Graham Holley
Keyboard
Graham’s journey to this point in his career is like that of many a young musician. At 14 years old, Graham decided he wanted to be the next Rick Wakeman – “I rolled the family piano into my bedroom and learned to play by listening to Rick’s albums along with those of Elton John, ELO and Yes”, Graham explains.
As well as these bands, Graham had a real passion for the New Wave bands of the early ’80s, particularly The Police – “they were my Beatles” – and Duran Duran. Time passed, and having been exposed to Nirvana, Graham became drawn to playing bass and starting to make more of an already great singing voice.
‘I loved playing in three-piece bands, – bass/vocals, Drums and Guitar. They are so flexible; you can do so much with them in terms of dynamics and so on”
While in his playing, songwriting and singing, Graham was clearly influenced in his formative years by Rick Wakeman, The Police and Nirvana, it is the classical genre that has perhaps had the biggest impact on his musical style.
Attending the cinema with his dad in the 70s, Graham found that he was drawn to the music of John Williams who composed the soundtracks for classics like “The Towering Inferno”, “Jaws” and “Star Wars”. While blown away by the accompanying music, it was only later that Graham discovered this had all come from the pen of Williams. “Having listened to these soundtracks endlessly”, Graham adds, “I swear I could have conducted the LSO performing them”.
Also sticking with film soundtracks Graham cites John Carpenter as another major influence. James Hetfield, Brad Paisley, Phil Collins, Jan Hammer and Alan Jackson have also had a big impact on the development of Graham’s musical style.
Graham describes himself as “a musical chameleon” with a love of many musical genres, including Country, Metal, Electronic, Jazz, Pop and film soundtracks.
However, in Chinese Whispers, Graham’s focus is on ensuring he stays true to the musical spirit of what the band is trying to do – making 80s music for the 21st-century. “My approach is to work hard on recreating accurate synthesiser sounds and playing styles associated with the 1980s,” he says.
Graham feels people look at the 1980s as being a “good time” decade and hopes that Chinese Whispers can recreate the 80s atmosphere without going down the tribute act or cabaret route.
He considers “Stranger Things” a great blueprint for Chinese Whispers, seeing it as a great TV show, which pays homage to the 1980s without it being a parody. Graham feels: “We are doing the same thing musically – a love letter to a great decade”.
Graham’s favourite Chinese Whispers song is “Take This Heart of Mine”. In writing the song Graham says he was aiming for a Phil Collins/Genesis style and to create something they (Genesis) would be proud of. “ I’ve actually spoken to people who have heard it, and thought it was a new Genesis single!”
Graham wants the audience to see Chinese Whispers as a “Rip van Winkle” type of band. “As if we fell asleep in 1986, woke up in 2020, and just carried on doing exactly what the band had been doing originally”, he says. Graham’s vision for the band is that Chinese Whispers continues to record its own brand of 80s-inspired synth-rock music, develop a signature sound and leave a legacy of fantastic, recorded work. In terms of playing live, Graham wants promotors to see us as the go-to original band for festivals and support slots with major touring artists.
And what music-related advice would Graham give to his 10-year-old self? “Listen, focus, dream, work hard and believe in yourself would be the best guidance I could offer”, says Graham.
Calum McRae
Singer
Calum understands just how long Chinese Whispers have been away. His vision is that the band will continue to write great music either self-promoted or via other artists. “One thing is for sure”, says Calum, “Chinese Whispers are not going away again”.
Calum feels the band has been too long in development to waste the talent that it has. “So long as we continue to enjoy what we do”, he says, “we will be ultimately successful”.
Calum and Graham grew up together and played in bands as kids, the first of which was Chinese Whispers. However, Calum turned his back on music for over 20 years and only began singing again in 2014 with bands playing cover versions.
Calum says that he has been on a journey to “get his musical Mojo back” and wants to be writing and being involved in the creative process – something he says is really important to him.
Rather unkindly to himself, Calum sees his role in the band as being “mainly administrative with some yodelling”.
He feels that if he can keep the band on a forward and upward trajectory he’s okay with that. Calum wants the band to be seen as “new retro”.
He states: “Chinese Whispers are, quite simply, embracing the sound and feel of the 80s but also pushing new boundaries to the future. We are bringing it back while moving it on”.
