SPECIAL GUEST: LARRY FAST….Synth Wizard/Composer to Join Opening Set Lineup! an interview with Judi Cuervo
Larry Fast can sure keep a secret. My recent interview with the electronic music master came shortly after I learned a bit about the opening planned for Strawbs’ 50th Anniversary Weekend. Despite my attempts to wangle the details out of him, Larry’s holding fast (no pun intended) so it looks like we’ll all have to wait until April 26th to hear exactly how this historic event will kick off.
This is huge! I understand that you will be part of the Strawbs’ 50th Anniversary Weekend opening set…which will include songs never before played live! I’m certainly not asking you to divulge specifics, but what would you tell fans who are anticipating the event?
I think that the collection of songs will be very eclectic. A 50-year career covers a lot of territory and different fans have different favorites, but I hope to be contributing to a particular subset of songs that may be loved by long-time followers of Dave and the Strawbs. I can’t give anything away right now.
Will the material be very obscure?
That depends on a particular fan’s level of interest. Not obscure if you’ve been paying close attention for 40 or 50 years, but possibly less known to casual listeners.
All previously recorded by the band?
Previously recorded, but not necessarily by the full band in any given time period.
Any plans for writing something special for the opening?
No one has asked me to do that.
Dave Cousins tells me that you and he go back to 1977 when you both worked on the Intergalactic Touring Band album but, peripherally, it seems you had a Strawbs connection even earlier with Rick Wakeman. Can you tell us a bit about that?
I didn’t meet Rick until he was a few months into his first Yes tenure after his time with the Strawbs. It was his backstory when we got to know each other that brought the Strawbs to my attention. That was about 48 years ago. We all had some other mutual connections through various people at our respective record companies and others whom I had worked with in the UK.
Hmmmm….Intergalactic Touring Band. Dave Cousins. Larry Fast. Annie Haslam. Might we be treated to an ITB reunion performance at any point?
Only Dave can confirm or deny the final set list, but the three of us have other shared connections beside IGTB project. That’s an outgrowth of my being an American knocking around the UK scene in the 1970s.
You have quite a resume and are considered a master in synthesized music. Besides your own groundbreaking Synergy Project, you’ve worked with Yes, Nektar, Annie Haslam, Hall & Oates, Kate Bush, Foreigner, Bonnie Tyler and, for many years, toured and recorded with Peter Gabriel. Oddly, it appears that your childhood fascination with music and electronics combined and you were deep into the electronic genre way ahead of your time. Is that accurate?
Electronic music was a perfect outlet for me, combining my interests in electronic technology with the ability to use technology to create music. I was fortunate to be exploring the field of electronic music when it was still relatively early in its development.
Did you have any traditional music instruction before focusing on the electronic?
Yes. I started on violin when I was 7 and then moved onto private piano lessons for years beginning at about age 9. I never aspired to be a classical pianist; always more interested in composing and producing and with a big part of me firmly planted in the rock world. But, at college I took music courses in theory and composition to deepen and formalize my skillsets in music while pursing degree work in history plus other studies in engineering and computers.
I understand you attended a Strawbs gig in Long Island a year and a half ago. How long before then had you seen Strawbs live?
It was actually at Whippany, NJ in 2016, but not that far from the Long Island show on the same tour leg. Prior to that I hadn’t seen the band perform for decades. I had seen them many times before, though; Capitol Theater in New Jersey, the Academy of Music in New York, Philadelphia, I’m sure.
And did you and Dave have any conversations at that time that, looking back, might have suggested that you’d be called upon to perform with the band at some point in the future?
Dave and I talked a lot after that 2016 show, catching up on the intervening years and mutual friends. But, I didn’t pick up on any hint of my possible involvement in the 50th Anniversary tour.
You’re a New Jersey boy so you certainly don’t have to travel too far for Strawbs’ 50th Anniversary Weekend. Have you ever attended any shows at The Strand?
The Strand is certainly more convenient than the venues I played with Peter Gabriel were—at that time, tour and recording logistics made me a regular commuter to London and Bath. I’ve been to The Strand over the years to see friends Annie Haslam and Renaissance several times. A beautifully restored theater.
Aside from that opening set of never-before-played songs. What are you most looking forward to during Strawbs’ 50th?
Seeing and working with a number of old friends and acquaintances who will be part of the show, including Dave, of course, and meeting some new people with whom I’ve never worked before.
###
