Dan gets the band back for charity

Jan 11 2008

MIDLAND singer-songwriter Daniel Rachel (pictured below) is hoping his latest single will reach the national charts next week - and he's re-formed his old band to give the campaign extra impetus.

Rachel's Basement will perform three shows, including one at Moseley's Jug of Ale tomorrow, to help promote the song Let It Be Mine.

Tomorrow's show will be the first time in ten years that 33-year-old Daniel has played on stage with guitarist Marc Olivier, bassist Martin Betts and drummer Ed Laws.

And it's all for a good cause as proceeds from the sale of the single will be donated to the charity Tender, an arts organisation working to stop domestic abuse and sexual violence.

"I wanted to do something special for the single which is available to download from Monday," says Solihull-born Daniel.

Following the break-up of the highly regarded Rachel's Basement Daniel moved to London. A year later guitarist Marc also relocated to the capital and began producing and arranging Daniel's solo work.

Martin then began contributing bass to Daniel's live shows and suggested that he ask Marc to join them.-"I'd always been a little scared to suggest it but I did and it was great to hear him say 'yes'," says Daniel.

But rehearsals did not go as well as hoped.

"It felt wrong without our drummer, Ed," explains Daniel, adding that the sticksman was then roped into the reunion.

Details for the Rachel's Basement shows have only just been finalised so the foursome are frantically re-learning songs last played more than a decade ago.

"A lot of our stuff was never recorded so we're sorting out old demo cassettes and transferring them to disc, then sending them off to each other as we all live in different parts of the country.

"People thought of us as a tight little band and that's what we're trying to get back to."

Just 1,500 sales of Let It Be Mine should ensure a chart placing. Downloads are available from Monday, priced 79p from iTunes, HMV and Amazon.