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| Jim
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Featuring
on vocals, guitar and mandola, Jim's musical background includes jazz
and rock bands, as well as playing in and running folk clubs. A prolific
songwriter, he provides most of
the new material for the band. Extraordinarily absent-minded,
he can often be spotted asking fellow band members 'what did I write
next?' mid song. His ability to start numbers in the wrong key leads
to some revolutionary harmonies! |
| Wendy
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Wendy
spends much of her time sorting out the things Jim promises, but then
forgets! She adds a great
deal of musical variety to the band's mixture of sounds and styles
on the piano accordian, bowed psaltery and mouth
organ.
The psaltery looks mediaeval and central European, but was in fact
made in Rotherham in 1990. A recent convert to the joys of computer
music, she's becoming a techno freak on the side. When she's not playing
with the band or in sessions, she runs a PA hire business. |
Julie
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In
1830 three brothers Pehl came over from Germany to work as carpenters
in London. Two of them weren't terribly good as was proved by their
demise in a fatal accident on the staircase they were building. Fortunately
the third survived, passing his name down the generations to Julie.
This is very good news for audiences in music venues across the midlands,
who enjoy her gorgeous evocative voice and sharply observant song-writing.
Unfortunately for the band she's also inherited the genetic disposition
to accidents, so gigs are arranged around spells in casualty following
eventful basketball matches. |
Mitzi
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The youngest
member of the band, yet no stranger to gigging as she started playing
in a ceilidh band when she was only 6 years old! In the 11 years
since she has amassed a great deal of playing experience, and has
been known to don a posh frock and play soothing melodies at the type
of high class party the rest of the band would never get invited to!
She was an East Midlands “In The Tradition Award” finalist in 2002,
2003 & 2004. An accomplished fiddle player and singer, she also
turns her hand to guitar & piano.
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| Michael
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Discovered
the band whilst he was shopping and they were ‘busking’, he’s the
other part of Blinski’s youth policy. A dedicated player of
Irish music, his lively flute, whistle & pipe playing drive
the tunes along. He’s a long-standing member of Manchester’s St
Kentiganns Ceoltas branch and has competed at the highest level
in both English & Irish Fleadhs. Mike has been a finalist at
the East Midlands “In The Tradition Award” competition from 2001-2003
and finally won the competetion in 2004, accompanied by guitarist
Will. He’s the only member of the band who will admit to having
played ‘Stairway to Heaven’ on stage – no really! Mike began studying
for a degree in Irish music at Limerick university in September
2005, but will still apear with the band during his holidays.
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