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Who are you? How long
have you been doing music ?
Firstly, I'm Mario Bradley, I've
been listening to rockabilly/rock
and roll from about the age of 11
and have been playing since the
age of 16, when I taught myself
guitar and later on, double bass
Did you grow up in a
musical family ?
My dad had some rock and roll
albums and I think this is what
got me hooked on the sound. The
first track I ever heard on one
of the albums was 'Rock Around
The Clock' I have quite a big
family - 3 brothers and a sister,
but I'm the only musical one. I
found out in later years that my
late father used to play in a
skiffle band when he was young.
Having said that, all my brothers
are into the music but none of
them actually play anything.
Do you remember a record
that had a special impact on you
?
I think the first record that
really made my mind up must have
been one my dad gave me. It was
actually a compilation album and
I think it was called something
like '25 Rock & Roll Greats'
It had tracks on from Bill Haley,
Chuck Berry, Charlie Rich, Elvis
and various others.
Let's talk about your
influences?
Later on I was influenced by
different styles of 40s and 50s
artists like Joe Clay, Johnny
Carroll, Pat Cupp, Elvis,
Hardrock Gunther, Slim Harpo, Big
Joe Turner, Bill Haley, John Lee
Hooker.
Have you met some of your
personal heros like Hardrock
Gunther, Joe Clay and others
Sadly I haven't met Hardrock
Gunther or Joe Clay but I met
Johnny Carroll, Mac Curtis and
others.
How would you describe
your style? Rockabilly?
I wouldn't say I was just a
rockabilly artist. Although my
roots are hardcore rockabilly, I
also love blues, jump blues,
rhythm and blues, jive, swing,
neo-rockabilly, psychobilly and
hopefully I try to incorporate
all that into my sound
When did you first come
on stage ?
The first gig I played was with a
band called 'The Marvels' I was
playing double bass for them. I
think it was at 'Horn of Plenty'
in St. Albans, Herts. All I can
say about it was that it was a
good experience considering I was
drunk at the time.
Do you have any
particular memories of a gigs you
played ?
The most memorable gig I ever
played was at the Powerhouse in
Birmingham. I was with The Blue
Ridge Mountain Boys playing
double bass. It was an alldayer,
there were some great artists on
the bill, the crowd was fantastic
and for me, it was a great
experience. I did have some great
fun gigging with The Bootleggers
though. We were probably one of
the first at that time to be
doing harmonica/jump blues
numbers and this always got the
crowd going.
And as a spectator?
The most memorable gigs I ever
went to were Johnny Carroll in
the early 80s, Buzz and the
Flyers, Stray Cats, Meteors.
What do you think of the
today's american and european
rockabilly scene? Who are your
favorite today's bands?
I think there are some great
bands out there at the moment and
I'm always appreciative of new
sounds, new talent. To tell you
the truth, I've always got
respect for anyone who gets up
and plays to an audience. My
favourite bands of today are Jack
Rabbit Slim, Hot Boogie Chillun,
Blueflames. I also admire people
like Number Nine and Paul Ansell,
Darrel Higham, Extraordinaires,
Big Boy Bloater, Jack Baymoore,
The Go-getters, Ricky Brawn and
many others. I always listen out
for new bands on the scene and am
always interested in something
different.
About your first album,
was it your first experience in
the studio. Did you release
anything before that ?
No, I have been in the studio
before. I released a song on Fury
Records when I was with The
Bootleggers. It was called
'Chicken Jake' and it was one I
wrote myself. I've since seen it
pop up now and then on various
compilations but originally it
was on a album called 'Taken By
Force'..
Why did you choose to
play almost all the instruments
in your CD's?
Both 'Shake It Don't Break It'
and 'Rhythm Junction' were
recorded in my own studio and I
play most of the instruments
myself for different reasons 1. I
enjoy it. I've always loved
messing around with different
sounds, etc. and see what I can
come up with. 2. I'm in control.
It's not like going into a studio
where you're often ruled by time
etc. Also I've always had a
fascination with the engineering
side of things ie. laying track
on track, that sort of thing, but
in that department I'm learning
all the time.Are
your albums selling good ?
As far as I'm aware, my albums
are selling good and I've been
really pleased with the response
I've had, considering I've not
been out playing. I've relied
alot on DJs, radio shows,
internet and people like
yourself, so yes, it's been
really good
When can we expect a new
release?
There is a new album coming out
soon which I might bring out
independently. In between writing
and recording the albums I was
working on some other stuff which
has yet not reached the public.
So it will be 'The Unreleased
Recordings' and will be out some
time in the very near future.
Do you plan working with
other musicians like Darrel
Higham, Mike Sanchez, Paul Ansell...
I actually had Darrell Higham
over in my studio a few weeks
ago, just before he went on his
tour with Lee Rocker. When he
gets back we plan to get down to
his studio and do some stuff
together.
Would you be interested
working with some american
labels?
I'd love to work with some
American labels. In fact it'd be
a dream, with it being the root
of our music.
When will you be on stage
doin' your own stuff? Have you
been asked for by Hemsby,
Rockabilly rave, Screamin', VLV
or Green Bay crews?
Yes, I have had requests from a
few big venues from all over. All
I can say is that at the moment
I'm working on a new album and
some new songs which I'd like to
perform live. The problem I have
is that because my style varies
so much, ie. rockabilly, jive etc.
it's hard to get the musicians to
cater for this. Paul Saunders
from Jack Rabbit Slim is gonna be
doing drums with me. The thing is
I don’t like to sing and
play an instrument at the same
time when I'm on stage. It
restricts me for movement as I
like to jump around and go mad.
I'm a bit of a perfectionist when
it comes to playing live so I
want to make sure I get things
right and have everything in
place, but I'll keep you posted
so watch this space!!
Personally, I think you
got a physical shape and look-alike
for movies. Would you be
interested by shooting some
movies?
Well, as for the movies, thank
you very much for the compliment.
Now that you mention it, I'd love
to do a movie, maybe playing the
part of an Italian gangster!!
Coincidentally, as well as the
studio, I have a small film setup
with cameras etc. and I'm gonna
be working with Phil Terry of
Hepsville Films to shoot some
more videos for my songs. That's
coming up real soon.
A last word?
It would have to be the day I
don't enjoy the music is the day
my heart stops'
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