05/22/2013– Greenfire goes global with Wolf Entertainment

COMMENTS

"I was introduced to Greenfire by my grand nice Laura Trust, since she is goof friends with them. A short while after that I started to speak to Mark on Facebook, and of course also listen to their music. We exchanged some ideas on how to produce and to edit their single "Wicked Ways", and we started to get to know each other better and to appreciate a solid working relationship. Mark basically introduced the idea to become part of the Wolf Entertainment roster to the other band members, and after a massive email with a million questions, they decided to give it a shot. We are very excited about this development, as Greenfire are the first English rock band we have signed, as it gives us a foothold into the UK. After Matteo Masi from Italy this is the second European rock band on our roster," says Hellmut Wolf, director of Wolf Entertainment.

Mark started his career in music through his classical training at public school, and whilst still in his mid/late teens, began completing studio session work for a number of studios and producers, getting involved playing on various album releases and incidental music for TV commercials. None of this brought out any rock influence yet an encounter in a small back street guitar shop that resulted in an offer to join ANGELS REALM” a local established rock band.

The next two years Mark stayed with ANGELS REALM, but with internal politics always going on within the band, creativity was failing. Despite a tentative deal with Powerstation, and a tour arranged with Little Angels and Acid Reign, the originating members went their own way and so Angels Realm became a three piece with the arrival of John Harland. Nervousness with both management and promotion companies over potential unreliability meant contracts were revoked and Angels Realm was no more. Mark and John then set about forming a new band – CALAMITY JANE.

After an exhaustive series of shows up and down the UK building a healthy fan base, the band recorded their first release “What Have We Become?” and through their management “Dumb Blonde” the band was taken on by Flat Records with a proviso that the band change its name so as not to be mistaken for a Country and Western outfit! Out of the ancestry of the band members the band was renamed Under Two Flags. and toured extensively the club and festival circuits combining with a few named support slots, but that final push and recognition required to bring them to the professional level remained just outside their grasp and then critically was snatched away when one band member’s emotional insecurities resulted in the cancellation of a showcase that had been requested by Trevor Horn.
The first stirrings of a new band came in 2005 when John and Mark received an audition demo from Jo Samuels.It was clear from her diversity of styles and vocal range that they would have to seriously consider bringing a female voice into what had previously been a band known for high energy, “intellimetal “with a musical bias towards the male perspective.

Jo joined the band and was given a whole catalogue of songs with the carte blanche instruction to bring lyrics and vocal melodies as she saw fit. Not the usual method of collaboration! Within a short time the Greenfire POSH ROCK genre began to emerge - an eclectic mix of talent combining the classical upbringing of DeStaedtler with Jo’s provoking and often angst ridden vocals breaking out in the temperamental and emotional content of guitar driven Rock. Mixing the new songwriting formulas with the awesome technical percussion of John Harland gave the band an opportunity to break from the previous self imposed rules of technical rock as so well performed by Under II Flags.

Samuels grew up in Saddleworth, England. A cluster of villages surrounded by hills with it’s dark stories of the past. She had a fairly secluded childhood, cut off from society but still somehow in touch and she was the youngest of two brothers. The feeling of isolation was a chance to explore her imagination as a child which she enjoyed. She came from a musical family, her mother used to sing in jazz clubs before she met her father, her older brother was in a rock band. Samuels compares the tempremental weather in the hills to her changes in mood, later developing her writing into emotional content and occasionally breaking into angst vocals.

During her upbringing her mother knew she could sing and tried to persuade her to perform inf ront of family but she shied away from the attention. At twenty something her brother offered her a guest appearance singing three covers in his rock band that she decided to bite the bullet. It wasn’t until she read her first review that she was convinced she was any good. ‘Excellent vocal, strong version of ‘Weak’ without ever aping and I think she should get her own band’ Nigel Lancashire. This was the beginning of B.E.L.H and to showcase her voice at last!

