Marty Willson-Piper

Marty Willson-Piper
Background information
Born (1958-05-07) 7 May 1958
Stockport, Cheshire, England
Genres Rock
Instruments Guitar, vocals, bass guitar
Years active 1980–present
Labels Um & Ah Records
Survival Records
Festival Records
Rykodisc
Heyday Records
Associated acts The Church
All About Eve
Noctorum
Moat
Sweet Gum Tree
Anekdoten
Website http://martywillson-piper.com/

Marty Willson-Piper is an English guitarist and singer/songwriter best known as a long-time member of the Australian psychedelic rock band The Church. He joined in 1980 after seeing an early gig where they were performing as a three-piece. He was an integral member of the band for over 30 years. He was also the guitarist for the English alternative rock band All About Eve from 1991 to 1993 and again from 1999 to 2002. He is currently working with Swedish progressive rock band Anekdoten.

Early life

Willson-Piper was born in Stockport, Cheshire, on 7 May 1958 and grew up as a teenager in Thingwall, on The Wirral, about 7 mi (11 km) from Liverpool’s city centre. He has a brother who is 7 years older and his mother had another child in between who died soon after birth who was named Robin. Willson-Piper also has an adopted sister called Shelagh.

When he was 3 years old the family moved from Compstall, where his parents had a pub called The Commercial, to a house just outside Marple Bridge near Glossop.

Sometime around 1970 the family moved again to Birch Vale in Derbyshire, a small village between New Mills and Hayfield where his parents took on another pub after his father lost his job when the company he worked for went bankrupt. The pub was called The Grouse Hotel.

Unfortunately this period of his life was short-lived, as his dad got a job in Liverpool and the family packed up from this old pub in the country and moved into a small flat in Thingwall on the Wirral Peninsula between Heswall and Arrowe Park.

At 14 he was taught the guitar by his brother who was a member of a cabaret band called The Hiltons. Willson-Piper soon started his own band with school friends Dare and David Mason, Gary Williams and Jimmy Waterson.

After leaving school at 16, Willson-Piper worked various jobs including stints at Walls ice cream factory and being a door to door salesman. He soon travelled to mainland Europe (France, Spain and Germany) busking outside train stations and working odd jobs such as grape collecting.

He moved to Australia with his then-wife Lucy and arrived in Sydney in April 1980 at age 21.

Willson-Piper went along to see an early performance of The Church (then a three-piece) and was asked to join the band a few days before his 22nd birthday in May 1980.

The Church

On 6 May 1980, Willson-Piper joined The Church on guitar, vocals and bass guitar, alongside Steve Kilbey, Peter Koppes and Nick Ward.[1][2] Willson-Piper's sound was influenced by guitarists such as Tom Verlaine and Bill Nelson.[3]

Willson-Piper contributed to most of the Church's studio releases and was a member almost continuously from 1980 to 2013. The only exception is the 1997 album Pharmakoi/Distance-Crunching Honchos with Echo Units, which only featured Kilbey, Koppes and drummer Tim Powles and was released as "The Refo:mation". Willson-Piper's last release with the Church was the 2014 live album A Psychedelic Symphony: Live at Sydney Opera House, recorded in 2011.

Kilbey announced on the band's Facebook page that former Powderfinger guitarist Ian Haug had replaced Willson-Piper, who Kilbey explained was "not available" for the recording of a new album and subsequent touring.[4]

Solo career, Noctorum and MOAT

Willson-Piper has maintained a steady solo output since the mid-1980s, releasing six solo studio albums and three live solo albums.[5]

Three of his albums are collaborations with long-time friend Andy 'Dare' Mason (who has produced and played on Willson-Piper's solo releases) under the name Noctorum. Noctorum's fourth album is scheduled for release in November 2018 on Schoolkids Records.[6]

Willson-Piper is currently lead singer and lyricist with Swedish band MOAT, releasing a self-titled debut album in October 2013. A track from this album entitled "Try And Make Sense" was used in the Swedish police television drama "Arne Dahl" in the final episode of series one, entitled "Europa Blues". MOAT is a collaboration with Niko Röhlcke of Swedish band Weeping Willows. A second album is currently in the making.[7]

In Deep Music Archive

The In Deep Music Archive is an eclectic collection of music in many forms. An historical and contemporary library of all available physical formats - Vinyl, CD, Cassette, Reel to Reel tape, 8 Track, 78RPM, VHS, DVD, Laser discs, reference books, encyclopedias, catalogues, biographies and magazines. The archive's digital presence is manifested on the In Deep Music Archive website with regular posts about both popular and more obscure artists included in the collection. Collected by Marty Willson-Piper over the past 50 years, the archive has grown into a collection through a life of scouring the record stores around the world, but also through generous donations from friends, fans and record labels alike. It currently holds an estimated 50,000 vinyl records.[8]

