Last week was particularly good for me in a musical sense. As you may know (I hardly hide the fact) I’m a quite hopelessly dribbling fanboy when it comes to Mike Keneally. I’ve been buying his albums since the first one came out in 1992. But I’d never been able to see him play live. For a musician with a loyal but small following, touring abroad is an expensive business, and Mike had, until last week, never played his own music in the UK.
So you can imagine I was pretty excited about the clinic tour organized by Taylor Guitars. With trusty bassist Bryan Beller, Mike played five such clinics all over England, ending with a solo gig in Cardiff. I made it to two of the clinics, in Hitchin and Richmond, and was totally blown away two nights in succession.
It’s not just that Mike is a truly gifted guitarist, singer and songwriter… it’s not just that Bryan is one of the most talented bassists you’ll ever hear… it’s not just that they’re both genuine, approachable people willing to spend time talking to their fans… it’s a combination of all these things, and then the fact that there’s this intuitive interplay between the two of them. There were occasions in both of the clinics I saw where Mike and Bryan would respond to each other’s playing without any eye contact… just reacting to the sound of the music, and trusting the other to react in turn to the new direction the song was taking. *That* is what music is all about. Photos soon, once I get them developed…