BARRIE McKASKILL: ADELAIDE'S OWN ROCK LEGEND!

SARB: ...and so I should be introducing you as a rock legend! You can reflect on Adelaide's ...Australia's live music scene from the late 50's through to the present time ...that's over half a century ...and you are still going strong! ...It's because of Jan right?
Barrie: No it’s not because of Jan; although I must say she has added a lot to my life and career in these latter years, since we formed our Duo it has taken away the pressure of supporting a band. Our Duo has enabled us to tour Australia comfortably. We bought a caravan after a good season at the Darwin Casino; this gave us our passport to freedom without having to seek out the gigs with accommodation included.
We toured Sydney: Adelaide: Alice Springs: Tennant Creek: Katherine: Darwin: Mt. Isa: Cairns: Fitzroy Island: Townsville: Magnetic Island:Airlie Beach: Brampton Island: South Molle Island: Hayman Island: Daydream Island: Long Island: Bowen: Mackay:Surfers Paradise: Brisbane: The Gold Coast: Mid North Coast:Hunter Valley: Tamworth: Melbourne: to name but a few.
With a band it would have been impossible to have gone and seen the places we have been, far to costly to survive, so I guess Jan’s input has been totally necessary to accomplish our venture. Jan is invaluable to me. We toured for ten years. The fact is, music is the best drug and I’ve tried many of them through the years, “Music is the high”, “hands’ clapping” is next, followed closely by the “money”.  For me it has never been “One For The Money, Two For The Show, Three To Get Ready Now Go Cat Go”. Although in my earlier years it was “One For The Show and Two For The Girls”.
Yes I am known as one of Australia’s musical legends it’s an honour that I have earnt and proudly cherish.

SARB: Many a baby boomer out there would fondly remember Levi Smith's Clefs (you must be tired of explaining the meaning?). They existed in what was a special time for Australian rock and pop ...a golden and formative era ...or is that just my baby boomer's perspective?
Barrie: The Levi Smith's Clefs story actually began in Adelaide, South Australia during 1966 when Tweed Harris (Keyboard) reformed The Clefs. This early line-up was, Barrie McAskill (vocals),Bev Harrell, (vocals), Les Tanner (guitar), Vinnie Jones (drums), John Young (guitar) and Bruce Howe (bass).The Clefs, without Bev Harrell, moved to Melbourne and became an in-demand band on the city's thriving club, disco and dance circuit. This Clefs line up issued two singles in 1966, I Can Only Give You Everything / Roberta', (EMI. Columbia) A Boy Like Me / Bring It to Jerome” (Tony Barber’s Phono Vox label).
When Tweed accepted an invitation from the Australian Management Booking Organization to create a super pop group, The Groove in early 1967, I was offered the job as the lead singer. However, I decided to assume leadership of the remaining Clefs, which had changed members to Les Stacpool (Guitar), Bob Jeffrey (Saxophone). Gil Matthews (Drums), Doug Stirling (Bass) I added Inez Amaya (Vocals).
My musical ear had changed from pop to what I call symphonic soul.
I wanted to explore and create new music. When my manager Peter Raphael (The Editor of Go-Set Magazine & Proprietor of the Australian Entertainment Exchange) suggested the band be renamed, I decided upon, The Levi Smith Affair, which in a roundabout way had been inspired by the name of the Four Tops lead singer Levi Stubbs and Smith being one of the biggest listings in the phone book. Tweed Harris asked me would I keep the name of the Clefs in the equation as he had spent many years building the name.  Hence “Levi Smith’s Clefs” was born.

SARB: You have shared the bill with J O'K, Normie Rowe, Bon Scott, Max Merrit, Doug Parkinson ... have your paths crossed since ...except for J O'K and Bon Scott!
Barrie: Yes I saw most of them recently on the Long Way To The Top Tour: I keep in touch with Matt Taylor, Phil Manning, Bobby Bright, Mike Rudd, Lobby Loyd, Lucky Star, Gil Matthews, Normie and many more due to the email technology.
We’ve bumped into Kevin Borich, Billy Thorpe, Matt Taylor, Phil Manning, Brian Mannix and many more on the road which generally led to a musical blow, that was always fun.  I have attached photos of Long Way To The Top Tour.
I have not seen Parko for quite a few years, however I know we’re still good mates.
I dined with J.O‘K, Bon Scott, Jimi Hendrix, John Lennon and Jesus Christ last week at the Adelaide Pie Cart. “A boy’s night out”, we signed a few autographs and then popped intothe Casino for a few drinks, watched the dancing girls and had a bit of a punt on the “Two Up”. It was lovely to see them again. We keep in touch.

