Playing/writing/recording music, watching live bands, drinking and socialising, playing pool, watching films, walking, reading, and playing PS2 and silly board games (when i have time!) My musical achievements are mixed, i have my Grade8 piano, Grade8 trumpet, i play bass, electric and acoustic guitar, and sing. I've performed on 3 worldwide selling albums with various bands of mixed styles of music, and have played venues such as Newcastle Opera House, London Underworld, Glasgow Cathouse, Bradford Rio's, Blackpool Tasche, Newcastle City Hall and the London Palladium. I've done various European tours, TV and radio work, ranging from playing in orchestras and musicals to full on metal mayhem! Previous bands include Disposable Heroes (Metallica tribute band), Reign (extreme metal band), Aaron Bayley Band (Pop Idol finalist), XF-11 and FIRELIGHT (local metal bands),and now working on world domination with new band DRYLL!
Interesting new people with a sense of humour and character! I've been lucky to have met 3 of my childhood (and still current) heroes!! ...the perks of touring in bands!!:-DDRYLL: L-R: NEIL WITCHARD-LEAD VOCALS. ANDY METAL-GUITAR/VOCALS. JEFF MANTAS-LEAD GUITAR/VOCALS. BODO STRICKER-DRUMS. KALLE KNECHT-BASS.
Free Cursors
I listen to a wide variety of music, but mainly Heavy Metal of all types, including prog rock and loads of wacky inventive stuff. Also like Blues, Jazz, a bit of Classical and film music. Not a fan of Reggae, Country or house/rave/dance. My fave bands (in no particular order) include:- Iron Maiden, Kyuss, Judas Priest, Kings X, Rush, Crowbar, Dream Theater, Sevendust, Fates Warning, Opeth, King Crimson, Candlemass, Feeder, Megadeth, Tool, Black Sabbath, Sex Pistols, Muse, Killing Joke, Deep Purple, Entombed, Jeff Buckley, Mastodon, Faith No More, Rory Gallagher, Celtic Frost, Manic Street Preachers, early Whitesnake, Cathedral, Glenn Hughes, Dio, Anthrax, Tad Morose, Disturbed, SOAD, Elvis Costello, Stuck Mojo, Bowie, Overkill, Albert Collins, COC, early Kiss, Carcass, Machine Head, The Police, Morgana Le Fay, Prong, Tower of Power, Sepultura, Incubus, early Metallica, The Who, AC/DC, Laconia, Anathema, Tribal Tech, Down, The Beach Boys, Lamb of God, Kerbdog, Devin Townsend, Coroner, Mr.Bungle, Venom, Transatlantic, Slayer, Free, Mars Volta, Sam Brown, Trapeze, Voivod, Testament, The Beatles, Queensryche, Planet X, Motorhead, Thin Lizzy, Spocks Beard, BLS, Stevie Wonder, Kerbdog, Marillion, Pantera, Cosmosquad, Kings of Leon, Mercyful Fate, Firebird, Sabbat, King Diamond etc.
Hope you get the idea!
Anything psychological, but i've got an addiction to cheesy mindless violence cult horrors too. Fave movies include 28Days Later, Cape Fear, The Jacket, Stephen King's IT, The Shining, Blow, Trapped, The Machinist, Breakdown, The Negotiator, Jennifer 8, Identity, Falling Down, Taxi Driver, Phonebooth, The Thing, Stay, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Wrong Turn, Daylight, Saw, The Recruit, Assasin, Leon etc etc.. and the obvious 'classics' that you still love watching every Xmas (Star Wars...i saw this when it was first screened..ooh, i'm OLD!!), and i like comedies too, especially Chevy Chase movies and daft spoof things like Airplane, Naked Gun etc!
I really don't bother with T.V anymore, it's awful! But Deal Or No Deal is very addictive!! Bless Noel Edmonds!! lol. Remember Swap Shop in the '80's? Classic!! haha.
Anything by Dean R Koontz, Mr Nice by Howard Marks and any heavy metal music Encyclopedia. I don't read as much as i used to, i used to write poetry and short stories when i was a kid, but my attention span for books is terrible now.. i do love reading magazines though when i'm relaxing with a cuppa, especially music mags such as Metal Hammer, Classic Rock and occasionally Terrorizer! Kerrang has sadly turned into Smash Hits!..
My stepmam for fighting til the end. Musicians such as Bruce Dickinson, Ronnie James Dio, Glenn Hughes, Dimebag Darrell (R.I.P bro), for keeping the Metal alive. Actors i admire are Robert DeNiro, Jack Nicholson, Johnny Depp, Ray Liotta, Al Pacino etc etc, for putting in life-changing performances!!