January 2002 - February 2008
PACIFIC GROOVE was formed in January 2002 by Dan Russell with Steve Orchard and Nick Hughes. Since then over 60 different band members have boarded and/or departed the good ship Pacific Groove, including Dan Russell himself, who left the group in February 2008 after 6 years at the helm. The remaining members decided to form a new group, signalling the end of the Pacific Groove journey.
Beneath is a short biog of some of the musicians who graced the line-up over the years. Below that you will find details of the players on the
From Stockwood To Woodstock album, plus the various other musicians involved with Pacific Groove since 2002.
DAN RUSSELL - Vocals, Acoustic 6 & 12 String Guitars
Vocal Range : Tenor and Falsetto
Age : 48
Bithplace : Bristol
Occupation : Hospital Housekeeper
Musical Influences : Beach Boys, America, Todd Rundgren, Doobie Brothers, Steely Dan, C.S.N.Y., Eagles, Orleans, Hall & Oates, Isley Brothers
Lookalike : The love child of Buffalo Bill and David Crosby!
What can I say about me? Well, I wrote my first song 30 years ago. I have written nearly 850 since. My first song was called I COULD STILL LOVE YOU and the last one I wrote, yesterday, is called AUNTIE OCEAN! I am currently re-recording all my old stuff, that spreads over 80 plus cassette albums, onto more cassettes! If I had a c.d. burner, I would be duplicating them onto that format! When I get round to that I would like to make all my back catalogue available. As Neil Young, a fellow Scorpio, says in his biography "When you compile an antholgy of a songwriter's work, you have to put all the crap in as well as the good stuff so that you can hear the development!" I am absolutely knocked out with the current Pacific Groove line up. I say this with no disrespect meant to all the previous band members, but Chris, Tony, Bev, Dave, Mark and Tim are the most commited people I have ever worked with. I love 'em all!
ROBERT WATERSON (aka Big Hair Rob) - Electric Rhythm and Lead Guitar, Effects, Vocals and General Weirdness
Vocal Range : Baritone
Age : Born on 7th December 1967
Birthplace : London
Occupation : Mechanical Engineer and Draughtsman
Musical Influences & Preferences : Guitarists and Bands - Brian May, Hank B. Marvin, Jeff Beck, Joe Walsh, Jeff "Skunk" Baxter, Steve Lukather, Al DiMeola, Queen, Doobie Brothers, Eagles, Manfred Mann's Earth Band, Steely Dan, The Tubes, Toto, Frank Zappa. Singers - Freddie Mercury, Michael McDonald, Fee Waybill, Chris Thompson
Lookalike : Rob Waterson, Jerry Garcia, Cousin It...
"Well, hello there...!!! Here's me in a nutshell....warts 'n' all. I am a self taught guitarist, having played from the age of 14. I have played in two duos; the first, "Hot For Teacher", doing standard pub covers with my good friend of over ten years, David Clifford (Morten Harket in the Stars In Their Eyes final in 2000 and successful solo singer) and the second, "Sheik Yerbouti" doing 50's & 60's Rock 'n' Roll with Keith Hall (formerly of The Fixers - another good friend). My approach is from a sideways perspective and I guess my guitar style is "off the wall". Although I like to think about what fits well in a song, I am also adventureous and a risk taker, often experimenting "on the fly"... thereby confusing, confounding and annoying the hell out of many a musician at local jam sessions and no doubt to the same to my bandmates...!!! Improvising stuff is fun but I can be a bit hit and miss...when I get it right it sounds great...when I get it not-quite-so-right then think of Les Dawson...but hey...you've got to have a sense of humour about things and some mistakes can be happy accidents. Besides, in the grand scheme of things 5% of the notes I play may be a little off (I just smile...) but the other 95% will be spot on. The great thing about being involved with Pacific Groove is that although we all have a very broad spectrum of musical tastes and influences, we converge with a love of the West Coast sound. I am also happy to be involved in musical projects alongside Pacific Groove; all I need is an invitation...!! For example, I teamed up with David Clifford and a host of tribute acts to appear in and contribute guitar work to the charity show, David Clifford's A Night Of Stars 5, at The Everyman Theatre in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. By nature I am warm, friendly and approachable. Happily married to Wendy, I have 2 daughters (Teigan and Tayla) and 1 son (Cade). I also have 5 stepchildren (Leanne, Charlotte, Chelsie, April and Jack), and a grandaughter (Kacey). Loves - Smiling sweetly whilst delivering the perfect bum note!!! Hates - fretboard speed merchants (ie speed just for the sake of speed at the expense of subtlety and finesse). Motto - It don't mean a thing if you ain't got that swing... do-wah do-wah do-wah do-wah do-wah do-wah..." Rob Waterson (July 2006)
MADELEINE TOMLIN - Harmony Vocals, Shakers
Age : A gentleman doesn't like to ask!
