To Be Over -
Ten True Summers Celebrated!
Yestribute.com
is delighted to announce that Fragile will be reforming for a special appearance
at the Mathew Street Festival in Liverpool this August bank holiday.
Fragile will be performing on Sunday the 24th August in
celebration of their ten years as an internationally acclaimed Yes tribute act.
Steve Carney confirmed the surprise move in an exclusive interview with
yestribute.com this month, and finally broke his silence concerning Fragile and
the future.
So Steve,
what was incentive to get Fragile back together for the Mathew Street show?
Simple really,
it was the opportunity to celebrate the band’s decade of achievement in front
of a massive audience at the spiritual home of popular music. Yes had its origins in the UK beat movement amongst other
things, and to perform in Liverpool during its time as the European Capital of
Culture was just too good an offer to refuse.
I think we also felt that the band came to a halt in the wrong way and
that here was a great opportunity to put matters right.
Moreover, we played at the festival back in 2004 and had fond memories of
the show. So to be invited back was
a fantastic compliment.
How does
this square with the announcement of six months ago?
The decision to
appear at the Mathew Street Festival is entirely consistent with the statement
issued back in November of last year. What
we said was that Fragile as a regular working entity was on ice for a number of
reasons. However, we did signal
that we would consider one off shows from time to time, and the festival more
than meets the criteria for acceptance. The
situation was intentionally kept loose to accommodate a range of possibilities.
The band
statement came as a shock to many people, can you illuminate us what really lay
behind the decision to call time?
Our last show
in Holland in October 2007 was an ambivalent experience for me personally.
The European tour with Steve Howe had been an artistic triumph and we did
some absolutely fantastic shows. However,
it felt like the end of a wonderful story and I really couldn’t see where the
next piece of magic would come from. We
had achieved so much and I really didn’t want to go backwards.
We got back and
by November it was clear that all of us were in somewhat different places
concerning the future. The
situation was then compounded by some disagreement over business matters that
made my position untenable. We had
been carrying some pretty big baggage on the tour including the threat of legal
action by an ex-member of the band. For
me the focus became less about the privilege of playing with a Yes legend and
more to do with who was owed what. I
did Fragile for fun, so as Mitch always said, when something stops being fun
then stop doing it!
It’s also the
case that within weeks of completing the tour with Steve, my wife was
hospitalised with a serious condition. That
and juggling a family of three and holding down a responsible day job argued
against any early decisions about my musical future.
The last six months have been very difficult, so on reflection the timing
of the decision for me personally was probably a very wise one!
Max has launched Awaken with Rob and Tom, and Jon and Mitch seem to be going great guns with the Astronauts, what’s your take on these developments and indeed what’s next for you?
I am genuinely
pleased that the guys have hit the ground running and I wish them all well.
Jon and Mitch seem to be enjoying a more direct rock format with the
Astronauts and it’s clearly a breath of fresh air for them.
Max’s decision to go with another Yes tribute is a brave move, but with
Rob and Tom on board he has a sound foundation to build on.
In a sense they’re in a better place than Fragile in 1998 when we had
to start from scratch. I think that
was a greater test to be honest, but I’ll be watching with interest.
As for me, well
I would really like to nail the Aquaplanage project as some really good music
has been produced and it would be tragic if it didn’t see the light of day.
However, that’s not just for me to determine and we will have to see
where it goes.
In terms of the
future, I want to take my creative writing forward and operate in both a band
and solo context. Realistically I
am looking at putting together a fresh body of work this autumn and perhaps look
at promoting it in 2009. I think
whatever I do will have a flavour of the progressive about it, but I want to
work in a number of areas in the years ahead.
For instance, I would love to create a musical and the recent film
version of Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd really grabbed me on every level, as has
the stage show Wicked. I want to
broaden the horizons, but rest assured Yes will remain a vital influence in
whatever I do.
Quite probably, but I’ll be guided by their availability and interest. I think we’ve reached a mature place where anything is possible, and Fragile is a kind of extended family where the telepathy is very good. Making music with the guys is never hard, it’s just the other stuff that gets in the way from time to time.
I think it will
continue in some shape of form during the years ahead, and gigs like the Mathew
Street Festival are the kind of incentive that can maintain the connections, the
continuum and momentum. I certainly
wouldn’t dismiss anything out of hand and I am personally going to keep an
open mind.
So will the gig feature the line up that performed the last show in Holland?
Negotiations
have pretty much nailed the full complement as it were, but its delicate and I
don’t want to undermine the good progress made.
There are some outstanding issues that may impact on the final line up,
but whatever happens I’ll be there! In
true Fragile fashion there’s the possibility of a surprise along the way and
watch this space for news on developments.
It’s early
days so nothing is set in stone. However,
we have a forty-five minute slot in which to condense a two and half hour show,
so it’s going to be a challenge. To
be realistic there probably won’t be any big pieces and I we’re minded to go
for some more direct and accessible titles.
I also want to make sure that the guitars feature upfront as in recent
years Rob and Tom had to take more of a backseat due to Steve’s frequent
appearances with us.
I think
there’s a fair chance that ‘Roundabout’ and ‘Owner’ will feature, and
it’s a fantastic opportunity to run out ‘Every Little Thing’ (the Beatles
original covered by Yes on their first album).
It was one of the high points of last year’s tour and to perform it in
Liverpool would be a really nice touch.
For me
personally, that was never a consideration.
I spent too many years pitching for shows like this to let it go to
someone less deserving! The curious
thing is that by a complete fluke I bumped into Tom at a London hotel in April.
It was the first time we had seen each other since the show in Tilburg
and he told me to send some positive vibes out into the universe.
This was something Mitch had done ten years before when looking for a
creative outlet for his talents. That
led Mitch to Jon, Tom and myself, and Fragile was born.
Low and behold a short while after I heard from the festival organisers!
So for me it was kind of meant to be, and I am not going to argue with
the cosmic!
Lastly, I understand that Rick Wakeman has been continuing to air Fragile on his Planet Rock radio show?
Indeed, and
he’s now played both Yes material covered by us, and more significantly some
original stuff from the Aquaplanage project.
Rick’s been a constant for us and like Steve we appreciate the exposure
they have both given us. It would
be wonderful to have a blow sometime with Rick, and you never know the world
moves in strange ways!
The
pleasure’s mine, and our love to everyone out there.
See you in Liverpool in August!
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