New HAMISH STUART
360 Band
360 BAND
Three sixty is Malcolm ‘Molly’ Duncan (Sax) Steve Ferrone (drums) and Hamish Stuart (guitar, bass and vocals). Exactly one half of the original Average White Band.
The years since the breakup of the original AWB have been pretty fruitful for all of us. Apart from doing a host of sessions on very successful albums and singles, playing Superbowls and Presidential inaugurations, Steve was part of Duran Duran followed by a long spell with Eric Clapton before becoming the drummer in Tom Petty’s Heartbreakers. Molly has been in much demand as a session player and soloist all over Europe in between going round the world again with the likes of Eurhythmics. Hamish joined Paul McCartney’s band in the late 80’s early 90’s on his record-breaking world tours. He has since peppered his own solo career writing hits for Chaka Kahn, George Benson and Atlantic Starr, guesting with David Sanborn and Quincy Jones and doing a couple of US tours as part of Ringo’s All Starr’s plus writing and touring with his own band and producing albums for an array of artists.
In early 2014 Steve was inducted into the Drummers Walk Of Fame in LA. He invited his previous bandmates to join him for this celebration but Alan Gorrie and Onnie McIntyre were busy and Roger Ball couldn’t make it due to ill health so Molly and Hamish flew out to join up with a handful of stellar musicians, Will Lee, Oz Noy, Benmont Tench and Larry Williams to honour their old bandmate and friend.
A WEE HISTORY
All three clicked as if no time had passed since they’d last played together and enjoyed the experience so much that they vowed to do it again when schedules allowed. July 2015 was that ‘window’ and the guys were getting ready for a handful of sell out shows at Ronnie Scott’s and Edinburgh Queen’s Hall when the offer to record an album came from Paul Madden of Smokehouse Studios in Wapping, London.
Molly and Steve each brought a song to the party and the rest was made up of a handful of songs from Hamish’s recent repertoire plus a couple of covers and one new song. Too Hip is the last song on the record and a bit of an epic story about AWB’s original drummer Robbie McIntosh, clocking in around the 7 minute mark.
Live” 360 perform songs from the new album alongside a clutch of AWB classics. Assisted in this by most of the musicians who played on the album - Steve Pearce (bass) Adam Phillips (guitar), Ross Stanley (keyboards), Andy Caine (guitar and Vocals), Tom Walsh (trumpet), and newcomer Patrick Hayes (trombone).
This reunion of three players who have achieved so much together and separately has produced a landmark album showcasing where their various talents have matured to.