince him we had something going. 

We had no idea of the kind of reaction we'd get, but the tour surprised us both and turned out to be a real success - not least because Gary on amplified acoustic guitar has the energy and musicality to outshine most bands single-handed. We booked all the venues ourselves, and drove round the whole country in an estate car with the PA in the back. I'd just got married, and my wife Lorraine did the door. We were a happy crew, traveling on a high from the gigs every night.

Gary and I did two more NZ tours the next year, and Licks n' Spits  was recorded live to sell at the shows. We thought of releasing it commercially, but as Lorraine and myself were headed for Britain at the end of '91, we shelved the idea. However, I think it captures the good energy of the partnership well.

T R A C K S

1. Ice Cream Man        2. What a Wonderful World        3. The Bride's Favourite/Kid on the Mountain        4. Rolling and Tumbling        5. The Breakup Breakdown/The Happy Bachelor Boy        6. Walking By Myself        7. Excerpt from Vivaldi's 'Four Seasons'         8. Dillpickle Rag        9. Help Me        10. The Rights of Man 

(Selected tunes link to MP3 Music Clips)

H A R M O N I C A S

Four tracks on blues harp, three on chromatic (and three on mandolin). 

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