Siren Music Limited PO box 166 Hartlepool TS26 9AS, U.K. +44 01429 424603 Artist: Roger Askew Album title: Scarab Moon UK Label: Apropos/Siren Music Cat. No: SRNA 403 CD Release date 2nd August 2001 Sometimes there aren't enough hours in the day, especially when you're as busy as Roger Askew. This must be the main reason why an album of the calibre of Scarab Moon would find itself "consigned to the back burner", to quote Roger. The enigmatically titled album involves the listener in songs that are painting stories from life, with characters accompanied on their way by both sensitive melodies and imaginative instrumentation. There are influences and flavours within Roger's songs and production from many of the artists with whom he has worked in the course of a varied musical career.
Growing up in Newcastle in a household of musicians, Roger took classical piano lessons which in turn inspired him to learn other instruments and, with his sister Joy, to start the band Little Plum. Local success wasn't really enough and the band broke up. Joy moved to London and then New York where she went on to work with Joe Jackson and Peter Gabriel amongst others, whilst Roger teamed up with the Caffrey brothers in Arbre. Within this fertile musical environment Roger's writing and performing flourished and he contributed to the songs and sounds of the two Arbre albums released on DJM. The band toured in the UK and Europe and featured regularly on TV and radio, but by the time the eighties arrived, the band had run its course and Roger had moved to London.
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