SARB: You are a jingles man! Being at the cutting edge of advertising and the mass media ...as well as music ...you can tell me ...Bandstand to Australian Idol ...have things changed that much?
Barrie: Yes, you can bet your life on that, drastically. When I started in this game all one had to be was a good entertaining dance band. We would listen to the hits from America and England and give them our own flavour not even worrying about getting our own recording contract because they were few and far between in fact almost non existent here in Adelaide.  Most of my career I have been too busy working live to record,
I already had the bums on the seats I was pulling good crowds through my musical reputation. Also we were exposed on Komotion, the TV show that aired five nights a week at 5.30 just before the News, prime time. The Happening 70s Series on Saturday Mornings. These shows and many others helped attract our crowds.
These days one has to have a Video / DVD and CD before anybody will take them seriously. Not only that, one has to produce these works of art themselves. Gone are the days of the Record Companies putting a few bob of their own in, yet they sit in judgement all knowing like Pontius Pilate. Most of them could not pitch a note in a blue fit, let alone produce a good record. The Music Industry is now a totally pre-packaged nightmare for any up and coming bands no matter how talented they are. Total commitment and faith in one’s self is the only answer.  A good bank account would also help. A little bit of good luck would also be of assistance. Good people get good Karma, so be good. Talent, Faith and Perseverance is the only way.

SARB: I am always curious about what CDs musicians are currently listening to. Care to share with us some of your listening habits. Any recommendations?
Barrie: I listen to everything and anything that goes past my ears, I can’t help it and I’m not deaf yet. I have to listen for silence to find my quiet spaces within myself.
My eighteen year old son Tarrin who plays a nice guitar and sings well, is into Rap Music. If I hear much more of mother fucker this and mother fucker that, I’ll probably have to buy myself some ear plugs, go mad or shoot myself. Some rap songs are good.
I like our Adelaide rappers “The Hill Top Hoods”.
Oh and by the way, I don’t think Beethoven was deaf, I think he was just sick and tired of all the bullshit questions people would ask him and so he told them he was deaf to the world, didn’t fib and stuff up his Karma and got on with his life composing music in peace.
Some music I like and some I can’t stand. At the moment I am enjoying a live recording of B.B. King & Eric Clapton. It doesn’t hurt a bit. I like George Harrison’s Brainwashed CD.

SARB: Your gigs with Jan since 1987 ...there must be some special and memorable ones? Care to tell us about some of them?
Barrie: First let me say, when I was touring with a band all I got to see of Australia was the roads, the insides of Pubs, Clubs, Discos and Hotel / Motels; the following morning we were gone, on to our next destination. There was never any time to get to know the local people or their town’s attractions. Terrific?
Now with our Duo, Jan and I were getting paid to be tourists, a much better proposition.
Also the cost of our accommodation decreased noticeably due to purchasing a caravan which enabled us to explore every town we visited. Sometimes we’d stay a few days or in some cases a year. We had no home to go back to, it was hooked on to our car right behind us, and all we had was our future and what was around the next bend to look forward to.
Australia is a magnificent place to see, Ayres Rock, The Katherine Gorge, The Crocodile Farm, The Barrier Reef, The Camel Cup, The Henley on Todd Regatta, Darwin’s sunsets; we spent a year in the Northern Territory up and down from Alice Springs to Darwin.
We crossed the Barclay Desert, went down the mines at Mount Isa and played for the locals for five weeks. A year in Cairns enabled us to explore Far North Queensland, playing Port Douglas, the Atherton Tablelands and spot the croc on a Daintree River Train cruise.
Then we headed south to Townsville and Magnetic Island. Next stop was the Whitsunday Islands. We anchored our caravan at Airlie Beach and island hopped for a year. Mate, have you any idea what a night on Hayman Island costs?  Here we were eating pick of the menu and being accommodated, both five star whilst receiving a stipend for being there. Then followed four wonderful years in Mackay, a year in Surfers Paradise, “oh please not again it was too good”.
Ten years of this? “Thank Yah Jesus, Thank Yah Lord,” as Mick Jagger would say. So in answer to your question, this experience of our lives included some of the best gigs we’ve ever done with many more yet to come.
The visual and mental stimulation of sightseeing and meeting people, some blasts from the past, and many new acquaintances, had such a positive effect on our musical performances. Our souls soared and we played on remote. Five star music.

