PETE ROTH BAND "CIRCUS IN THE SKY"

Writing and performing music was something that always seemed a natural progression to me. Ever since the early beginning of my musical journey at age 11 when I picked up the guitar for the first time.I was very lucky to be able to perform publicly from a very early age on by being involved in the school’s band led in a passionate way by Miss Kern, a brilliant piano player in her own right. Many wrong notes later and at least 10 bands later I have found myself backing a major artist at a prime time television show "Hitparade der Volksmusik". I took this as an incentive to take music to the next level and moved to Guildford 30 minutes south of London to study popular music and Jazz under the brilliant Stefan Redtenbacher.It was here where my love for variety in music such as Jazz and Latin got fed with the right ingredients. I found myself in a very vibrant environment and started gigging almost immediately. It was in this scene where I was allowed to be part of projects which put me on an inevitable path. Just after my first studio recording for Radio Capitol FM. I started as musical director on a private Television show called "Virtuoso Song Contest". An X-Factor type of idea. The show unfortunately never got off the ground. If it was because of me, many apologies, I don't hope so. On the back of this I was offered a contract to go on a cruise ship and ended up 6 months on and off and seeing nearly the entire world from Southampton to Vietnam.It was from then on when things really started to pick up and I had a run of performing with some of England’s most prestigious Jazz and Classical musicians. There were unforgettable moments when I was asked to play with the London Gala Orchestra under the Musical Direction of the brilliant Steve Bell. I turned up at the gig with a newly bought acoustic nylon string guitar, my pride and joy, for 500 pounds. I got it out of the case and showed it proudly around thinking this must be the best thing those guys have ever seen. The violin player next to me then got her violin out of the case which was a 250.000 pound instrument. I sat quietly in a corner for the rest of the evening:-).  There were many others such as Maria Friedmann a protégé of Stephen Sondheim and Michel Legrand, Teatro a platinum selling vocal group, the mad Irish Sam Flynne who made his name as piano player for the Eurhythmics, Roachford and Stevie Wonder or the unforgettable Rosemarie Squires best known for singing with Les Paul and the magic Brian Dee who made his name Mding Miles Davies.In the five years of my professional life I had the luck to play in some of the best venues in Europe such as the Purcell Room in the Royal Festival Hall being on the same bill with one of my heroes John Schofield. All in all there are too many to name. PETE ROTH BAND