20 Questions with 80sMusicGirl-Winston Marche

Well everyone, here is the interview I promised you all.  Winston Marche of none other than The Selecter.  I really enjoyed this interview and Winston submitted some great pics, so without further ado..Here is:

20 Questions with 80sMusicGirl: Winston Marche

1.  Where are you from originally Winston?

Even though I was born in London, my parents are from Jamaica. However, my surname suggests there may be more to this story :-).

2.  Do you have any brothers or sisters?

I have three brothers and two sisters.. I am the youngest of the boys.

3.   Have you always wanted to be a musician?

Even though I was very good at sport(soccer/tennis), music always had the edge for me.

4.  Did your parents have a musical background?

Mum said she used to sing a little in a choir, but other than that the answers a no.

5. How did you get your start in show business?

At the age of 5 yrs I started doing TV commercials and some clothes modelling too. By then I had already started to play instruments and eventually started playing them in the church we attended.  It was this situation that made my start in the music business quite easy, as I was approached on a regular basis to play for various projects.

6. So were your brothers and sisters musical as well?

I think most of my brothers and sisters tried an instrument in one way or other(I remember my eldest brother having a real good go at the saxophone), but there was never any intention of them taking it too seriously. However, they all did their time in various choirs.

7.  What was the name of the first band you recorded with?

Trying to remember the first band I recorded with is proving to be a little tricky, because as soon as I could play well enough there were lots of projects that need playing on… I think it may have been someone that lived just down the road from me. However, the name escapes me right now. I do remember that I’d alway think it sounded better listening back to a recording, than when I originally played it.

8.  Have you recorded any solo albums?

I have recorded enough material for a few solo albums(chuckle),
but have never got round to releasing them due to other commitments.

9.  How did you become involved with The Selecter?

Many years ago…about 1991…. I went into a studio to record with a band. When I finished the recordings. The producer, who was also a bass player, asked me if I was available to do some other sessions. I said yes, and was invited down to another studio to play on some music for TV commercials. Whilst being there, the producer of that session asked me if I’d be available to play on an album he was planning to do with a reformed band called The Selecter. The album never happened at the time, but I did the live shows… And the rest, they say, is history!!

10.  Did you find it difficult to adjust to touring lifestyle?

Whilst on tour you become like a big family because you really are living together. Also you have to be aware and respect each others space. So I’d say growing up in a big family has suitably prepared me for all of this.

11.  You used the term "reformed" when speaking of The Selecter. I noticed that also in Wikipedia. Explain that please.

The original band probably wasn't together much longer than a year and a half…dating back from the late seventies.

In the early nineties, Pauline Black and Neol Davis were invited to do some songs on stage with Bad Manners. It went so well it led them, plus a couple of the members from Bad Manners(Nick Welsh and Martin Stewart), to reform the Selecter. After a while Neol left to pursue other avenues, as Pauline continued to do the shows. After a few years Gaps Hendrickson rejoined the band for a period of time.

12.  When The English Beat split and reformed, there was a version with Dave Wakeling  that played in the US and a  version with Ranking Roger, that played in the UK, is that what happened with The Selecter?

As far as I know, Neol went on to pursue an instrumental version of the Selecter for a while. So I suppose there was plenty of space for both outfits to operate in the same territory.

13.  Have you ever participated in any of the 80s Festivals that are popular in Europe now?

I've probably done most festivals one way or another… Glastonbury being one of the most recognised

14.  Just because I can ask, what is your favorite 80s tune ;)

Whenever I’m asked about my favourite song, the answer’s usually met with surprise. I’m a musician and I like dancing, so I like lots of music for different reasons. However, I always point out "Forget Me Nots” by Patrice Rushen as a standout song for me. I think it had to do with the time and where I was in my ability to play. The simplicity and just where listening to it seemed to take me. Of course it must have had an affect on others too…as it went on to be used by George Michael and on the soundtrack for Men In Black…amongst others.

15.  Who were your musical influences growing up?

Drums wasn't the first instrument I picked up, I actually started playing organ. So as well as listening to the organist in the church I attended as a child, I like listening to people like Billy Preston, Richard Tee. I was a Steve Gadd and Billy Cobham fan from a very young age. I liked listening to people like Jaco Pastorious, Louis Johnson and Marcus Miller too. I thought Chaka Khan had an absolutely amazing voice along with Aretha Franklin and Mahalia Jackson. When I eventually got on to drums, I felt I found ways of incorporating elements of these artists that had influenced me from a young age.

16.  There have been many speculations, but where exactly did Ska music originate?My parents are from Jamaica, and for a lifetime my belief was ska was a precursor to  reggae and rock steady.

Born in Jamaica in about the 1950’s, ska had elements of rhythm and blues, calypso and jazz.

17.  With a specific genre like Ska, there are so many revivals that have culminated in the past decades. Do you feel that this evolution has deluded the purity of Ska as a whole?

I think it would be a little unfair of me to generalise about what the more recent bands have and are bringing to the table. I think ska will always have its place set in stone. There are those bands that will stay true to the original. I also think there are some that have adjusted for modern times, which will bring in a whole new audience, but also have the ability to educate them where this music has come from… And dare I say it.. I think in all genres you’ll have a few bands that don’t quite understand the roots of the music they are trying to produce

18.  Do you think that it is more difficult to break into the music industry now than when you first did?

The whole thing about the music industry depends on what you’d like to get out of it.  For example… If your goal is to make great music, there is nothing stopping you other than maybe limitations with your ability to produce what you feel inside.  However, if your goals are to be rich and famous, I’d say yes, it is a bit more difficult now, as there are probably far more people that have an attempt at doing it. Also I think its harder now to maintain a position if you do get there.

19.  Do you think Television has been saturated with shows such as American Idol and The Voice?

I've never been a fan of those singer/music competition TV shows. I have never thought of music as a competition… I really believe everyone can bring something to the table…just a matter of finding what it is.   I think if there was only one of those shows it’d still be too many for me.

20. What is your advice for young musicians that are just starting out?

I’m not sure I qualify for giving out advice to musicians just starting out, as I’m sure many of us want different things. However, I would say its important to do it because you have a real passion for it, first and foremost. There could be lots of ups and downs, especially when you start out, and its being armed with the love for music that can pull you through

Well that's it everyone, what a great interview! Tune in next time, Ciao for Now!