Side projects and collaborations

  • Willson-Piper appeared on the single "(Just like) Surf City" by James Griffin and the Subterraneans in 1985.
  • He produced the 1987 album Blood Red Roses for the band Bell Jar.
  • He performed on Black In Sunshine (1988) and wrote "Hidden Treasures" (1990) for Swedish singer Ann Carlberger.
  • He worked with Swedish musician Martin Rössel, with whom he ran a recording studio in Stockholm, and plays guitar on My Eyes (1988) and Paradiset (1989), as well as co-writing "Spegel" and "Kiss The Moon" (1989).
  • Jules Shear's 1989 album The Third Party consist entirely of one acoustic guitar track, played by Willson-Piper, and one vocal track by Shear.
  • Willson-Piper played on several tracks on Tom Verlaine's 1990 album The Wonder, but is uncredited.
  • He spent two stints as guitarist for UK rock group All About Eve, playing on their 1991 album Touched By Jesus, 1992's Ultraviolet, Fairy Light Nights 1 & 2, Live and Electric at the Union Chapel in 2001 as well as their Live In Bonn 1991 DVD. He was also in the offshoot band "Seeing Stars".
  • With Aimee Mann he co-wrote the song "Could've Been Anyone" and appeared on Mann's first album, 1993's Whatever.
  • He wrote "The Sensual Hour" and "Sticks And Stones" in 1994 for The Infidels.
  • He was the co-writer of the song "Battersea" for All About Eve singer Julianne Regan's side project Mice in 1996, as well as appearing on the tracks "Miss World" and "Dark Place".
  • He played lead guitar on Scratch's 1996 song "We Got Fooled Again".
  • He was a co-writer of the song "Knock Me Out" on 4NonBlondes singer Linda Perry's 1996 album In Flight. The song appears on The Crow: City of Angels soundtrack.
  • He wrote and produced three tracks (and played on two) for Brix Smith's 1997 album Happy Unbirthday, as well as co-writing and singing on most of the tracks on her 2007 album Neurotica.
  • He played lead guitar on The Volares 1998 track "Open Book".
  • He worked with David Gedge's Cinerama on their first album, 1998's Va Va Voom, and plays on seven tracks.
  • He produced seven tracks on album Elvis, Halleluja and Hurrah (1998) for Håkan Ahlström, as well as playing on five of them.
  • He produced Justin Clayton's 1999 album Limb and guests on the track "Shallow World".
  • For Swedish act Moderna Män, Willson-Piper produced, recorded and mixed their 2000 album, Entré.
  • In 2003 Willson-Piper recorded the song "Motorcycle" with Australian band Urban Folk Collective for their album Black Rabbit.
  • In 2004 Willson-Piper featured on the tracks "Who Knew the World Would End" and "All Your Kingdom" on Edward Roger's album Sunday Fables' and again in 2008 on the follow up You Haven't Been Where I've Been, on the tracks "Graveyard Voices" and "What Happened To Manfred What Happened To Jane". Willson-Piper plays guitar on the Duncan Brown version of "Alfred Bell" and bass on "Wounded Conversation" on Edward Rogers’ 2017 album TV Generation, co-writing the track "Listen To Me".
  • He contributed guitar solos to Rob Dickinson's single "Oceans" (2005) and The Gronk's "Touch the Sun" (2008).
  • In 2005, Willson-Piper joined veteran Australian band The Saints to record an album Nothing Is Straight In My House, as well as co-writing the track "Passing Strange". Willson-Piper also joined the band for the following tour.
  • In 2006 Willson-Piper performed on the tracks "Martha's Harbour" and "Circle" on the White Rose Transmission album Bewitched And Bewildered.
  • Willson-Piper recorded the duet "Beatles and Stones" with Norwegian singer Marte Heggelund in 2008, for her album Treason.
  • In 2014 Willson-Piper was part of French band Sweet Gum Tree, recording the album The Snakes You Charm and the Wolves You Tame as well as joining the band for their subsequent tour.
  • He makes a guest appearance on Swedish progressive rock band Anekdoten's new album entitled Until All The Ghosts Are Gone, released April 2015, and has since joined the band, playing gigs in Japan, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, Sweden, Norway, France and Armenia.
  • In September 2015, Willson-Piper's own jam band Acres Of Space embarked on a tour of the United States, featuring his eldest daughter Signe Carlberger on backing vocals and his long-time friend Hannah Moorhead on bass. During the spring and summer of 2016, Acres of Space toured the Eastern half of the United States. In December 2016 / January 2017 Acres Of Space played four shows in Chile with Willson-Piper's wife Olivia Willson-Piper on violin. The couple went on to play acoustic shows in Uruguay and Argentina and continue to tour as a duo.

