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Stick Or Twist. How Make An Album With Only A Pack Of Cards
Two British musicians who took to busking in Las Vegas after losing most of their cash ended up returning home $10,000 richer, and with a deal on the table from the world-renowned producer behind Oasis and the Stone Roses.
When drummer Al Rapp and song-writer Pete Lee flew to Vegas they had a simple, though risky, plan – to win enough money to record their band's first album.
Having lost most of their cash within 24 hours, the pair took to busking on the Vegas strip – and not only earned back some stake money, but also impressed the watching producer Nick Brine, who has also worked with Bruce Springsteen and the Arctic Monkeys.
Al, a professional poker player, said: "We laughed about winning enough money to make the album – you always go to Vegas with a dream."
But the dream quickly turned sour, with the pair virtually broke after Sin City's dice, roulette wheels and blackjack cards failed to fall in their favour.
"We were just doing some reckless gambling and indulging in too many cocktails," admitted Al.
"The alcohol is free – as long as you're playing the tables you get these pretty girls coming up to you with free drinks to lubricate you and keep you gambling.
"It's not uncommon to blow your whole lot in one night, and that's basically what we did. I'm used to the swings, but Pete was a bit depressed and said 'what are we going to do'?"
With a guitar in the hand luggage and a headful of songs, they decided to busk it.
"I thought at first it was madness," said Al. "But once we'd had a few cocktails it seemed like a good idea, and we'd been wondering how we were going to pay the hotel bill.
"So we went downtown and, after being moved on a couple of times, we ended up outside the Rockhouse bar on the strip.
"We played through the set and people enjoyed it – we made about $175 and thought we could always come back and do it again if we were completely broke."
But their night was about to get even better, thanks to the presence in the crowd of Nick Brine.
"I was asked to give an opinion on a band in Vegas by a record company friend," said Brine, who has also worked with The Darkness and Bruce Springsteen. "I was feeling flat as the band were a disappointment. I stepped outside to get some fresh air and I heard Pete and Al busking outside.
"I soon knew that I had stumbled on something special. I loved the delivery, energy and song quality. I knew I had to get them into my studio at Leeders Farm. I gave them my phone number and told them to call when they got back to England."
Al added: "He was very enthusiastic about Pete's song (the new single Lose Control), so we went and had a few drinks and he said he'd like to record the song.
"Nick's an incredible engineer and producer, with an amazing ear for guitars and songs. He's opened a lot of doors for us, including recording at Rockfield in Wales.
"He's brought in a lot more interest in the band, and changed our sound completely. We thought it was amazing."
Possibly more amazing was Al's subsequent poker marathon, which saw him turn that $175 into a healthy profit.
"It was enough to buy me into a low level hold-em game at the Bellagio. It was Saturday afternoon and the game was full of tourists, who come in, get drunk and pretty much do what we did on our first night!" he joked.
"After six hours I was up about $500 and Pete wanted me to leave the game. He could see I was tired and needed a rest after all the busking and playing, but I would have been mad to leave because the game was just too good.
"Pete went off to get some rest and when he came back at about 4am, to his amazement, I was still there, but he couldn't see me for the chips."
Over the next few days, Al moved on to bigger games and eventually returned to Norfolk with a healthy $10,000 profit.
"The whole thing was amazing, and now we're hoping our luck holds and people love the music," added Al.
The first product of the chance meeting with Brine, and the remarkable change of fortune at the card tables, is the sweeping, Spector-esque anthem Lose Control, the Black Sharks' debut single which was released on November 1.
Shot on Super 8 film at Waxham, Norfolk, and directed by Norwich-based Guy Myhill, the video includes a cameo from Sean Harris, who played Joy Division frontman Ian Curtis in hit film 24 Hour Party People.
The Black Sharks are Pete, Al, Paul Smith, Jay Benstead and Giles Davis. Lose Control is available from iTunes, Amazon and HMV, and the video can be viewed at www.theblacksharks.com. An album is due for release in spring 2011.