Introducing Guitar and Vocal Duo
DAVE KILMINSTER & MURRAY HOCKRIDGE

By Rita Bayer

Acclaimed guitarist Dave Kilminster, who has just completed a 2 year stint on lead guitar and vocals with Roger Waters' celebrated global staging of Dark Side of the Moon, recently partnered with Murray Hockridge to form a duo.

During this tour I met up with Dave twice - in April 2007 and May 2008. [you find the interview from Cologne (GER) including his bio in brief here, the interview in Holland couldn't be finished on that date - it will see the light sometime soon as well - stay tuned!]
Anyway, Dave introduced Murray, who was also among his guests, to me. During our conversation we informally agreed to a follow up meeting as time permits - finally available at Ytsejam.com: a chat with the two about the newly founded Guitar & Vocal Duo as well as some background info on Murray & the project .

Who's Murray Hockridge?
Murray hails from a musical family. His father was famed West End leading man Edmund Hockridge. His mother was a West End actress and leading lady. Murray and his brothers were exposed to music of all types from childhood. Murray grew into an extraordinary, soulful singer. His voice can travel three octaves and more in the space of one song - from rich, warm depths to the very highest of highs. Murray has forged his own unique sound and become a highly respected singer, songwriter and interpreter of a blend of soul, rock, blues and jazz.

On the project
Murray Hockridge & Dave Kilminster came together to play after a chance meeting. Each is celebrated on his own, renowned, albeit from very different musical backgrounds.
Together, they have developed a working style that marries the freedom of musical exploration with careful perfectionism of two musicians who are best at what they do. Their interplay is unique - with an extraordinary, transcendent blend of voice and guitar.
Although the pair have spent only a few months playing together the players themselves and those who hear them recognize an indefinable but intriguing musical magic which draws audiences into an intimate experience. [upcoming gigs have just been announced at this location]

Chat with DAVE KILMINSTER & MURRAY HOCKRIDGE about their musical collaboration and relationship

Rita: Introduce each other in one sentence, please.

Dave Kilminster: This is Murray Hockridge... undoubtedly the best undiscovered male vocalist in the country... and a thoroughly decent bloke!!!

Murray Hockridge: Let me introduce you to Dave Kilminster?.an extraordinarily gifted guitarist, complete musician and very likeable guy.

R: How did the contact with Murray come about? When and where did you meet for the very first time?

Dave: I first saw Murray promoting his album in a shopping centre late last year... actually at the exact same spot where I met the Lydian String quartet (who played all the string parts on my album 'Scarlet') the previous year...

I just happened to be walking by, and the voice I heard stopped me dead in my tracks... Curtis Mayfield... Stevie Wonder... Jeff Buckley... Sting... they were all in there... but wrapped up in a totally wonderful and unique way... I was stunned...

I turned around and looked at his set up; a cheap headset mic, through a dodgy battery powered amp... which the acoustic guitar was also plugged into!!! And I thought 'how the hell are you making that incredible noise with such shit equipment!!!!!

R: What did you know about each other?

Dave: Zero... I went up to him after he'd finished playing a number and we had a chat... I bought his album, and just mentioned what I'd been up to...

Murray: I knew nothing of Dave when I first met him. In retrospect, I don?t think that was necessarily a bad thing. We hit it off instantly with no preconceptions.

R: When/how was the idea born to collaborate with Murray?

Dave: I guess I thought then and there that it would be fun to play together... but obviously Murray had never heard of me or seen me play, and I certainly wasn't going to barge straight in there and say 'I play a bit of guitar too'!!! But we stayed in touch, I gave him a copy of my album, and a few months later Murray suggested we get together to see what sort of noise we could make...

R: Murray, tell us a bit more about your role in this partnership, the duo?s musical approach, the songs you play and to whom your performances most likely appeal.

R: ?what about you Dave? - describe your part [on & off stage] in this project and how this musical partnership actually works.

Dave: It's really difficult to describe how it works, because we're talking chemistry, personality, musicality, experience, taste, and a whole bunch of other weird esoteric stuff... But it just works... :O) We instinctively know what to do... without even looking at each other. And we're also constantly perfecting our own individual performances to enhance the whole...

