PAUL REED

Lead/Rhythm Guitar, Bass & Lead Vocals

Paul's Update:

Christmas came and went far too quick for my liking, especially seeing how there was a lot of poorliness going on in the Tallon camp.. All better now though (physically anyway, mentally we're always gonna be challenged!). Few new venues coming up this year, also new material too, so stayed tuned!

About Paul:

Paul is the founder of Tallon and writes Tallon’s original material. He is an extremely competent, self-taught guitarist and talented improviser. Paul is primarily the lead guitarist and lead vocalist for the majority of Tallon’s songs and is also the Band’s Official Chief Beer Drinker! Paul is the energetic, outgoing, front man of Tallon.

Email Paul at band@tallononline.co.uk and use “Paul” as the Subject.

Paul Says:

Ever since I can remember there's been a guitar kicking around the house. As far back as when I was about 10, my Dad used to have a red Fender Strat that I seemed to find more fun in decorating and covering in Fraggle Rock stickers much to his annoyance. Call me weird but there was something about seeing Gobo and Wembley fraggle and a bunch of doozers staring at me each time I walked past it that just didn't inspire me to pick it up and start rocking on it. Would have been a great name for a band though eh? Paul & The Fraggles Rock. I think we ended up selling that guitar at a boot fair passing it off as an authentic Jimmy Henson copy.

I was heavily involved in Karate at the time and managed to get to a black belt, Hiiiiiiiiyyyyyyyyyyyyaaaahh!!

Jason got a guitar a few years later but then I found myself playing that more than he did (I was far better than him too!). I managed to get to a relative standard (practicing chords and tunes including the infamous opening fraggle riff) but then got bored with it and once again took up other interests...........banger racing.

I learnt to drive the same day as my 1st race! I won my second race as well, a natural eh!? From the age of about 15 banger racing took up near enough all my time and money then after several years of whiplash, and several broken bones as well, I decided to hang up my helmet.

Now, aged 23 came the big cruncher and life changer! I was crushed under a load of glass and as they say, my life flashed before me and I thought sod getting stuck doing something I don't want to do for the rest of my life, might as well do something I have a passion and talent for.....NO not talking crap!...music (couldn’t you see that coming!?) And that, as they say, was that.

I began practicing, writing and recording songs and averaged 3-4 songs a week using a drum machine, basic bass guitar and a little 4track mixer. I found myself writing lyrics that were very personal and appeared to be very deep and mean different things to whoever listened to them but that was the idea.

I tried, and succeeded to leave it to you what you wanted it to be about and if you got something out of it then great! I have one song that particularly get a reaction from my mates when I play it (The Answer) because they know exactly what it's about unfortunately (a very embarrassing situation I got in once that now provokes the cry of "moooooossseee" when we play it). Another memorable song is called "Thick and Thin". I heard that Robbie Williams hit "Angels" makes his Mum cry when she hears it, I wondered if I could make my Mum cry too! I set about writing it just to see if I could make her cry and when I played it to her I watched her intently, not to hear her comment on my powerful lyrics or strong chord structure, but to see if I could until I nearly burst with joy, "is this about me?" she said in a very timid voice with a quivering lip and welled up eyes, my Mum blubbed a good'un! Oh happy days, I'd made me Mum sob! "I too can write a song that powerful" I thought.

With over 60 songs in our arsenal now my songs have matured over the years I suppose and guarantee that we have a song to suit anyone but primarily get our kicks out of a good ole rock song or powerful acoustic ballad.

It's a completely different kind of buzz playing music to racing or American football or anything else I've tried over the years, and I'm a very "life’s too short" and "you only live once" kinda person, but the one time that it made all the hard work seem worth it and extra special was when I first saw and heard people singing one of my songs back to me. I can't remember when it was and I wasn't expecting it which I think is one of the reasons it hit home more. It's so strange seeing someone singing words of exactly how I was feeling when I wrote the song back at me and getting something out of hearing it. The thing is, there's no rule book in music to say whether or not you're doing it right so you have to just take the plunge and risk rejection really, the moment I saw someone lip sync with me then I thought “I must be doing something right“!

Looking forward to the many gigs we've got coming up, so plenty of time to come and see us. If you do then you might appear on here ;-) Wow, there's a motivation eh?