1987 - 2004

MANCHESTER 1987

I packed in the day job, wrote some songs and formed a band -Bernie Hot Hot. Bernie Hot Hot did quite well for a year or so, with slots on the local radio station and support gigs with the big bands passing through Manchester, but constant personnel changes and a lack of serious record company interest sapped our determination.

I disbanded the group, and bought an Atari ST and a keyboard. What a revelation! I started learning about midi sequencing by writing and arranging some of the Bernie Hot Hot songs on the computer. My God! These songs could actually be funky!

After a couple of abortive attempts to start up again with ex-members of Bernie Hot Hot, Pete (Bernie bass) and I set about writing a full set of new material using the computer. Oh - and playing interminable sessions of Starglider.

MANCHESTER 1990

I married my wonderful, wonderful wife (what do you mean 'is she reading this?'). Pete and I formed Reel Funk Inc with a drummer and singer. We played some blazing gigs, recorded some great demos and had a damn funky time but - can you tell I'm getting bored with this?

Soon I was building web sites, which is why you can read about the end of Reel funk Inc on one of my other sites. And don't start me on the legal shenanigans over the song 'Feel the Love'(4mb mp3). What? Oh, all right then...

MANCHESTER 2000

Under the name Jazzrascals, Pete and I put some of our work online at jazzrascals.com. Some fine Quicktime work on that site, but with the quiet revolution going on in accessible web design now, it seems dated and erm... inaccessible. Anyway, some of our best work is on there. And no, it's not jazz.

[Update: November 2004 - I've rebuilt jazzrascals.com. All you need now is a decent browser and something that plays mp3 files].

MANCHESTER 2004

Ruth and I have three growing boys, and my son from my first marriage is living with us while he studies music production. I run a successful web design company, work all the hours god sends and still write music for clients with multimedia requirements.

I'm also fifty years old, same as the Fender Stratocaster, and I promised myself that for my birthday, I'd take a fortnight to go away on my own and do nothing but write and record some songs.

Call it my swan song, or just a mid-life crisis (does that mean I'll live to be 100?), but that's The Project.

By the way, I wouldn't call myself a Christian now, but that's another story.