15th Feb 2015 - Get Our More Features Artist
Diane Tremarco with 6 of the best from John Jenkins
Diane Tremarco
on February 15, 2015 at 3:53 pm
1.What make was your first guitar and what was the first song you learn’t to play on it?
My first guitar was a very small plastic Beatles guitar that I got one Christmas when I was about 4 and I use to play “Air guitar” to all the early Beatles songs. We had an up-right piano in the house so the first song I ever learnt to play was “Let it Be”. I am more keyboards than guitar
2. If you could have anyone sing one of your bands songs who would it be and what song would they sing?
I have been very fortunate to have some wonderful singers sing on a lot of my songs – I would however die of eternal happiness if Bruce Springsteen sang on my song “Bitter Harvest” – Saw Paul Carrack in Edinburgh last week and he’s right up there too – maybe on a song of mine called “Each time you make me stay”. Locally I would love Robert Vincent to sing on one of mine too. Oops that 3 – sorry!
3. Is there one particular song that you would never tire of playing?
Probably a song called “Heart and Soul” as I arranged this for “Live” for everyone in the band to have a bit of a solo. At one point I had 11 musicians in the band so it could be a lot of fun for the band and the audience playing this song and full of surprises for me hearing what the band would play.
4. What is your favourite chord sequence and what song is it from?
So many! – Probably the Bacharach/David song “Alfie” . The line “As sure as I believe there’s a heaven above Alfie” starts off in Bm7 then goes eb6, am7 – full of 7’s and 6’s chords – It’s so amazing the way it goes to unexpected chords throughout the whole song. Its a master class in songwriting and not doing the obvious but it also sounds so natural as if it is effortless . Burt Bacharach did this all the time.
5. If you could play in any band, worldwide, which would you pick and why?
I am not good enough but if I was it would have be Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band. I’ve seen him and the band so many times and never seen a better band play live and it’s so much of a journey watching a show. It’s also a real emotional experience watching him. I’d love to have been up there with him even for 30 seconds. When I put a band together to play live I drove everyone mad trying for us to aspire to something near what Bruce was doing in his live shows!
6. Who is/was your greatest musical influence and why?
There have been a few to be honest. Initially Lennon/McCartney. I learnt how to play an instrument from their songs and begin to write my own because of them, then I worked in an office with “Chris Curtis” who had been the main man in “The Searchers” back in the early 60’s. He also actually was the first singer and formed “Deep Purple” under a name “Roundabout”. I’d bring cassettes of me recorded on a very lo-fi cassette player each time I wrote a new song and he was very encouraging to me with my first efforts of songwriting. Anyone else would have told me to give it up! When I joined my first band “Come in Tokio” lead by Phil Wylie (Pete’s brother) – I learnt from him how to rehearse and arrange songs with a band. Finally local Singer and Musician “Marc Vormawah” has been a big influence on my songwriting for over 20 years. He has taught me a hell of a lot about songwriting. He’s also one of my favourite writers.
John was Joint Audience Winner of the 2014 Liverpool Songwriters Challenge with his song “Put the World to Right”
He was born in Liverpool England.
He has supported Elvis Costello, The Beat, Echo and The Bunnymen. Had 5 BBC Radio 1 sessions (3 John Peel, Kid Jensen and Janice Long) with bands “Come in Tokio and The Persuaders – Played for “River City People” and wrote for Siobhan Maher-Kennedy.
He was editor and publisher of the famed Liverpool Music Fanzine “The Garden Party”
He was signed to Sting’s Management KRT.
His new Band “John Jenkins and That Sure Thing” released a debut album “Intruders”. A 4 Star review from Liverpool Sound and Vision (“stepping into the realms of musical genius” Ian D Hall)
He is currently writing the Musical “A NEW YORK ROMANCE” – which should be completed in 2015. .
He is also working on “Honeymoon Hangover” the follow up CD to “Intruders” and on an instrumental project called “Travelogue” with various TV and Film themes he has written under the name “Midnight in Manhattan”
He also is recording songs for a solo project.
He continues to write and submit songs for other artists courting interest from Swon Brothers in America, Truefangled Music in Nashville, Gracie Productions, Songs 4 Screen, Mach Ent 1 in the USA and One Night Stand Music.
“Intruders” was the featured Album of the week for Wirral Radio in October 2014.
Recent radio plays have been on
· Merseyradio,
· Wirral Radio
· Northern Quarter Radio,
· Folkcast January 2015 podcast,
· Round at Milligan’s
· Eclectic Breakfast Show
· Egh Radio
· and the JoJosie show as well as Radio Merseyside.
