FERMANAGH bassist Richard Ireson has been playing for almost 50 years, having started performing when he was in his teens. With gigs now non-existent due to the pandemic, Richard has been using his time in lockdown to write and record music. Here he tells The Impartial Reporter about his favourite song to play, about writing music and his best moment as a musician, so far.

Do you perform solo or do you also play with a band?

I’VE played with numerous bands over the years but this last year has been troublesome for everyone!

I’ve mostly filled that time with writing, along with recording collaborations with other musicians. I’m particularly proud to work with my daughter, Alice. We’re just putting the finishing touches to an old classic to be released shortly.

How would you describe your sound?

HMMM, tricky! As a bass player I try to make what I do fit in with whatever the piece I’m working on needs. My ‘sound’ varies accordingly.

What genre/genres of music do you most enjoy playing?

I LOVE Progressive Rock, both modern and classic. But to be honest, I enjoy anything that is a challenge, something that pushes my limits.

I just released a cover of Ian Dury’s, ‘Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick’ on my YouTube channel; for me, that was a real challenge to play and hence very enjoyable!

How long have you been performing?

SINCE I was 16, and I’m 63 now!

Where do you perform?

FOR the last year or so, in my home studio. But pubs would have been the main places up till then.

What is your favourite song to play and why?

PROBABLY ‘Rhythm Stick’; in my opinion, it’s probably the best bassline ever written.

What has been your biggest gig, to date?

NOTHING particularly grand; possibly the Kempfest festival, near Birmingham, a couple of years back. A good friend asked me to perform with his band, The Queen Has Two Heads.

Any funny gig stories?

THERE was a time in the early ’80s, I was playing a gig in Bedford with the Rock band, Skua. There was nobody in the audience; we had to pay someone to come in from the bar next door!

Who are your major influences?

I WAS influenced by the many great Prog bass players from the ’70s, but the art has progressed so much from then.

People like Norman Watt Roy, Victor Wooten, Marcus Miller, Leland Sklar, Scott Devine would be high on my list.

Do you write your own songs? If so, what inspires your songwriting?

YES, although since I don’t – can’t – sing, they’re tunes rather than songs. Anything that takes my fancy, from environmental issues (‘Second Dawn’) to a whimsical approach to life and its inevitable progress (‘The Life and Times of GP Hokenslater the 4th’), both on my YouTube channel.

What would be your dream gig?

A PACKED pub with punters who actually want to see live music!

Best moment as a musician so far?

WHEN Leland Sklar recognised my work.

What is the most unusual venue you have played?

CAN’T really think of anything particularly unusual. Tiny pubs with postage stamp-sized ‘stages’! Bars where the ‘stage’ is on the route to the toilets! Quite usual, really!

What is your ‘go-to’ encore song?

IN MY last regular band, that would be ‘Thunderstruck’, I guess.

What’s the best thing about performing?

IT’S often said that performing is the best thing you can do with your clothes on. I would agree. For me the biggest kick is seeing people enjoying themselves.

Of course, it would be churlish not to say that we also don’t mind having our backs patted once in a while!

How has lockdown impacted you as a musician?

NO BLEEPING gigs! It’s been crushing.

What does 2021 hold for you?

HOPEFULLY, the rest of this year ahead will bring an improvement in the gig situation, but I have plenty more collaborations to work on and I have some ideas for new covers and home-brew tunes.

Any last words?

THIS last year has taken its toll on artists, especially musicians. I’m not professional and don’t rely on the income from gigging, but many thousands do.

I urge anyone who has the remotest interest in music to support, in whatever way you can, the production of live music. It will die without that support.