Calum does not have a favourite Chinese Whispers song. He feels that to pick a favourite would be like asking him to choose as a favourite one of his kids.
For Calum, the best song is always the next one, the new one, the work-in-progress; the excitement of creating something new as being the best rather than having a favourite at any point in time.
People may be surprised to know that Calum has in his album collection “Fishing for Zebras” by Club De Belugas. Calum advises: “You all need this in your life….!”.
Calum has many musical influences but if choosing just one, it would be Johnny Moore of the Drifters.
And if advising his 10-year-old self on musical matters, he would say not to listen to doubters.
Calum says: “Music is not about fame. It’s about who you are and how you express yourself.
David MacDonald
Drummer
David’s belief in Chinese Whispers is so strong that nothing short of performing at Glasgow’s Hydro will be enough in terms of realising his vision for the band.
“There is a great deal of interest in the music and culture of the 80s”, says David, “and Chinese Whispers has arrived at the right time to bring a 21st century perspective to the great music of that period.”
David adds, “we have great musical memories of that period and they have informed the great new music we are now producing”.
The musical journey to this point has been rich, varied and sometimes surprising for David.
Having known Graham and Calum since the 80s, and having played in various bands with them since that time, David has covered many genres – rock, blues, jazz, orchestral, country and gospel.
And not always on the drums. David has also played guitar and bass along the way, (with some clarinet for good measure…!) although he will always say that he is, quite firmly, a drummer first and foremost.
Despite having been exposed to many musical styles, David has one requirement from all of them: “It is all about melody and while technical brilliance may be something to respect and hold in wonder, it is largely meaningless without melody.”
David would point to a multitude of influences but if having to narrow it down, the bands and artists who caught his attention to the greatest degree – and which shaped his playing and sound – would include, Genesis, Rush, Van Halen and Mike Oldfield.
From a pure drumming perspective, David says: “I would home in on three musicians who have had greatest impact on me: Phil Collins, Buddy Rich and Simon Phillips”.
When thinking about those influential players, David feels it would be great to have the opportunity to advise his 10-year-old-self on all matters of music.
“My advice would be simple,” David states. “Knowing how beneficial it has been to play nearly every day during the COVID-19 lock down periods, albeit at home, I would encourage the young MacDonald to practice – practice – practice….!”
David also feels that the best advice you can offer any young person aspiring to greatness, is to work hard, fight for the dream, ignore any negative influences and never stop believing in yourself.
David describes his musical style as “powerful, with swing and the appropriate amount of light and shade to enhance the songs”.
Having long since matured from the “more is more” of his formative years, David draws upon his broad musical knowledge and experience to work within the framework of the song.
Locking in with the bass is paramount and leaving space for vocals and solos is also a fundamental aspect of his style.
“Music is a language, a means of communication”, says David. “It is a means of sharing experiences, feelings and hopes”.
He wants Chinese Whispers to be recognised as a band which acts as a mirror to reflect the feelings and emotions of the audience. “I want people to listen to our music and say: ‘…Yeah, I get it…I feel what you guys are feeling and I feel better for it…’ while having a great time, of course”.
David’s favourite Chinese Whispers song is “Midnight Movies”, a song he describes as a “…truly wonderful piece of music as fresh now as it was when it was written over 35 years ago by the 20-somethings of the band at the time. David feels the song says so much. “In addition to it being a great tune telling a profound story through so perfectly articulated lyrics”, David says, “there is a huge emotional content to it”.
Beyond the Chinese Whispers repertoire, if leafing through David’s music collection you may be surprised by the first record he bought. “It is Mozart’s 40th Symphony”, explains David, “played to a rock / pop beat, arranged by Argentinian composer Waldo del los Rios and recorded in 1971.” David adds that, as always, he was drawn to the melody…
David recalls the first rehearsal of the reformed Chinese Whispers in September 2019. “There were only three of us in the studio. Graham and I were trying to replicate the track with no-one there to play guitar and bass and then Calum sang the first line of the song: ’It’s been so long, since we’ve been here’…”.
It was the first time, Calum, Graham and David had been in a studio since 1992 and it was a hugely emotional moment. “For me, this reinforced the core essence of what music is all about”, says David, “bringing people together, across time and in a way that no other activity can achieve”.