Diane Tremarco with 6 of the best from John Jenkins
Diane Tremarco
on February 15, 2015 at 3:53 pm
1.What make was your first guitar and what was the first song you learn’t to play on it?
My first guitar was a very small plastic Beatles guitar that I got one Christmas when I was about 4 and I use to play “Air guitar” to all the early Beatles songs. We had an up-right piano in the house so the first song I ever learnt to play was “Let it Be”. I am more keyboards than guitar
2. If you could have anyone sing one of your bands songs who would it be and what song would they sing?
I have been very fortunate to have some wonderful singers sing on a lot of my songs – I would however die of eternal happiness if Bruce Springsteen sang on my song “Bitter Harvest” – Saw Paul Carrack in Edinburgh last week and he’s right up there too – maybe on a song of mine called “Each time you make me stay”. Locally I would love Robert Vincent to sing on one of mine too. Oops that 3 – sorry!
3. Is there one particular song that you would never tire of playing?
Probably a song called “Heart and Soul” as I arranged this for “Live” for everyone in the band to have a bit of a solo. At one point I had 11 musicians in the band so it could be a lot of fun for the band and the audience playing this song and full of surprises for me hearing what the band would play.
4. What is your favourite chord sequence and what song is it from?
So many! – Probably the Bacharach/David song “Alfie” . The line “As sure as I believe there’s a heaven above Alfie” starts off in Bm7 then goes eb6, am7 – full of 7’s and 6’s chords – It’s so amazing the way it goes to unexpected chords throughout the whole song. Its a master class in songwriting and not doing the obvious but it also sounds so natural as if it is effortless . Burt Bacharach did this all the time.
5. If you could play in any band, worldwide, which would you pick and why?
I am not good enough but if I was it would have be Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band. I’ve seen him and the band so many times and never seen a better band play live and it’s so much of a journey watching a show. It’s also a real emotional experience watching him. I’d love to have been up there with him even for 30 seconds. When I put a band together to play live I drove everyone mad trying for us to aspire to something near what Bruce was doing in his live shows!
6. Who is/was your greatest musical influence and why?
There have been a few to be honest. Initially Lennon/McCartney. I learnt how to play an instrument from their songs and begin to write my own because of them, then I worked in an office with “Chris Curtis” who had been the main man in “The Searchers” back in the early 60’s. He also actually was the first singer and formed “Deep Purple” under a name “Roundabout”. I’d bring cassettes of me recorded on a very lo-fi cassette player each time I wrote a new song and he was very encouraging to me with my first efforts of songwriting. Anyone else would have told me to give it up! When I joined my first band “Come in Tokio” lead by Phil Wylie (Pete’s brother) – I learnt from him how to rehearse and arrange songs with a band. Finally local Singer and Musician “Marc Vormawah” has been a big influence on my songwriting for over 20 years. He has taught me a hell of a lot about songwriting. He’s also one of my favourite writers.
He was born in Liverpool England.
He has supported Elvis Costello, The Beat, Echo and The Bunnymen. Had 5 BBC Radio 1 sessions (3 John Peel, Kid Jensen and Janice Long) with bands “Come in Tokio and The Persuaders – Played for “River City People” and wrote for Siobhan Maher-Kennedy.
He was editor and publisher of the famed Liverpool Music Fanzine “The Garden Party”
He was signed to Sting’s Management KRT.
His new Band “John Jenkins and That Sure Thing” released a debut album “Intruders”. A 4 Star review from Liverpool Sound and Vision (“stepping into the realms of musical genius” Ian D Hall)
He is currently writing the Musical “A NEW YORK ROMANCE” – which should be completed in 2015. .
He is also working on “Honeymoon Hangover” the follow up CD to “Intruders” and on an instrumental project called “Travelogue” with various TV and Film themes he has written under the name “Midnight in Manhattan”
He also is recording songs for a solo project.
He continues to write and submit songs for other artists courting interest from Swon Brothers in America, Truefangled Music in Nashville, Gracie Productions, Songs 4 Screen, Mach Ent 1 in the USA and One Night Stand Music.
“Intruders” was the featured Album of the week for Wirral Radio in October 2014.
Recent radio plays have been on
· Merseyradio,
· Wirral Radio
· Northern Quarter Radio,
· Folkcast January 2015 podcast,
· Round at Milligan’s
· Eclectic Breakfast Show
· Egh Radio
· and the JoJosie show as well as Radio Merseyside.