Back to Vo's & Rachel's Homepage Vo & Rachel Interview
Q: So, How did you two meet?
Rachel: Well, I was doing my music degree at Birmingham Conservatoire and in my final year I had to do a thesis. So I chose Music Therapy which is a subject that's always interested me. You know, how music can effect your state of mind and all that sort of thing. Anyway, after asking around for advice I was told to contact a chap at a local psychiatric hospital, who was doing that kind of work.
Vo: That was me. I'd been doing some voluntary and part-time work at Rubery Hill Hospital on & off for a few years. So they sent Rachel up to study what I was doing. Which was basically sing-songs with the patients at the hospital. Now Rachel plays the oboe. Not just as a hobby. She's a serious classically trained musician, and I was just stunned by the sound she made. I mean, I'd heard oboes because I listen to a lot of classical music as well as lots of everything else, but this was something else, an amazing sound.
Rachel What a smoothie!
Vo: No, it's true. So anyway, I thought it would be a good idea to do a few folk tunes together to entertain the people at the hospital.
Rachel: This sounds all very well and good, but the trouble was, Vo had been used to working with fiddle players, and obviously they can play continuously.
Vo: Pausing only to pick up a pint.
Rachel: They don't need to breathe. Whereas I do. So It actually did me a lot of good playing fiddle tunes 'cos eventually I was able to play very long phrases on a single breath.
Vo: Unlike most normal oboe players.
Rachel: There's no such thing as a normal oboe player.
Vo: You said it.
Rachel: Watch it! No, what I mean is, most oboe players get a bit neurotic about reeds and stuff like that.
Q: Why's that?
Rachel: Well The weather can effect reeds. especially humid weather.
Vo: makes guitar players sound almost normal doesn't it.
Q: You're a guitar player then?
Vo: How did you guess? Yeah, Self-taught not 'proper' like Rachel.
Q: Alright then, who are you favourite guitarists? Who do you listen to?
Vo: Well, off the top of my head, jazz-wise I'd say...Django Reinhardt, John McLaughlin, Pat Metheny. Classical players...John Williams, Julian Bream especially the stuff they've done together. Country music....Albert Lee, Jerry Donahue. Rock music, probably the usual crew...Hendrix, Beck, Clapton....Richard Thompson, a stunning player. I know some people consider him a folky but really these labels are a waste of time. And mustn't forget Hank Marvin who's probably influenced several of the above. Talking about folk music I love Martin Carthy's playing. A true original, wonderful stuff. I've always thought he should do an album of guitar solos.
Q: Talking of Martin Carthy I heard a whisper that you two were doing some concerts with his longtime associate Dave Swarbrick.
Rachel: That's right. We've been doing a mixture of folk tunes and some of the stuff that Vo writes. The oboe and fiddle seem to work really well together, and Swarb is such an amazing player.
Vo: Yeah, I've always loved Fairport and working with Swarb is a real buzz.
Q: So Rachel. What music do you listen to.
Rachel: Well, I tend to go for the singer-songwriter sort of thing. Paul Simon, Joni Mitchell, Peter Gabriel, although I like bands like Weather Report as well. Wayne Shorter is probably my favourite reed player.
Q: Did ever consider the saxophone?
Rachel: Yeah, I had one for a while. But it wasn't doing my oboe playing any good. You need a more relaxed embouchure than on the oboe, so I had to give it up. Lovely sound though. Who's that guy on those Chick Corea things you play all the time?
Vo: Joe Farell. Yeah! It's amazing how some music that you liked years ago, you listen to it now and go 'Oh no! Did I really like that stuff. Whereas other things just last and last. Chick Corea is one of those for me. Him and Joe Zawinul. Totally amazing! I like a lot of songwriters too. Brian Wilson, Stevie Wonder, John Lennon. Bob Dylan, Richard Thompson, the list goes on and so do I.
Rachel: You said it!
Vo: Touche
Q: Talking about songs...Early Birds?
Vo: Yes Early Birds.
Q: How did it start?
