 Febr.
22 2007 we receive this mail from the band:Hi from Robin Chandler & The Howling Tomcats here in the UK !! Please note the following update to our line-up....... Fred Williams, previously bassist with us has now left due to the patter of tiny feet. He has been more than adequately replaced by Robins wife, Elaine. Here are our updated biogs... ROBIN CHANDLER (Guitar, vocals, harmonica) Robin has over twenty years experience as a performing blues artist both with bands and as a solo performer. His main influences include Buddy Guy, Otis Rush, Hound Dog Taylor as well as more modern artists such as Ronnie Earl, Jimmy Vaughan Roy Buchanan, Anson Funderburgh, Little Charlie, Omar Dykes and Sonny Landreth. He also draws inspiration from the Delta blues performers, particularly Skip James and Robert Johnson. Robin says “the strength of the blues lies in its sincerity, directness and total lack of pretention”, and that every time he plays, he aims to give 100%. ELAINE CHANDLER (Bass guitar) Originally a classically trained Pianist and Cellist, Elaine fell under the spell of the Bass Guitar through the recordings of sixties and seventies Blues & Soul artistes as well as Roots/Rock bands such as The Band, Little Feat, Ry Cooder and Bonnie Raitt. Having got her hands on her Precision and Jazz basses, Elaine's musical philosophy is "I love all music, but for me playing Blues, Rock & Roll and Soul seems to be more fun when you're performing live - others may feel differently, but that's how it is for me" Elaine's main influences include Willie Dixon, Rick Danko, John McVie, Duck Dunn, Gerry McAvoy (Rory Gallagher Band), James 'Pookie' Young (Blues Imperials) and Bill Blough (George Thorogood & The Destroyers). DAVE WILLIAMS (Drums,percussion) Dave has over 25 years experience of drumming in professional and semi-professional bands. He is a rarity amongst drummers in that he understands the concept of ‘less is more’, and doesn’t require a huge array of drums to provide a truly thunderous sound. His approach could be characterised as ‘minimalist’, combining elements of blues, jazz, swing and rockabilly. Dave’s influences include Stuart Copeland, Bill Bruford and Ian Paice. He has worked with a wide range of established performers, including a spell with Don Snow of ‘Squeeze’ fame. Dave’s sound is a direct throw-back to the classic 40’s and 50’s blues and rockabilly recordings of the ‘Chess’ and ‘Sun’ labels – and you can’t get any better than that. All the best and keep up the good work....... Robin, Elaine, Dave |
|
| Original info: "One of the best - if currently undiscovered - Chicago and Delta blues bands around. Robin comes from Milton Keynes, home of Mick Abrahams, same circuit as Gwyn Ashton and has supported The Groundhogs. We play around eighty gigs a year in around Bucks, Beds, Northants and further afield. Our repertoire includes songs by Elmore James, Buddy Guy, BB King,
Houndog Taylor, Robert Johnson, Joe Turner etc. To keep everything fresh
and powerful, we don't rehearse so no two performances are the same.
It's easy to do that with a three piece, aswell!" |
Original line-up Robin Chandler: guitar, slide guitar vocals, harmonica Fred Williams: bass Dave Williams: drums |