The Away Team

Nik Green (1954-2016) was born in Somerset, England, and spent his childhood on the Welsh border. At age four, his mother caught him picking out the melodies of popular tunes on the radio, and promptly sent him to piano lessons. Nik says, "I was taught piano in the uptight, rigid English tradition -- I hated it and completely rejected formal training" but his relationship with music was rescued by his great aunt who encouraged Nik to imrpovise as well as teaching him old Broadway tunes, ragtime and syncopation, "and all things frowned upon". Nik quit piano at 17, and soon after was "fired up" by the sounds of the synthesizer: "I re-taught myself pretty much from scratch". "Most of my family, appalled by my failure to become an obedient military/corporate citizen, promptly disowned me -- resulting in an incredible feeling of freedom to follow my muse".In 1980, Nik formed an all electronic trio with John Connell and Will Douglas, known as The Really Schmaltzy Cabaret Boys (!), playing electronic dance/ambient music -- "[e]veryone thought we were totally crazy because we had no bass, guitar or standard drum set when everybody else around us was playing punk and metal". ["Good timing, Nik!"] John went on to join the English National Opera, singing Wagner and Verdi, but Nik joined English folk artist Roy Harper whose band featured guitarist Jimmy Page and bassist Tony Franklin. In the late 80's, when electronic dance music was really catching on, Nik was recruited into hard rock/heavy metal, with former Whitesnake's guitarist, John Sykes and his band Blue Murder, featuring Tony Franklin on bass and Carmine Appice on drums. ["More Good Timing, Nik!"] Nik moved to Los Angeles. Blue Murder, "yet another casualty of arbitrary corporate politicking and industry foibles" dissolved in 1995. Nik cites his musical influences as Charles Ives, the Beatles, and Steve Reich, amongst many others.