Steve Parry (musician)
Encyclopedia
Steve Parry, Pontypool
, South Wales Valleys
is a Welsh
guitarist
, musician
, composer
who was a founder member of the experimental rock
band Hwyl Nofio
.
He founded and played with Neu Electrikk
. He has recorded with Colin Potter of Nurse with Wound
and played with Matt Johnson
of the post punk band The The
.
at the local St Mary’s Church, Panteg
. He often accompanied his Mother to church and sat by her side as she played. The constant drone
and mechanism of the church organ fascinated the young boy. Parry is a product of the South Wales Valleys
; formative years were spent living in the shadow of The Black Mountains, amid the scars and ruins of a heavily industrial
landscape. Both his grandfathers had worked in local industries, coal mines and steel works. Parry previously had recalled the memory of a school trip to a local steelworks, experiencing intense heat, tasting toxic gasses, seeing rivers of molten metal and the sound of industrial hammers. Parry’s compositions frequently refer to the catharsis of childhood and influence of environment, expressly hymnal
facets of his work in the experimental music
ensemble Hwyl Nofio
. The Hwyl Nofio, abstract, noise composition ‘From Elevated Gangways Rivers of Molten Metal Flow’ referred to the above-mentioned childhood experience.
composer
, philosopher John Cage
Parry became less interested in the standard use of the guitar. Parry’s music is generally described as experimental music
whereby he explores and exploits an ongoing collision between harmony and disharmony. The music can be challenging to the listener. Parry has developed a non-standard guitar technique and made use of prepared guitar
(e.g. putting a nail file and screws on the strings, playing the guitar with pliers or a dinner fork) the key features being unconventional tunings, timbres, drone
, distortion and noise. Parry often treats the guitar purely as a sound source rather than a musical instrument. He has developed a stringed musical instrument essentially based on the violin
which is further linked to a series of effects pedals.
, South London. He replied to an advertisement placed in the NME
by Matt Johnson looking for musicians to form a band. Parry did not join Johnson in the fledgling The The
, however Johnson and Parry would keep in contact and share music industry information and personal contacts. Parry would later help with the recording of ‘Untitled’ by The The as featured on the Some Bizzare Album
and performed live with The The at the ‘Anarchists Ball’ at The Metropolitan Wharf Warehouse, Wapping, London E1.
with Steve Sherlock and Derek Morris, later recruiting Nick Hunt and Barry Deller to complete the line-up.
Having signed to Some Bizzare Records
the band split in 1981 following internal conflict within the group. Steve Sherlock would later record with The The and joined Marc Almond
in Marc and the Mambas
.
, multimedia group Hwyl Nofio
. Parry remaining the only permanent member of the group.
(BSc) in Psychology
, Open University
, England 1999-2003. He has worked with people with learning disabilities and is interested in Music cognition
, the influence of sound on the brain and cognitive theories of how people understand music.
Pontypool
Pontypool is a town of approximately 36,000 people in the county borough of Torfaen, within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire in South Wales....
, South Wales Valleys
South Wales Valleys
The South Wales Valleys are a number of industrialised valleys in South Wales, stretching from eastern Carmarthenshire in the west to western Monmouthshire in the east and from the Heads of the Valleys in the north to the lower-lying, pastoral country of the Vale of Glamorgan and the coastal plain...
is a Welsh
Welsh people
The Welsh people are an ethnic group and nation associated with Wales and the Welsh language.John Davies argues that the origin of the "Welsh nation" can be traced to the late 4th and early 5th centuries, following the Roman departure from Britain, although Brythonic Celtic languages seem to have...
guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
, musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
, composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
who was a founder member of the experimental rock
Experimental rock
Experimental rock or avant-garde rock is a type of music based on rock which experiments with the basic elements of the genre, or which pushes the boundaries of common composition and performance technique....
band Hwyl Nofio
Hwyl Nofio
Hwyl Nofio is an experimental music group whose only permanent member is Steve Parry. Steve Parry was Hwyl Nofio (from Welsh meaning ‘emotional swimmers’) is an experimental music group whose only permanent member is Steve Parry. Steve Parry was Hwyl Nofio (from Welsh meaning ‘emotional swimmers’)...
