Chris Scarfe is the bassist for indie band Mynas. He also plays bass in The Richard Kitson Band with fellow Mynas drummer Steve Booth and also run popular acoustic open-mic night One Over the Eight; which started off life at the Hush Bar in 2011.
When you see Chris play live, you’ll tell straight off that this is a gyy with a wide taste in music. Elements of blues, funk and rock make their way into the band’s music. I caught up with him to find out about some of his favourite records.
The first album I bought was…
Thriller by Michael Jackson. I had some birthday money to spend when I was about nine and it was a choice between Thriller or ‘Daley Thompson’s Decathlon’ for the Spectrum +2. Can’t remember what swung my decision…
The album that got me through my school was…
Anything by Blur, but mostly ‘Parklife’. I was 13/14 and a mate gave me a mix-tape of Oasis. I spent a week listening to Definitely Maybe, plus a few B-sides, thinking it was alright. When another friend heard, he spat and insisted on giving me ‘Parklife’ and ‘Modern Life is Rubbish’. They had me at the intro of ‘Girls & Boys’. I was one of only a handful of Blur fans that I knew of at school when they beat Oasis to number one in ’95. I’ve since become something of a Blur nerd and own well over 50 cds and vinyls.
My favourite album artwork is…
A Perfect Circle’s ‘Mer de Noms’. What looks like random symbols throughout the insert can be translated into English. And, yes, I spent an afternoon doing so.
My favourite movie soundtrack album is…
Trainspotting. ‘Lust For Life’, ‘Sing’, and of course ‘Born Slippy’, brilliant!
And regardless of what the purists say, I think Sleeper’s version of Atomic is rather good.
The album I heard and made me realise that I wanted to play music was…
Difficult to pinpoint, but I’m going to blame ‘The Frenz Experiment’ by The Fall. In my third year at school we had to get into groups and write our own songs. I’d hated music lessons up to this point; I couldn’t play anything or sing. But I took it upon myself to write the lyrics for our song. I basically ripped off ‘Carry Bag Man’, with a few alterations, and me and another kid ‘sang’ it to a backing of percussion (cos none of the other lads could play either). It went down a storm – for comedic value. Not long after that I picked up a bass and ended up choosing Music as one of my options.
The one album I have that people would laugh at, but I ain’t embarrassed about is…
It depends who I’m talking to. For example, the rest of Mynas think Dream Theater are ridiculous and my girlfriend Sarah rolls her eyes if I mention Limp Bizkit.
But I think my guilty pleasure is ‘High Times’ by Jamiroquai. Del does his nut whenever one of their songs comes on my ipod. Yes, they’re cheesy, but I love Stuart Zender’s basslines.
If my house was on fire and I was only able to save one of my records, it would be…
My limited edition of ‘In Rainbows’ by Radiohead. Simply cos it cost me more than any other record I own!
My Saturday Night/Sunday Morning records are…
Saturday night – Graham Central Station, self-titled album. Sunday morning – ‘Asleep In The Back’ by Elbow.
The record I lost my virginity to was…
Probably something by 5ive or whatever garbage said girl was listening to at the time. I do recall putting on ‘Make Yourself’ by Incubus at every opportunity at my first girlfriends house, though. She hated it! Does that count?
One amazing new record I’m listening to right now is…
I really like Esperanza Spalding’s ‘Radio Music Society’, everything about her oozes cool.
One Over The Eight will have a new home by September, where the Acoustic/Open Mic nights will be starting up again. www.facebook.com/OneOverThe8
Mynas will be recording new tracks at the back end of July but in the meantime you can visit www.mynas.co.uk for gig dates in July/August and previous recordings.
Mynas headline Rocket:Ball at The Metrodome on Friday 6th July.
Alternative Barnsley 