Founding Members - Personnel
Razmo started as a four piece jam on the 14th June 2001, in a scout hut in Surrey, England.
That first line up consisted of the following personnel :-
Dave Salsbury
Dave plays electric guitar, having previously played in such excellent bands
as 'Shade' and 'Buffalo Power'. 'Buffalo Power' never released a full
album, but regularly packed out live venues, including The Mean Fiddler,
The Garage, and Alley Cats in Reading. The strange noises of the mind
(and guitar debauchery ) are his thing.
Darren Patoto
Darren plays drums and percussion and has previously played in the unforgettable
'NonUnitShifta', 'Shade', 'Joules', 'Psychic Fish', 'Bastard Sons Of
The Beatles', 'Era' and so many others he forgets... At one stage in his early
playing career he was known to be in five bands at once. Currently referred
to as the percussion slag but he doesn't do it for money: he does it
because he likes to hit things.. He knows the words to just about every
song ever written and can reel them off, one after the other in his enthusiastic
but not always tuneful manner, for days on end. Darren is probably the loudest
drummer that you'll ever hear and is best observed from an underground nuclear
bunker with suitable sound proofing. He also wrote all four words
in the lyrics of "Down On The Farm". Famous performances include singing
ZZ-Tops 'Tush' at the Marquee with Sting and Dave Stewart present. Women ran
screaming! Darren is very in touch with his feminine side, or at least he was
until the restraining order. Big on hugs.
Cowboy Dann
Dann sings, and Razmo is his first improvisational rock band. His first
band ever being a small acoustic project called KevDann. In Razmo, Dann
improvises his lyrics as the band plays, basing his songs on the feelings
that the improvised music impart into him. More recently, Dann has also been
doing much video filming for Razmo videos.
Crazy Alien
The Alien plays bass guitar and has previously played electric rhythm guitar
in 'The Push', (mainly a covers band ) followed by a few years in 'Chooby',
a weekly jamming band who never gigged. Later he played acoustic guitar in 'The
Essential Rhythm Hippos' backing singer song writers Lisa Von Hasenburg
and Joanna McCaul on the London acoustic circuit, and later played bass in 'Slightly
Over The Top', a covers band in which the very talented Rachel Brennan provided
vocals.
After a year or so of playing
both improvisations and predefined songs, Razmo were very pleased to have a
few of their friends turn up to listen. One of the first friends to visit was
the lead guitar player from the band 'Chooby', who presently insists that he
is referred to only as 'The Mystery Guitar Player'. (Well, we live in a free
land so he can be called whatever he wants).
After a number of visits the band pestered him to bring along a guitar and after
months of harassment The Mystery Guitar Player eventually brought along his
axe and revealed to the band what two lead guitars playing TOGETHER, (as opposed
to playing in competition) sounded like.
The Mystery Guitar Player
So The Mystery Guitar Player was press-ganged into the band and still
insists to this day that he is only there to do a painting job. His previous
bands included 'Cash Up Front', 'The Push' and 'Chooby'. The Mystery
Guitar Player insists that he is not from Germany and that he is simply a worker
ant in the huge nest of humanity.
And so it was that "Razmo Presents..." became a five piece band, (or rather, four piece and one mystery painter). As a jamming outfit, it became a regular feature to ask other good friends and musicians down, and Razmo held several 'Mega-Jams' consisting of entire colonies of musicians all improvising music for the fun of it.
Bruce McGregor.
At one of these Mega Jams, Razmo were fortunate enough to have BOTH Darren playing
drums and also their friend, the mad Earthling McScotsman, Bruce McGregor, (previously
of 'The Party Animals', 'The Essential Rhythm Hippos' and also currently
playing in the great function band, 'Shebang!').
And so the band heard what TWO DRUMMERS sounded like, and all was good. So Bruce became the sixth member of Razmo
Nick Sidwell
And then of course,
Razmo realised that they just weren't loud enough. - Actually that's not strictly
true..... What really happened was that as drummers are so slack and badly organised,
it sometimes came to pass that even in a band with TWO drummers, Razmo had to
cancel sessions because neither drummer could attend. SO, the rational thng
to do was to enlist yet another drummer. - But how could they possibly hope
to find another rare individual who would enjoy playing and improvising against
two other drummers AT THE SAME TIME?
Luckily for Razmo, Nick had played in 'Buffalo Power' with Dave and was just
such a rare talent as the band was seeking. -One phone call and Nick was onboard,
making Razmo a seven piece.
...and that just about brings us up to date, provided the present date is about Jan 2004 ....
But if you want to hang around, we could go right back to the early days! Here's how each of us got here!
The Family Tree.
Crazy Alien.
