Syncopated Man - The Richie Flood Interview !

January 31, 2005

Finally after many months of trying FP.com finally caught up with the veteran saxman, Richard "Harv" Flood; legend of the jazz world and now official member of Fawcett / Poustie. Flood has been a long time associate of the band and after guesting on Here on Business and This Is It was finally given full band-member credits on the Heading For The Bright Lights album.

FP.com: First of all, congratulations from fp.com and all the fans for your elevation to full band-member status. First question we would like you to answer is are you expecting to be involved in FP's forthcoming "classical" album concept for 2005, and if so could you please reveal any exclusive details ???

RF: I really hope so, the boys have been talking to me about it and it sounds like it could be a departure from the usual FP format. Appearing on a FP album is always a delight and I'm looking forward to hearing the demos. I don't know how much has been revealed to FP.com, but because Fawcett/Poustie's management have written a gagging clause into the contract that I've just signed, I'm not able to reveaI a great deal. All I can say is that its exciting and will undoubtedly expand their audience base but keep the die-hard fans very happy at the same time. Fawcett/Poustie are at that stage in their career where their success means that they can now afford to paint in colour and not just black and white.....so to speak. What I can say for definite is that there will be plenty of opportunities to sprinkle some sax dust onto a sessions. I don't know how the recording process will work this time around

FP.com: How did you meet FP ?

RF: I've known Nick and Chris since 1983 - that's when we all started secondary education.

FP.com: Tell us about the Saighton Syncopators.

RF: Hey! FP.com has been doing its research! Not many people know this, but the Saighton Syncopators were the first ever band that myself and Chris were in. We used to cover dance numbers such as 'These Foolish Things' and 'In the Mood'. I remember that one of Chris's favourites was a '20's number called 'Bye Bye Blackbird'........his 4-minute drum solo put Cozy Powell to shame! Our first gig was the now-legendary Founder's Dance at the end of '83. I was playing alto sax and Chris was on the drums. I recall someone making a recording of this - so if anyone knows its whereabouts, we'd love to hear from you!

(Right: Harv Flood July 2004 at the Coach House - during the Heading For The Bright Lights sessions).

(Below: Classic picture of the Saighton Syncopators, circa 1986, with Flood, top left, and Poustie, top right)

FP.com: Tell us about your recording experiences with FP so far.

RF: After nearly 20 years of watching Fawcett/Poustie develop, I was really pleased to be asked to contribute to their 'Here on Business' album in 2000. This was an honour for two reasons: Firstly, Fawcett/Poustie are great musicians - they like to work on their own and are proficient enough not to have to bring in session players. It is well known that their recording sessions are usually locked-out to everybody - so much so that they usually insist on having extra security when they are in the studio. I remember my first session at Coach House Studios, after I'd got past the crowd outside the gate, it took me an extra half-hour to get past the security chap on reception!

I've laid down most of my stuff for Fawcett/Poustie at Coach House - probably one of the favourite studios that I've recorded in. It's also one of the best studios in the UK for in-house accommodation - essential for FP's frequent all-night recording sessions......and lets not forget Monica, FP's own catering manager, for performing miracles in the studio's kitchen!

Getting back to your question......thinking about the way they work.......rather than playing live, their recordings are usually multi-tracked, so I come in just prior to mix-down when everything's done - with the exception perhaps of a few small overdubs.

Oh yeah, the other reason why it was an honour? Well, the first track I appeared on was 'The Syncopated Man (the Richie Flood Story)' - a biographical song about me! Tenor Saxophone and backing vocals! What more can I say!

The following 'This Is It' sessions were even more enjoyable, as I was getting used to how the boys work. I recall.....my memory is a bit hazy.....playing on the title track, 'Time To Start Again' and 'Just A Little Bit'. To everybody's surprise, I revealed a tin-whistle for over-dubs on that last track - it revitalised the boys at a time of the night when we were all getting a bit tired!

The last session for 'Heading for the Bright Lights' was.......hey!....... just too sleazy for words!

FP.com: What else do you do with your time ?

RF: Well I hang about with like-minded musicians for most of the time. I am sure that if you ask Chris and Nick the same question, they will give you the same answer. Saying that, I imagine that their lives are slightly different to mine as they are songwriters as well as players. I also know that they get tied up with a lot of promotional work when not in the studio. Being just a veteran session man is not a bad thing!

Seriously though - it is not a job being a musician............it is life.

FP.com: Do you like being known as 'the veteran' ?

RF: Yes I think so - there is something quite 'statesman-like' about the moniker! Its a long time since I've seen the Press refer to 'Harvey Flood' without the phrase 'veteran sax man' tagged onto the front! In fact, I am sure you lot at FP.com are equally guilty of that one! (Laughter).

FP.com: What are your fave FP songs ?

RF: Hmmm.....good question.....probably my favourites at the moment are both off the last album - 'Whatever happened to K' and 'Shout About It'.

FP.com: Do people recognise you in public ?

