Percy has quit Brand X

[Clarky]

In case you were hoping to see Brand X live in 2021 (as I was). Shame but obviously you have to respect his decision

 

[Hellzero]

I like the fact that he still thinks like an artist. Thumbs up for that Percy. 👍

[Bilbo]

My understanding is that JG has some personal issues that make travelling outside of the US problematic. There have been other complications but, essentially, it seems as if these challenges have made the whole thing untenable. Percy is doing some interesting stuff nevertheless and we haven't seen the last of him. 

[Mickeyboro]

Dammit! I had a ticket....

Not that it means much😬

[pineweasel]

Yes, they’d already announced before this year’s planned UK shows that JG wouldn’t be playing, but without PJ there’ll be no original members on the rescheduled shows. 
I’ll be trying to get a refund, sadly. 

[Clarky]

On the band's FaceBook feed, several followers are claiming that JG has said Jeff Berlin will replace Percy

[Bilbo]

17 minutes ago, Clarky said:

On the band's FaceBook feed, several followers are claiming that JG has said Jeff Berlin will replace Percy

That woudl be interesting. Brand X and Bruford toured together in the 1970s (early 80s?). Percy and Jeff are chalk and cheese so it woudl be interesting to see what transpires. I wonder why they don't use John Giblin?

[goingdownslow]

I would have like to have seen Percy reform The Liverpool Scene but without Adrian Henri it is not now possible.

 

[White Cloud]

For me Percy is one of the true greats. Monster creative force on bass!

[visog]

19 hours ago, Bilbo said:

That woudl be interesting. Brand X and Bruford toured together in the 1970s (early 80s?). Percy and Jeff are chalk and cheese so it woudl be interesting to see what transpires. I wonder why they don't use John Giblin?

That could be good. JB is at his best when given a direction and context.

[toneknob]

I've heard another (American) name in the mix to replace Percy, don't want to start unnecessary comparisons and rumours though, although it's a pretty trustworthy source. Jeff Berlin is awesome of course but not sure he's right for Brand X. It's possible that the rumours have stemmed from twitter posts from a fake account pretending to be John Goodsall - see drummer Kenny Grohowski's facebook page for more. (You'll also see hints at the new drummer - Tobias?)

Shame really as I'm a massive fan of PJ - I saw BX at the Jazz Cafe in the 90s so tick in box there, but they had sound issues which took the sheen off and also it was the mid 90s so I've forgotten most of it. I've got tickets to see BX at Ronnie's and Trading Boundaries, when it became clear that John Goodsall wouldn't be playing it was the presence of Percy, the one remaining actual Brand Xer, that kept me on board. Touring the band in Europe without any BXers is going to be a pretty hard sell if you ask me.

Looking forward though - anyone hear Pakt? It's Percy's new outfit with Kenny Gr, Alex Skolnick and Tim Motzer.

 

[fleabag]

I  was gutted when the Milton Keynes gig was cancelled in April, but of course understandable.  I heard nothing for months,  not even a reschedule from the ticket seller,  See Tickets, who were abysmal.  I ended up having to contact Brand X on FB for answers and they messaged to say  that April '20 gig will now be me May '21.

I  still have heard nowt from See Tickets, who seem to have made it difficult to be contacted.  Typically predictable now they've had my money - 2 tickets and nearly  60 quid with booking fees

And now PJ has quit,  and no JG,  there's nothing really for me to go and watch.   I cant see me gettin any money back either, as the gig would probably need to be cancelled again for that to happen.

 

Edited October 9, 2020 by fleabag

[AndyTravis]

[Drax]

Trigger’s broom but great chance to see JB live. Will probably go, if it ever happens. Hell I’d be happy to see any gig right now. 🙁
Old pic though - ‘tache and bass. 

Edited October 11, 2020 by Drax

[Bilbo]

Strange coincidence but my top four have always been Jaco, Jimmy Johnson, Percy Jones and Jeff Berlin so I guess I couldn't have asked for more in terms of the replacement for Percy. But, yes, it is a strange marriage. 

[Chris2112]

Personally, I'm thrilled. I bought a load of Brand X albums back in the days before you could easily check stuff out on the internet to see if you liked it or not. Suffice to say, I didn't really like any of it, finding the albums quite forgettable. I thought it was a lot closer to prog rock than the sort of great fusion it had been described as. In a way, that was sort of understandable given the size and shape of the UK scene at the time. 

Moreover, I was never a huge fan of Percy's tone. Much like John Patitucci, I found his presence for plucking near the neck could render his sound a little indistinct. That said, it was of little consequence to me as I didn't really give their records repeat listens.

The hiring of Jeff Berlin is a great move, I think, because if you're suddenly faced by a longstanding bass chair being vacated, why wouldn't you seek to hire the best in the business? I would have thought that Jeff's historic association with Bill Bruford would play well with Brand X fans and his feat of being able to play an AWBH at a few days notice in the 80's will certainly have worked in his favour. 

[Mickeyboro]

I bought my ticket on the basis (pun intended) of Percy. Without any originals - Goodsall staying in the US - I feel a bit put out.

[fleabag]

Actually, its now become a bit cheeky to be called Brand X if none of the originals are in the line up

[Bilbo]

That old chestnut. Brand X never had a fixed line up throughout the early years so I guess it doesn't really matter but, what will those tracks sound like without  major stylists like PJ and JG? It will be difficult to see how the results will be comparable. 

[fleabag]

What chestnut are you banging on about ?   The originals have all gone.  Its as simple as that. Whether the line up changed over the years is irrelevant. None of the founding members are in the band.  Get real

[Mickeyboro]

7 hours ago, fleabag said:

What chestnut are you banging on about ?   The originals have all gone.  Its as simple as that. Whether the line up changed over the years is irrelevant. None of the founding members are in the band.  Get real

Yeah, but when I bought my ticket Percy was in the band. Can I get a refund?😷

[Bilbo]

8 hours ago, fleabag said:

 Get real

I was referring to the 'there are none of the original members so it isn't the band' argument. I always think of it as a relay. If line ups evolve, that's cool with me. On a similar train of thought, I always wondered how eg Manchester United could be almost entirely populated by foreign players and still be called 'Manchester' anything. 😃

[pineweasel]

47 minutes ago, Mickeyboro said:

Yeah, but when I bought my ticket Percy was in the band. Can I get a refund?😷

If you got your ticket from seetickets, they offer refunds if the date of an event has changed, so I don't see why you can't get one.

[Mickeyboro]

Got it from the venue. I saw BX with Collins, at the Marquee, Years ago. But Percy is the only reason  I would want to see then again. 

[fleabag]

3 hours ago, Bilbo said:

I was referring to the 'there are none of the original members so it isn't the band' argument. I always think of it as a relay. If line ups evolve, that's cool with me. On a similar train of thought, I always wondered how eg Manchester United could be almost entirely populated by foreign players and still be called 'Manchester' anything. 😃

I would say the same if Jagger Richards and Watts left the Stones.   There has to be some semblance of the the band left to still be calling it by the original name.  I wonder if it comes down to the fact that if no one owns the name, then its ok ?