Here it comes again - February 2012

Rehearsal with Musical Box

Once again I was invited to play with the Musical Box - this time in Zurich. It seemed fitting to play the Musical Box number itself with them as well as Watcher of the Skies, two songs that defined early seventies Genesis. The muse was with us all as the songs took flight once again... With the strange convolutions and odd time signatures, in my day those numbers were full of ambushes for the uninitiated and atmospheres that sometimes teleported listeners to other times and places.

The show

French Canadian based Musical Box are an extremely talented bunch of guys who've really got the early Genesis vibe down and perform a totally convincing recreation of the Lamb show. At times you really believe that Denis the lead singer is actually Peter Gabriel. It's not just the voice - Pete's mannerisms have been so well observed. I shared several recollections with their guitarist Francois, who I found equally impressive.

It was like a United Nations there... As well as the Canadian band it was great to spend time with friends and familiar faces from Italy, France, Germany, Holland, Switzerland and the UK. No cuckoo clocks were harmed and we all had a fabulous time. Over lunch Jo and I also met a young and talented act Sinplus, who'll be this year's Swiss entry into the Eurovision Song Contest.

A twenty four hour flying visit to the land of spectacular lakes and mountains, where music echoes across the glaciers, but yodelling after midnight is strictly verboten!

Special thanks to Serge Morissette, the Musical Box band and team, Winfried Volklien, Roger Salem, Maurizio and Angela Vicedomini and Ben Fenner for making this all possible.

Ben, Angela, Steve and Maurizio