Birthplace : Bristol, England
Musical Influences/Preferences : Everley Brothers, Four Seasons, Bette Midler
Lookalike : Nerys Hughes, Shirley McLaine
Nickname : Miss Maddie
Maddie has been a real catalyst in the creation of the fantastic 4 part harmony sound now achieved in the band. A natural harmoniser, singing tenor, alto and soprano parts with ease due to the experience she has gained with the close harmony group she still is involved in. Maddie's voice reflects her personality... soft, sweet and feminine! She does suffer a bit from under confidence in her vocal abillities, especially when it come to taking the lead, which we have encouraged her to do. She has no need to doubt her capabillities, because she has an excellent voice that reminds me of Linda Ronstadt and Nicolette Larson, who sings on some of Neil Young's albums. Maddie takes quite a bit of ribbing off Mark and myself, but she has learnt to fight back! She is incredibly keen and dedicated to the cause, and in her fiirst 2 months with the Groove she has attended 14 rehearsals and made 6 live performnances, which is quite remarkable. Also, she has helped and encouraged Mark to grow in confidence with his tenor harmony singing, and the blend of her alto/soprano voice with my tenor or falsetto voice, and Rob's soft baritone, is nothing short of mindblowing! Maddie has been happily married to John for 35 years. John is a bass player and played on the cabaret circuit for many years.
HOWARD HOWES - Hammond Organ, Electric Piano, Piano, Moog, Synthesisers, Strings, Sound
Age : 47
Birthplace : Epsom, Surrey, England
Musical Influences/Preferences : Pink Floyd, Genesis, Yes, Vangelis, Deep Purple, Prog Rock
Lookalike : Promoter Harvey Goldsmith!
Nickname : The County Judge
It gives me great pleasure to welcome Howard to the Pacific Groove fold. A nicer, more self effacing man it would be harder to meet. Yet he has worked with the worlds biggest stars in the music business as a sound engineer and keyboard technician for the last 25 years. People like Howard Jones, George Michael, Genesis, Andy Williams and someone he has worked with for the last 5 years and has just returned from a 3 month tour of the U.S.A. with... Paul McCartney! I am so humbled that a man who has rubbed shoulders with the best rates my songs so highly and wants to be involved with the band, just for the love of it! Remarkably, Howard tells me the last time he was actually in a band as a musician was as a teenager! As he says, he just took a different road in the music business! Howard met Rossi, his wife of 20 years,"on the road". They met at a gig where she was organising the catering, and he was doing the sound! Like Howard, she is still involved in the same line of work, but they are not necessarily on the same tours. Howard is an excellent keyboard player, specialising in the Hammond Organ, bringing a whole new sound dimension to the band. He has also expressed a wish to add basslines and drum programming to the Groove sound.
MARK VOISEY - Vocals, Acoustic 6 & 12 String Guitars
Vocal Range : High Tenor
Age : 49
Birthplace : Bristol
Occupation : Self Employed Builder
Musical Influences : Eagles, Doobie Brothers, America, Steely Dan, Neil Young, Jackson Browne, James Taylor
Lookalike : Alan "Hawkeye" Alda and Aging Porn Star!
Mark gets on well with Tony, and is another comedian, possessing a rather unique, quirky sense of humour that is hard to describe! Mark has only been playing guitar for 5 years, but you would never think so. He has a good sense of timing and is a mighty fine finger picker. He also posseses a nice high tenor voice which works really well on high harmonies. He is a very laid back character, and you can't help but like the guy. His voice is suited to songs such as America's HORSE WITH NO NAME and VENTURA HIGHWAY, and the Rascal's GROOVIN'. I am hoping Mark will be able to fix the floor of my mobile home before I finally disappear through it!
TONY VESTE - Bass Guitar, Vocals
Vocal Range : Tenor
Age : 43
Birthplace : Liverpool
Occupation : Counsellor
Musical Influences : Punk, David Bowie, Iggy Pop
Lookalike : Chris Serle (Complete with natural, grey, curly perm!)
