The Confessions of St.Augustine, prog-rock’d up?
Yes, the Edinburgh Fringe is upon us!

Hello Tim, can you tell us where are you from & where are you living today?
I live in Knaresborough, North Yorkshire and that’s where I was brought up. However, my contract work in the IT world has led me to live in many other places temporarily, including Edinburgh. Also, my music has led me to play in places like London, and in other countries such as France and Luxembourg (and Scotland).

What are your first musical memories?
Like many people I was firstly very influenced and inspired by the Beatles in the 1960s and, later on, by 1970s rock bands like Deep Purple. In those days there was always something new – those artists were role models and it seemed they were taking the world by storm and breaking new musical ground. I also enjoyed Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice shows particularly ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’.

When did you realise you wanted to take music seriously?
I first started playing the guitar at about 15, although I came from a musical family as my father had been a church organist and choirmaster so I’d also played a bit of piano earlier on (and sung in the choir). Straight away I started writing songs and did my first studio recordings when I was 20.

Last year you brought ‘The Story of Captain James Cook’ to the Fringe. Can you tell us about the experience?
Like most artists I was very apprehensive and worried about ticket sales. However, in the end it was really great, I managed to get some reasonable audiences and a good reaction. The show format seemed to work quite well, and I based my new show on that format.

You’re returning this year with another show, what is it all about?
It is called ‘The Progressive Campaign’ about William Wilberforce’s campaign to abolish slavery. It follows a similar format to the Cook show, it’s about 50 minutes long , features narration, 9 songs performed with pre-recoded backing tracks, 3 ‘talking heads’ videos, and two videos of songs and scenes.

Why ‘Prog Rock?
These days music has become very compartmentalised and the closest genre to mine is probably Prog. Prog is hard to define but I think it refers to artists who feature complex or unusual lyrical subjects with elements of drama and who focus on concept albums e.g. Alan Parsons, Geoff Wayne,Pink Floyd and Genesis. Prog can be quite commercial at times and isn‘t necessarily about complex long pieces. When Prog does feature in the pop world it’s never about glamour and is always about producing really memorable high quality music e.g. Sparks, 10cc, Kate Bush, The Buggles, Steely Dan etc.

There’s quite a multi-media element to the ‘Progressive Campaign,’ what’s the crack?
I think it helps to provide an all-round enhanced experience for the audience which is particularly important for a solo show. It’s also the type of thing Geoff Wayne’s shows feature (e.g. video characters) – I like to think of it as a one man mini-Geoff Wayne type show. I’m trying to give the audience a feel for the potential of the show as a full on staged musical. A recent review described my shows as both historical talks and song cycles.

Your historical focus seems pointed at the 18th & early 19th Centuries – why that period in particular?
I specialise in writing about famous Yorkshire characters who were involved in hugely significant events. Many of these are from the Georgian era (e.g. Cook, Wilberforce and Blind Jack), but the Victorian era also features quite a lot. In fact, two of my albums, ‘Yorkshire Through The Ages I and II’ feature individual events and characters going back 2000 years. I am less interested in 20th century history although I reflect that period in a way as my music is influenced by late 20th century pop music.

What did you learn from last year’s Fringe you’ll be doing different or putting into practice this time round?
I am doing more publicity this time, including 2 preview shows on the weekend of 22nd and 23rd July at the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Centre.
Technically the show will be better as I am now running my presentation from a tablet , so I won’t forget to move a slide on.

You have a historical connection with Edinburgh beyond the Fringe, can you tell us about it?
In fact, I attended a one week Fringe appreciation course at Edinburgh University in the 1990s and attended a selection of shows. In my IT contracting career I lived and worked in Edinburgh (and Glasgow) on a number of occasions. When I was living in Edinburgh I played at various places such as The Edinburgh Folk Club and Henry’s cellar bar.

What will you be doing in Edinburgh outwith performing at the Fringe?
I’ll be meeting some old friends, going to the pub and going to some shows. I am looking forward to it.

You’ve got 20 seconds to sell your show to strangers on the streets of Edinburgh, what do you say?
An ambitious and entertaining one man musical show about William Wilberforce’s campaign to abolish slavery.