With a lot of magazine & website interviews geared towards discussing forthcoming tours or new album releases, on occasion we get to catch up with someone who may have left a lasting impression on us over the years & because of this there is an intuitive will to find out what it was like for them at the time and just as importantly where they are now both personally & musically. SKIN were formed in the early 1990s by ex-Jagged Edge members Myke Gray & Andy Robbins along with former Kooga vocalist Neville MacDonald and drummer Dicki Fliszar, formerly of Bruce Dickinson’s touring band. Making their mark on the live scene supporting bands like Thunder & Little Angels, Skin’s following grew steadily in numbers, as they gained a reputation for solid live performances with MacDonald’s incredible vocals & Gray’s fantastic guitar work. Two EP’s helped the band test the waters before releasing their self-titled album in 1994, which hit the UK charts at #9. The story of Skin is well documented for all to read but it was after I spotted an after show photograph of MacDonald alongside Danny Bowes from Thunder & found out about MacDonald’s most recent project ‘Hand of Dimes’ and their brilliant 2016 debut album ‘Raise’, that I decided to track Nev down for a chat about how he’s doing and where his musical journey has taken him so far and what more there is to come from Neville McDonald…
Sean: Good afternoon Nev, how are you?
Nev: I’m very well, thank you. How are you Sean?
Sean: All good here, Nev. Thank you so much for giving up some of your time for a chat.
Nev: No problem at all mate.
Sean: I stumbled across you totally by accident actually Nev. I saw a photo of you with Danny Bowes after a Thunder gig last year and it got me thinking, “What’s Nev been up to?” which then led me to the incredible Hand of Dimes album ‘Raise’… and now here we are talking.
Nev: [laughs] That’s fantastic. That’s so good to hear mate. Thank you. Yes, here we are indeed.
Sean: What’s nice for me is we don’t really have an agenda here – no album or tour to promote. It’s just a nice change to find out everything that’s been going on with you.
Nev: It’s been great to be honest. Just to give you a quick update in history so-to-speak [laughs] when Skin reformed in 2009 I kind of got my mojo back as it were and got in touch with Neil Garland. We were in a band in the mid to late 80’s called Kooga and we were kind of the song writers for that band. So, I rekindled my relationship with Neil just to see if he fancied writing again and just to see what would happen really. That was the start of Hand of Dimes really and was something I ran alongside the Skin reformation at the time.
Sean: ‘Raise’ is such a good album. If people are reading this who haven’t heard it, please do because I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. And your vocals are still so incredibly strong – not sure what they put in that Welsh mountain water mate…
Nev: It’s great that I’ve been able to still be able to sing after all this time [laughs] but the songs lend themselves to that. They came from the right place for Neil & me. There is a lot of personal stuff we’ve thrown in there so it all quite accessible for people the listen to. But also there is plenty of stuff for me to get my gut into if you know what I mean and that’s really important both lyrically & musically – you can really get your full weight behind. It was such a pleasure to be writing the songs and watch it all materialize in front of us and see life breathed into them by the band. It’s great to be connecting with quite a lot of people now. We had to do it all ourselves so it was a bit of a slow burner getting it out there but we’ve done some nice shows around the UK in the last few years since the album was released and the word is still getting out there with the help of people like yourselves. It is just nice that it’s kind of been picked up and makes us think it’s not a bad little album. It so nice to get good feedback and we really do appreciate it, Sean.
Sean: And we appreciate it when some of our favourite artists and bands come back with something new and you’ve certainly done that Nev. ‘Stranger in My Home Town’ ‘Angels & Demons’ & ‘Jacob’s Ladder’ are the stand out tracks for me but they are all good songs from start to finish.
Nev: [laughs] That’s great to hear and the kind of feedback we’ve been getting for a lot of fans out there. A lot of them like yourself were Skin fans and they seem to have the album on rotation and have a different favourite on a different day you know. And that is so good for the band to hear.
Sean: So where did the name of the band come from?
Nev: Well, Neil & I were sitting down one day just sharing influences and listening to stuff and starting writing the album and Neil had a track listing and one of the songs was ‘Hand of Dimes’ and I thought that was quite a cool name for the band and we just sort of laughed really and just parked it up. It’s a track by a guy called Terry Reid who was famously overlooked for the Led Zeppelin job back in the days. I think he was in-line to sing before they brought in Robert Plant. So, we went back to it and that is how we picked it really. So, it just started out from us sharing our musical influences really while starting to piece together the album.
