Myspace Layouts at Pimp-My-Profile.com / Stevie ray vaughn's guitar
Whats in a name? Hi Im Alan, Ali, Alzi, Baba and Shredhedd to name but a few titles that I respond to. Im a bass playing, bus driving husband and father to Siobhan, Kerry, Cora, Alannah and Stacey...........I started playing guitar when I was 12 and joined my first band the same year. We were called Sudden Impact but changed the name to Slipaway for a reason that escapes the memory. We were just school mates messing around but we had the advantage of sharing a rehearsal space with Marty Foye (ex Fruupp) and it was through this association that I started playing bass. Martys band Positive Touch parted ways with thier bass player on a Cold dark Tuesday in 1987 and I was asked if I would fill in for the weekend until they found another. That other never appeared and they were lumbered with me until the eventual demise of the band in 88. That'll teach them.............. I then started playing with Crazy Train, a band formed with my cousin Jim and Martys nephew Colly and featured my future wife Siobhan. We were building up a bit of a reputation on the cover scene when we were asked to become Colm Hughes backing band with a trip to America being used as the obligitory carrot. Of course we jumped at it and I stayed with the band until 1990 when I quit to become a regular 9 to 5 husband.......... Needless to say it didnt last. One year later I was approached by 2 dodgy looking charachters to form a 3 piece rock and blues band and thus Rough Touch was formed. We had quite a following if I may say so myself when Colm came back knocking on my door. Again the whole band joined but I had been here and done that already so I was looking for something else when Colm set up another American trip. I said I wasnt going but if he wanted I would Futter about until they came home. That was my intention until I arrived home one evening to find a very strange man in my house talking to my wife???????? Any one who has ever met Eamon Fitzpatrick may not agree with the 'strange' bit but that is how I found him. Eamon offered me a job with Lightning Strikes and as they were a band I was familiar with and liked I joined. What followed was 5 weird years were I went through every possible emotion daily but I came out of the experience relatively sane and with some very good friends. We even ended up having a single in the charts which was surreal. The lineup may have changed more often than your jocks but on stage was probably some of the best times Ive had playing music................ I left in 1997 as Id had my fill and once again took a years siesta from playing. I was dragged back out by my good friend Paul Ward whom I had worked with in Lightning Strikes and Chris Mc Allister who was the drummer in Rough Touch. This was a great band and Im sorry it didnt last longer than it did but once again management fucked us over and the band folded................. Next I joined a local Blues band called Bogart where I had the experience of getting very drunk on very expensive champagne before starting a 2 piece with Micky Kelly, the guitar player. Alibi, as we were known, played around the pub circiut of Tyrone, Armagh, Fermanagh and Derry before I called time at the end of 2006 after 6 very enjoyable years but I still was looking for something new and engaging so I formed Muttley and that brings me bang up to date.................. In Muttley I am joined by Anthony Mc Cann (tattoo) who plays guitar and keyboards and vocals. I myself am back playing acoustic and electric guitar for the first time in 20 years and am enjoying every minute of it. I still play bass too and can be found on the odd night making a racket behind FT Index, Jamp or Fresh and playing in the Bardic Theatre Orchestra which has given me a whole new set of challenges but hey, isnt that why we love doing it?