SEEKING
Vocalist, Rhythm Guitar, Lead Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Bass Guitar, Drums, Keyboard, Piano, Background Singer, Other.ABOUT
Musician for 30 years, in various gigging bands for 20.
Have played on TV, festivals and to four-figure crowds and released five albums.
Recent cordial dissolution of latest band leaves me at a loose end.
Harmonies a speciality, but I can also take lead vocals.
Very happy to help write and shape songs.
Covers considered, but originals preferred.
Wide range of tastes (although everyone says that) but particular slant to late 60s/early 70s, plus new wave. Basically melodies and harmonies, mate.
Easygoing and jovial personality, never been into egos or in-fighting. It's about the music.
Last band: https://soundcloud/howlgriff
Quick solo Beach Boys cover knocked out: https://soundcloud/garyparkinson
- Screen name:
- garyparkinson
- Member since:
- Jun 06 2018
- Active over 1 month ago
- Level of commitment:
- Moderately Committed
- Years playing music:
- 30
- Gigs played:
- Over 100
- Tend to practice:
- 1 time per week
- Most available:
- Nights
Influences
Beatles above all, but also The Band, Barclay James Harvest, Beach Boys, Beautiful South, Beck, Bee Gees, Beta Band, Blondie, Bluetones, Blur, Boo Radleys, Buddy Holly, Buzzcocks, Crosby Stills & Nash, Crowded House, Dave Brubeck, David Bowie, Doves, Duckworth Lewis Method, Eagles, Eels, Elbow, Electric Soft Parade, Elvis Costello, Fanny, Flaming Lips, Foo Fighters, Funkadelic, George Gershwin, Housemartins, Howl Griff, Isley Brothers, Jackie Wilson, The Jam, James, Janis Joplin, Jarvis Cocker, Kinks, KLF, Led Zep, Leonard Cohen, Loudon Wainwright III, Love, Madness, Manics, Marvin Gaye, Motown, Neil Young, Nick Drake, Nick Lowe, Nirvana, Northern Soul, Pink Floyd, Pulp, Queen, REM, Raconteurs, Radiohead, Randy Newman, Semisonic, Simon & Garfunkel, Small Faces, Smiths, Smokey Robinson, Squeeze, Steely Dan, Stevie Wonder, Stone Roses, Style Council, Super Furry Animals, Supergrass, Supertramp, Talking Heads, Teenage Fanclub, Traffic, Webb Brothers, Wedding Present, Ween, Weezer, The Who, The Wonder Stuff, XTC, Zutons.
Instrument experience:
- Vocalist - Tenor:
- Expert
- Acoustic Guitar:
- Expert
- Background Singer:
- Expert
- Vocalist - Baritone:
- Advanced
- Rhythm Guitar:
- Advanced
- Vocalist - Soprano:
- Moderate
- Lead Guitar:
- Moderate
EQUIPMENT
Epiphone Sheraton, Ovation Applause, Vox Cambridge 30 Reverb Twin, Shure SM58, vocal cords.
MUSIC
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Backyard
BackyardFrom the HOWL GRIFF album MAXIMALISM
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Born On A Perilous Rock
Born On A Perilous RockFrom the HOWL GRIFF album MAXIMALISM
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Another Star
Another StarFrom the HOWL GRIFF album MAXIMALISM
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Come On, Yeah!
Come On, Yeah!From the HOWL GRIFF album MAXIMALISM
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Ballyhoo
BallyhooFrom the HOWL GRIFF album MAXIMALISM
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Mind Spike
Mind SpikeFrom the HOWL GRIFF album MAXIMALISM
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Lifetime Guarantee
Lifetime GuaranteeFrom the HOWL GRIFF album MAXIMALISM
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We're Still Running
We're Still RunningFrom the HOWL GRIFF album MAXIMALISM
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She Knows How To Live And Die
She Knows How To Live And DieFrom the HOWL GRIFF album MAXIMALISM
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Pain Is Alright
Pain Is AlrightFrom the HOWL GRIFF album MAXIMALISM
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Mind Spike
Mind SpikeHOWL GRIFF EAT SOME IRON BUTTERFLY AND BLACK SABBATH!!!