Sean: So had this project been in the pipeline long?
Nev: No not really. I’d been out of the music business for about ten or eleven years before Skin reformed in 2009 so I really rekindled my love of music, picked up my guitar and stared singing again. But I’ve always written, even alongside the Skin stuff. Myke was predominantly the main writer within Skin but we collaborated on a few things but I just had a few ideas that had been just sitting there, songs like ‘Stranger in My Home Town’ which had been around for a while. So they just needed to be dusted off a bit and finishing off. I brought those to the table and Neil had some ideas as well so we started to assemble the main tracks for the album.
Sean: So now, with the love for music is well and truly rekindled are there plans for a follow-up to ‘Raise’?
Nev: Well, we continue to write while we have been promoting this and as I said earlier it has been a bit of a slow burner and want to give it a fair crack. So even though it was released in 2016 we’ve toured it throughout 2017 & 2108 and given it a good run round the UK and give it the chance it kind of deserves. But there are new songs there which we just need to whip into shape which will create the focus for some new material in 2019.
Sean: Talking of touring, I see you guys managed some festival appearances last year as well. I loved the line-up at the inaugural Stonedeaf Festival with bands like the Quireboys, Anvil & Skid Row – it was like an old Donington style day out with only so many bands & one stage.
Nev: Yeah, Stonedeaf was great. We knew they were putting it together and the ethos is just brilliant. It’s organised by a team of volunteers and we all remember those days of the one-stage, one-day festivals like the Monsters of Rock used to be. Festivals like Download are so vast now that you need to arrange a timetable to work out how to fit in as many bands as you can. Going back to old school rock festivals, Stone Deaf was a great blueprint for that a was great to be a part of it and for a first one it was a fantastic success for them so I really hope it continues for many years to come.
Sean: 2019’s line-up looks strong again so that can only be a good thing for rock fans…
Nev: Yeah, that’s fantastic. You mentioned the Quireboys there and as you rightly said they were on the bill. We managed to play with them earlier in the year and they are a great bunch of lads and we all go back some, especially Spike & I, from back in the day. It’s always so nice to hook up with guys like that. All the bands went down so well at Stonedeaf from the more experienced Like Anvil & Wolfsbane to the newer ones like Massive Wagons, who are going great guns in the UK.
Sean: Taking you back a bit Nev, I was at Monsters of Rock in 1994 when it started becoming the footprint of what we now recognise as Download, with a second stage and much larger number of acts… and I remember Skin being on that second stage. Do you have many memories of that day?
Nev: Well, yes. It was great for Skin because we had just had our album released and come off the back of quite a gruelling UK tour and Castle Donington that year was the culmination of that tour. We were going to release ‘Tower of Strength’ as a single and we decided to film and take the footage from that festival for the single so it’s got all sorts of special memories for us, especially as that went on to become one of our biggest hits in the UK. The experience was just incredible and as you just said it was the first time they had introduced the second stage and for bands of today like Massive Wagons experiencing Stonedeaf, it was the same for us at the time and a great base of British bands were sharing the same audience and having that opportunity. So it was fantastic to all the bands that played on that second stage and a lot of them, including ourselves were at the top of their game at that time. I just remember an army of fans coming over the hill from the main stage, when we struck up our first song of our set… just this huge army of rock fans… you just thought “my God” [laughs] it just doesn’t get any better than that Sean.
Sean: Fast forward to when Skin reformed and you guys made three appearances in a row at the Download Festival in 2009, 2010 & 2011. How did that experience differ for you all?
Nev: It’s just so different now. It’s changed so much. It’s absolutely vast now but it’s great for all genres of rock music to share the same field or stage or event and playing for the same audience, albeit over three days now. The important thing is that there are opportunities for bands, which is fantastic. We capitalised on it when Skin reformed and we were so lucky to get to play the main stage and then to be asked back the following two years really was fantastic – I think we played the acoustic stage and even in a tent [laughs]. It’s not surprising that it has become a mecca for not just fans but for bands too.
Sean: I reckon bands that have played there multiple times should get a loyalty card, a bit like a coffee card. Every different stage over the years you play there you can your card stamped – get them all stamped to get a free t-shirt [laughs]
Nev: [laughs] Love it. That’s a great idea… but you’d have to put some miles in to achieve that. You should definitely deserve a prize for that…
Sean: Black Stone Cherry can’t be far off. I think they’ve played nearly every stage there.
Nev: [laugh] I think your right.
