Name: Shelley Macphail
Role: musician
Age: 20
Hometown: Penzance, Cornwall, UK
Who are you and what do you do?
I feel I am a fairly laid back guy who can get on with most people. I am a musician and have played in a number of bands on many different instruments, including guitar, piano, drums, percussion and vocal. I have also taught drums and piano to children, not by the book in a classical conventional style, more in a free-form/freestyle method by ear. My rhythm is African based, and my style is Brazilian, funk and blues. Having travelled Europe as a busker for a while I feel I have also picked up a range of other musical influences along the way. In July 2007 I attended the prestigious Womad World Music Course where I was tutored by the guitarist from Robert Plant’s new band The Stange Sensations and by the desert blues band Tinariwen.
What is important to you in this world?
Music, family, friends and finding happiness and giving it to others
Your childhood dream; your adult dream?
My childhood dream was to be a professional musician and make a career out of it, and my adult dream is basically the same except I am not so fussed if I don’t become famous but as long as I am making some sort of career out of it and enjoying it that’s enough for me.
What inspires you about TEMA and why are you contributing?
The fact that there is so much involved within the project from playing background music for entertainers to teaching locals music and just generally helping those worse off. It is also an adventure of a lifetime full of amazing sounding people which hopefully I can contribute to and learn from.
What are you passionate about?
Music, football and doing the best I can with everything I try
What is your favorite food?
Curry
Have you ever left the country?
Yes, I have travelled across Europe to France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Greece and Morocco.
What is your educational background?
I have eight GCSE’s: Math’s C English literature C English language C Music C History C Science D French D Art D Religious Education D. I have also studied a National Diploma in music for two years.
Tell an extremely memorable moment.
Standing on stage listening to the applause from the crowd after one of our best gigs.
Tell us a joke.
A guy walks into a bar when a man comes up to him and says ‘check this out’ and then jumps out of the window flies around and comes back in the guy say’s how did you do that and the man says ‘it’s the bubbles in this drink its amazing’ however the guy isn’t sure so asks him to do it again which he does and flies back in. After seeing this the guy thinks’ what the hell’ has a sip, jumps out and falls down and dies. The barman then said ‘Superman, you’re a twat when you’re drunk’.
