.....Because shaking your pants is important!
to meet the band members scroll on down....
Ten strangers, brought together by the love of the same type of music (and the mutual love of a good curry!), we’ve formed a strangely strong bond and worked hard together to bring you very best we can do. Coming together from all corners of Devon, we meet in the weirdest places. We abandon our families, struggle through snow & rain, shiver our way through chilly rehearsals and deliver HOT performances.
We’ve enjoyed the challenges of song choice and arrangements, helping one another to get our parts right, and to balance the sound. We love doing this together, and can’t wait to do it for you....!
John - our lead vocalist. With his smooth, husky tones, John does soul as it should be done. He sings every passionate, yearning word with meaning and expression, but he’s never over-sentimental. Definitely.
John is Cool with a capital C – relaxed and easy, no matter how hysterical things around him become. He’s deep, enigmatic, and keeps his speed-freak tendencies well hidden most of the time. If you can make John laugh, then you’ll know you are genuinely funny. If he can makes you laugh it’ll be a blimmin’ miracle. He’s better at singing.
John’s idea of heaven? "Engine off, sails up……"
Ambition? "..9,865kg of Rolls Royce thrust and a lot of air space"
His favourite song? "All of them"
Worst gig experience? "Driving 40 miles to a gig to find that everyone thought everyone else was bringing the PA system. (not this band!)"
John’s comments about the rest of the band?
"They all play louder instruments than me."
"They want me to wear WHAT?"
"What’s wrong with lurving my mic stand.?"
What does John need in the dressing room His mic stand and a masseur.
Clare - backing vocals, occasional lead. She’s also our tea lady but Clare is doing her best to shake off a maternal and rather sensible reputation, even though she isn’t sure what to replace it with. You’ll have to draw your own conclusion when you meet her. She loves the great outdoors but is also currently experimenting with false eyelashes, interesting underwear, the odd tattoo,and burning the candle at both ends.
The only things you can be sure of are: 1) she loves this band and 2) can be a bit bossy. She’s also very concerned that Ric’s ferret may escape.and wishes he’d leave it at home instead of bringing to rehearsals
Her idea of heaven? "Hearing Andrew play guitar, and the way John goes ‘oooo’ in Knock on Wood. ."
What makes her laugh? "Mike."
Favourite songs in the set?"Its Raining Men, Almost, and Knock on Wood "
Worst ever gig experience/incidents?
"When people are too sozzled to be safely near the stage (or ON it).
Power failure. Harmonius interruptus! Torrential rain, leaky marquees…."
Observations about other band members?
"Organising this lot is like trying to herd cats. "
"I’d like to know what Mike’s done with the rest of the zebra, no matter what the answer is."
"I’m just about coming to terms with the Vogon living in Kevin’s bass amp. (resistance is USELESS!) "
"The beaver may be cute, Lynn, but it’s a bit damp. Put it on a lead, please."
What does Clare need in the dressing room? Bacon and eggs, tandoori chicken, and John’s masseur when he’s finished, thanks.
Lynn - lead and backing vocals. Lynn has a stunning voice and makes a huge impact on our sound. With a wacky sense of humour and fabulous rhythm her upbeat contribution to the band is invaluable.
Practical as well as artistic, Lynn is as likely to be seen brandishing a mig welder as stroking a microphone. Once she’s finished the beaver cage she’ll be building a new and indestructible set of drums for Mike due to the ferret incident.
Band experience to date includes The Deane Big Band, a Jazz quartet, Gospel Choir/group
Lynn’s favourite activities? "Dancing, singing, mig welding and snogging"
Her idea of heaven? "A walk on a windy day. Being snug in bed when it is raining"
Lynn worries about – " the declining bee population."
She gets irritated by "The bad parking in my road, bad manners, people walking in groups and filling the pavement and not giving me any space. Don’t get me started!!"
What makes her laugh? "People falling over! Cruel perhaps but I love it! There is a website called peoplefallingover.com. Check it out!"