.
He founded and played with Neu Electrikk
Neu Electrikk
Neu Electrikk is a British experimental music group that were based in Croydon, London, formed in 1978. .Neu Electrikk stood apart from many of the synth dominated bands of that era. Their inventive approach touched on many different styles and genres, including, industrial music, post punk, new wave...
. He has recorded with Colin Potter of Nurse with Wound
Nurse with Wound
Nurse with Wound is the main recording name for British musician Steven Stapleton. Nurse with Wound was originally a band, formed in 1978 by Stapleton, John Fothergill and Heman Pathak...
and played with Matt Johnson
Matt Johnson (singer)
Matt Johnson is a musician best known as the founder and only constant member of the group The The. Johnson is known for his often deeply introspective lyrics. Musically he ranges from slow acoustic hooks to techno-pop....
of the post punk band The The
The The
The The are an English musical and multimedia group that have been active in various forms since 1979, with singer/songwriter Matt Johnson being the only constant band member.-Early years :...
.
Early Days
Parry started learning guitar around the age of eight and later studied piano. Parry’s mother Anne was a church organistOrganist
An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ. An organist may play solo organ works, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumental soloists...
at the local St Mary’s Church, Panteg
Panteg
Panteg is a village in the county borough of Torfaen, Wales. It is adjacent to Griffithstown, between the towns of Cwmbran and Pontypool. The village is best known for Panteg Steel Works, which finally closed in 2004....
. He often accompanied his Mother to church and sat by her side as she played. The constant drone
Drone
-Nature:The male sex of social Hymenopterans, such as a* Drone * male wasp* male ant-Chemicals:An abbreviation referring to one of two psychoactive drugs:* Mephedrone* 4-Methoxymethcathinone, commonly known as methedrone-Vehicles:...
and mechanism of the church organ fascinated the young boy. Parry is a product of the South Wales Valleys
South Wales Valleys
The South Wales Valleys are a number of industrialised valleys in South Wales, stretching from eastern Carmarthenshire in the west to western Monmouthshire in the east and from the Heads of the Valleys in the north to the lower-lying, pastoral country of the Vale of Glamorgan and the coastal plain...
; formative years were spent living in the shadow of The Black Mountains, amid the scars and ruins of a heavily industrial
Industry
Industry refers to the production of an economic good or service within an economy.-Industrial sectors:There are four key industrial economic sectors: the primary sector, largely raw material extraction industries such as mining and farming; the secondary sector, involving refining, construction,...
landscape. Both his grandfathers had worked in local industries, coal mines and steel works. Parry previously had recalled the memory of a school trip to a local steelworks, experiencing intense heat, tasting toxic gasses, seeing rivers of molten metal and the sound of industrial hammers. Parry’s compositions frequently refer to the catharsis of childhood and influence of environment, expressly hymnal
Hymnal
Hymnal or hymnary or hymnbook is a collection of hymns, i.e. religious songs, usually in the form of a book. The earliest hand-written hymnals are known since Middle Ages in the context of European Christianity...
facets of his work in the experimental music
Experimental music
Experimental music refers, in the English-language literature, to a compositional tradition which arose in the mid-20th century, applied particularly in North America to music composed in such a way that its outcome is unforeseeable. Its most famous and influential exponent was John Cage...
ensemble Hwyl Nofio
Hwyl Nofio
Hwyl Nofio is an experimental music group whose only permanent member is Steve Parry. Steve Parry was Hwyl Nofio (from Welsh meaning ‘emotional swimmers’) is an experimental music group whose only permanent member is Steve Parry. Steve Parry was Hwyl Nofio (from Welsh meaning ‘emotional swimmers’)...
. The Hwyl Nofio, abstract, noise composition ‘From Elevated Gangways Rivers of Molten Metal Flow’ referred to the above-mentioned childhood experience.