Sean: Something that really interested me is that you did some gigs with Bernie Marsden (ex-Whitesnake) last year. How did that all come about?
Nev: There’s a bit of history between Bernie and I anyway. Bernie rang me in the mid to late 80’s just after David Coverdale had gone off to America. For some reason I didn’t end up getting together with him but we were doing a gig with FM over here in the UK a few years ago and Bernie was the special guest. So, he was listening to us doing our acoustic set and he said, “my God, you’ve still got your pipes then Nev” and then he remembered when he rang me many years previously. He said he would like to do something together in the not too distant future. So, we exchanged numbers and the opportunity came about when he was doing a gig at the Marshall headquarters in Milton Keynes. He’d lost his voice a little bit on the tour he was doing so he asked me to come up and do some of the Whitesnake songs – he had Nicky Barker (ex-Magnum) on drums, Neil Murray (ex-Whitesnake) on bass & Jim Kirkpatrick (FM) on guitar – and that was just fantastic. We stayed in touch and early in 2018 we went out and did some shows with Bernie. We did a Hand of Dimes set, Bernie did a little acoustic set and then we all grouped together to do a batch of the old Whitesnake classics from the Bernie Marsden era. It was such a great experience and Bernie is such a character. He’s full of wonderful stories, jokes & japes if ever you get the chance to talk to him. He’s good guy to be around and a great, great player. We learnt so much just playing those shows with him – just another fantastic experience.
Sean: I watched some footage on YouTube of you singing “Ain’t No Love in The Heart of the City” with him and it was ‘hairs standing up on the back of neck’ stuff Nev. Bernie was just playing around with some chords and then that opening guitar work to the track kicks in – magical stuff.
Nev: Yeah, we played with him back in 2017 at the Steelhouse Festival. We played on the Friday night, where we did a set with him and we then got asked back on the Sunday afternoon as well. Unfortunately King King had to pull out at short notice so being a local band, we got the call to come in and play with Bernie again and it kind of got called ‘Bernie-fest’ for that weekend [laughs].
Sean: That’s all pretty cool stuff Nev. So, taking you back to your beginnings musically and with the obvious Welsh connection, I’m guessing it would have been a household full of music growing up?
Nev: Most definitely. My mother sang and in fact still sings in a choir and she also plays piano so there is definitely music in the blood. So my loud shouty voice comes from my mam and my grandmother sang as well and she had a powerful set of lungs on her too, God bless her. My father was quite artistic so the arts and music were quite prevalent in my family, so I must have got the musical bug from quite a young age. It’s something I always dreamed of doing – but I’ve been so fortunate to do what I’ve done.
Sean: So who were your influences growing up?
Nev: Initially I was into the drums so I started as a drummer and played in a local punk band when I started out but it slowly developed into guitar and so then I got into bands like Free, Paul Kossoff, Tommy Bolin… the bluesier sort of stuff like Jimmy Page and stuff like that and then I started writing some of my own stuff too. It was only after really listening to Free properly that I got into Paul Rodgers and suddenly realised I wanted to be able to sing like him. So, from there I started concentrating more on singing and the guitar kind of went on the back burner a bit, even though I do play a lot of rhythm and a bit of lead guitar with ‘the Dimes’ now so it’s never been far away. But I took more of the vocal path back then and developed that really, listening to people like Ian Gillan, Glenn Hughes, Ronnie James Dio… all those great singers. To be growing up hearing that sort of calibre of singer – and I’m not alone saying this, because there are some incredible singers out there now who would mention these iconic &influential names – was incredible. I also took singing lessons to look after my voice, I mean being Welsh you think your born with it [laughs] but really you have to seriously look after it – I mean if you tour at any length then you have to be doing the right thing so everything in moderation. I don’t mind a drink like most people but you’ve got to take care and make sure that when it comes to show time you are on top of it. It’s all good stuff.
Sean: The closing notes of ‘Jacob’s Ladder’ are just spine tingling stuff…
Nev: That song has proven to be such a good live song for us. It’s a song that really focus’s the audience on the band – you can just see & sense it. I mean during the set there are some real chest beaters but a ballad like ‘Jacob’s Ladder’ has so much gravity to it so it really does zone people in. It’s a beautiful song and Neil has written some fantastic lyrics but that seems to be the track that really brings people into the band, especially when we play it live. Yeah, we’re really proud of that one.