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Lifetime Guarantee
Lifetime GuaranteeTaken from the forthcoming Howl Griff album on Cariad Records. Produced by John Milner & Hywel Grifftihs
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Another Star
Another Starhttp://howlgriff.bandcamp.com/track/another-star Taken from our forthcoming album out soon on Cariad Records x Featuring Dan Hunt from The Black Sparrows. Produced by John Milner and Howl Griff. Keys programmed by Scott Martin Green. Mastered by Duncan Morrison.
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Pain Is Alright
Pain Is AlrightAn old song re-recorded over a few fun sessions down Cariad Studios. Howl Griff are Gary Parkinson, Nick Moore and Steve Kennedy, and special guests Chris Sarjeant on piano and Hammond and John Milner on Danelectro slide gtr.
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Ballyhoo (Demo Rough Mix)
Ballyhoo (Demo Rough Mix)http://www.artnewsblog.com/the-joy-of-not-being-sold-anything/
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Howl Griff - Backyard
Howl Griff - Backyardhttp://howlgriff.bandcamp.com/album/were-still-running-backyard Mixed by Hywel Griffiths and John Milner Mastered by John Milner
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Howl Griff - We're Still Running
Howl Griff - We're Still Runninghttp://howlgriff.bandcamp.com/album/were-still-running-backyard
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Everything
EverythingThe riff welcomes you like an old friend; the chorus embraces you like a lover; the lyrics include a reference to Zoroastrian burial mounds.
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International Dateline
International DatelineIntensely singable story of Samoa's switch back across the 180-degree divider.
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FÜßßBÜKKËR
FÜßßBÜKKËRFearsome Krautrocker featuring vocoder, theremin and a riff you could smash a phonebox with.
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She Walks On By The Flame
She Walks On By The FlameA tale of moths, melted headphones, fists and a fiery woman. She knows her way.
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Rose of Emily
Rose of EmilyCampfire singalong named after a small boat.
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Puppet Operation Time
Puppet Operation TimeHowl Griff pull the strings on the best song Neil Diamond never wrote.
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Meet My Maker
Meet My MakerOne day, illness rendered Griff temporarily blind. In the fast lane of the M4.
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Runaround
RunaroundSurprisingly evasive beat-shifter which includes the words 'smorgasbord' and 'hullaballoo' - surely their first joint billing.
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Radio Revolution
Radio RevolutionIf I was the Head of a neo-Communist state this would be the anthem. The singalong features Saul and Lias from The Fat White Family, Beth Soan from The Petrels, Emily C Smith, Lauren Bond, Ed Kingpin and Andy Hankdog. Recorded in Andy Hankdog's basement studio in Crystal Palace sometime around 2011.
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Sharkfins In The Sky
Sharkfins In The SkyMurder on the ice-rink youth-club dancefloor. Related via the medium of new wave disco.
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Fragile Diamond
Fragile DiamondGeology, gemology and a child born years after her father died. Three-part harmonies recorded around one microphone, as they should be.
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You Don't Have To Leave On Your Own
You Don't Have To Leave On Your OwnFrom the desperation of the lonely hearts to the desolation of the lonesome nights out. Towering chorus tells you it needn't be that way. Need it?
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You Are The Light
You Are The LightA beguiling voice-and-guitar melody, the ever-present under-tugging drone of mystic reality, the sudden dynamic burst from mysterious shade to blinding sun. From the Tin Pan Alley recording session, and later reworked to brilliant effect with swooping strings for a Welsh TV extravaganza. A thing of stunning simplicity and hidden dexterity, it remains a favourite among our longest-standing fans. We love you.
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DNA [Cymraeg]
DNA [Cymraeg]Un o hen ganeuon Howl Griff ond dim thlotach amdani. Mae'r gân yn ceisio dianc o grafangau'r nodyn gwraidd ac yn terfynnu gyda bwrlwn o synths Moog. Recordiwyd gyda Owen Powell (Catatonia) a Tim Lewis (Thighpaulsandra, Julian Cope, Spiritualized, Coil) yn Stiwdio Aeriel, Sir Gaerfyrddin. One of the oldest tracks in the Howl Griff canon, and none the poorer for it. Endlessly trying to escape the drone of the root note, the music (and album) ends in a whirl of authentic Moog synthesisers. Recorded by Owen Powell (Catatonia) and Tim Lewis (Thighpaulsandra, Julian Cope, Spiritualized, Coil) at Aeriel Studios in Carmarthenshire.
