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July 5th, 2008
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Daisies and champagne

Red Snapper looks to make a splash in Prague
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By Tony Ozuna
For The Prague Post
January 23rd, 2008 issue

COURTESY PHOTO
The band isn't kidding about looking for new fans, of whom they expect to find many in the Czech Republic.
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Red Snapper

When: Friday, Jan. 25, at 7:30
Where: Pálac Akropolis
Tickets: 320 Kč, available through Ticketpro and at the venue

London-based Red Snapper comes to Prague for the first time this week, though its music has been closely followed by alternative jazz and dance music fans in the Czech Republic since the group’s releases in the mid-’90s.
Red Snapper was formed in 1993 as a trio: Ali Friend (double bass), Rich Thair (drums) and David Ayers (guitar). They immediately had a sound all their own, combining jazz instrumentation to merge a surf-punk, dub and what at the time was truly nu jazz into groovy instrumentals with a breakbeat.
They soon added horns with Allan Riding (flute, melodica and saxophone). And, since this was at the peak of acid jazz and trip-hop in London, they also added vocalists, inevitably sounding more like Massive Attack by the time they released their 1996 debut album, Prince Blimy (Warp Records).
Their last release, jointly on Warp and Matador Records, Our Aim is to Satisfy Red Snapper, had pop appeal but not the edge that the group began with. So they disbanded to concentrate on separate projects, only to regroup last year.
During their six-year break, Thair says, “I think we were enjoying the freedom of not being tied to a musical family and building our individual self-confidence.”
And they never played Prague for a very simple reason: “We never were offered a gig in Prague! Now we’re just taking gigs where real Snapper fans want us.”
Apparently the band has a loyal following around the world, since, according to Thair, they are planning to play the Shetland Isles, Isle of Man, Siberia, El Salvador, Ulan Bator, Essex, Wales, Peru, Goa and Luton, among other places.
“The list is endless,” Thair says. “We are a live band and we want to spread the word.”
From the beginning, Red Snapper strove to distinguish itself as a live band, and became an inspiration to later projects combining live jazz musicians and house DJs. On this tour, the group is back to an instrumental quartet with Thair, Friend and Ayers, and Tom Challenger on sax, melodica, and clarinet. Thair describes the new sound as “offjazzrockabillyhop.”
So the revived group is going back its roots. Referring to their earlier, seminal recordings, Thair says, “They were good times creatively and we have them again, without the pressure of record companies...like when we started.” On this outing they will be playing what Thair calls “the best kinda Snapper,” both old and new material without vocals.
The group has been writing and recording new material, but has not reached a deal with a label, partly because of their new attitude.
“With instrumental music such as ours, the market is now limited, even though we have a big fan base,” Thair admits. “I suspect that however well-received our new tunes are, the industry will come back to us and say, ‘What about vocals?’ So we are constantly looking for vocalists to work with. But after things went wrong with Warp records because they wanted us to become more commercial, we are nervous about not being true to ourselves.
“We will only get one chance to get this right. So it would be a mistake to rush out releases before we know our real market.”
Which makes touring essential.
“Personally, I’ve never been to Prague, but I’ve heard that they welcome musicians who haven’t visited the country with arms open and fists full of daisies and champagne,” Thair says. “It has always been a country that I’ve wanted to visit, and the rest of the band agrees it’s a place that we feel will embrace our sound. We can’t wait to get out there and entertain people who obviously want to check us out and our musical personality. I’m sure this first gig will build the foundations for an exciting future for Snapper in the Czech Republic.”

Tony Ozuna can be reached at features@praguepost.com


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