RF: Yes sometimes - but, I'm pleased to say, not very often! When I am stopped in the street, people usually comment that I look very different to how I looked for the 'Groovsters, Funksters & Hipsters' photo session! (Laughter) That session for the compilation album was the most fun we have ever had - getting all of our pals together, walking the streets of Bristol on a sunny day and sampling some fine ales! I remember taking that session very seriously - the album's Design Concept Co-ordinator wanted me to be more 'filled out' for the session and so, like Robert De Niro in Raging Bull, I prepared for the day by deliberately piling on the pounds in order to get the best possible visual effect. What many people don't realise is that I went for that look as a small tribute to two great inspirations, Tony Ashton, particularly referencing the cover of Ashton & Lord's 'First of the Big Bands' album and sax player Lyle Jenkins, in particular, his trade-mark head-gear.

FP.com: Is Lyle Jenkins a major influence ?

RF: Very, very much so - in fact, he was the main inspiration behind me wanting to pick up the sax back in '83. Jenkins has played with some great musicians. He was in the Keef Hartley Band and later played with Kevin Ayers but probably made his name as part of Ashton, Gardner & Dyke's horn trio - playing baritone sax and flute alongside Dave Caswell on trumpet and Howie Casey on tenor sax. '71's 'Resurrection Shuffle' has to be his finest moment. Let's not forget that, as well as being a great musician, his sense of fashion was considered ahead of its time.

(Left: Lyle Jenkins sporting the trademark headgear and scarf that Flood so admires). Below Flood in Groovsters guise.

FP.com: Nick Fawcett sometimes refers to you as the "box of tricks merchant" - I'm sure all fp.com aficionados would love to know the contents of your box and the stories behind them.'

RF: You would be surprised how many gigs I get by having the 'box of tricks merchant' reputation!......I've always kept this a secret, but I suppose it's time to reveal all to FP.com..........(Harv disappears and wheels in a large battered flight-case covered in tour stickers).........My favourite and most used is this beauty - a Selmer Series III tenor sax. You do get what you pay for and its a great blower - the best. Every session man needs a standby main instrument and this other tenor sax is a Yamaha - an old faithful and, to be honest, this rarely sees the light of day now.

Next 'out of the box' is the Lafleur alto sax - and the keen FP.com readers might know this as the veterans vintage sax. I served my apprenticeship on this back in '83 when playing alongside Chris in the Saighton Syncopators.

Right, here are the interesting ones that I have acquired on my various 'instrument-gathering' trips around the world: this one is called a 'Del Rio Sax'. It is a home-made instrument that's undergone some strange cross-breeding! As you can see, it has an alto sax mouth-piece but is connected to a plastic tube with holes in it, similar to a clarinet. This was bought off a chap who had a little stall on Venice Beach in Los Angeles. I ended up there a few years ago on a bit of a late '60's hippy fall-out experience - just after the 'Here On Business' sessions.

This one is interesting - it is a single-reed pipe from Peru. Probably the cheapest instrument I own - it cost less than a quid. This has appeared on a few sessions, usually when an Eastern feel is required.

As you can see, this one is a bog-standard bugle - I don't think that this has been on any Fawcett/Poustie tracks, to be fair.

And last, but far from least, is the biggest teaser of them all. I remember seeing the correspondence that Bally Rotter had forwarded through to Nick and Chris and so I know it perplexed a few people. I can reveal that the strange, haunting flute sounds on 'Just a Little Bit' was made by an D-tuned Irish tin whistle that I bought in Roundstone, County Galway. That was at a time when the veteran was hanging out with the folk players in the Republic.

Now that the secret's out.....it feels quite liberating!'

FP.com: Will there be any bizarre instruments you'll be able to purchase in Thailand to add to your infamous "box of tricks"?'

RF: Let's hope so. Knowing the direction that the boys want to take the next album, I'm going to keep my eyes, and ears, peeled for some real corkers. All will be revealed when the next album comes out!'

FP.com: Finally, could you please tell us all the bands you’ve been in and recordings you have featured on. I’m sure a lot of FP fans would like to delve into your vast back catalogue!

RF: Ahhh....too numerous to mention! In fact, in the early days, a lot of album credits were under a pseudonym - simply for tax evasion reasons! Avoiding the men with briefcases was quite easy then because me and Chris were on the road with the Saighton Syncopators, living out of a suit-case and were paid cash out of a brown envelope. As you know, the problems started after the Syncopators came off the road - the infamous 'tax exile' year followed and I did a lot of hanging out with the 'Riviera' crowd. I pay my dues now though and......getting back to the original question............have a number of steady, regular gigs. Nowadays, when I'm not with Fawcett/Poustie, I'm playing with Elvis Clayton, the UK's top Elvis tribute artiste, and obviously FP.com will know about my work with those crafty rock'n' soulsters 'Rabbit Foot Walker'.

THE END.

Thanks to Richard "Harv" Flood for a very exciting and highly interesting interview that I'm sure gave our readers a greater insight into the man and his fascinating world.

Thanks also to Bally Rotter Records for setting up the interview.