Sorry I’ve been quiet but it’s still all go, go, go.

As you may be aware, I’m back playing with a bunch of cool dudes here on the Coasta Calida and Costa Blanca.

Mike Hincks from ‘The Locomotive’ and other acts from the good old days and myself have teamed up with a guitarist from Cuba called Rafa (Shakira) and are playing weekends around the local hostelries!

I’m having a blast!

I’ll post all the dates as and when they are happening tomorrow.

Love & Respect,

Robbie. xx

A home video taken during my teaching years in London…

One of my students, Graham Land, (one of Wales’ top players), used to video his lessons every month or so, on his handcam, so he could take it home and practice his lessons at his leisure. Kinda like his homework!

This is a little piece he recorded of me playing around with a straight 4/4 beat box thingy. Very rudimentary, but I thought you might like it.

If you do, drop us a comment, either here or on the YouTube page. We’ll try and post more of these when we have time later on this year.

Just simple rudiments applied to the kit. It ain’t rocket science!

Enjoy!

Love & Respect,

Robbie. xx ]]> http://www.robbiefrance.com/projects/drum_tutorials/new-drum-tutorial-video-on-youtube/feed http://www.robbiefrance.com/uncategorized/brian-tatlers-new-booknot-for-the-faint-hearted http://www.robbiefrance.com/uncategorized/brian-tatlers-new-booknot-for-the-faint-hearted#comments Mon, 15 Feb 2010 09:22:00 +0000 Robbie http://www.robbiefrance.com/?p=125

Am I Evil by Brian Tatler.

It was bound to happen sooner or later. Someone would expose… even further than the Wikipedia page hints; the inadequacies of the infrastructure surrounding what should have been ‘the greatest band since Led Zep’. The fact that this has happened courtesy of Brian Tatler is an irony not lost on the ones close to the hub of the biggest trainwreck in recent music history.

Considering the band had the greatest riff maker of a generation; with, (at one time at any rate), one of the finest singers to boot, you would think it was a marriage made in heaven. You couldn’t be more wrong.

Obviously I have a personal interest in the telling of the story, being the drummer with the most haphazardly run band of all time.

Lets start with this. Let’s state the bleedin’ obvious: Question… How many bands have the singer’s mother looking after them?

I’ll get one thing straight from the outset. I’ve always loved the two lads. B & S.

They are such unique characters in the whacky world of rock. Two lads who were capable of writing the best songs you’ll find in any decade. Period.

So, what are the lessons of this particular tome?

Well, first off…don’t trust anyone. Brian did! Cliched it may sound.

But in Brian’s case it has to be the founding judgement on his career.

He gave his all. They took everything. Including his money.

There are so many things about this book to recommend. But above all, it’s the wanton greed of his so called friend and family which beggars belief. If this was a screen play for a film submitted to a Hollywood producer? It would be laughed out of hand instantly.

What? You suddenly find out that your royalty share has decreased by 50%?

What? Zomba had no knowledge of these shannanigans?

What? You end up being the doormat of all & sundry to the point where you no longer have any say whatsoever in the direction of your band?

And it’s these seemingly endless tales of misappropiation, lies, cowardice and chicanery that bind the book from cover to cover. There will be some that say Brian should have stood up to his tormentors, after all, that’s what you have to do when you deal with bullies’… but it wasn’t like that.

Brian & Sean were absolutely poles apart off stage. Sean was always struggling to come across as an intellectual. Brian just a lad who loved playing guitar as best he could.

This book if anything should be a prerequisite to any youngster even remotely thinking about becoming a rock star!

The tales of the early days from schoolboy chums, to supporting established acts, to headling major league UK tours, to falling into the abyss caused largely by an inadequate management team.

It’s there for all and sundry to absorb, enjoy and be made aware of what happens when personal greed, incompetence and ultimately failure form an alliance with genious musicianship

I’ll spare you the gory details. This book should be read in one sitting. Order it now at;

http://www.diamond-head.net/

Go ahead. So…you wanna be a rock star? If ya wannabe after reading this book? You’ve got what it takes!!

See yas soon!

Love & Respect,

Robbie. xx

Well…where does the time go? Already it’s February 2010 and it’s the first real time I’ve had to blog you folks.

Xmas was incredibly hectic. We had friends & family with us all through the festive season. 13 people for Xmas day dinner!!!

The New Years Eve festivities were incredible. All the best to you & yours, by the way.

The news is…Brian Tatlers book, ‘Am I Evil’, is available on the Diamond Head website…

http://www.diamond-head.net/

It’s easily the best book I’ve read for years regarding the music biz.

All the tales of my former wild behaviour is there for ya to peruse, too!

Did I really do that stuff? AAHH…what times they were.

