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Ready to sing the blues and blast into Europe

From the archive, first published Thursday 23rd Jan 2003.

A DRUMMER from Kidderminster is preparing to return to several European venues he last visited on tour with a living legend.

But for Andy Edwards, Led Zeppelin superstar Robert Plant is in the past. The future's bright - the future's blues.

The 34-year-old is gearing up for a hectic 2003 after linking up with highly-rated Stourbridge prodigy Ian Parker with tours, a record deal and debut album all in the offing.

After the end came for Priory of Brion, the band formed by Plant in 1999 to tour the continent, Andy tried different things, getting involved in dance music and ultimately being voted into Rhythm Magazine's top 10 drum clinicians of 2001 following a series of highly successful events.

But the former Kidderminster College lecturer soon found the itch to be in a band and taste life on the road needed to be scratched - and is confident he is now part of a set-up which is making waves on the blues circuit and even holds mainstream cross-over appeal.

"After doing the drum clinics I didn't know what to do next, to be honest," Andy said.

"But I realised I missed being in a band and the interplay with other musicians. After I linked up with Ian last year we spent quite a long period of time trying different ideas out and working out the actual approach of the band.

"Ian wanted to go back to his roots but his previous band, Parker's Alibi, were a big act locally. He wanted to put a group together which wouldn't let that audience down.

"We started gigging a couple of months before Christmas and the response has been great. It's fantastic for me to be going back out on tour, which is what I really wanted."

The Ian Parker Band have already performed live to the nation, with three songs broadcast on BBC Radio 2's Paul Jones Blues Show - described by Ian as "the nation's premier blues programme" - last month.

And the four-piece, completed by Morg Morgan on keyboards and Steve Amadeo on bass, play their first gig in a four day mini-tour of Holland and Belgium tonight.

Ian, 26, told the Shuttle/Times & News: "We're about to sign a record deal with a well-respected German label. It's about 99 per cent there at the moment."

A European tour supporting Walter Trout, taking in a number of countries including the likes of Switzerland, the Czech Republic and Hungary, is set to take place in April and May and will see Andy return to some of the venues he last visited with Plant.

Ian said after the Parker's Alibi split almost a year ago he had considered creating more commercial music but he realised he was not being true to himself, although he said he is writing some songs which "aren't strictly blues".

"I was fortunate enough to find a great bunch of guys locally for the band. It's going to be busier than ever this year with the tours and making a proper album. It's going to be a big challenge."

Andy believes the band provides a refreshing antidote to today's trend for instant pop stars - and predicted the UK's spiralling obsession with the likes of One True Voice and Girls Aloud could see the music industry implode.

"We're getting swamped. I really do think the music industry will be in trouble if it keeps pushing this Pop Idol thing," he explained.

"Ian writes all his own songs and we're all good players. We're seeing a lot of younger people in the audience and they love it.

"He's an amazing guitarist but it's his voice that seems to attract people. People who are listening to bands like Coldplay and Travis will see some threads in our music."

More details are available at www.ianparkerband.com and www.andyedwardsdrums.com.

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