| 10 Questions
with.... STUART UREN
for
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What are you currently up to (studio/live/etc)?
We are concentrating on the live stuff
at the moment, as we are touring later this
year, so choosing material from the albums
and working it into a dynamic show is top
of the list.
It’s still early days for this line up
but the band is sounding really good after
just two shows and it’s only going to
get better, tighter and more FUN!! I have
worked with Del on and off in various bands
since the late 70’s so we know each other
quite well!
I met Karl and Dean about 4 years ago, Dean
and I have done a fair few gigs with a band
from Buckingham called Big Stone. Dean and
Karl both seem to have a perfect understanding
of what Stray is about and bring just the
right blend of power and sensitivity to the
wide range of material that Del and the band
have written right back to the late 60’s.
We all first got together for the Greg Ridley
Memorial show in London last November. We
had so much fun Del decided he wanted us to
play Stray songs and here we are.
Please
give us a brief history of your career and
the style of music you play.
My first gig was playing drums with some
mates from school but it wasn’t long
before I moved to bass. I guess I’ve
always like the buzz of being in the ‘engine
room’, helping to drive it along but
paradoxically I also enjoy the freedom of
guitar playing so I have done a fair bit of
that as well. As
for my style of music, I like so many different
styles from Rock, Funk, Jazz, Blues, you name
it! Basically if it’s good I can dig
it.
Click on
the photo for the larger image |
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Who
was/is/are the biggest influences on your career?
There have been so many! Right now my faves include;
Tool, Opeth, Soilwork, Michael Hedges, Jeff Buckley,
Steve Vai and Billy Sheehan, Hed pe, Terry Reid,
Glenn Hughes, Stu Hamm, King’s X, Sevendust,
Nine Inch Nails, Skindred, Black Label Society,
Paul Gilbert (and always) Free, Steely Dan, Zappa
and the inspirational Jaco Pastorius
What
has been the highlight(s) and lowpoint(s) of your
career to date?
Well I’ve had such a fantastic time playing
music I can’t really consider any of it a lowpoint.
The peaks for me would have to include playing guitar
with the amazing Ric Parnell in Stars and recording
with Gail Anne Dorsey. I think this line up of Stray
is going to be a great time for all of us.
What
would you like to achieve ideally by the end of
2005?
Realistically I would be very happy to have spread
a smile on Stray fans’ faces across a couple
of continents and be looking forward with Del, Dean
and Karl to recording the next CD of new Stray material.
What has been the reaction to the new Stray line-up
so far? Have you got any recording plans for this
year?
So far it's been well received and the ‘Stray
Army’ has made us all feel at home straight
away. At our first gig in Leighton Buzzard some
people arrived from Southend and announced “Lemmy
sends his love” Aaaah sweeet!
No recording plans so far but watch our website
for news.
How
important do you feel the internet is for promoting
your music?
Very handy piece of kit . . . and here it is
at work!
What
has been the live highlight(s) for you? How easy/hard
is it to get gigs and promotion for gigs?
As I said it’s early days for us but Clive
Aid was special.
I think the gigging situation is tricky for everybody
at the moment but if we stick at it and take the
right opportunities who knows?
Do you see the interest in Stray's style of music
growing in the UK and Europe at the moment? And
worldwide?
If you look at what’s going on at the moment,
definitely in the UK! Stray have always gone down
well in Spain and I reckon Germany and Scandinavia
should be up for it. The feedback from the US sounds
very promising; we’ll let you know more later
in 2005.
What's the most rock 'n' roll moment you've had
so far?
Blimey. . . pissed . . . naked. . . trying to
find hotel room door. . . close call. . . that’s
all folks!!!
What do
you like doing in your spare time?
Being with my sons,
mountain bike riding, watching MotoGP/F1, listening
to music, learning!
Message
to your fans?
Don’t worry, it’s 'all in yer mind'!!!
Many
thanks to Jason Ritchie at
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