Q: What have you been doing since the alarm split in the early 90's?

Believe it or not, I have been searching for the spirit of Rock n' Roll.
The Alarm, in my opinion were one of the greatest rock band in the world and after Brixton in 1991 I just felt there was a long way to go. So I went chasing for the spirit of Rock n' Roll.

Q: Where did this search take you?

I was feeling a little claustrophobic after being in the ''band bubble'' for the best part of 15 years. I felt that British music scene was closing in on itself and it occurred to me that america was the place to broaden out a little. There might be a little more freedom over there in terms of political freedom, musical freedom and social freedom. And although we had been on tour over there many times I never really felt in touch with that so I just felt it was important to be there..

Q: You've been living in the US for the best part of ten years and you've been able to work with some great artist.

That was one of the things that drew me to America.. Geographically America is far bigger than the UK and cos of that it is far more diverse. You'll get country music, soul music, alternative music, blues music and jazz music.
You know that's where it all started really. So I wanted to get back to the source and expose myself to all those different roots. And I was able to meet musicians who had been brought in the jazz, blues and soul traditions..
And I was able to play with some great people. People that you would never even see, hear or know about. Shortly after I moved to NOLA I met this guy who told me about a guitarist and said that he'd love to meet me. He's born and grew up in NOLA and he's followed the rock n' roll path since he was born. We formed a fantastic relationship. So yeah I've met some great players and I think it has helped me grow as an musician, artist, writer and
a performer.

Q: Give me back my job was recorded with you and some other artists. How did that come about?

I discovered that song about a year after I landed in america. That song was written in 1875. Well it wasn't written but it evolved from a song called ''The Green Back Dollar''. And it was rediscovered in 1935 when the mineworkers unit in Kentucky was being formed and they picked it up as a protest song when they were trying rights for the workers.. It was in that form I discovered the song. And it opens up ''I don't want your millions
mister'' and that's how I was feeling at the time. I felt like the music was being prostituted to a certain extent. So that line smacked me over the head. I left it all behind.. I'd given it all up. I left behind a massive band and success. Trying to find the spirit of rock and roll. And I had nothing to fall back on and had no way of knowing what was going to happen.
And that line ''I don't want your millions mister'' summed things up for me.
It was almost like a manifesto to me. At the time we recorded Down Town America we got involved with the Second harvest people. Witch is a charity thing. Bob Johnston suggested that this track represented more than I was looking at it as. And he felt it could help this charity. So he suggested to play it to some ''fiends'' and have them sing on it. I said that if it can be put out in some other meaningful way then I'm up for it. So he called me
back a few weeks later saying that Willie (Nelson) and Johnny (Cash) wanted to sing on it. I'm going ''you're kidding. That's why I came to America.'' So I got a chance to meet some of the people I revere extremely highly. Some of the most talented, some of the people that have put their lives into Rock n' Roll and who have done an immense amount to further the art. And I was just over the moon when I heard I was finally gonna meet ''uncle Willy''

Q: At the end of your stay in NOLA you had some recording sessions that now have been released as the Time Travellin CD's. It had been a while since Down town America. What happened in that period?

The whole DT period was an epic that didn't see the light until 1996. We had really high hopes for it, but by the time it did see the light of day it was kind of almost out of context compared to where the rest of universe was at. It was right there and right on the button. But I don't think people was ready for it. So it didn't do what we thought it would do, and I was ''stuck'' in America didn't know what to do or where to go. And I had been ''hanging''
out with a bunch of songwriters who had been through similar things as me.
And we all wanted to move forward. One of them came up with this idea one of putting together a studio. And that's something I hadn't always been up for.
I've always thought if you get involved in a studio you'll disappear on your backside in a hurry. But I thought ''hold on a minute, this might actually be good cos this is a group of songwriters and we all believe in what we do and we all know where it's at, we know what's hip and what ain't and we all had an idea of how to do things''.
This was at the same time as ''everyone'' was building their homestudios. And we knew we didn't want a home studio but a proper one. So we could relax a little, get our ideas together without feeling like the ''red light'' was on all the time. We didn't want to feel like we were on ''borrowed time in the studio'' If we had an idea we wanted to get it down without having to get a
band together, get cash to renting a studio and all that. So we ended up building a studio. And it was a huge activity for several years and the Time Travellin stuff is a distilled version of what went on in the studio.
I could see where things were headed musically. We had just come through the grunge thing and I was starting to hear songs on the radio again. And I thought this is the moment in time to get in sync again. Rock n' Roll is starting to find it's way again.
We were starting to hear Wallflowers and stuff like that. I started to feel like I was ready to meet the wave. So in 2002 I said that I was ready. It had been a long time in the shadows.

Q: Last year you came back to the UK and embarked on the SOL tour. How has that experience been?

It's been a pretty big experience. Getting relocated back to the UK, seeing how things have changed and how things are different. I've become so involved in american culture and politics so it was kind of a shock to the system to come back home and see what had been happening here.

