FAQs

These frequently asked questions are compiled from interviews,
questions via the internet and personally.

Are there plans to record any other cover songs ?
Maybe --- There are loads of good songs to choose from that haven't been done to death, but it depends on what really suits the bands style as it were.
Native Son has always been primarily an originals group and there is a planned break from active playing for several weeks from August 2011 onwards so during that time maybe some new original material can be written for another album in the future.

How was the Live Sessions CD recorded and what gear was used this time ?
We set the band up as we would normally do in a rehearsal situation and strategically placed a couple of room mic's along with close mic's on the amps and around the drums. We used some screens for sound isolation, did a quick sound check and basically just played the songs as in a Live situation -- without any overdubs.
The big room at Angel Studios gives a fair bit of natural reverb so we tried to keep the sonics as dry as possible.
The mic's were the usual assortment of Neumann, AKG's SM 57's etc. -- but I think a Beyer was used on the guitar.
The drums were a Premier kit with the bass drum front skin left on and for Bass it was a Fender Jazz bass going into a booster and an SWR 400 watt amp with a heavy duty SWR cabinet with 10 inch speakers.
As for guitars I used 4 Stratocasters through a pedalboard comprising a Real McCoy RMC3 Wah Wah, an Octron 2, a TIM overdrive pedal and very slight delay from an Analogman ARDX20 into a Mesa Boogie Blue Angel 410 amp.

All in all the whole Live Sessions project was very enjoyable and could point Native Son towards a 6th album which the band may start recording towards the end of 2011.

When is the Live Sessions CD being released ?
The next Native Son release is a "Live in the studio" CD that was recorded during a 2 day session at the beginning of May 2011. The band was in pre-production at Angel Recording Studios and decided to set up some microphones to capture the new 3 piece line-up in a Live Sessions environment.
Various songs were selected for inclusion on the "LIVE SESSIONS'" album which is expected to be released mid June.
Native Son could maybe return to the studios again at the end of 2011 to begin recording the bands 6th CD for a sometime in the future release.
The band is also currently planning some Live filming at some stage in the near future.Various songs were selected for inclusion

What Guitars, Amplifiers and Effects were used on the Calling Time CD ?
I used 3 Stratocasters - all wired with Wagner WCR SR pick-ups and a Les Paul with Wagner WCR "Darkburst" pick-ups.

The amplifier was a 1970's modified Marshall JMP MV 100 into a Mesa Boogie quad box.

As far as effects goes, I used an Octron 2 ( mostly octave down ) - and for overdrive I used either a Mosferatu, a Timmy, a Zendrive or an Expandora fuzz box, -- For the "swirly" stuff I used either an Aquavibe or a Mini Dejavibe and on a few parts I also used a Red Witch Pentavocal Tremelo or a Hartman Flanger. There were 2 Wah Wah pedals used which were either a Teese RMC 3 or a Crybaby 535Q. All of the Delay was a Maxon AD999.

All the effects went into the front end of the amplifier ( as usual ) : - but not all hooked up at once -:
I don't remember exactly on which tracks I used each combination though, but I recorded the guitars very loud in a big room with an SM57 close mic. and an AKG 414 distance mic.
I quite often "layer" guitars when I record but I tend to "track up" in such a way as to make the Lead and Rhythm parts comfortable to recreate if I choose to do the songs Live as I also have to consider that at the same time I am doing Vocals too.

The vocals were recorded using a Neumann U47 mic.

Why is the Native Son project of new recordings taking so long ?
Native Son has been on hold these past few years for several reasons, mainly due to the relocation
of my family from the UK to Australia and also because of my desire to find like-minded musicians with which to form a viable partnership.
I have also had to deal with an ongoing hand injury which has at times restricted my work.
However the time has been spent working on new material and searching for a suitable Bass player
and Drummer. I am a great believer in having the right chemistry in a band and the various
combinations of musicians I have tried out have not had the collective vibe for a project.
Native Son will continue when the time is right.
Some of the side projects I have been involved in these past few years where I have just been a
member of another band have been really enjoyable.me has been spent

Is the inspiration behind the song lyrics deeply personal ?

Yes -- Some of them are. "Crying In The Night" I wrote 25 years ago about a girl called Jemma Lucy Bridge. The second recorded version off the "No Man's Land" album is my favourite. "Heaven Song" was written about my mother after she passed away. Other songs such as "Spiritland" and "River Of Life" have a more philosophical theme.

What guitar sound effect was used on the solo section of "That's How I Am " from the Heepsteria album?

Mark: I used an Octavider pedal set with an octave down and an octave up then into a Bixonic Expandora (original model) for overdrive into my Marshall 100/Mesa Boogie 4x12. G-Force delay was added at the desk. The track was done with the Musicman Luke guitar and an Ovation Acoustic in the background.