Worst ever gig experience/incident:
"No power at a big band gig, which meant I had to sing very loudly over 17 musicians. Not much of a problem for Fog Horn Annie here though!"
Observations about other band members.
"I haven’t been around long enough to suss them out properly yet, but I think they are up to something! And I still don’t understand what they have got against the beaver!
Actually, I also happen to know that Clare’s wearing part of the zebra, although you are unlikely to see it. What….. you have?"
Anything else she’d like to say?
"Remember to bring your ear plugs in case I suddenly let rip on the big notes!"
What does Lynn need in the dressing room? Freshly baked bread and a box of Beagle puppies.
Mike - on drums . The beating heart of this group. Mike’s the one we depend on for the most important element of our music, its rhythm. We take him for granted. This is a shocking habit and we should be ashamed of ourselves.
However, we always do what he says as he’s a natural leader.
Mike has a romantic side – he dreams of snow-capped mountains and loves really garish drum kits. We love his cheeriness and his dimples.
Mike’s idea of heaven? He wants father christmas to bring him a tamastarclassic bubinga in lacquer purple sparkle, and a new cricket bat.
His favourite song? "I’m Tore Up."
His favourite activities? "Playing live gigs, and punching leather with willow through extra cover for a glorious four (look it up…)"
His worst ever gig experience? "A completely and inexplicably ‘dead’ audience one new year’s eve. Not this band, but one almost as good"
Mikes comments about the rest of the band
"I’ll be billing Ric for the hole the ferret has made in the floor-tom."
"I’d also like to point out that its really no-one else’s business about the zebra thing."
"No, I will not allow the bass drum to serve as a temporary beaver pool while we are setting up the stage."
He’s also hoping no-one has noticed that he loves it when Clare gets bossy.
What does Mike need in the dressing room? Roast chicken and a beer.
Kevin - on bass guitar. The other half of our rhythm section – Kevin’s a driving force in this band. He keeps his beady eye on the rest of us from the back of the stage and we try not to let him see the rest of us being naughty. Fierce sometimes, Kevin is also vulnerable and romantic . We work hard at not hurting his feelings too often. Honest.
Ambition? "To take a tub of Haagen Dazs and my love to the top of a beautiful mountain in my own light aircraft, toboggan to the bottom with my children, windsurf across the lake to the stadium where Queen are performing our musical and finally give in to their pleading to join them on stage with my Wal bass."
Band experience? "30 years of playing, several professionally with MUD (Tiger feet and all that!!)"
Worst gig experience "Watching executives from Smithkline Beecham rolling up their sleeves and approaching the stage to hit our drunk, offensive singer (not this band of course)!!!"
His favourite song from the set "Gimme Some Lovin' and Treat Her Right. Good moral songs"
Kevin's comments about the rest of the band "Oh no, you're not catching me out on that one! I love them all and think they are all immensely gifted - especially the ferret though I’m not sure that castanets have a place in a soul band."
What irritates Kevin?
Absolutely nothing; he is the sweetest, most tolerant man on earth. He has no objection to bad drivers sharing the road with him and is supremely understanding of people not keeping their promises, laziness, things (especially computers and the government) not working properly and the winning lottery numbers never being correct.
Kevin's idea of heaven is high tide, a quiet cove, hot sun, no jetskis, other boats or screaming kids nearby, a good book, Colleen and ice cream!!
What does Kevin need in the dressing room? At least half an hour.
Andrew - on guitar. Making enough impact for two – Andrew is a purist. Many of the songs we do were from his own original song list, and he makes sure we do them right. He introduced many of us to music we’d not heard before – one of the great joys of meeting new musicians.
His fabulous playing makes the rest of us proud. Andrew doesn’t understand that he is very, very good. He’s reserved and gentle, and always open to ideas and suggestions from the band.
