With a new EP out called Red Right Hand, Bamboozle are a 50’s influenced rockin’ band, with a modern sound. Being one of the only bands to have a sexy gal on rockabilly slap bass, a world class pedal steel player, one of the scenes top rockabilly guitarists and a top class swingin’ drummer, with mesmerizing four part harmonies, Bamboozle are the band to see! Let's chat with Serena Sykes (bass) & Jim Knowler (guitar)
Who got you into Rock & Roll?
S: I guess it’s always been a part of me. Growing up, my Mum was crazy on
Cliff, but also had a great collection of Elvis and a few others on vinyl. I
had a great old record player that was bright red, and I’d spend hours playing
through her collection, but it wasn’t until I met Jim that I considered playing
bass and doing it myself. Living with Jim means you can’t avoid anything 50s,
and it ended up becoming a big part of me too. After watching some of the great
bassists, I had to learn how to play proper rockabilly bass, it was just the
coolest thing.
J: My cousin Andrew Knowler. I was about 13 years old and when I'd visit him he'd always had Elvis, Eddie Cochran, Gene Vincent and various doo wop, rhythm n blues playing and I just fell in love with the energy of it. So when I started learning guitar it was the obvious path to take.
How do you see today's Rock & Roll scene?
S: A little bit divided… It’s great that its around, I love it loads, but
it used to be more people who just liked 50s music, and old style stuff, but
its broken off into sections a bit, rockabilly, jive, doo wop, and if you cross
over between genres, not everyone likes that, but it’s still a great scene and
so far, everyone has been really welcoming and positive about the band, which
means a lot to us. I hope it continues.
J: It's changed a lot. I remember when there were just a handful of weekenders, all-dayers and rock n roll clubs, and the music was just 1950's music including rock n roll, rockabilly, doo wop, jive etc ...now the music has divided into rockabilly weekends, jive weekends, rock n roll weekends, which for me is a shame because I feel it divides the scene.
I understand if you're someone who only likes rockabilly or jive, but for me it's only a shame because I love all the styles of music from the 1950's. However the main thing for me is that the scene is still thriving, and there are events that keep the music alive, and hopefully appealing to the younger generation so it carries on forever! Rock n' Roll is here to stay!!!
What are the bands plans for 2017?
S: Play as much as we can! Being so new, we just want to get out there, and
see what people think of the music. We’re all working hard on writing too, Jim
and I have already got original songs in the set, and our next one was written
by Dave. Hopefully we’ll have a full album of stuff by the end of the year.
J: We have just released our 4 track EP RED RIGHT HAND. So promoting that on gigs, radio all over Europe. Build up a following that enjoy what we are doing. Then at the same time we are all working on writing new songs as we want to record an album with mainly originals on it.
What are you all-time favorite Rock & Roll artists?
S: Wanda Jackson and Janis Martin are my top ladies and big influences of
mine. They had real grit, and talent. I love them. I’m also a big fan of Johnny
Burnette, he had such a raw energy in his stuff.
J: There are so many, but for different reasons. Elvis Presley is an obvious one, as he influenced so many people. Eddie Cochran one of my early guitar influences.
Gene Vincent has got to be one, great sound!
I love vocal harmonies so lots of doo-wop groups The Five Keys, The Flamingos, The Crew Cuts, and that's just a few! The Everly Brothers were a massive early influence. My cousin Andrew and I learnt nearly every song on the greatest hits album and we'd perform them at family parties. I'd say the Everlys taught me how to harmonise, I owe them a lot.
You got any wild stories that have happened to the band?
S: Well, we haven’t been around for even a year yet, so our ‘wild’ history
is a bit dull ;) I think this year is the year to make a few though! We’ve got
a lot of long road trips coming up, so I can’t imagine it all being a sensible,
easy ride!
What makes Bamboozle the band that it is?
S: The mix of the players and their skills. We all come at it from a
slightly different angle. Jim loves his vocal harmonies, and anything with a
swing and cool chords, Shaun is really into proper rockabilly, Dave comes from
a more of a country and western swing background, and I love a lot of the
classics, but also have a bit of a modern edge to what I do too, and I think
the combination of what we all bring together makes the band a bit different to
what’s out there at the moment. Hopefully people will like that!
J: Its the the collaboration of all the band members different influences. Rockabilly, jazz, Western swing and country. All this is mixed in a great big pot and poured into a large glass and there you have it, beautiful refreshing Bamboozle juice!
Hopefully everyone will want to try some ;-)
What is the bands history?
S: It all kind of came about by accident really. Last year, Jim decided he
wanted to make a change in music, as he had been working with his function
band, Hullabaloo for 18 years, and needed a change. It was a scary time, as it
meant we would have to find something to replace the full-time income, so it
was a lot of pressure.
He had met Dave, (Pedal Steel), a few months before, and it had planted
a seed to do something on those lines, as he’d always been a fan of Speedy West
and Jimmy Bryant. We started with some ideas, gave Dave a call, and it happened
to be perfect timing, as he was looking for a new project himself.
It did get off to a quite rocky start behind the scenes, as when Shaun
decided he wanted to come on board, it was a difficult decision due to them
being two thirds of The Keytones. Their intention wasn’t to quit, just to have
a break from it for a while, renew their passion for music and go in a slightly
different direction, but it did sadly end in the break-up of the band, which I
know was hard for a lot of people.
It was a tough thing for everyone to face, and I don’t think they guys
were ready to put it to bed for good, but we all invested that energy into
Bamboozle, and worked hard to get the band out there and put the past behind
us.
We’ve still got a long way we want to go musically with Bamboozle, it’s still
in its infant stages for us, and we all have so many ideas of where we want it
to go. We’re really excited about creating our debut album, but we want to take
our time and get it right, really make it something special.
It has even inspired all of us to write too. Jim as always been the
songwriter in his previous incarnations, but with Bamboozle, alongside Jim’s
fantastic songs “Just Like You” and “Ice Cold Beer”, from our debut EP, we have
introduced one of my original songs, “Daddy’s Girl”, which we hope to release
as a single in the next few months, and have one by Dave in rehearsal, which we’ll
try out live soon. Shaun also has a couple of numbers on the way. Hopefully the
new album will show a bit of what everyone can do.
J: Well we are coming up to our year anniversary, so not a long history yet, but we certainly hope to make some!
Describe the band in 3 words?
S: Exciting, passionate, musical.
J: Fan, Dabby, Dozy!
What are your rock & roll turn on's?
S: Anything with a swing and passion! I love people who just get lost in
their music. Elvis was a great example of that, you get drawn into their world
and its great. You can see it in instrumentalists too. Steve Whitehouse is an
influence for me, he really performs when he plays, it’s great. You can’t beat
that.
J: Wild guitar solos! and anything by Jimmy Bryant.
What’s your favorite rock & roll movie?
S: I must admit, I listened to the music a lot, but haven’t seen anywhere
near enough of the movies. I have seen most of Cliff’s movies, as my Mum would
have one on almost every weekend, and a few of the Elvis ones too. My favorite scene is “The Lady Loves Me” from Viva Las Vegas. I love the interaction, it’s
so fun and light-hearted. It really sums up the era for me.
J: Rock Rock Rock. I love the mix of live artists, Frankie Lymon, Johnny Burnette trio, Lavern Baker, the Moonglows. Also I've always been a big fan of The Three Chuckles who are featured a lot in this movie.
