History

A M J Collective.. The story

A M J consists of three people: Andy Clark, John Hollis and Mark Spence.

Mark, bass, and Andy, drums, first met in 1980 after auditioning for a musical called Freedom City, a production of the Bristol based Arts Opportunity Theatre Company headed by Yvonne Duetschman and Reynold Duncan. The cast members, stage crew, lighting and sound engineers were all young people who came from a variety of backgrounds which created a diverse mix of cultures. For Andy and Mark Arts Opportunity was like a second family.

The production ran for two years and both Andy and Mark were fortunate to have performed alongside their fellow musicians and a cast of some forty people, touring the length and breadth of the UK and also performing abroad. Respect is due to their friend Reynold for giving these guys a chance. The production came to an end in 1982 however the Arts Opportunity Theatre Company continued to produce many more productions such as Black and White in Colour.

The band at that time decided to stay together taking a new name, Restriction, and became a very tight reggae outfit. It was at this point John Hollis met the band, when he organized two of their first shows, and soon after took on a managerial role, later also joining them on stage as trombonist. Restriction toured constantly for several years all over the UK, often performing to large audiences, including all the key festivals, and began working in France – where they performed their last show at the Phil One in Paris in 1986. During their time together they recorded for BBC Radio 1, released a 12” with the Mad Professor and several cassettes of their own sessions.

Mark and Andy continued playing with various musicians on the local scene in Bristol whilst John joined WOMAD and later went freelance tour managing artists which took him around the globe.

In 1992 John went into artist management and in 1995 formed his own production company, Yard High, successfully managing and producing top artists from around the world. This venture has since evolved into Astar Artes, a music management company, publishing house and record label.

In 2008 John, Mark and Andy decided to join forces once again to create a new project called the A M J Collective, an initiative that is vibrant, innovative and full of punch – the key idea behind this group is to collaborate with quality musicians from different places while, at the same time, encouraging young musicians and singers to gain experience performing live and recording in the studio.
What’s in the name you might ask?

A M J stands for A Mystical Journey … collectively working with talented like-minded musicians from various musical backgrounds in order to deliver something special.

Listen and judge for yourself… PEACE BE WITH YOU.

Band Info: www.amjcollective.info