The creative musician behind the keys & synths of British AOR / melodic-rock band FM, JEM DAVIS aka the Pepperkid (a former Tobruk and UFO keyboardist) has announced a solo album project, titled ‘Adventures in Pepperland.’
The album follows no genre restrictions…
“In the Summer of 2020, during Lockdown,” Jem recollects, “I moved to a cottage near Lutterworth that came with an amazing ready-built studio. Naming it ‘Electric Pepperland’, I immersed myself into my music, writing whatever inspired me.”
“It soon became clear that there were many songs that didn’t fit the FM vibe and I needed to get them out there somehow, so under the guise of a project I called ‘Pepperkid2’ I set to work!”
“Not being gifted in the vocal department, I asked my good friend Mike Dyer (Grand Slam) to be the main vocalist/co-writer, who kindly accepted.”
“The album follows no genre restrictions, so the styles are varied but all come from the mad world inside my head and from the heart!”
“I drew inspiration from diversity […] from the creative fun [of] many of my favorite artists like Jellyfish, The Beatles, and the Small Faces…”
As well as Mike Dyer, the new album also features other FM bandmates including Jim Kirkpatrick on vocals and lead guitar for the title track and the voice of Steve Overland on “Fools Lullaby.”
An old friend from UFO and Grand Slam Laurence Archer plays a guitar solo on “After the Rain.” While musical talent Nigel Spennewyn (Joe Cocker) provided guitar solo on “Breath of Life” and also played on “Voodoo”, “ATLG” and “Behind the Glass” While Hayley Simones provided wonderful backing vocals on “Finding My Way.”
The first single to be taken from the disc, “After The Rain” (due 15th October) arrives like a rogue storm, with a flurry of bass notes and translucent synth folds. The experience is something like the more aggressive, pushier, end of early 1990s Genesis (before Phil Collins’ departure), although (thankfully) not so bland and blah! (know what we mean?) The guitar is, of course, sharp and penetrating. In fact, this single is a pungent serving of progressive-rock brilliancy!
File alongside: Synchronized FM