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Creating the riffs and distinctive licks of Whatever Next? we have Kieran, a guitarist with firm roots in rock, but whose
musical style and influences have to described as eclectic to say the least. At
any given moment in the typical Whatever Next? gig, you may see Kieran playing not only
electric and acoustic guitar, but also mandolin, banjo, and soon to be - keyboards.
Kieran is from the "anytime anyplace" mould of
musicians, its his love of playing music and the craic from the gigs which keep
him going... and there's no end in sight for this man. As a band, we have only
uncovered the tip of the iceberg in terms of what we are capable of. We believe
we offer one of the best live gigs available, and as our E.P. - "first of tomorrow" shows,
we can also produce quality material of our own.
A singing drummer
is always in demand, and Whatever Next? are lucky enough to have that and more in Marty.
His infectious energy is a key element in the live experience of Whatever Next? gigs, whether wielding his sticks or providing percussion with a range of instruments,
he'll soon have you on the dance floor.
Keeping true to his rock background,
Marty is in his element when blasting out the beats of the bands up-tempo tracks,
but far from being limited to that genre, he has the musical awareness and ability to treat every song with the style it needs.
Says Marty, "I'm glad to see real
music being appreciated again. Even the manufactured bands today are playing
instruments to try to gain some credibility. That's one thing you can rely on
when you come to see Whatever Next?, there are no backing tracks, no drum machines, no gimmicks, just good honest live music. We can play to every age, offering traditional music and popular music from the sixties to today's charts, not to mention original material."
Providing the
bass for Whatever Next? is Mark, who along with Kieran and Marty, has been part of the band
since its birth. He naturally shares the same rock background as the rest of the
band, but Mark has also had exposure to live folk music from an early age as he
comes from a musical family. A natural player, Mark is at home on either
electric or acoustic, and playing any genre.
He says, "The band all work 9-5 and are family men, so we naturally have busy schedules. But the
band is such a major part of us that its almost automatic, we will fit in the
practice, write the material, and when it comes to gigs, we will give
it 100% because its who we are, plain and simple."
Completing the line up is Geordie, brother of drummer Marty and longtime follower of Whatever Next. Geordie, who up
until joining the band was a "bedroom guitarist", made the transition from the
front row to band member in January 2003.
The combination of the guys' experience and Geordie's beginners enthusiasm gelled well, the band began to
practice regularly again, new material and musical options were introduced to
the set, and the boys haven't looked back since.
As far as hobbies are concerned we reckon Geordie's other pastime is trying new things, anything from
painting to parachute jumping, marathons to songwriting. He explains, "I've always enjoyed reaching the goals I set myself, now with the band I'm getting
that same sense of achievement, sharing it with three mates beside me and our
families and friends right there in front of us singing along. What's better than
that?
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