What shape/form is your next album UTOPIAN SKY?

Mark: Utopian Sky will now probably be a solo album sometime in the future.
The next Native Son album will have a different title and will be a "sort of" follow on from 'Leap of Faith'. Although I mostly do what I want with Native Son as it is my band project I may in the future do a solo type thing with several different musicians helping out in a variety of styles.
It sometimes becomes very difficult now days keeping a solid band together with a shared creative vision.

Where do your lyric ideas come from?

Mark: People, places and situations, books, movies, phrases, dreams etc. All the usual life stuff and topics that stick out in conversation.

Do you ever want to do other types of music other than Native Son type stuff?

Mark: yes, sometimes. Maybe one day an all instrumental album with keyboards and percussion.
I am a huge fan of all the Jeff Beck music and other early/mid70s jazz rock fusion like Return to Forever, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Stanley Clarke, Billy Cobham, Colosseum II , early Al Di Meola, Tribal Tech and also the music Carlos Santana was doing in his early/mid 70s jazzier period.
Many of the projects that Terry Bozzio has been involved with I like too.
The type of spacey ambient jazz music that seemed to develop during the 1960's is something I have always regarded highly.

Where did the band's name come from?

Mark: I came up with Native Son after seeing it as a headline above an article in the 1980s - I can't remember what the article was about, I just thought it looked like a good name for a band. A name that didn't associate with any one sort of music. I have seen over recent years other bands using the name in various territories but I began using it in the late 1980's. After the first album came out I later discovered a then defunct band had used it some years earlier but I just carried on using it.
It's very difficult to come up with a "good" band name at any time and not run the risk of someone else stealing it or of it having been previously used.

Have you ever planned to add other instruments ie keyboards to the band's sound?

Mark: Maybe on a future album. There are keyboards on River of Life and Moving Target (Solidground) and Home (No Man's Land).

Any plans to do the Heepsteria songs live?

No.

Any plans for any other cover songs?

Yes, but they are a secret, for now. With so many good songs out there to cover, there a loads to choose from. I have a few up my sleeve that haven't yet been done to death, but I mostly only do original music. I think with Native Son being very much an unknown band it kind of makes sense to play some suitable cover material during a Live set at times so that people can find something familiar to grab onto, even if the song is slightly re-arranged.

Which guitar have you used mostly on the albums?

Mark: Mostly I've used a '73 Fender Stratocaster on the first three albums and occasionally a '73 Gibson Les Paul Custom. I used a MusicMan Luke on the Heepsteria tracks.

What singers do you like / listen to?

Mark: I like all the usual type of great rock singers with voices like Free's Paul Rodgers and I also like Glenn Hughes too, ( mostly the funky soulful older stuff like Trapeze and his early Deep Purple work -- not his solo metal stuff though ), also I am a huge fan of James Dewar the vocalist/bass player from the Robin Trower Band.
Whenever I listen back to that great era during the 60's & 70's all the guys like Steve Marriott, Steve Winwood, Jack Bruce etc. still do it for me.
A lot of the more "Pop" singers were very influential too.
A lot of the guitar players I like also have expressive distinctive voices too and although some of them are not classed among the "greatest" singers ever, the way their vocals are tied in with their instrumental work makes for the human element that works for me.
There have been many great vocalists but I usually go for the distinctive type as a rule.

I was recently asked about the NZ and Australian rock vocalists who I liked from over the years and Trevor Tombleson from Ticket along with Corben Simpson were a couple of favourites as well as Reggie Ruka the singer from a band called Itambu who I saw twice but don't believe they ever recorded and Phil Key who was with the La De Da's and Band Of Light.

What other musical influences?

I believe it is quite hard not to be influenced by other bands if you listen to as much music as I do. But I look for inspiration in others' music rather than outright stealing. I have always felt it is better if you have different band members who like different things because it's easier to mix up styles and hopefully create a less obvious sound. It makes the music much more organic. I hope any of the music I make doesn't bear too much resemblance to the bands/styles that I like and listen to.
My taste in music has always been rock based but with elements of jazz, blues and psychedelic styles. The whole era from the mid '60s till the mid '70s was a very fertile period.
Powerful creative drummers and bass players are a huge influence on me too.

The early Todd Rundgren period (including Utopia) is typical of the type of thing I still find an inspiration and I still listen to all the great music that radio stations used to play when I was growing up from that mid 60's to early 70's period, fabulous bands like The Who, Yardbirds, Small Faces, The Move, The Beatles, Pink Floyd -- the list is pretty long.
Also during that period there were many artists that only released a few classic singles and were not classed as great albums bands.

