Simon Tong
Simon Tong ( born July 9, 1972 in Lancashire, England ) is a British musician. He is a guitarist, keyboardist, producer and songwriter Richard Ashcroft and visited with the same grade level. He is best known as a member of The Verve, and as a temporary guitarist of Blur, Gorillaz and The Good, the Bad & the Queen. He is the guitarist and producer of the band Erland & The Carnival, released on his own label "Butterfly Recordings".
Career
The Verve. 1995-1999
His long-term friendship with Simon Jones gave Simon Tong once the opportunity to take over the post of The Verve - lead guitarist. 1995 sparked Richard Ashcroft The Verve with its outlet in fact on. Shortly thereafter, however, the band reunited, but without their actual lead guitarist Nick McCabe. After various other guitarist Bernard Butler and John Squire have no foothold in the band, Jones brought with Simon Tong an old school friend this week, who eventually turned out to be a good choice. So Tong was instrumental in the creation process of The Verve Urban Hymns bestseller. However, in late 1996 McCabe came back to the band, but remained Tong as the fifth member still in the band, but now rather than rhythm guitarist and keyboard player. The band toured in 1997 and 1998 Tong improvised at the Verve songs of keyboard sequences before 1997. After the final withdrawal Nick McCabe, the band is finally dissolved in 1999. The Best Of The Verve - 2004 shows with This Could Be My Moment and Monte Carlo two tracks on which Simon Tong is involved as the sole guitarist. When re Reunion by The Verve Simon Tong in 2007 remains ahead of time outside.
The Rub, The Shining. 2000-2003
After the Verve separation has teamed up for his solo ambitions Simon Tong in 2000 initially with Alan Wren (Ex -Stone Roses). From Reni 's project eventually became the band The Rub, but Simon Tong is only short-term guest keyboardist. After the other also " Verve Stone Roses Agreement" between Simon Jones and John Squire was threatened in 2000, Simon Tong 2001 The Shining joined as a guitarist. For the debut album True Skies Tong was eventually involved in songwriting at the majority of the songs and the both lyrically and musically. The single I Wonder How wearing only his credits as writers, while he appears at a half-dozen songs together with Simon Jones as a songwriter. After release of the album and a European tour in 2002, Simon Tong then got from Damon Albarn an offer that he could not refuse. Since Dan MacBean leaving the band as a second guitarist, The Shining are in short as resolved.
Guitarist Graham Coxon had in 2002 his band Blur turned his back during the recording of the album Think Tank. Now Albarn asked at Tong whether this Coxon 2003 could replace live for the subsequent promotional tour through Europe, what this said yes. Since the return Coxon should never be completely ruled out, Simon Tong retains the status of the replacement guitarist in Blur. However, from this collaboration developed a close musical friendship with Damon Albarn.
After completing the Think Tank tour Simon Tong played in 2004 for the recording of their debut album Something Ilk by Simon Jones ' new band Cathy Davey various keyboard Lines before the rehearsals and recording begins as a guitarist with Damon Albarn for the second album by the Gorillaz. The album Demon Days finally appear in early 2005, for Simon Tong also turn as a guitarist with touring live.
Mid- 2006, Damon Albarn the cast of his new project The Good, the Bad & the Queen is known in which also, in turn, Simon Tong appear in the lineup. For the first time the taciturn Simon Tong now no replacement guitarist, but from the beginning was the first choice for a band's formation. The eponymous debut album of the project was published in 2007. Simon Tong has not participated in the reunion of The Verve in 2007.
Butterfly Recordings, The Carnival. 2007 to today
Simon Tong founded in late 2006 with the English producer Martin " Youth" Glover ( ex- bassist of Killing Joke ) the record label Butterfly Recordings. Glover and Tong known each other since the Verve sessions on the Urban Hymns and play since 2005 with Paul Ferguson and Tim Bran ( Dreadzone ) in Soundscape Project transmission together. The label specializes in English indie folk. The first band was taken under contract Indigo Moss and produced by Simon Tong himself in Damon Albarn's Studio 13. Their album was released in April 2007, the band also the opening act of The Good, the Bad & the Queen Tour can be seen in England. In addition, Petra Jean Phillipson Tong, Duke Garwood and Samatha Marais produced.
Since 2008/2009 Simon Tong is a permanent member of the Butterfly Recordings band Erland & The Carnival, with the singer Erland Cooper Garwin receives the debut album Erland & The Carnival 2009. Cooper comes from the Orkney Islands, the music is coined by Scottish folk elements, psychedelic Britpop. Besides Tong drummer David Nock heard (Formerly The Orb and The Cult ), the solid core of the band. The first album was released in late January 2010. Nightingale The second album came out in March 2011. With Erland Cooper and Hannah Peel he published in 2012 the Orkney folk album: Symphony of the Magnetic North.