Tony is a larger than life character! And that is not just the size of his nose! The cause of the next solar eclipse will either be his hooter or my belly! Like most Liverpudlian's, Tony is a terminal comedian! Tony has punk roots, writes songs (which we haven't heard yet!) and sings well... and is a mighty fine virtuoso bass player! Tony has just invested in a new bass, called a Vester, believe it or not. It looks like a wooden coffee table with strings on, and we are always treatening to use it as such and leave nice round coffee cup rings on it! When it comes to music Tony is very serious, especially when it comes to tightening up the band's sound and rhythm. Tony has Italian parentage, and his father was "detained" for a short seaside holiday at Dover when he entered the country back in the 1950s!
TIM BURROUGHS - Congas, Bongos, Acoustic Guitar, Percussion, Vocals
Vocal Range : Baritone
Age : 44
Birthplace : Bristol
Occupation : Citizen's Advice Bureau Lawyer
Musical Influences & Preferences : Johnny Cash, Tom Waits, Neil Young, Country & Folk Music
Lookalike : Ronnie Corbett (Younger, taller & better looking version!)
Tim nearly always has a smile on his face, always positive and constructive, and has his feet firmly on the ground. He is a fine percussionist, playing Congas and Bongos and like the tip of an iceberg, he has a whole array of other percussion that we haven't seen him play yet! He also plays guitar in a gentle way and has some lovely folky songs that he has brought to the band...MARINER'S RETURN, LONESOME HOBO (pure Americana!) and SOUTHERN SKY. We have even tried 4 guitars on his songs, in a subtle way, and it really works! Tim is very keen that we get paid what we are worth at gigs and his legal background will make sure that we don't get screwed over by the music business! He is also a devoted father to his son, Sam. An all round nice guy!
DAVID HADLEY - Electric Lead Guitar, Effects
Age : 40
Birthplace : Bristol
Occupation : Travelling Salesman
Musical Influences : Beatles, Punk Music (2 ends of the talent spectrum!), Tom Waits
Lookalike : Steve Wright (Younger and with more hair!)
The Professor! The Studious One! I love this guy's keeness! If time would allow he would be around at my place every day, knocking on my door, and asking me if he can come IN to play! He really works hard at the music and shares my vision and belief that 3 Guitars, playing different inversions and melody lines, can really work. You would never guess from his appearance that he was a punk, sporting a mohican and eye liner, in his younger years! Nor would you guess from his beautifully crafted, melodic and subtle guitar playing, that his formative years were spent listening to that particularly unmelodic and unsubtle genre! A really nice guy, with a great generosity of spirit, who has been with his partner, Debbie, a great tennis enthusiast, for 20 years, a rarity these days. His stability, reliabity and willingness to work at the music, coupled with his fine playing, knocks socks off many of the ex members who have passed through the Pacific Groove revolving door. And he has only been playing for 5 years too! He is also keen to get on with things in rehearsal, which is a really good thing!
CHRIS HALES - Keyboards, Vocals
Vocal Range : Bass
Age : 44
Birthplace : Bristol
Occupaton : Bank Clerk
Musical Influences : Jazz, classical, blues
Lookalike : Gary Lineker (With darker hair!)
My ever reliable Number 2! I first met Chris 20 years ago, when we both worked for Royal Mail. Then after an 18 year gap of not seeing him, I bump into him at the vocal choir we both frequented. He hadn't aged a day, where as I was twice the man I used to be, having put a lot of weight on over the years! We got together to jam, and it coincided with the demise of Midtide. I really liked his jazz, and classical, tinged playing, and it really worked with my songs. That was a year ago, and we both have seen many people come and go from the band in that time. He is a very inventive player, wether he is playing piano, strings (the sound he produced for the intro of FLOWERS IN A WARM WIND is stunningly beautiful! It sounds like the ocean breeze singing! That is why he is worthy of a co writing credit on that song.) Like Dave, a quiet man, who keeps his feelings to himself, but who also expresses himself through his playing. Probably the best looking guy in the band, too! Chris also possesses a rich, bass singing voice. One of these days we are going to turn the musical interludes he plays between songs into complete compositions!
BEVERLEY MAY - Vocals, Percussion
Vocal Range : Mid to Low
Age : 41
Bithplace : Redruth, Cornwall
Occupation : Domestic Operative
Musical Influences : Punk, Gothic, Pretenders, Billy Idol, Blondie
Lookalike : Chrissie Hynde (With Blue Hair!)
