Friday 29 Aug, 2008
| | Friday 29 Aug, 2008 | ||||||
Uno is a brilliant songwriter with a unique style of music, inspiration and an air of magic and mystery. He's one of those musicians with a rare talent for songwriting, which spans the spectrum of musician emotion - from rock to folk ballard.
In 1998 he founded the band Higher Ground, creating a distinctive and powerful sound. Inspired by the legends and myths of King Arthur and his Knights of The Round Table, their debut album Torr Stories gained an enthusiastic following and is now regarded as a classic, being favourably compared to the Moody Blues by critics.
Since Uno and Higher Ground stopped working together Uno has been working on his solo works and concerts. The first solo album was entitled 'One more for the heart' and again was met with critical aclaim.
During the last few years, Uno has been living in Budapest where he has been recording and playing concerts. Following a move to Poland in 2008, Uno said, "Living in Hungary was great fun and I'm sure I will go back there to live as the people were and are so nice. I did 6 concerts there and I have to say all 6 went down so very well much better than I would have thought. All six were sell-outs! I did a wonderful concert in Eger (Hungary) and a TV promo for the concert I even got Colin J over from UK to play on stage with me as it was his work on 'One more for the heart' that made the album work so well. He will always be a guy I want to do more music with, as his love and kindness and skills were the best thing for that album."
Uno is now working as a teacher in Poland and currently writing for the new CD.
The one thing Uno has above all his qualities is an endless supply of enthusiasm, both in his writing and in the way he motivates musicians he works with. He says that writing a song is like trying to get over a point without being too obvious.
And the music is there as support but without taking over the words. He adds, "playing the songs 'live' is, for me, about as good as it gets. Music is a release. A way of shouting without shouting. I think that music is whatever you find in it and what you can take out of the words or music, it can help you find your way."
I remember, the first time I met Uno. He was playing at a gig in Southsea and I had been invited along by a friend of mine who worked at the venue. I wasn't sure what to expect as I'd never even heard of him before. However, within 2 minutes of them playing I was captivated. That was over ten years ago now, and the music still stirs the emotion and fires the imagination.
I'm not sure whether it's the music, Uno's songwriting, singing or an amalgamation of everything, but that initial introduction created a bond which has lasted to this day. As anyone who has read The Celestine Prophesy will know, things happen for a reason and I'd met Uno for a reason.
Paul, Webmaster