Q: Have the SOL experience been a better or ''worse'' experience than your residency at the Kerry?

Deciding to come back to the UK was the end of a growing experience. It was time to put the money were my mouth was. So for me was a way of saying ''I found what I was looking for'' So the summer of love tour was sort of a ''Here I am, This is what it is'' statement. I felt ready to step back in the spotlight. It was a bit freaky cos some people said I had left it too long and I thought ''well maybe I have''. But I feel pretty good where I'm at.
Downtown America wasn't released here in the UK, so for people over here I disappeared off the map after Hard Travellin'. So reintroducing myself after ten years in the US was really tough. But I didn't expect a big fanfare or welcome home or anything so I knew I had to go out and kick butt..

Q: You have a new band together..

Yes. This band has had so many fault starts now. I can't count how many times people have asked me that question. We're gonna call it the Soul Company.

Q: Are there any plans of releasing a CD in the near future?

We are taking things one day at the time. We want to get things out as soon as possible and start gigging as soon as possible. I used to be worried about how to release things and our image and everything. But if this is truly what I think it is, and I think it's the best band in the world, then it will find it's way

Q: How big a role is economy when you decide your next career move?

Let's put it this way. I landed back in the UK with a guitar and a bag. I'm not a rich pop star with loads of cash stash away and none of the others in the band are having any kind of expensive lifestyles either... We all have to pay the rent so we'd like to keep things real..

Q: What do you wish to accomplish in the next 12 months?

I'd like to get the soul Company out there, playing and having the feeling of being on stage with a band again. Then we'll see how far we get..

Q: In the past year you have played ''One step closer to home'' regularly in your set, you have played ''The Stand'' with 3 Men and Black and you played ''Change'' at the Gathering. Are you going to add these or other Alarm songs in future sets?

I've always been dead set against doing Alarm songs in my Solo sets. I've always held the band in the highest reverential frame of mind. Something great happened there, something unbelievable happened. The chemistry of four people who were getting it on and going out there. So for me the energy is really hard to capture unless you got the four fellas there. And People were asking me to play this or that and I was saying ''I'd love to but why
would you want it without the other 3?'' I just felt uncomfortable for a long time going near the Alarm. I don't think I was ready. But in the past few years I've gotten more comfortable with it.. I'm not planning on adding any alarm material but every now and again I might do it.

Q:Do you listen to any of the Alarm material now?

Yeah, occasionally. For a long time I couldn't listen to any of it.
Especially after the band drifted apart I couldn't bring myself to hear it... But I remember calling Mike when I was listening to the Change album one night and I told him ''wow, this really is good stuff''. We'd managed to transend all the politics that was going on in the middle of everything. And we were starting to play like we were feeling. For me that's what it was all about.. You gotta be what you are feeling. You are what you are...
I remember everybody was up to it and we were all ''doin' it'' and it all came together and it was really good.

Q: Do you ever see the alarm reforming at any point in the future?

I've often thought about that and people have often asked me about that. I've felt differently about it at different times. I find it interesting that Mike is moving ahead. I feel good about where I'm coming and moving ahead but I wouldn't rule it out. I think it would be really difficult to get us all together again. I've often suggested to Mike and He's often suggested to me that we do something together. Something I would love to do. Making it to
the Gathering and playing there and seeing Mike play with the band, seeing the boy in action, gave me a big smile on the face of my heart. Cos that was such a good thing to see him have a good time, and not hear it through a phone line or reading about it on the digest. And playing a few songs with Mike and the fellas was brilliant. It gave me a big rush.

Q: It took you a long time to get to the Gathering. What are your thoughts about it now that you've been there?

It completely blew my mind. The warmth and the openness from the folks that were there. When I walked out on that stage, I didn't know what was going to happen. But the warmth and openness coming from the audience helped me play one of the best 35 minute sets in my life. It was all down to the feeling coming from everybody there.. I knew something big had happened.

Q: What do you feel about Mike using The Alarm name on his current band?

When I initially became aware that Mike was bringing the name back into focus, I was very surprised. He'd always said to me ''that's it.. it's over with, Now we'll all do something different''. So I was kind of surprised. We had a long situation about what was gonna happen with the name and how it was gonna be. I always felt that if it wasn't the four of us then there ''she'd be''. So I was wondering what was it gonna be and how is this gonna happen. But I think he's doing a great thing. I think people want to hear
the songs and he's got a great group of players with him. I'm really
supportive of James Stevenson cos he's trying to take it and do something else with it. I'm always up for that. I think he's doing a great job. The current drummer and bass player he's working with, I was over the moon. I got into rehearsal and ''Those cats were on it''. It was a brand new energy.
And it made me feel good. It didn't feel so much like stepping back in time.
Those songs have been done in a basillion times in a basillion different situations. But there's a whole new energy going on. And I thought ''maybe I understand what Mike is doing with the alarm name. Maybe it is a new energy and maybe it is OK. I still don't know, but it was a good energy''.

Dave Sharp July 2003

By Ole