paul geary

INTERVIEW: Bass Tutor Paul Geary

21 Nov 2018

This post was written more than two years ago. The content or information below may no longer be accurate.

ACM Bass Tutor Paul Geary features in Bass Guitar Magazine and tours with The Dire Straits Experience…

Here at ACM, we pride ourselves on offering an immersive education in state-of-the-art facilities, with real-world professionals bringing back knowledge directly from the industry – exclusively for our students. Our Bass Tutor Paul Geary has recently been touring with The Dire Straits Experience and has also featured in Bass Guitar Magazine which is published internationally. We caught up with him to find out more…

image5How did the opportunity to tour with The Dire Straits Experience come about?

“I met Chris White (original member of Dire Straits) on a function gig a few years ago. After this, he mentioned he was putting together a new band and asked me to join. It just goes to show, every gig, no matter how big or small can lead to something amazing!”

What do you take away from these experiences and bring back into classrooms exclusively for ACM students?

“I think with this show, the magnitude and legacy of Dire Straits is huge. It was a historic band, and the level of musicianship and professionalism on stage is immense. Making students aware of this level of musicianship is primary in live performance and band skills. I bring this straight back into the classroom.”

How has the tour gone so far – any exciting stories to share?

“This current tour has been outstanding in the Netherlands, Germany & France. Too many stories to mention. But the highlight has to be playing a sold-out show at le’Olympia in Paris where so many legends have played, including Dire Straits.”

image1 (10)What’s the biggest thing you’ve learnt from touring?

“I think I’m more aware these days of how lucky I am to still have this opportunity. I never take anything for granted. Aside from the music, you have to love travel.

In September at the beginning of term I spent the month touring Australia with DSE. London to Singapore is 19hrs from Heathrow, then they refuel the plane and it’s another 7hrs to Sydney, and then………our first show was in Adelaide, a further 2hrs in a compressed tube flying at 30 thousand feet. You have to be match fit to sustain this level of touring, it’s brutal on your body. I would say the biggest thing is to stay fit and healthy on tour.”

What can we expect from your Bass Guitar Magazine feature?

“The interview in Bass Guitar Magazine and Bass Player Magazine covers a day on tour. A fly on the wall kinda thing! What goes on behind the scenes etc. It also covers the variety of gigs I have done with different artists this year, and the mixture of styles and just the different head-space you have to adopt as a session musician for the shows.”

What are your plans over the next few months?

“I’m looking forward to returning to ACM and sharing my experiences with students in my tutorials. Touring starts again in February & March 2019.”


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