WOMAD

The Black Swan Effect

From United Kingdom

Take two musicians. 15 years ago they collaborate. Then their lives diverge. They continue to write together but one spends the 15 years in the music business, in the charts, touring the world, playing with legends. The second spends the 15 years in the wilderness.

The first is Dominic Greensmith. He spent 10 years in one of Britain's most popular rock bands, Reef. He's played with legends like Peter Gabriel and Ray Davies and he's currently in Carbon/Silicon with Mick Jones (The Clash) and Tony James (Generation X). The second is Gareth Hale. He was tempted back from the wilderness with a bunch of great songs and a burning desire to play them.

So, 15 years on and now they're back on the same musical path and it's taking us somewhere very interesting………
Dominic's wife, the critically acclaimed filmmaker Heidi Greensmith, approached the pair to write the soundtrack to her latest documentary 'Devil In The Detail' - a rock 'n roll road movie. The soundtrack writing progressed over several months and it started to became obvious that there was an album lurking in there. A band was needed. Jesse Wood and John Hogg, both of the band Hogg, fitted the bill perfectly. So the recording project started…The original recordings appeared on the B&W 'Society Of Sound' subscription series and the new album is due for release on Real World Records later this year.

The songs and the band's sound evolved during the process in a very organic way with some surprising results. A feeling of importance that is reminiscent of Radiohead's debut Pablo Honey and a yearning passion in Gareth's vocals that hint at Jeff Buckley come through. Also more classic and jovial moments appear that harp back to the likes of Bob Dylan and the Rolling Stones which reflect their laid back studio sessions.

These elements were all pulled together by Dominic's love of traditional recording processes mixed with the freedom of sounds found in more contemporary R&B and pop production and the result is an album where even the quietest of the compositions is big enough to fill a cinema or a stadium.

Having just returned from a rousing stadium tour of South America taking in Caracas, Lima, Santiago and Buenos Aires where they recorded a live album supporting Peter Gabriel, they are now moving on with dates at The Llama Festival,Glastonbury, The Guinness 250 Event in Dublin and the WOMAD Festival this summer. The Band features ex-Reef cohorts, Kenwyn House (Guitar) and Dominic Greensmith (Drums), Jesse Wood (Bass) and Gareth Hale (Vocals & Rhythm Guitar).

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More at realworldrecords.com

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