Robert Wilson
Guitar
Robert describes Chinese Whispers as the perfect vehicle to explore a collective love of music, particularly that 80s synth driven sound that has had such an influence on so many people. “I want the audience to hear the song writing first but also to appreciate the musical content” he says.
Robert came up through the ranks of many bands. From dipping his toe in the musical waters at school onto membership of some quite well-known bands too.
He says his highlights would be writing and recording an album with Scottish prog rock favourite Abel Ganz and many Far Eastern and tours with Big Vern n the Shootas.
Like many musicians, several artists have influenced Robert, but Eric Johnson has had greatest impact from a guitar playing perspective along with the Blue Nile for songs and, as Robert puts it “general of wonderfulness”.
In terms of musical style, Robert feels that he brings a melodic, if a tad “flash”, guitar playing to the band but also brings a and a broad depth of musicianship.
Roberts cites “Midnight Movies” as his favourite Chinese Whispers song. He adds: “It was my audition song and when I first heard it, I thought ‘yup…I can do that no bother’…”.. Robert sees it as a perfect track and ideally complementary to his guitar style.
Having a broad taste in music, Robert says that people may be surprised to find “Romanza” by Andrea Bocelli in his record collection.
Robert says that if he were advising his 10-year-old self on matters of music, he would encourage an early start to guitar playing. “I didn’t actually begin learning until I was 16….” Robert adds.
Brian Munro
Guitar
Brian says that his vision for the band is: “That Chinese Whispers continues to make great music, experimenting, evolving and pushing ourselves but all the while enjoying the journey”.
Brian had originally signed on as Chinese Whispers guitarist in 1985 after the band parted ways with their first guitarist.
He came with the same vision and outlook as the others and fitted in perfectly, but life , as it often does, got in the way of the band which spit in early 1986 before getting a chance to play any gigs.
Brian and Calum reunited later in ’86 to form a Scot-pop band called Skin Deep and played gigs around Glasgow, recording many songs – some of which will hopefully see the light of day in some way in the future.
In terms of how Brian’s return journey to Chinese Whispers in 2019 started, he was seeking a trumpet player to join a jazz jam, saw an online advert placed by Graham for musicians to help bring the “About Time” album to life, answered the add and the rest, as they say, is history.
Brian‘s biggest musical influence is Rush. They are a band which never stands still and has always put creativity before commercial success”, believes Brian.
Describing his musical style as “adaptable”, Brian considers this an important attribute. Brian says: “The band never knows just what sort of thing we may try next”.
Brian wants the audience to be lost in the music and feel what they feel.
Brian‘s favourite Chinese Whispers song is “About Time”. Brian says he is drawn to the uplifting melody, inspiring lyrics and driving rhythm. Regarding other artists, people may be surprised to find a Boney M album in Brian’s record collection.
Brian has very simple music related advice for his 10-year-old self: “Practice, persevere and enjoy…!”, he says.
Chinese Whispers: In One Word
Chinese Whispers are a true band of brothers. While of course they love playing music with each other, a massive part of the love of what they do is based on the respect they have for each other and the fun they have together. The laughter is often louder than the music.
For a small insight into the personalities who make up Chinese Whispers, we asked the guys to sum up each other member in one – yes…ONE…word.
In the rehearsal studios this would be probably unpublishable, but as the guys were on their best behaviour, this is what they said:
David Says:
Calum – Visionary
Brian – Deep
Robert – Dazzling
Graham – Mastermind
Robert Says:
Calum – Fire
Brian – Solid
David – Loud
Graham – Talented
Calum Says:
Robert – Magica
Brian – Synergy
David – Extraordinary
Graham – Gifted
Brian Says:
Calum – Crooner
Robert – Virtuoso
David – Dynamic
Graham – Genius
Graham says:
Calum – Brother
Brian – Glue
David – Irreplaceable
Robert – Spellbinding
So there you have it: they have a fiery crooner for a singer, a dynamic drummer who is loud, a bass player being sent to the Knacker’s yard to be turned into glue, a keyboards player who is an evil genius, and a guitarist who appears to be a wizard… or possibly made a pact with the devil.
Lesson learnt. We probably shouldn’t do these things…
