Little Axe

Skip McDonald on Little Axe and BASX Project

Skip McDonald will tour Europe in May and June with Little Axe, featuring the ususal suspects Doug Wimbish and Keith LeBlanc, to promote 'Champagne & Grits', out now on Real World. The tour starts in Brussels, Belgium with a very special, exciting project. Nothing is certain, everything is open.

Skip McDonald kicks of in Brussels, Belgium, at the festival Les Nuits de Botanique with a special project. It's called BASX Project Session One and features Keith LeBlanc (drums) and Doug Wimbish (bass) and a Belgian harmonica player who's name is to be unknown untill the gig, says Skip in London, busy with the last preparations for the European Little Axe tour.

• Could you tell me some more about BASX Project Session One?

Skip: "Basically it's what you see is what you get. It's authentic music, raw, without loops, backing tracks or programming. It's not a band concept, it's live only. I want to collaborate with different musicians and different people. Next time it could be with a whole different crew."

• Are there already plans for 'Session Two'?

"Not yet, it takes a lot of time and preparation to organise."

• What material will you be playing with BASX Project?

"We don't know yet."

• You don't know yet? So it's kinda like a jam session?

"No, it's not your typical sit in jam session, it's organised, but we just don't know what we're gonna do exactly. We might do one or two Little Axe tracks, new material, but then again there's the possibility of that not happening. It's an entirely open thing."

• Well, looks like you picked the right guys to do this project with. How long have you been playing along with Doug and Keith?

"Let's see, I've been playing together with Doug since about 1972, and with Keith since 1979."

• Does BASX Project have anything to do with your plans we talked about last year to record some very basic stuff in between Little Axe albumr?

"My plans have changed, I'm already recording a new Little Axe album. Three quarters of the record is already finished. In fact, I'm about to go on my way and meet Doug in the studio right now."

• What's the album going to be like?

"Champagne & Grits has a raw touch, it's close to the first album, Wolf that House Built, and I want the next album to be even more raw. I want less instruments, less production. It has to be edgyer."

• Will you be playing some of the new stuff during the European tour?

"Yes, we might play one or two new tracks, the ones I spoke of earlier. I'm really looking forward to this tour."

Please check the tour section for extact dates.