During the pop-rock explosion, compared to the likes of Echobelly and Garbage. 
Jo Samuels established herself at the outset of her music career, in a band called ‘but emily loved him’, (B.E.L.H), ‘An island worth visiting’ Austin Collins. ‘She sings with utmost confidence... sassy, strident vocal... layers of delicious falsetto... melodically engaging’ Kerrang Magazine.
After appearing on TV ‘Channel M’ and ‘Space radio’, a tour evolved including the legendary Manchester haunts, ‘The Band On the Wall, The Boardwalk’ and London’s, ‘Kings Head’ and ‘Roadhouse’. B.E.L.H appeared at ‘In the City’ festival and played the famous ‘Cavern’ in Liverpool to name just a few. The band were approached and their debut cd was then distributed in Cannes.

B.E.L.H parted ways and Samuels was ready to explore more... Samuels then worked with a producer (Nick Hall, formally lead guitarist in ‘The End’). London based, they cut their first track together, ‘Ordinary day’ on their first meeting. A different style to producing music, with driving Bousoukis and Mandolins, ‘Humb’ was born. They produced a cd, and it was distributed at Popkomm, Cologne but sadly distance made it difficult to rehearse for concerts and they never played live.
Exploring love, emotion, and loss, Samuels music became a way to channel what she couldn’t express in any other way. It wasn’t until she met DeStaedtler and Harland that she realized this was the opportunity to take her words to a deeper level. Their music was harder and their rock roots brought out her unnervingly honest lyrics and the band became known as ‘Greenfire’.

What followed were harder-edged themes in songs with bruisingly powerful words in ‘Red’, twisted theatricality in ‘Carnival’ and facing some hard truths in ‘Plans’ and this new material proves to be their most powerful resulting in ‘Wicked Ways’, hailed to be Greenfires 2012 single release.
Greenfires 2012 album ‘Exchanging Chutneys and Jams’, Samuels claims is close to being finished and performed this year coinciding with another string of tour dates.
Samuels also finds time to collaborate with likeminded friends, not one to be pigeonholed and enjoys session singing. She wrote lyrics and featured on the electro track ‘White Noise’, from the industrial sounds of ‘Audio Supply’.

Samuels continues to play acoustic music with her brother and is performing at the ‘LimeTree’ festival 2012. She also sings an acoustic set with Heather Greenbank and appears at ‘Rapture’, and other successful monthly music events. She is singing alongside Dj Deejayna at Hamburgs Pride festival 2012 and is platformed the main singer.
Steve Beharrell - Bass Guitar with Greenfire

Steve started playing Guitar at the age of 8 after asking for one as his Christmas present that year.With a bit of help from his Dad and a tutorial book he managed to get his fingers round most of the chords and soon wanted to play lead guitar (Hank Marvin being his hero). Playing along with Shadows records, he began developing his own style of improvising. During his 2nd year at High School, he formed a band with 4 friends (Emergency Eyewash). However, Steve found a Bass Guitar in the music room and started to play the Bass in the band instead!
Steve left school and started attending college studying Music, reverting back to guitar as his main instrument. Steve became friends with a couple of like-minded students and formed a 3 piece rock band mainly playing covers. Unable to recruit a bassist with the kind of ability required, Steve put down his guitar and picked up his bass again.
As he was also getting guitar lessons through college, Steve began to get interested in Jazz, calling time on his stint in the band and opening up more opportunities.

Auditioning for this band, Steve got the job and began playing in theatre shows working with people such as Billy Pearce (UK comedian), Bobby Davro (UK Impressionist) and Denise Nolan (singer).
After a couple of years, Steve found it increasingly difficult to get work and decided to call it a day.

After a 5 year break from Music, he answered an advertisement in a local paper for a lead guitarist in a covers band and Dr Rox was born. Playing rock classics from the 60's, 70's and 80's, Steve soon re-discovered his love for performing. After years of playing in pubs and clubs around the North West of England, the singer, Chris, injured his shoulder seriously enough for it to warrant an operation. Unfortunately, for the band, it never properly recovered and Dr Rox was no more.
As all this was happening though, Steve received an invite to a digital audition from a band called GREENFIRE as they had recently parted company with their bassist. After a bit of persuasion from family members, Steve replied to the audition.

Stay tuned for the single release of "WICKED WAYS".