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TBS: Yeah, and I can understand it, but the result is if you're the winner, or
even a finalist, what have you, you can put it on your website. You can put
it on your posters, and it just helps, doesn’t it? Eases the bookings a bit,
really.
BiTS: Now tell me something about the other musicians. Jo Chambers, for
example. Who is she and how did you meet her, and that sort of thing?
TBS: Well, Jo Chambers, she's a classical violinist and she has never played
this type of music before. I got her in for the last album. I had a fiddle player
as we were practising the album and then she dropped out. She got a better
job and couldn't afford the time. Then my brother said, oh, there's a woman,
he lives in the next village to me, he said there's a woman over the back from
me. I can hear a practising violin. It turned out to be my son’s best friend’s
stepmum. He was in Holland, so I sent a message, is your stepmum playing
violin? Yes, she does. Is she interested in playing with me? She had heard of
me, and she really wanted to do it and she's very, very talented. So I got her
in, and we've been playing together for two years now, on and off, when
people can afford a trio, she comes with us.
BiTS: Now tell me something about Jesse Benns.
TBS: Well, Jesse Benns, he came from Tewksbury. Now he's in Cheltenham,
he's half my age, but he's always been a Cajón player. When I was putting
together the “Not Far To Go” album, I wanted percussion, so I got in touch
with him at the same time as the violin player, really. We got on so well, we
drove to Italy and back and we've been touring and playing ever since. Again,
I do solo, duo or trio, depending on the budget really.
BiTS: And finally a little bit about Lily Skinner.
TBS: Oh, Lily Skinner is my stepdaughter. She sang on “The Solemn Truth
And Bare Faced Lies” album in COVID. She was living on the boat with us.
In COVID, she had some trouble in London. We brought her back and she
slept on our settee for a year. But we started playing music and stuff and she
doesn't do a lot of singing, but she loves to sing. So, we put her on “The
Solemn Truth and Bare Faced Lies” album, and then when I needed backing