00:00:01: It’s great hearing from you! It’s been over ten years since we first saw you appear on the scene with Bush during The Science of Things. It was a bit strange at first for the fans to see a new face during the tour, but it seemed everyone embraced you no questions asked. Were you involved in the making of that record? Or were just brought on for the tour? Did you have any influence on the Bush sound?
Sasha: I was involved in the recording of The Science of Things, in particular ‘Letting the Cables Sleep’ , ’40 Miles from the Sun’ and ‘English Fire’. Paul Eastman, my tech. and I, sampled and got hold of the original synthesizers ready for the tour. Rehearsing with the band was one of the great experiences of my life. Next to Robin’s powerful loping grooves and Nigel’s red hot amp valves I was immersed, 3D, in the Bush sound. The main obstacle for me was changing set-up in time to catch up with the band, already onto the next song. My only influence was the joy I expressed playing with the guys.
00:00:01: These days everyone has heard of the band Muse who have sort of been catapulted into the scene because of the Twilight phenomenon. Back in the day they were just a small fairly unknown English band. On Bush’s 2000 European Tour they had opened a bunch of shows for you guys. I had read in an article that shortly after touring the boys from Muse had asked you to join their band and that you declined. First off, is it even true that you were approached? And secondly, do you think things would be different for you now if you had become part of Muse? Being apart of Bush is a fantastic feat in itself, but to be part of two bands that have rose to fame would be quite amazing.
Sasha: Muse were fantastic from the very first show we played in Europe. Matt was a live wire, a real virtuoso, held back only by the fact he had two arms and ten fingers. From the first moment we met I felt a brotherly bond. He asked me to join them for a live T.V. appearance in London which clashed with Bush’s heavy schedule so there was never a way of doing both. That’s where the story came from. I remember watching the Muse T.V. live performance and feeling quite sorry for the guy they brought in as Matt was shooting him killer looks as he wasn’t keeping up. Matt is a one off, and the other guys were a delight to be around. Those shows, Bush and Muse together, were fantastic.
00:00:01: You mentioned that your current projects include working on Film Scores and that you possibly are going to release another album. I’ve seen your name come up here and there in movie credits and I remembered when you released Remasterpiece with Chris Coco. It’s almost as if the music you make now is night and day from the Bush sound. Can you describe your current style of music and tell us more about your next album? Do you miss making and/or playing the more hard edge sound of Bush? Is that something you would ever go back to?
Sasha: I always wanted to be a film composer. My Dad made movies when I was growing up so I’d spend my weekends in dubbing theatres as the sound team put together the post production. Music, SFX, dialogue and all the nuances which breath life into the pictures. At the age of six I had piano lessons. Paul Williams came over to the house to play his freshly composed Bugsy Malone soundtrack. Vangelis took me to his studio regularly to go mad on his synthesizers, Mark Knopfler berated me for not knowing enough harmony, Mike Oldfield turned up with his score of The Killing Fields and Ennio Morricone came to the house to sing and play his score for The Mission. In between there were always musicians in the house. Serge Gainsborough, Jean-Michel Jarre, Tony Hicks, Rick Wakeman, George Fenton and Keith Emerson. Apart from a baby girl, there was nothing else I ever wanted.
00:00:01: If Bush ever decided in some way shape of form to reunite and tour… do you think you would be a part of that?
Sasha: In a perfect world they would get back together. All of the Band were much more accomplished than they ever let on, probably due to a Press angle which associated them with Grunge, partly because they are what I call a real band. They honed their skills over many years before success came so when we all saw them on MTV they were ‘fighting easy’ as the Karate expression goes. I’d love to see them live again, whether it’s from the best seat in the house as I had or with you in front of house.
00:00:01: What gets you excited about life?
Sasha: Music, music and Ava. I get to be a musician with every breath. I’ve been able to follow my dream so I’m as excited every day as I was when I first got the music bug at around six years old. I now have a daughter who’s five, Ava. I’m seeing life through her eyes and loving every second. Girls are cool.
00:00:01: What is a family tradition you’ll pass on to your kids?
Sasha: I’d love Ava to get into music. She plays piano like Jerry-Lee Lewis, using any part of her body other than her hands to make sounds. She loves crashing a huge cymbal Robin gave me and strumming the ‘Strat’ Bush gave me for my birthday on tour. She’s more into being Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz at the moment but the world’s her oyster. I want her to be in her fantasy world for as long as possible. The only tradition I’d like her to follow is being kind and understanding toward others.
00:00:01: Social networking has seem to taken over and become a staple in many people’s lives. For some, it is their life. How do you view the world of social networking, with sites like Face book, MySpace, Twitter, Tumblr, etc? Is it the wave of the future or a passing fad?
Sasha: I’m a slave to the computer. Skype, email, YouTube and Google. It’s here to stay and growing. I love the fact I can have any idea and find someone on YouTube who’s done it, doing it, or knows a someone who can, as a gift!
The new CD I’m making, solo piano versions of all my Dad’s movies, is teaching me to find a good five hours a day on the piano exclusively, not including composing. I try to keep my web browsing focused and to a minimum at the moment, releasing more time for the natural world.
00:00:01: ….On a side note…. do you still have the video that you were filming during the Golden State Tour? I remember talking to you backstage at one of the after parties and you were filming a bunch of fans and asking them questions. I think there’s a small bit of footage of me yapping about the album after the Ft. Lauderdale show. That was a fun tour!
Sasha: I do have the ‘footage’ (old term for data) and you’ve got me thinking. At some point I’ll speak to Gavin about cutting out the endless filming passing trees from the tour bus and make it available.
God bless you all! Sacha x