Post by cofi on Jul 12, 2007 20:25:35 GMT
Aynt Skynyrd is a Southernrock band from the UK,
I'll let them tell their own story
THE STORY SO FAR... The idea for a Lynyrd Skynyrd tribute band developed from the increasing number of Skynyrd songs that the core members – as Stealer in their rock covers guise – had been playing more and more at their gigs around the north over the last ten years of their existence. The decision to play more Skynyrd songs in the set was purely down to an increasing love of the music, although we began to realise that the fans were also avid southern rock fans, so after much deliberation, we decided to draft in a few more members to create that classic big Skynyrd sound.
So Mick, Nick, Andy and Tivvy trawled the local pubs and venues in the York area, and their address books, and eventually we settled on the current Aynt Skynyrd line up which also included Dave on keys, Big Rich on bass, and Marcia and Jo as the glamorous ‘Honkettes’. And so Aynt Skynyrd was born in January 2006.
Half the songs were well rehearsed as they had been staples in the Stealer set for years, and new songs were being introduced all the time at local ‘jam’ nights in York. The next step was to get them to the stage where they could be presented professionally in a large arena. This was and still is no mean feat, as the original Skynyrd were incredibly accomplished musicians, who rehearsed their songs ferociously under the strict regime created by Ronnie Van Zant.
The next step was to start planning gigs, and to do that a recording will be required. This was done in May 2006, and the fruits of this short session resulted in a three track CD: Sweet Home Alabama, Gimme Back My Bullets and Call Me The Breeze. Plans are afoot to record more songs and spend much more time (and money) over them in order to recreate the Muscle Shoals vibe, and a live recording will be done shortly, but the best way to appreciate a band such as this is to see them live. And this is where Aynt Skynyrd delivers.
Before the band booked any gigs there was a question on everyone’s lips: Is there a market in the UK for this band? Any doubts were quickly unfounded after we debuted at the New Roscoe venue in Leeds. It turned out that there are thousands of Skynyrd fans out there, but there is noone to satisfy their desire to hear classic southern rock played from the heart.
The band has a philosophy on recreating the songs of the greatest rock’n’roll band the world has seen, and it’s a simple ethos: Don’t play it, feel it. This has been born out of years of seeing many local bands play other bands songs quite adequately and in some instances very skilfully, but with no soul or feeling.
This would be criminal if it was to be applied to the music of Lynyrd Skynyrd. The fact that you are reading this means that you care about music, and that it is not just a ‘commodity’ that is made to be sold by a cynical music industry. Lynyrd Skynyrd were never about making hit records, although they seemed to be very good at it. This is because they played honest southern rock, which your average Joe could relate to. There was no pretence in the message or the music.
One could argue that the notion of a ‘tribute’ to Lynyrd Skynyrd undermines this idea of authenticity. Another side of the debate may point out that a tribute is the showing of ultimate respect. Aynt Skynyrd prefers the latter, as forming the band was not an overnight decision. Playing the songs was something we had been doing for years. The Freebird solo was the first lick I learnt to play on guitar. To play it in a band at every gig for ten years and still get a shiver down my spine is down to pure love of a band that defined a generation.
Nick West.
Band Website ayntskynyrd.com
Band Members
Lead Vocals
Mick Sawyer
Guitar
Nick West
Guitar
Andy Gooby
Guitar
Rich Tull
Drums
Tivvy
Bass & Hats
Big Rich Hind
Keyboards
Dave Barker
Backing Vocals
Joey Sawyer
Backing Vocals
Marcia Rankin
I'll let them tell their own story
THE STORY SO FAR... The idea for a Lynyrd Skynyrd tribute band developed from the increasing number of Skynyrd songs that the core members – as Stealer in their rock covers guise – had been playing more and more at their gigs around the north over the last ten years of their existence. The decision to play more Skynyrd songs in the set was purely down to an increasing love of the music, although we began to realise that the fans were also avid southern rock fans, so after much deliberation, we decided to draft in a few more members to create that classic big Skynyrd sound.
So Mick, Nick, Andy and Tivvy trawled the local pubs and venues in the York area, and their address books, and eventually we settled on the current Aynt Skynyrd line up which also included Dave on keys, Big Rich on bass, and Marcia and Jo as the glamorous ‘Honkettes’. And so Aynt Skynyrd was born in January 2006.
Half the songs were well rehearsed as they had been staples in the Stealer set for years, and new songs were being introduced all the time at local ‘jam’ nights in York. The next step was to get them to the stage where they could be presented professionally in a large arena. This was and still is no mean feat, as the original Skynyrd were incredibly accomplished musicians, who rehearsed their songs ferociously under the strict regime created by Ronnie Van Zant.
The next step was to start planning gigs, and to do that a recording will be required. This was done in May 2006, and the fruits of this short session resulted in a three track CD: Sweet Home Alabama, Gimme Back My Bullets and Call Me The Breeze. Plans are afoot to record more songs and spend much more time (and money) over them in order to recreate the Muscle Shoals vibe, and a live recording will be done shortly, but the best way to appreciate a band such as this is to see them live. And this is where Aynt Skynyrd delivers.
Before the band booked any gigs there was a question on everyone’s lips: Is there a market in the UK for this band? Any doubts were quickly unfounded after we debuted at the New Roscoe venue in Leeds. It turned out that there are thousands of Skynyrd fans out there, but there is noone to satisfy their desire to hear classic southern rock played from the heart.
The band has a philosophy on recreating the songs of the greatest rock’n’roll band the world has seen, and it’s a simple ethos: Don’t play it, feel it. This has been born out of years of seeing many local bands play other bands songs quite adequately and in some instances very skilfully, but with no soul or feeling.
This would be criminal if it was to be applied to the music of Lynyrd Skynyrd. The fact that you are reading this means that you care about music, and that it is not just a ‘commodity’ that is made to be sold by a cynical music industry. Lynyrd Skynyrd were never about making hit records, although they seemed to be very good at it. This is because they played honest southern rock, which your average Joe could relate to. There was no pretence in the message or the music.
One could argue that the notion of a ‘tribute’ to Lynyrd Skynyrd undermines this idea of authenticity. Another side of the debate may point out that a tribute is the showing of ultimate respect. Aynt Skynyrd prefers the latter, as forming the band was not an overnight decision. Playing the songs was something we had been doing for years. The Freebird solo was the first lick I learnt to play on guitar. To play it in a band at every gig for ten years and still get a shiver down my spine is down to pure love of a band that defined a generation.
Nick West.
Band Website ayntskynyrd.com
Band Members
Lead Vocals
Mick Sawyer
Guitar
Nick West
Guitar
Andy Gooby
Guitar
Rich Tull
Drums
Tivvy
Bass & Hats
Big Rich Hind
Keyboards
Dave Barker
Backing Vocals
Joey Sawyer
Backing Vocals
Marcia Rankin
Great sound guy's, 
Rawk on 