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DNA [English]
DNA [English]From our first recording session, at London's famous Tin Pan Alley studios, but this has roots a decade old: it's one of the first songs Griff and Nick worked on together. A worried look at the politics of genetics, it was furnished with the regulation Rickenbacker-and-harmonies finish. Later reworked to great effect for the Welsh album, but this version has its own charm, especially Griff's relaxed lead vocal and Gary's Crosby Stills & Nash "response" vocals in the verse.
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Can't You See Me?
Can't You See Me?From our first recording session, at London's Tin Pan Alley. The lush West Coast harmonies, sparkling Rickenbacker seascapes and globetrotting lyrics aren't bad considering the tune was originally written in a train lay-by by a power station in Selby, Yorkshire.
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Countdown to Zero
Countdown to ZeroFrom our first recording session, at London's famous Tin Pan Alley studios. A shuffling psych-rock pleasure which builds into a heartfelt climax, it was a long-time staple in the live set – but, y'know, new songs come along and you have to shake things up... it's still a thing of beauty, arguably best enjoyed in the late evening in a horizontal position.
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She's Prohibited
She's ProhibitedFrom our first recording session, at London's famous Tin Pan Alley studios. Starting life as a story about a 17th-century Cornish miner seeking a fresh life across the Atlantic, "All I Got Is A Chain" was then refurbished with a completely new set of lyrics, chorus handclaps, a spare Rickenbacker riff from Griff and the first set of racked harmonies from Gary. It's possibly bassist Steve's favourite Howl Griff song, so he's always trying to get it into the set.
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Crystal Clair
Crystal ClairThe none-more-60s musical riff-duet between the chiming 12-string Rickenbacker and thumping rhythm section lays the background for an ecological warning which mentions organic smoothies and a sasquatch.
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Liquid from a Gun
Liquid from a GunSlowly building to epic proportions, this was a staple of Howl Griff's live act from 2006 to around 2008, when Parky started passing out post-performance. Originally recorded for the 2006 Hope Against Hope album and re-recorded to dazzling effect by Catatonia's Owen Powell for the 2008 Welsh-language album; this is that version, re-recorded with the original English lyrics.
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Peace Sign
Peace SignLead song off our self-titled Welsh album, and one of five tracks from that set which we rerecorded with English vocals. Originally featured a kazoo.
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Hey Hey Hey
Hey Hey HeyStompalong section, wolf whistle, cowbell and a memorable refrain - no wonder it's a live favourite. Has had several different names, including "Time On Your Own", "Who The Hell Are You?" and a fruitier version of the latter. Originally recorded in Welsh and available on our debut album "Howl Griff", but we went back to dub in some English vocals.
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Lies and Facts
Lies and FactsThe album's closer, featuring a private detective and the shady lady who becomes his obsession. LYRICS Gumshoe walked 'round the block for you Squinting through the pane to glimpse the truth of what you do Searching snooping for some clues or hints Finding scarlet women, ruby rings and red herrings I had no way of knowing where the trail was going But I had to watch you I fell into a gutter, tasted muddy water And I want you, I want you Lies and facts keep me coming back To see what goes on in your heart Looking through the paper straight at you Forensic detail of everything they want you to be made to do Seeing what only private eyes should see Finding your fingerprints all over me – the final scene I had no way of mending the last unhappy ending 'Cos I had to stop you As rain filled up the gutter, we swallowed muddy water And I lost you, I lost you Lies and facts keep me coming back To search for love through the looking glass Investigate the truthful and the fake To see what goes on in your heart
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Surreal
SurrealChirpy Buffalo Springfield music belies a dark lyric about, er, radiation poisoning. As you do. LYRICS Lost out in the city Phased out in the flood Outside in the winter The devil has destroyed my blood Rats poison the cities No spy left unturned Mulled over in Moscow The radiation starts to burn And I feel surreal when I’m with you Nightmares come true Exposed to an agent Half living half dead We'll go undercover Half a life's better than none And I feel surreal when I’m with you Nightmares come true
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Dark Energy
Dark EnergyIt's the scientifically inexplicable force that surrounds us. And there's something else within us, too. LYRICS In the middle of a chain cigarette You go through me and do things I might regret Come along with me Tag along with me Sing along with me Dark energy closes on me Wherever I go, whatever I see Dark energy closes on me So why can't I see what matters Matters to me? Keep expanding till there's nothing left to lose Turn me into something I no longer choose Come along with me...
