What?s the story behind your band name?
Not very glamorous really, but the band?s founder members were listening to a Don Henley album of the same name when the idea of forming the band first came up. We both liked the name so stuck with it, and we?ve never come up with anything better that appealed to us!
What are your songs about?
We?re a covers band, so the songs could be about anything and everything. We try not to pick songs which are depressing or too morose. We?re a party band after all so we need to pick songs which will strike a chord with our audience and get them up on the dance floor!
How did the band start?
It started as an idea to create a purpose-built function band like nothing ever seen in Jersey before. We planned it meticulously and spent about 6 months auditioning people before settling on a final line-up. We wanted it to be very strong vocally, allowing scope for some seriously impressive harmonies, (which many similar covers bands lack unfortunately) that would make us unique from any other. It would also mean that we could cover both male and female lead songs and give us a larger repertoire to work from. We?ve been very lucky to be blessed with some excellent musicians, six of which have fantastic singing voices. We knew it would take some time to get noticed, but I think we have achieved that in just two years, which is testament to the effort and commitment of the group of musicians we have.
What is your coolest band story?
Given our (older) ages and the type of band we are, I?m not sure if we even qualify as a ?cool? band! Plus we?ve not been together long enough to have any really exciting stories. I guess one of the funniest things that has happened would be when an entire team of rugby players stripped off and performed a Haka while we played Tom Jones? ?You Can Leave Your Hat On?!
If you had the chance to interview your fans, what would be the first question you would ask?
We?re always looking for feedback from our customers and guests at the functions we play, so I think the first question would be something on the lines of ?What would you like to see us do?? It?s very important for us, as a band that is there to provide entertainment for a party, that we strike the right balance between playing music we like, and playing music that the audience want to hear.
If you had space in your band and the whole world wanted to join, who would you accept and why?
Sometimes it feels like the whole world HAS joined, there are so many of us! I think it would have to be someone who had the same goals and ambitions as we all do. Clearly they would need to be a good musician, but above all they would have to be committed to the same cause, be a willing team player, and have the same drive to succeed as the rest of us. For a band like Inside Job to be at its best, it?s essential that we all get on well and are following the same road. Anyone joining with their own agendas and not with the same levels of enthusiasm and focus as the rest of us would soon realise it?s not the band for them. Anyway, where would we put them?!
You?ve made it Rolling Stones big and you come back to play a homecoming outdoor concert in jersey, where would you play?
There are so many choices, but Jersey Live would have to top the bill. Otherwise a similar stage down along the Waterfront or at Peoples Park would be great. The bigger the crowd the better!
What?s the plan for 2009?
The main aim this year is to really get ourselves noticed by local businesses and events managers in Jersey, as well as promoting ourselves as a band for the smaller private functions such as weddings and birthdays, which we are more than suitable for.
A lot of functions take place every year where the entertainment is brought over from the UK. Not because they are necessarily better, but because there is a common perception that nothing of that standard exists in Jersey. We want to get the message out to everyone that there IS a Jersey-based band that meets that standard, so no more hassles or worries about travel and accommodation arrangements and costs on top of the band?s fee. That band is Inside Job, we?re local and we?re proud of it!
KASAÏ MASAÏ
Back again this year is the Channel Islands Music Council World Music Series sponsored by Collins Stewart. It gives islanders of all ages a chance enjoy sounds from around the globe.
The spring and summer programme will feature performers from Eastern Europe, Cuba and the United States, kicking off with Kasaï Masaï from the Congo. They will be bringing the traditional sound of remote equatorial African villages to Jersey, picking up a contemporary twist along the way. Playing ancestral music which has been passed on from generation to generation, the sound of the five piece London based band is rooted in the healing power of percussion and singing combined with the majestic Congolese guitar and jazz saxophone.
CIMC representative Neil Courtney, head of the Jersey Instrumental Service, said: ?I think it?s really worthwhile for people to experience all different kinds of music as I think exposure to different cultures helps to broaden everyone?s understandings of the world. And of course it is great music so you can be entertained at the same time.?
There will also be a schools performance supported by Education, Sport and Culture.
Date: Friday 24 April / Time: 8pm
Venue: Jersey Arts Centre
Tickets: £15 (£9 students) / £12.75 (£7.65) Members