Who are Mark's favourite guitar players?

The guitarists I feel most inspired by, well, the list is pretty long but mostly by guys who started out a long time ago: Jeff Beck, Steve Morse, Eric Johnson, Jimi Hendrix, Joe Walsh, Tommy Bolin, David Gilmour and Snuffy Walden from Stray Dog who I always thought was one of the great "unknown" rock guitarists.
        Also, during the 1960's and 1970's when I was growing up in New Zealand I thought players like Harvey Mann (The Underdogs / Space Farm / Living Force), Eddie Hansen (Ticket / Living Force), Kevin Borich (The -"3 piece"- La De Das), Billy T K (Human Instinct) and Kevin Bayley (Rockinghorse / Taylor) were great and accessible from a local point of view, and the music those guys made still stands up alongside international stuff today.
The early 1970's period of NZ music ( Ticket and Space Farm etc. ) has remained a constant inspirational thing for me for nearly 40 years and still sounds as fresh as ever.
In fact most of the 60s/70s guitarists like Alvin Lee, Robin Trower, Terry Kath, Peter Frampton, Steve Miller, Billy Gibbons, Gary Moore, Bill Nelson and Paul Kossoff I found an inspiration.      And of course Peter Green, Jimmy Page and Eric Clapton too.           I can also add to the endless list of great guitarists - all playing in different styles - Pat Thrall, Pat Martino, Steve Hillage, Frank Marino, Buddy Guy, T Bone Walker, Charlie Christian, Frank Zappa.

From a jazz rock viewpoint I have always liked Allan Holdsworth, Scott Henderson and Michael Landau. There are so many great guitar players out there and these are just some of my favourites and because they have their own distinctive style and tone and are also players I still listen to a lot. Some of the "newer" guitarists I like a lot are Ty Tabor (Kings X) , Warren Haynes (Gov't Mule) and Joe Bonamassa.

I should also add that I admire guitarists like these as much for the music they make as well as guitar ability. I go for players with character and a distinctive tone and feel.
Also the song writing and musical ability that people like Pete Townsend have is always just as important too.

Are there any plans to release a live album?

Mark: Yes, there is every chance in the future. There are unofficial live recordings but these are poor quality sound-wise and not endorsed by the band. Anyone who finds these should hand them in to their nearest police station!

Why a three piece band?

Mark: I have always been a big fan of power trios, mostly the less well known like Stray Dog, Tempest (with Ollie Halsall), Hot Tuna, the 3 piece version of Spirit featuring Randy California, plus the New Zealand groups Space Farm, The Underdogs, The Human Instinct, and Ticket (although Ticket had a lead singer as well), along with the Australian based 3 piece version of The La De Das, international trios Beck Bogert & Appice, Trapeze, Rush, Robin Trower Band, Paris (with Robert Welch), Rory Gallagher (Taste and solo stuff) and ZZ TOP.........Native Son was formed with this in mind but only as an inspirational thing. Cream and the Jimi Hendrix Experience started the whole power trio thing off for me. All of the Hendrix albums, the Experience ones or the Band Of Gypsys ones still do it for me. Eric and Davide (original Native Son line-up) were also big Police fans (another great three piece) but I always stress that the music has to come out sounding different, which I believe it does.

Do you like any of the "newer" bands?

Kings X and Gov't Mule are the only sort of current "newer" bands that I really like but with their sound and style, they could have existed any time in the last thirty odd years. Other newer bands or rather side projects like Oysterhead, Jing Chi (with Robben Ford), The Jelly Jam, The Mermen who play great surf instrumentals, Abraxas Pool and some of the Hardware album with Stevie Salas, Bootsy Collins and Buddy Miles are all very interesting, along with the music Shawn Lane was making with Jonas Hellborg and Jeff Sipe. I like the Ty Tabor solo albums and also the "jam band" scene in the USA which has been growing in momentum in recent years too.
I really like the band projects that Michael Landau had going awhile ago with Burning Water and The Raging Honkies as well as his solo albums -- all great stuff.
The Scott Henderson trio albums, either the Blues or Fusion thing I also find very inspirational.

Why did you choose Stealin' and That's How I Am for the Heepsteria tracks?

Heepsteria was really a bit of a side step for me as I am not really a fan of tribute albums or indeed cover bands in general but I kind of got talked into doing this project. Stealin' was a song that got a lot of airplay in New Zealand when I was growing up, so I always remembered it. I also had a chance to do a previously unreleased song called "That's How I Am" which just seemed to suit us. Uriah Heep had a New Zealand bassist, Gary Thain, and he was big news at the time coming from a small country, going overseas and doing well in a big band.

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