Early 60's era singles record buying didn't provide the necessary spark for Andrew. What did was seeing live bands in Gainsborough around 1967/8, especially one at a school gig where the drummer had a double bass drum kit in livid orange (wow) playing progressive rock by groups like The Nice. Parental money thoughtfully provided for clothes and other living expenses was promptly diverted to buying albums like 'Live Cream', 'Wheels of Fire' and 'Colosseum Live'. Other bands like Taste, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, Ten Years After, Emerson, Lake & Palmer and Deep Purple were a staple diet. Hendrix's 'Band of Gypsys' and 'Electric Ladyland' opened up new possibilities and then life was never the same again after The Mahavishnu Orchestra's 'The Inner Mounting Flame' in 1971 opened up the jazz-rock vein.
Eventually, with the first work pay cheque came the first drum kit, a four drum Beverley. Brother Mike already had an electric guitar, with an added Marshall combo amp and The Barke Bros Blues Band was up and running. Well crawling anyway. Early attempts to play 'Spoonful' in the home living room are perhaps best confined to history. Things picked up when a bass player was recruited, and then a vocalist with a harmonica, and we started to learn about band politics and 'musical differences'. Various line-ups followed over the next 3 or 4 years, with an organist, electric pianist and another guitarist passing through the ranks until marriage and a family forced the sale of the latest kit, a large silver Premier with Zildjian cymbals.
That might have been it until, 25 years later with the family grown up, reminiscing over a drink with Mike, we decided to do something positive like buying a new drum kit, guitar and amp. Trying to remember how to play, using the local village hall sufficed for a while, but a new band was needed. Starting to recruit musicians, a friend asked what I was trying to do. 'Pick up where we left off', I said, 'it's really unfinished business'. That's it, the name!
So, Unfinished Business was born!
Gear:
Drums
Tama Starclassic (birch) - 10x8, 12x9, 14x11, 22x18, 14x5inch bubinga snare, 14x6inch brass snare
Cymbals
Zildjian K Custom - 18inch crash, 19inch China, 12inch splash
Sabian Paragon - 16inch crash, 22inch ride, 13inch hats
Meinl Byzance - 20inch crash
Plus Pearl and Tama hardware, Pearl Eliminator double pedal, Protection Racket cases, Vic Firth sticks, Sennheiser 602 bass microphone