Bev, as she likes to call herself, is a real ball of enthusiasm! If it wasn't for the fact that she lives in the next county, I truly believe she would be coming round to mine and wanting to sing for 24 hours, 7 days a week! Part of this could be put down to the fact that she hasn't been performing for 4 years, due to the fact that she has been bringing up her 3 year old son Jake. But only partly! She possesses an excellent, strong, but soulful voice. Before her "retirement" she used to play the cabaret circuit, with sequenced backing, as a solo artist. A brave and tough road to travel. She interprets my songs wonderfully, and we have a fantastic vocal blend, me taking the higher line, and her the lower. I am more than happy for her to sing 50% of my songs, not just because she has a great, expressive voice, and "acts" out the songs with her hand gestures, but because she, and her long term partner of 20 years, Duke, have travelled Route 66 across America on a motorbike, and been to the places in my California travelogue songs, KID FROM L.A., PACIFIC GROVE and YOSEMITE JIM. Another ex punk who has found the melodic trail! Her recent rendition of my song SWAY she really does sing beautifully.
PACIFIC GROOVE members who played and sang on the From Stockwood To Woodstock album:
DAN RUSSELL Vocals, Acoustic 6 & 12 String Guitars, Electric Guitar
(Spring 2002 to Present Time)
STEVE ORCHARD Vocals, Keyboards, Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Drum Programming
(Spring 2002 to Autumn 2002 & Autumn 2003 to Summer 2004)
PAUL JONES Vocals, Keyboards, Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Bass Guitar, Drum Programming
(Summer 2002 & Spring 2004 to Present Time)
KATE GOLD Vocals, 12 String Acoustic Guitar, Bass Guitar, Djembe, Percussion
(Winter 2002 to Summer 2004)
JASON ALLEN Vocals, Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Bass Guitar, Keyboards, Drum Programming
(Spring 2002 to Present Time - Floating Studio Member)
DAVID WOODFORD Vocals, Bass Guitar, Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Keyboards, Drum Programming
(Spring 2002 to Winter 2002)
DAVID ORCHARD Vocals.
("The Book Of Her Dreams" Session)
DANNY ORCHARD Electric Guitar
("The Book Of Her Dreams" Session)
PACIFIC GROOVE members who didn't make it on to From Stockwood To Woodstock:
DAVID HILL Vocals, Bongos, Percussion (Summer 2002 to Winter 2002)
SARAH MENAGE Vocals, Keyboards, Acoustic Guitar (Autumn 2002 to Autumn 2003)
NIGEL COATES Vocals, Acoustic & Electric Guitars (Autumn 2002 to Autumn 2003)
NICK HUGHES Congas, Bongos, Percussion (Spring 2002 to Summer 2002)
JACK MURPHY Drums, Percussion (Summer 2003)
BARRY ALLEN Drums, Percussion, Vocals (Autumn 2003)
NEIL ROBINSON Bongos, Percussion, Vocals (Winter 2003)
WILLIAM FRANKLIN Drums, Percussion, Vocals (Winter 2003)
JAMES GALE Vocals, Acoustic & Electric Guitars (Summer 2004)
ANDY COUSINS Vocals, Acoustic 6 &12 String Guitars, Mandolin, Harmonica (Summer 2004)
NEIL ARTHUR Bongos, Percussion (Summer 2004)
CHRIS HALES Keyboards, Vocals (Summer 2004 to Winter 2005)
CHRISTIAN LIBERATI Vocals, Bass Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Bongos, Percussion, Harmonicas (Autumn 2004 to Winter 2004)
JAN EDWARDS Vocals, Percussion (Autumn 2004 to Winter 2004)
CLAIRE O'CONNELL Vocals, Percussion (Autumn 2004 to Winter 2004)
LISA MIDDLE Vocals, Percussion (Autumn 2004 to Winter 2004)
DINO DINI Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar (Winter 2004)
Here's what Dan had to say upon the release of the group's debut CD From Stockwood To Woodstock. "Wow! January 2005 will mean it is 3 years since I first advertised for the intial members of PACIFIC GROOVE! It has been more a concept than a band! 8 members made it on to this recording, 11 members didn't make it on to this album, which is a shame! 11 non band members played with us live during the 3 years! Plus Chris, Christian, Jan, Lisa and Claire in the recent line up! I make that 35 musicians and singers! Thank you all from the bottom of my heart! It has been one hell of a ride! Groove On! Dan Russell."
From Stockwood To Woodstock is available direct from this site priced
£10 GBP.
Click
here to place an order. Post and packing - add £1.50 UK, £2.50 Europe, £3.50 Rest of World.