Parry’s music
Parry’s first guitar was a classical acoustic, nylon stringed model that mistakenly had been strung with steel strings. The steel strings effectively warped the guitar neck, rendering the guitar virtually unplayable and impossible to tune. In his attempts to learn to play the instrument Parry developed a method for making sounds and noises. Abandoning conventional theory and on discovering the music of American avant-gardeAvant-garde
Avant-garde means "advance guard" or "vanguard". The adjective form is used in English to refer to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics....
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, philosopher John Cage
John Cage
John Milton Cage Jr. was an American composer, music theorist, writer, philosopher and artist. A pioneer of indeterminacy in music, electroacoustic music, and non-standard use of musical instruments, Cage was one of the leading figures of the post-war avant-garde...
Parry became less interested in the standard use of the guitar. Parry’s music is generally described as experimental music
Experimental music
Experimental music refers, in the English-language literature, to a compositional tradition which arose in the mid-20th century, applied particularly in North America to music composed in such a way that its outcome is unforeseeable. Its most famous and influential exponent was John Cage...
whereby he explores and exploits an ongoing collision between harmony and disharmony. The music can be challenging to the listener. Parry has developed a non-standard guitar technique and made use of prepared guitar
Prepared guitar
A prepared guitar is a guitar that has had its timbre altered by placing various objects on or between the instrument's strings, including other extended techniques...
(e.g. putting a nail file and screws on the strings, playing the guitar with pliers or a dinner fork) the key features being unconventional tunings, timbres, drone
Drone (music)
In music, a drone is a harmonic or monophonic effect or accompaniment where a note or chord is continuously sounded throughout most or all of a piece. The word drone is also used to refer to any part of a musical instrument that is just used to produce such an effect.-A musical effect:A drone...
, distortion and noise. Parry often treats the guitar purely as a sound source rather than a musical instrument. He has developed a stringed musical instrument essentially based on the violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
which is further linked to a series of effects pedals.
London Years
In 1977 Parry moved to CroydonCroydon
Croydon is a town in South London, England, located within the London Borough of Croydon to which it gives its name. It is situated south of Charing Cross...
, South London. He replied to an advertisement placed in the NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
by Matt Johnson looking for musicians to form a band. Parry did not join Johnson in the fledgling The The
The The
The The are an English musical and multimedia group that have been active in various forms since 1979, with singer/songwriter Matt Johnson being the only constant band member.-Early years :...
, however Johnson and Parry would keep in contact and share music industry information and personal contacts. Parry would later help with the recording of ‘Untitled’ by The The as featured on the Some Bizzare Album
Some Bizzare Album
Some Bizzare Album was the first album by Some Bizzare Records. It was released in 1981 as a sampler of the label's musical ethos. The acts were not actually signed exclusively to the label at the time.-Information:...
and performed live with The The at the ‘Anarchists Ball’ at The Metropolitan Wharf Warehouse, Wapping, London E1.
Neu Electrikk
In early 1978, he co-founded Neu ElectrikkNeu Electrikk
Neu Electrikk is a British experimental music group that were based in Croydon, London, formed in 1978. .Neu Electrikk stood apart from many of the synth dominated bands of that era. Their inventive approach touched on many different styles and genres, including, industrial music, post punk, new wave...
with Steve Sherlock and Derek Morris, later recruiting Nick Hunt and Barry Deller to complete the line-up.
Having signed to Some Bizzare Records
Some Bizzare Records
Some Bizzare Records is a British independent record label owned by Stevo Pearce. The label was founded in 1981, with the release of Some Bizzare Album, a compilation of unsigned bands including Depeche Mode, Soft Cell, The The, Neu Electrikk and Blancmange.-1981-1989:One of the first bands that...
the band split in 1981 following internal conflict within the group. Steve Sherlock would later record with The The and joined Marc Almond
Marc Almond
Marc Almond is an English singer-songwriter and musician, who originally found fame as half of the seminal synthpop/New Wave duo Soft Cell...
in Marc and the Mambas
Marc and the Mambas
Marc and the Mambas was a new wave group, formed by Marc Almond, in 1982 as an off-shoot project from Soft Cell. The band's line-up changed frequently, and included Matt Johnson from The The and Annie Hogan, with whom Almond worked later in his solo career....
