ABOUT

 

Truth is stranger than fiction . . .

The "Green Inspiration Band" was formed in the summer of 1992 by Sam Miller and Andy Hunt, who had played together in the award-winning Swansea band "The Electric Druids" and decided to do something a little more 'serious'. They were joined by Steve Griffiths, a veteran of the Swansea scene and member of the "Right Honourables" and psychedelic dub reggae band "Ashaman", and Tim Atkinson, also a member of "Ashaman", and who had also previously jammed with Andy Hunt in a band called "Attitude Problem".

The name of the band was coined by Steve at one particularly heavy smoking session, and was subsequently adopted as it suited not only the band's fondness for the 'herbal remedy', but also some of the more spiritually renewing and 'Earth-friendly' philosophies expounded in the band's music.

In the breathtaking surroundings of the Gower peninsula and the parks and bays around Swansea itself, the band jammed, mused, and wrote and recorded what still stands today as some of the best underground psychedelic rock music of all time. With influences stretching from Led Zeppelin and Hawkwind to Slayer and the Ozric Tentacles, the band surprised everyone, including themselves on occasion, and within a very short space of time became something of a phenomenon in Swansea, attracting a small but faithful band of followers who are every bit as much a part of the band's history as the band members themselves.

It was a unique and turbulent time for all concerned; memories of Swansea streets, parks, houses, pubs and clubs burned irrevocably into the psyche of every person who was part of what happened. But the story goes on, and everything that happened back then still lives on in what was yesterday's tomorrow, and what will soon be tomorrow's yesterday.

The band played as far afield as the George Robey in Finsbury Park, London - home to many famous nights such as the now legendary "Megadog" - and blew people's minds at every gig with such classics as "Acid Brain" (once performed with two drummers - both named Sam) and "Forward" (described by one listener as "better than 'Stairway to Heaven'"). A highlight was the main hall at the University College of Swansea, overlooking the breathtaking Swansea Bay through a huge glass wall. They nearly burned down the Students' Union bar with the amazing fire-juggling of their official juggler and reefer-builder Dod. They blew away the competition at the Hendrefoilan 'Battle of the Bands' to take first place (although Andy and Sam had actually already won first prize the previous year with the "Electric Druids").

Flush with success, the band decided to record their material, and secreted themselves for a time in the earthily magical "Black Mountain Studios" in West Wales. When they emerged, one of the most notable (if relatively undiscovered) heavy psychedelic rock albums of all time, "Forward into Beyond" had been created. The ecstatic intensity and sheer power of the Greens' live experience had been successfully captured on 16-track tape. The dream had been crystallised and immortalised.

After a line-up change, the Greens went on to support the Magic Mushroom Band at the Bulldog Bash, and to record another, this time live, album, "Live Pandemonia". The band eventually split, but if you stand on Swansea beach and listen to the waves of the sea, you can still to this day hear the thunderous, yet distant, sound of that almighty cosmic vibe that is the Green Inspiration Band.

To be continued . . .