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Jean's Therapy
Jean's TherapyTwo-minutes-odd of raucous garage punk, with nods to The Cars and Dr Feelgood. Mentions not only ophthalmology but also the Zuider Zee. LYRICS You can’t see the words in the dictionary From the A of the aardvark to the Zuider Zee Hard work never killed anyone But I’m dying lazily This is Jean’s therapy She can help you in the dark of night And improve your memory Playing God with your idle hands The ophthalmologist will understand If you’re looking for a heart of gold Then stethoscope your soul This is Jean’s therapy... She lives in a house of glass just a stone's throw away She says she loves the world, but she wants to change it some day
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Hideaway
HideawayMeditative reflection on all the atoms in the universe, and a desire to escape them. LYRICS Then you started talking Righting all the wrongs of the earth You got me counting All the atoms in the universe But I don't belong here, I'm just looking for a hideaway Ride away, hide away Hide away, ride away, hide away A distant bell is ringing Toiling for another day Fox in a graveyard Drifting through the melée But I don't belong here...
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Uduhudu
UduhuduWhen your brain breaks, you don't always need a doctor. But Thomas Alva Edison's inventions are ever at hand. LYRICS The doctors are wrong, you knew all along Their patience is gone, you swallow all their medicine Nightmares are strong, delirious in song Turn the light on, Thomas Alva Edison Electric in mind, static in time Broken and blind, a metronomic malady Fates are aligned, time out of mind A voice on the line, she laughs like Baron Samedi You don’t need a doctor You just need a friend You don’t need a bottle You need to raise your spirit from the dead Dead head Covered in sweat, drowned in regret Try to forget Sister Mary Magdalene Made a mistake, dived in a lake Thirst you can't slake, you died like Teddy Kennedy You don’t need a doctor...
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Unselfish
UnselfishCalming you down with a plaintive reflection on life's vagaries. That is what we do. LYRICS You have given more than I can take You have given more than I can take But I’m willing to share it back with you Just like you and me used to do You have been there through my pain and ills You are witness to my thrills and spills And I’m leaving this hand-me-down to you So that you can feel its comfort too Being unselfish, that is what we do Being unselfish changes you Being unselfish, that is what we do No secrets: I won’t hide the truth from you I am willing to turn my life around I am sitting, the sun is setting down You have made me and shaped me with your hands Washed away the castles on the sand
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Back to Normality
Back to NormalityPrepare to be hooked. Huge chorus and coda for an intensely memorable plea for a better future. LYRICS Let's get back to normality, back to reality Some kind of living will find a formality Build a society filled with variety now We've been flogged economically, boxed ergonomically Goodbye stability, hello insanity Program your destiny, Bluetooth your love to me now Save me, you were saying Across the water, across the bay Keep me breathing, keep me believing That's the main thing, you would say Let's get back to normality, back to reality Some kind of living will find a formality Build a society filled with variety now Let down at your liberty, roped into symmetry Sense a calamity in my proximity Tend to the hooks on tenterhooks for you now Save me... And I try to get there on my own But your dive takes me by surprise I could drown, can't hold my breath too long Inside your lies
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Devotion
DevotionSupremely jangly singalong, all Rickenbackers and love. And Love, come to think of it. LYRICS Am I alone in what I do? Am I alone in front of you? Am I alone in what I say? Or are there others who feel my way? You are perfect but I’m not You’re the difference between go and stop And as we pass along the way Shadows fall, it’s late in the day I feel your pain and laughter seal The cracks I fall in deep devotion
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Sunrise [home demo]
Sunrise [home demo]A sneak peek behind the curtains, but this is no badger-bum rough sketch. Fired by red wine and Tom Petty, Griff's original home demo features his own bass, drum (machine) and of course his impressive organ. The structure and lyrics were tweaked thereafter, but this was a surefire classic from the egg.
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Bring Yourself Around
Bring Yourself AroundEternal crowd-pleaser with chiming riff, call-and-response choruses, massed harmonies and soaring dynamics. Recorded (as 'Tyrd Amdana I') for our Welsh-language debut album. We popped back to record alternative English vocals.
