| Man Raze UK | Interview - Part 2 Simon Laffy |
|---|
Band questions answered by Simon Laffy:
Question 1 - How often have you seen Phil since the Girl spilt in 1983? I know Phil played with you in Sheer Greed in 1992. Have you talked about working together before now?
Simon - "Phil and I have stayed friends since the Girl days (...in fact the whole band have!). We both have sons that grew up in California, so we would meet up every year or so and let the boys play together on the beach while we chatted and caught up. The idea for the Man-Raze was Phil's and it is very recent."
Question 2 - Not much is known about your work since the mid-90s albums with your brother Gerry. What kind of musical work have you done? I know you covered a Roxy Music song for John Taylor with Gerry that was dance influenced.
Simon - "After Girl, I formed a band called Hard Rain that was signed to London Records, and we toured with The Alarm, as well as playing our own headline gigs around the UK. Then I worked with the Wild Frontiers, based in NYC - which was a fun time for me! Gerry and I recorded two solo albums together in the early 90s."
"I then got heavily into programming and sampling and went back to University to get a degree in Software Engineering. I worked for several years in the dance scene, making break beats, drum & bass and house music, as well as DJing. I've brought all that back with me into the heavy guitar music that we are making with the Man-Raze, hopefully creating some kind of new hybrid."
Question 3 - As a bass player how do you feel your style has influenced Man-Raze's songs/sound?
Simon - "My approach as a bass player is to be solid - most of all I want to let the song rock! I hope my playing compliments Paul's classic rock styyle and underpins Phil's soaring riffs and lead solos."
Many thanks to Simon Laffy © Man Raze UK 2005.