Personal life

Willson-Piper is a vegetarian and an agnostic. He neither smokes nor drinks alcohol. He has two daughters, Signe (*1989) and Charlotte (*1996). Willson-Piper is married to violinist Olivia Willson-Piper and was married once before to Australian Lucy Stewart in the early eighties.

He has lived in London, New York, Madrid, Amsterdam and Stockholm and speaks Swedish.

Discography

Albums

  • In Reflection – Um & Ah Records (UM-7) (1987)
  • Art Attack – Survival Records (462450.1) (1988) (Rykodisc CD 20042 includes 6 bonus tracks from In Reflection). Personnel include Ann Carlberger, Andy Mason, David Leone, Barton Price (from Australian band Models), Martin Rössel.
  • Rhyme – Festival Records (L 30346) (1989) (Rykodisc CD RCD 10114). Personnel include Andy Mason and Christian Falk.
  • Spirit Level (1992) (Rykodisc CD 10197). Personnel include Sebastian Oberg, Andres Herneston, Ann Carlberger and others.
  • Hanging Out in Heaven – Heyday Records (HEY 046) (2000). No singles were released from this album.
  • Nightjar – Heyday Records (2008)

Singles and EPs

  • She's King (1988). Tracks: Official release tracks: 'She's King' 3:37; 'Listen/Space' 5:00; 'Frightened Just Because of You' 2:54. (The first two tracks are as included on the Art Attack album; 'Frightened Just because of You' is here an alternate version). The USA-only Ryko Records RBD-0423 radio promo version of the e.p. featured 'She's King'; 'Too Round to Be Square'; and 'On the Tip of My Tongue' (which are all from Art Attack).
  • On the Tip of My Tongue (1988) (from Art Attack)
  • Questions Without Answers (1989) (from Rhyme)
  • Melancholy Girl (1989) (from Rhyme)
  • Luscious Ghost e.p. (1992). Tracks: 'Luscious Ghost' (5:05) (from Spirit level); 'In Circles' 3:34; Luscious Ghost (unfinished version) 4:52
  • I Can't Cry (1992) (from Spirit Level)

Live Recordings

  • Live at the Fine Line Cafe – Heyday Records (2000) Recorded live at The Fine Line Cafe, Minneapolis, Minnesota on 15 February 1990.

Tracks: St. Germain/Frightened Just Because of You/Water/Melody of the Rain/I Can't Cry/10,000 Miles/You Whisper/Questions Without Answers/Time Is Imaginary/To Where I Am Now/On The Tip Of My Tongue/Here Come the Tears.

  • Live At The Knitting Factory – Heyday Records (2000)

Tracks: I Know I Won't/She's King/You Whisper/Time Is Imaginary/St Germaine/The Air Between Us/Say/Evil Queen Of England/10,000 Miles/Spark

  • Live From The Other Side – Um & Ah Records (UM-22) (2004) Recorded live in 2003 at the Sandringham Hotel, Newtown, Sydney.

Seeing Stars

  • Seeing Stars (1997). This sole eponymous album is essentially by the band All About Eve, minus their vocalist Julianne Regan.

Noctorum

  • Sparks Lane (2004)
  • Offer the Light (2006)
  • Honey Mink Forever (2011)
  • The Afterlife (2018)

The Saints

Other projects

  • MOAT – MOAT (2013)
  • MOAT – Poison Stream (tba)
  • Sweet Gum Tree – The Snakes You Charm and the Wolves You Tame (2014)
  • Anekdoten – Until All The Ghosts Are Gone (2015)

References

  1. ↑ Holmgren, Magnus. "Marty Willson-Piper". passagen.se. Australian Rock Database (Magnus Holmgren). Archived from the original on 11 October 2012. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
  2. ↑ Holmgren, Magnus. "The Church". passagen.se. Australian Rock Database (Magnus Holmgren). Archived from the original on 6 October 2012. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
  3. ↑ Robert Dean Lurie. No Certainty Attached: Steve Kilbey and the Church. Portland, Ore.: Verse Chorus Press, 2009, p.153.
  4. ↑ Lauren Ziegler (26 November 2013). "The Church's Steve Kilbey replaces Marty Willson-Piper with Powderfinger's Ian Haug". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 7 December 2013.
  5. ↑ http://martywillson-piper.com/music/marty-willson-piper/
  6. ↑ http://martywillson-piper.com/music/noctorum/
  7. ↑ http://martywillson-piper.com/music/moat/
  8. ↑ http://www.indeepmusicarchive.net/


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