Sack Trick
| Sack Trick | |
|---|---|
| Origin | London, UK |
| Genres | Funk metal, |
| Years active | 1998 - Present |
| Associated acts | Machine, Midnight Blue, Bruce Dickinson, AntiProduct |
| Website | sacktrick.com |
| Members | Chris Dale, Alex Dickson, |
Sack Trick are an eccentric British music collective who have been compared to the humour of Monty Python and musical madness of Frank Zappa. The bassist Chris Paulo Dale (ex-Atom Seed and Bruce Dickinson) is the center of the group, guiding the audience through a universe that is more rock circus than rock opera, with a partiality for KISS, funk metal and species of animals such as rabbits, penguins and sheep.
Biography
Sack Trick began when Chris Dale, Alex Dickson and Alessandro Elena (A.K.A. Sponder), the founding members of the band, played with Iron Maiden's Bruce Dickinson on his solo Balls to Picasso tour. After the tour, Alex and Bruce wrote Bruce's next solo album, titled Skunkworks. Chris Dale co-wrote Innerspace, which featured on the album, as well as writing two songs, I'm in a band with an Italian drummer and Americans are Behind. Bruce encouraged Chris to write more, and decided to include Chris's songs as B-sides to Back from the edge, the only single from the Skunkworks album. The tracks were also included on the second disc of the 2005 "Expanded Edition" of the album. After the Skunkworks tour, the band split. Bruce went on to make his Accident of Birth album, while Chris continued writing and formed Sack Trick with Alex and Alessandro.
Sack Trick played their first gig on 12 May 1998, at HQ's in London, England. The lineup was Chris Dale (bass), Jef Streatfield (guitar), Robin Guy (drums), Jem Davis (keyboards). Since then, the lineup has undergone changes for nearly every gig the band has played, bringing in talent from all over the UK, including members of bands such as Rachel Stamp, Skunk Anansie and Rainbow, and even a gig featuring Bruce Dickinson on vocals.
The band's first album, (Music From) The Mystery Rabbits was released by ORG Records in 1999, with their second album, Penguins on the Moon being released on 2000. After this, there was a 4-year gap in which the band prepared their long-awaited Kiss covers album, entitled Sheep In Kiss Make Up for release. Although the album began before The Mystery Rabbits, due to legal negotiations the album saw huge delays before its release. Although the band had signed to Infernal Records, and their cover of God of Thunder featured on the label's Any Colour As Long As It's Black sampler, the album was never released on the label. Eventually, in 2004, the band gave up on record companies and put the album out themselves, releasing the album in November that year.
Discography
- (Music From) The Mystery Rabbits (1999)
- Penguins on the Moon (2000)
- Sheep in Kiss Make Up (2005)
Contributing personnel
Here is a list of musicians and friends that have worked with Sack Trick, either live or in the studio, and also an example of some of the bands they are involved with.
- Alex Dickson - Gun, Bruce Dickinson, Midnight Blue
- Robin Guy - GMT, Bruce Dickinson, Martin Grech, AntiProduct, Rachel Stamp
- Ben Calvert - Killing Joke, Vex Red
- Reuben 'The Impaler' Gotto - "The Popular Face Of Rock"
- Bobby The Bus Driver
- Jem Davis - FM, UFO
- DJ Cheeseman
- Jef Streatfield - The Wildhearts
- Doogie White - Rainbow, Rising Force, Tank
- Roly Bailey
- Chris Nubile
- Joe Inferno
- Sponder - Machine, Bruce Dickinson
- Ant Forbini - Vex Red
- The Matt & Jason Show (AKA Metal Matty and Jurassic Jay) - The Reasoning
- Vision The Delicatessen - Machine
- Spreader - Airborne
- Ace - Skunk Anansie
- Mikey J
- Proteus (AKA Jeffrey P Steel)
- Pete Friesen (AKA "Pete Freezin' Lead Guitar!") - Alice Cooper, Bruce Dickinson, The Almighty
- Andy Veasey
- Dolly Dollar - Rachel Stamp
- Henrik and Mattias (AKA Herr Johansson och Herr Reinholdsson)
- BJ
- Alfie Deliss
- Alex Kane (AKA- A. Product) - AntiProduct
- Gary Mills
- Tom Lown
- Dave 'Grav' Cavill - Voodoo Six, Tank
- Others also include Lewis West, Jack Endino, Mada, Dawn Odins, Nadia, Seaweed, Leigh Griffiths, Steve Braund, John Wright, CJ, Robert Fields, Steve in Leicester, Mark in Nottingham, Rasmus in Roskilde, Alex Dickson Snr, Milena, Bruce Dickinson, Dave Pattenden, Chris Sharrock, Claire Pproduct, Sarah Cawood, Leigh Marklew, Ben Savigear, Lickin' Lopez, The McKibbin Brothers with the Kings Head Choir, Most of Two Point Eight, Helen, Careen, Christina and Lyndsay.[1]
The number of Sack Trick related bands currently stands at well over 85.