SARB: You must get inundated with requests at your shows? Gloria, Proud Mary, Hey Joe, Hotel California. Your response? What are some of the most requested numbers?
Barrie: We have a hundred songs of all descriptions, Jazz, Rhythm & Blues, Country, Rock & Roll and Soul music in our repertoire.
Mind you a song is a song no matter what genre and if one doesn’t give a soulful rendition then it don’t mean a thing. Anyway, our repertoire lists are laminated and we place them on the tables and bars and let the punters do the choosing.
This saves us trying to be mind readers wondering what sort of music the audience would like to hear?
It’s nice when our originals are asked for.
Popular requests are: All of the songs you’ve mentioned and, Wish You Were Here, Tobacco Road, Mustang Sally, What A Wonderful World, Bad To The Bone, Baby Did A Bad Thing, American Pie, The Gambler, Wind Beneath My Wings, Mercedes Benz, The Farmers Daughter, etcetera, etcetera.
The requests change from venue to venue, and the ages of the audience have certain relevance as well. There is not a song in our repertoire that we ourselves don’t like. Sometimes we put a tune together that we like, we give it a run on the gig, and if it just doesn’t feel good we drop it immediately.

SARB: There are some great blues numbers in your repertoire. Blues men and Blues women ...your favourites?
Barrie: Eric Clapton, Joe Cocker, Ray Charles, Lou Rawls, B.B.King, Chris Finnen, Me, Van Morrison, Chris Rhea, Blood Sweat & Tears (David Clayton-Thomas), Robert Cray, Phil Collins, Doctor John, Phil Manning and Matt Taylor, James Brown, Stevie Wonder, Jimmy Reid, Joe Turner, Sam and Dave, Rufus Thomas, Louie Armstrong and Otis Redding, I sound mixed for Bo Diddley once, he’s not too shabby. Ella Fitzgerald, Ricky Lee Jones, Rene Geyer, Bette Midler, Janis Joplin, Stevie Nicks, Edie Brickell, Tina Turner, Aretha Franklin, Peggy Lee, Carla Thomas, Julie London.

SARB: Your own music? Working on something at the present moment?
Barrie: We’ve recorded two tunes since our return to Adelaide, and I’ve managed to gather all of my released recordings (only one missing) and many that weren’t released. Since the advent of obtaining a computer I can now burn and package our own CDs, which we are selling on our gigs. My next step is to install a good computer-recording program and then nothing can stop me. I have enough originals to fill a double CD. So far I have produced two CDs:
The Best Of Barrie & Jan McAskill and Barrie McAskill’s Musical Diary.
If anyone would like to purchase one please email me: mailto:mcaskill@picknowl.com.au
  The Levi Smith’s Clefs Album, Empty Monkey and eleven unreleased tracks of the same line up are being mastered in Germany by Mayfair Records for a double Album (Vinyl),
  Aztec Records will also release a double CD of The Levis here in Australia early this year. I’m looking forward to this venture.

SARB: Your plans for 2005 Barrie?
Barrie: Record, Produce & Market our music: Finish writing my book: Collect & collate the history of South Australian Music: Eat good food: Drink good wine: Lose weight: Ride my push bike: Give up smoking: Laugh a lot and meet good people: Water the garden: Feed the chooks: Keep playing live music:

SARB: Something that I have asked all the musicians in this series of interviews ...Free flight and accommodation to where ever you like! Where would you like to go? And would it be with Jan?
Barrie: Yes I would take Jan; I love her and her music. In our nineteen years of marriage I have heard her sing 6,764 times and she has not bored me yet, she has a wonderful soul.  Hire us a rigged out tour bus with a driver, an honest agent and let us finish our tour of Ausralia that should take us another ten years.
That would be nice.  If I had to choose overseas, I’d say America, seeing as how every body tells me I sing very black for a white man and I can dance. I might sell a few CDs as there well.

SARB: The local live music scene in Adelaide at the present time? Healthy? Your perspective?
Barrie: No way, It never has been. There is no Music Industry here. One still has to leave and go to Melbourne or Sydney to obtain a record deal and once they do so they never return for years, if at all.  I have spent well over thirty years of my life living in either Melbourne or Sydney. Also, kill the pokies since all of the rooms that used to have stages are now casinos or bistros and we all know one must never play louder than the winning sounds of the pokies. Now what about the pokies music? I wonder if they’re registered with A.P.R.A.?