Most of what happens is unsaid... and unplanned!!!!

R: Your collaboration began in 2007, you already played a couple of shows in Germany and in the UK -
How did the first shows go? How was the response of the audience?

Murray: The shows went down very well indeed. Our first ever appearance together was at the Wodanhalle, Freiburg, Germany in December 2007. What a terrific night! ;) We played that gig on the back of just two brief rehearsals ? crazy! It?s that chemistry/experience thing....people think we?ve been playing together for years ;) The audience response was so uplifting?. everyone in the crowd was totally into the vibe we were creating. Subsequent shows in the UK have been the same.

R: What equipment do you use?

Dave: I've just started using Martin acoustics... they're wonderful instruments!!! It was a little extravagant, but when I was in America earlier this year for the last Roger Waters tour I bought three of them!!! So we're mainly using those live at the moment... A DC28, an OM28 and a very cool 12 string (a D12-28 I believe?) for all those fab 'Led Zep' type moments... :O)

Murray: I?m using my 1970?s Guild acoustic....a good old friend. The mahogany body has a rich, dark tone which perfectly contrasts Dave?s vibrant Martins, one of which (the DC28) I also play on some songs.

Regarding percussion?.I seem to have gravitated to Meinl gear lately, specifically their Cajon, Conga and Bongos.

R: Musicians differ in their style of playing / singing - Could you describe the special characteristics of Murray, please?

Dave: Murray has no musical or technical boundaries as far as singing is concerned... and he responds/reacts instantly to anything that I throw at him... His improvisational skills are amazing, which is just one of the things that makes this project so exciting. During any of the songs, at any moment, we can take off to another place, and also know that we'll be right there supporting each other.

Murray is also a fab drummer, so everything he plays and sings has a great groove to it... His guitar playing is also very rhythmic, which leaves me totally free to mess around over the top!!! :O)

R: What is Dave?s biggest strength - what do you appreciate/ adore the most on him?

Murray: Dave is an intelligent and sensitive musician with great awareness and feel. He has an open-mindedness and expression-filled musicality to go with an incredible technique. These characteristics, which I actually see as one combined strength, set him apart. There are no limits.

Add to all that the fact that we have become good friends and you can see why this is a very special association.

R: What makes this teamwork/project so interesting / challenging for you?

Dave: Just the fact that from the first time we ever played together there was something special there... that sort of connection-communication that just doesn't come along very often.... You can't practice it, force it, or pretend it exists...
It's either there or it isn't...

Murray: This is the first significant music relationship (collaboration) I have ever had outside of family ? specifically my brother, who was my professional partner for many years.

I worked solo for much of 2007 and it was a therapeutic, inspiring & life-changing experience for me in many respects.

When Dave & I met by chance late that year I just felt instinctively that there was an unspoken empathy in the way we connected. The creative potential when you find this kind of chemistry is open-ended?....there are so many different combinations of instruments, voicing, techniques & technologies that we can call on, both in the studio and on the live stage.

R: Do you see it as a musical collaboration in progress?

Dave: Of course!! So far we've just been learning each others material, and finding the best ways of practising/recording etc... But I think the real fun will begin when we start putting together some new material... :O) And as far as guest artists/collaborations/extra musicians etc are concerned, the field is wide open... I could just as easily see us performing with a choir and a string section, as I could with a jazz band... or a Prince meets Zeppelin inspired rock rhythm section. We really could take this in any direction...

R: What is coming next ?

Murray: Some one-off gigs and promotional appearances in the short term. Long term is in discussion right now so will let you know as and when things are happening.

R: What keeps both of you busy besides this project?

Dave: Life!!!!

Murray: The tempo of the twenty first century.

R: You want to add anything?

Dave: I just can't wait to see where this leads us!!!

Murray: bring it on! ;)

*****

www.myspace.com/murrayhockridge
www.murrayhockridge.com

Former interviews with Dave Kilminster:
January 2005
July 2005 - 5 Quick Ones
April 2006
June 2006
April 2007 - Part 1
July 2007 - Part 2

Note: copyright: Rita Bayer
photos: published by kind permission of Dave Kilminster & Murray Hockridge