Normally tolerant, he’s drawing the line at Ric’s ferret coming to live gigs. However, we are negotiating with him about Lynn’s beaver, as its rather cute.
Andrew’s band experiences to date
"The Hip Replacements, The Neptunes, Who’s afraid of the Rhythm & Blues, the Amsterdamned"
Favourite songs in the set "Take me to the River, Tore Up, Gimme Some Lovin’, Too drunk to f*ck"
Pure heaven for Andrew? "Me on lead, strummer on vocals & rhythm"
Favourite activities? "Playing guitar, drinking real ale, eating vindaloo (same day, in that order)"
What does Andrew worry about? " Breaking a string"
What makes him laugh? "Seeing Kevin break a string......."
What irritates him? "US Accounting Policies"
Observation/s about other band members:"Their movements are regular, though some cause more ripples than others."
What does Andrew need in the dressing room? A trouser press and a vindaloo
Johnny Fingers - keyboards. Johnny's excellent playing, his refreshing approach, garish shirts and cheery smile makes him a really welcome addition to our band. He's also really good at persuading family members attend our gigs, and as its a big family we are very grateful for this.
Another mellow fellow, stays cool in the face of adversity. Always helpful - even offers to walk the beaver on rehearsal nights.
Johnny's day job? "Marketing, a bit of a food specialist"
Favourite food? "I always love a sunday roast - can't beat it"
Favourite activities? "music, music, and more music!"
What worries Johnny? "....whether I have enough time between songs. Don't laugh, its a real challenge!"
What makes him laugh? "Fawlty Towers"
Observation about the other band members. "an awesome bunch of creative talent. (Will that do? NOW can I bring my Gloucester Old Spot to rehearsals please?)
What does Johnny need in the dressing room? Maltesers and silk pyjamas please.
Ric - the tall man on set, playing a range of saxophones and sometimes the flute. He loves to play jazz, rock and fusion. He’s a bit of a mystery to us.
He claims to hate small furry animals, despite evidence to the contrary. He won’t eat them, definitely.
His are the simple pleasures in life. Calm and mellow, no matter what we do we don’t seem to be able to wind him up.
His favourite song in the set? "Try a Little Tenderness"
Ambition? "To stay happy"
Pure heaven for Ric is "Very temporary"
Favourite activity? "Watching Exeter Chiefs win"
What does he worry about? "Exeter Chiefs losing"
What makes him laugh? "Tommy Cooper"
What irritates Ric? "Bossy people (not you, Clare) and ferrets"
Worst ever gig experience/incident? "I don’t want to talk about it"
Observation/s about other band Members:
"They’re all so young!"
"Get it OFF me!"
Tim- completes the horn section as our trumpet player and – if you catch him on the right night – flugel horn.
He's the most recent member of the band, adding that essential top note that only the trumpet can bring. A very experienced player Tim has toured with the Levellers, Otis Grand, Eddie Floyd, and played locally with Joey the Lips, Soul Station, Rhythm Machine and Julian Marshall.
He’s incredibly diplomatic and sensitive. We asked him which was his favourite song on the setlist and he was reluctant to commit himself: “I need a bit more time for this one, I wouldn’t like to randomly choose one and upset all the other songs….”
Where is Tim from? "Originally from Portsmouth but now I weave my own yogurt in Totnes"
Ambition? "To play Mustang Sally for the last time, ever." (ooh – feisty!)
Pure heaven for Tim? " Playing music with my kids"
Favourite food? "Indian, every time" (there’s a pattern emerging here)
What does Tim worry about? "Song endings."
What makes him laugh? " The government"
Worst ever gig experience? “ Being dropped at the edge of the A38 in the early hours of a cold winters morning, in my shirt sleeves and watching the car scream off before I had a chance to get my coat, instrument, phone and CAR KEYS out of the boot. I arrived home for breakfast having had a tour of the South Hams in a milk lorry.”
Observations about other band members?
"Consummate professionals, actually" (right answer Tim – you’re in!)