The Aliens first musical
ventures were a number of jams with close mates, and the first gig was performed
during a works party to satisfy a bet. The band, 'Big Dick and the Hot Rods'
only ever performed that one gig... Next up was an extended period of jamming
most every week at Shags Garage, a garage, owned by The Shag, who played saxophone
and keys. Eventually, The Alien was sitting in his house one day, and the woman
across the road banged on the door and asked if he wanted to join a band. Her
mates band was short of a guitar player and so the Alien went down to meet 'em
and joined. The band became 'The Push' and gigged for about the next two years.
During this time The Mystery Guitar Player joined the band and he and the Alien
became firm friends. The Mystery Guitar Player introduced the Alien to singer
song-writer Lisa Von Hasenburg, who in turn introduced the Alien to the mad
Earthling McScotsman Bruce McGregor. Together, the Scotsman and the Alien were
'The Essential Rhythm Hippos' and accompanied Lisa and fellow songstress Joanna
McCaul at gigs in the Mean Fiddler, The Garage and also at the Phoenix festival.
The next milestone came along when Bruce introduced both the Mystery Guitar
Player and the Alien to his mate Dakin, who played bass. Together they formed
'Chooby' and explored the funkier side of jamming.
The Mystery Guitar Player.
"Born in Balham. Moved to Woking, grew up confused and dismayed for most
of my life, kicked a ball around a park, fell in love, still confused and bewildered,
thought I'd try something different so I bought a guitar. Played guitar for
a few years with Ian who played bass with drummer Warren , did stuff with a
singer, Chris, then Mark joined the band and we done our first gig, and then
I got sacked from my own band... Then I met the Alien, and then Lisa, and through
that met Bruce, and Dakin. So, then Chooby... And then, Razmo. But as I say,
I'm only here to do a painting job."
Darren.
Born a poor French Canadian, Darren was moved to England as he wasn't a good
lumberjack or hockey player. As he wasn't much use as a musician, he was forced
to play drums from an early age (older brother couldnt find any one else). First
gig was in a band called Helms Deep - consisted of 4 guitarists, a bass player
and him. Came to Razmo through a reprobate called Dakin - did a few gigs with
him in a band called F.U.B.A.R. - later got drafted into britpop band Shade
where met Dave - And the rest is a total Razmistery
Dave.
Born in Chertsey, Surrey
in the '70's, to Hilda and Dave Salsbury snr. Began playing guitar around the
age of 14, discovered 'eavy metal, but didn't really end up playing in any band-
type situations until about 18, forming the acoustic trio Vera's Place with
Tom Cox and best mate Kev Levell.
A few years later, formed the experimental trio Big Daddy Canehead and the Sideline
Brothers, with Nick and Chris, and played my 1st gig at The Compasses in Egham
on 8th March 1994 ( I think ), to a few bemused friends. Played in a local band
called Candymax ( or Mandy's kax as we were known to some ), a slightly cheesy
pop-rock band, and played a few gigs, the most notable one being the Woking
talent show, coming third to a magician and a child singer. Apparently Eric
Sykes was on the judge's panel, and he's deaf, so there you go...........Met
Dakin at my first job, and we eventually joined Shade, where I also met Darren,
and through local gigs was introduced to Crazy Alien and the Mystery Guitar
Player.
It was while in Shade that I met my wife Debby, and after a life-changing gig
at Southampton university, we were inseperable.
After a year or two, I was pinched from Shade by Nick, to join Buffalo Power,
and persuaded Dakin to come in too. Buffalo Power became a rollicking five piece
funk rock group, featuring vocalist Dann Pocock and Dave 'Junior' burgess on
organ, played many a storming gig, and managed to record a cd's worth of original
material.
After the demise of Buffalo Power, I lost the musical urge for the best part
of a year. It was around this time that I began to discover a new musical universe,
in the form of Krautrock and other such mind-expanding scenes. Well, the urge
came back, and I hooked up with Crazy Alien for regular acoustic / experimental
sessions, from which many of the studio tracks you'll find in the 'Listen to
Razmo' section come. Razmo was formed when we began to crave the jamming-for-fun
fix, and has become the greatest, free-est, nicest band I've ever had the pleasure
to be involved with. So there you have it my friends.............................
Dann
Born on the hard streets
of Guildford, moved to Staines 2 months later, grew up and then 25 years later
was asked to join Razmo, initially as bass player, but refused on the grounds
that he wanted to sing. Eventually Joined as shaman...
Bruce
"Earthling McScotsman calling Crazy Alien, Earthling McScotsman calling
Crazy Alien, . . . . BRrrr-Ping, BrRr-PING, bRRRPing, BrrrrPING, BrrrrPING,
BrrrrPing, BrrrrPing, BrrrrPing, BrrrrPing Ping Ping Ping Ping Ping Ping Ping
Ping Ping Ping Ping Ping !"
MORE INFO TO APPEAR HERE !!!!!