Sean: The one question I’ve been dreading to ask, but as a fan I feel I need too… Skin were on the verge of taking the next step to stardom – great songs, amazing live shows, hug energy, ever growing fan base… and then it just stopped. Obviously there was the reformation we spoke of but I genuinely am asking as a fan & lover of the music you guys created and not as someone trying to trip you up or get you to dish dirt or tell of huge bust-ups. It just was so sad to see it end…
Nev: I think back in the day, especially with the first album, it was no coincidence that when we reformed in 2009, that album formed the bulk of our set even then. We could see on reflection where the band was at and why people had liked Skin in the first place. It was down to that first album. But that brought together all our influences in one place, right there. It was a body of work we were all very proud of and still continue to be proud of now. I mean tracks like ‘House of Love’ which we still play in Hand of Dimes even now live are timeless – the fans remember it with great fondness. I have a lot of love for that album. But why it didn’t happen for us… I really honestly don’t know nor can I put my finger on it. Perhaps we lost out way musically after the first album – the 90’s was quite an intense period for music I think. That classic style of rock was getting pushed to the margins I think. Even bands like Thunder were struggling a little bit too in the mid-90s, even just to maintain a profile. Some of the magazines were going under. That little niche was diluting slightly and a few bands were finding it difficult. The industry has changed so much now Sean… the way people listen to the music now has, in a way helped revive some bands of our ilk now and we can’t complain about that. Times change and times move on – that’s just the way it is.
Sean: Looking back Nev and knowing what you do now, would you have done anything differently?
Nev: I don’t know, probably not. At the time you are doing what you think is the right thing. When the band kind of dissolved in the late-90s I think we just ran out of steam really… got ourselves in to a bit of a cul-de-sac, a bit of a corner. The direction had just been lost a little bit. Maybe the other guys may disagree but certainly for me, it felt almost like a natural end.
Sean: Certainly with ‘Raise’ you’ve definitely managed to back out of that cul-de-sac and are once again driving in the fast lane of the motorway [laughs]. We touched on ballads and ‘Which Are the Tears’ is still one of the most incredible tracks off that debut Skin album…
Nev: Thanks mate. Another great song and also ‘Wings of an Angel’, which was made even more special when we brought in the gospel singers, who we thought were just going to add a few “ooohs” and “aaahs”… but my God, we all recall it becoming an emotional experience watching them perform. What they brought to the song was absolutely incredible.
Sean: It’s been so cool to talk about to you about not only the latest project but also to speak to you about one of my favourite bands from the 90s so thank you but I’d love to finish with a couple of fun ones if I may. Who would you invite for dinner from the music world, dead or alive and you can have three guests?
Nev: I’d have to go with Paul Kossoff as my first. I’ve always said if I could ever have been someone else I would have wanted to be Malcolm Young – to be stood at the back of that stage, powering out those incredible riffs for a living… that must have been rhythm guitar heaven. So I would have to have Malcolm there too, bless him. It’s hard but guitarists fascinate me so probably Stevie Ray Vaughn would be my third choice and I’d just ask them all about how the hell they all played like they did.
Sean: A wonderful table Nev, love it. What was the last album you listened to?
Nev: Well I mentioned him earlier, it was Glenn Hughes. I was listening to his ‘Resonate’ album. I just can’t believe how powerful his voice is, it’s incredible. It’s quite inspirational for people like me when you’re in your 50s and your looking ahead and you think good God, if he’s still belting them out at his age then I stall may have a chance [laughs]. I may have a few years left in me yet. I’m a proper retro music lover – I dig out all of the old classics all of the time – Deep Purple and the like. I’m terrible for that, like being stuck in the day [laughs]
Sean: So I wonder will that influence you final question. If you could be credited with writing any song, what song would you want to be known for?
Nev: It would have to be a Free song for me and I’d probably have to choose ‘Alright Now’. Any Free tune I would be proud to say was mine. ‘The Stealer’, ‘Be My Friend’… I could go on and on and list them all. That’s what kicked me off to where I am now so it’s quite an obvious choice for me but that’s where it is.
Sean: Nev, this has been such a wonderful opportunity for me to talk get to you so thank you so much.
Nev: No Sean, we thank you and on behalf of all of us at Hand of Dimes we really do appreciate your support for what we are doing musically. It’s really good to know our music is reaching you over there in Australia.
Sean: Well, keep us posted on any developments on a follow up album and we’d love to chat again when that’s close to materializing. We wish you and Neil and the guys all the best for Hand of Dimes and hope you get to visit it us out here in Australia to play one day in the not too distant future.
Nev: That would be great. Thanks mate.
Sean: Cheers Nev.