The Allstars are playing well. We’ve got a load of gigs coming up. I’m having a blast getting back to playing them drums! Great fun…

Tune in on Sundays for the show, yeah? 1.30 to 6pm on Costa Calida International Radio.

Love yas!

Robbie. xxxx

Link: Robbie France in Costa Blanca News

sorry for the lengthy silence - SO much has been happening in the past few months, I’ve got loads to tell you!

The two big bits of news are the projects I’ve been working on:

- My Book (yes, a proper novel)

- My Drumming Tutorial DVDs (finally!)

Watch this space, folks. I’ll be releasing sneak previews of both projects exclusively here on RobbieFrance.com over the next couple of weeks.

Love and Respect,

Robbie

Sorry I’ve been out of action for a while but it’s been a hectic couple of months.

I currently broadcast on TKO Gold radio 7 days a week with my French Connection programme, am still doing the Sunday afternoon French Roast programme for Costa Calida International Radio, have been sorting out my novel to be placed on the website and…have taken the first steps to return to playing!

I recently had the uncontrollable urge to get back behind the kit and test the old achilles tendon.

Having asked around the Torrevieja area as to what the scene was like, I got a call out of the blue from some guys here in my own back yard!

Steve Warner from Edison Lighthouse on keys, Mike Hincks from Locomotive and a bunch of popular bands on bass..and a cool dude… Rafa The Cubano on guitar. Just a great bunch of guys to hang out with and play some classic standard tunes.

So. The first rehearsal went okay. Just bass drum, toms and snare. Nothing too strenuous. But recently had first PROPER rehearsal… and so far…no adverse reaction from my achilles!

It’s early days but so far so good. It’s different doing 3×40 minute sets from the odd 20 minute slot once a year for my charity performances! I forgot how much hard work drumming was!!!

I recently got hold of a home made video from Graham Land, one of Wales’ top drummers, that he made when I taught in London in the 80s. I’ll try and have that posted  asap. Just simple ideas involving rudiments around the kit. Still as relevant today as they were then, though.

First part of ‘Whys & Wherefores’, my novel, will be online too. Just waiting for a couple of things and then should be online.

SO. Again. Sorry I’ve not been with yas…but I’m busier now than ever before. Life is strange innit?!

Love & Respect.

Robbie. xx

Sorry it’s been so long since I posted…but I’ve never been busier.

What with the radio shows and the editing of the book, I don’t have time to scratch! Never mind blog!!

So. Currently I’m awaiting a bunch of stuff on DVD which was recorded in London a long time ago by one of my students…who video taped every lesson…Graham Land from Wales.

I’m also editing the book ‘Why Four’ which I completed about 8 years ago and has been sat on my computer all that time!

Translating it to Spanish is a little tricky, but it will be posted in English in Summer, okay?

Thanks to everyone who turned up at the Procomobel Home Centre on Saturday 25th April…It was nice to see such a huge turnout.

I’ll try and keep you posted with all the news as and when.

Love & Respect,

Robbie. xx

Mervyn (Goldsworthy) was a fine bass player, but holy shit… David Williamson was a totally different kettle of fish… I’m tellin’ ya!

So nowadays slap bass in rock is ‘de rigeur’? David was the first to incorporate it in Metal. We’d never seen it.

Brian & Sean liked that.

Backing vocals are a little shaky, but it’s worth listening to the solid groove and then the slap stuff David comes up with …and the fans sure as hell liked it!

Incidentally, we came up with an idea for a similar song at a soundcheck in Portugal. I recorded a version in full a while back at Pulpo Negro Studios in Murcia, here in Spain. The song’s an absolute beauty. Fab vocal lines from Sean.

It’s from the 1984 Canterbury Tour I did with Diamond Head. In particular, it’s from the gig we did in Leicester. Here’s a bit of background:

I think Sean & Brian liked the fact they had good players in the band. They relished the fact that no matter what they threw at us, we came up with the goods. This intro… predominantly 7/4, was something we threw together at the rehearsal studio. Once I’d moved to Stourbridge and was determined to make a real go of the situation, Sean & Brian seemed to really trust me with ideas and were less wary in general about experimenting.

So a couple of quick blasts. Then the same with a few long tom rolls. These were the things I loved about Billy Cobham as a kid. Those rolls which just seemed to have no ‘timing’, but a beautiful descending note. (I do the same in the Robbie France Drum Tutorial Video Part 2. At the end of the middle part, to reintroduce the build up melody.)

Then 7/4 melody over 4/4 drums. Back to 7/4 with the band. A couple of fills, a nod of the head to Billy Cobham & Lenny White…And back to a straight 4/4 a ‘Highway Star’ type snare thing, a quick bash and there yas go! Intro. Simple.

LINKS:

• Robbie France Videos on YouTube
• Robbie France Drum Tutorial Part 2 (Video)