.
HWYL
In 1986, Parry established the music label HWYL. HWYL are a Yorkshire based multimedia publishing company. They also are a UK-based music publisher, with such composers as Belgium guitarist, composer Gilbert Isbin, Hungarian guitar artist, improviser, composer Sándor Szabó and Danish fractal guitarist Fredrik Soegaard on their roster. Parry had been interested in the concept of atmospheric music. He created HWYL to promote and release original instrumental music from an eclectic idiom employing classical, primitive, jazz, folk, minimalism, contemporary to developing systems for producing sound. Parry perceived the creative and compositional template of HWYL to be limitless. The principal objective for HWYL was to establish an artist owned label, where the music was of primary importance, defined by the artist, irrespective of commercial gain.Hwyl Nofio
In 1997, Parry founded the avant-gardeAvant-garde
Avant-garde means "advance guard" or "vanguard". The adjective form is used in English to refer to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics....
, multimedia group Hwyl Nofio
Hwyl Nofio
Hwyl Nofio is an experimental music group whose only permanent member is Steve Parry. Steve Parry was Hwyl Nofio (from Welsh meaning ‘emotional swimmers’) is an experimental music group whose only permanent member is Steve Parry. Steve Parry was Hwyl Nofio (from Welsh meaning ‘emotional swimmers’)...
. Parry remaining the only permanent member of the group.
Selective Recordings
- Hwyl Nofio – The Singers And Harp Players Are DumbThe Singers And Harp Players Are DumbThe Singers And Harp Players Are Dumb is the debut album by Hwyl Nofio.-Track listing:#"Black River" – 3:03#"Jerusalem Lane" – 7:58#"Luminous Is An Autumn Sunset" – 6:26#"Gravitate To The Green Hut" – 10:24#"The Song Tide Wanes And Goes" – 5:06...
- Hwyl Nofio – HymnalHymnal (album)Hymnal is an album by Hwyl Nofio.-Track listing:#"A brutality of fact"#"All you knew were doomed"#"Children are"#"Spirits"#"Disciples of the decibel "#"Head Eater"#"Hymnal"#"Holy Ghosts"-Personnel:...
- Hwyl Nofio – Hounded by FuryHounded by FuryHounded by Fury is an album by Welsh experimental music group Hwyl Nofio, released in 2006.-Track listing:#"A Walk with Mr Gorey"#"Living In Shadows"#"Sanctify"#"Lost Man Found On a Railway Track"#"Riding the Echoes of a Strange Situation"...
- Hwyl Nofio - Anatomy of DistortAnatomy of DistortAnatomy of Distort is an album by Hwyl Nofio.-Track listing:#"The Life and Death of Joseph Merrick"#"Red Herald"#"I Love You But I Don’t Like You"#"The Wern"#" The Face of a Social Butterfly”#"Murder in the Cathedral”#"The End"-Personnel:...
- Parry/Soegaard – Off the Map
- Neu Electrikk – Cover Girl/Practically Isolate/Converse of Tapes/Hand
- Trevor Stainsby – The Rhythm of Return
- Colin Potter- The Where House
- Steve Parry - Womb
Other
He is a Bachelor of ScienceBachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
(BSc) in Psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
, Open University
Open University
The Open University is a distance learning and research university founded by Royal Charter in the United Kingdom...
, England 1999-2003. He has worked with people with learning disabilities and is interested in Music cognition
Music cognition
Music cognition is an interdisciplinary approach to understanding the mental processes that support musical behaviors, including perception, comprehension, memory, attention, and performance...
, the influence of sound on the brain and cognitive theories of how people understand music.
External links
- Hwyl Nofio Official Website http://www.hwylnofio.com