Rachel: We've got two children. Joe and Harry. When they were little and used to go to playgroups, we used to get invited along to play a few songs for the kids.
Vo: You know the sort of thing 'Today children, Joe & Harry's Mummy and Daddy are going to sing us some songs.'
Rachel: Which was all jolly good fun. We'd sing 'The wheels on the bus,' 'Postman Pat.' 'Nelly the Elephant.'
Vo: Great song! Wish I'd written that. That, and 'A Windmill in Old Amsterdam.'
Rachel: You know, 'Humpty Dumpty, Twinkle twinkle,' It's all good stuff, but eventually we got tired of doing the same old songs over and over. So we thought, 'why not write some new ones.'
Vo: We had a recording studio studio at home, 'cos I tend to write a lot of music anyway, jingles, theme tunes, all that sort of thing.
Rachel: So we started doing more and more children's music sessions. People wanted copies of the songs, so we started producing books, tapes and videos.
Vo: I should butt in here and say that not only is she a great oboe player, she's also a wonderful artist. Which we didn't really know until we starting doing the books.
Rachel: Then it was suggested that we do proper shows. Which we did for several years in schools, playgroups, theatres, arts centres. Besides that, I've always had a bee in my bonnet about children being much more capable of learning music than adults think. And, we rather proved the point by dong music sessions for two-year olds upwards.
Q: So it was kind of 'The Early Bird catches the musical worm'?
Rachel: Yeah, that was the general idea. Children are amazing learners at that age, and let's face it music is only another language.
Q: I happen to know you use sign language in some of your songs?
Rachel: Yes. Sign language moves me. It's a wonderful form of communication. I feel that sign language and song fits together beautifully, We recently did some shows in the Middle East to children for whom English is very much a second language, and you wouldn't believe how quickly they picked it up.
Q: And all this is at the same time as a career in shall we say 'grown-up' music.
Rachel: Yeah Although we've never done a lot of gigs. because it could get in the way of the family life, and we like to be around for the boys. Vo did a tour With Nigel Kennedy a couple of years ago, and I did some some oboe playing on his new album which I'm very chuffed about.
Q: All Jimi Hendrix fans together hey Vo?
Vo: Yeah definitely. Nigel's an incredible musician. A great composer and improviser as well. I can't tell you how much I respect the guy. He gave me a lot of confidence in my own playing.
Q: Kafka is a great album.
Vo: Too right! All you have to do is listen with open eaars and no preconceptions. Although lets face it, that's a good way to listen to anybody or anything.
Q: Nigel played on a recording of yours. Tell us about it?
Rachel: We rerecorded two of our children's songs and in the middle put one of Vo's instrumental pieces. A kind of eastern sounding thing, and Nigel played beautifully on it. It's called 'Journey Without Distance' and it's really stunning.
Vo: We also used a children's choir on the songs, which was very effective.
Q: Now then, tell us about the TV series?
Rachel: Well...It's called 'Havakazoo.' It's on 'Channel Five' 4 times a week, and, besides doing a song in each programme, Vo is one of the presenters, which is a brand new career that he's taken to, like a duck takes to water, and I produce the artwork for a story that's told at the end of every show. And... we love every minute of it.
Q: So what age group is it aimed at?
Vo: It's aimed roughly at five year olds. Although from the feedback we've been getting it seems to be going down very well with kids aged anything from two to ten not to mention their Mums & Dads.
Q: So life is fairly exciting then.
Rachel: Hectic and exciting, definitely.
Q: So, where to next?
Rachel: Haven't got a clue. If youÕd told us a little while ago ago we'd be doing what we're doing now, we'd have said you were crazy. So the last thing I'm going to do is try and predict. I'm just going to sit back and enjoy whatever does happen.
Q: Vo, any last thoughts?
Vo: One of my favourite cartoonists is Charles Schulz. 'Peanuts' you know. In one of them somebody says to Linus 'What do you want to be when you grow up?' and he says 'Outrageously Happy!' I like that.
EMAIL: vo.fletcher@btinternet.com . . . . TEL: 01684 561700