Phil’s Background
Phil started playing guitar at the age of 14 having been influenced by the sound of the Shadows, particularly the Fender guitar sound. This resulted in bands being formed covering that early Shadows sound, but it wasn’t that long before musical tastes changed, and a more heavy sound arrived courtesy of bands like The Kinks, The Who, Small Faces etc. Likewise, Phil’s guitar playing style changed.
Heavily influenced by guitar legends such as Townsend, Clapton, Hendrix and Knopfler, Phil stayed on the music scene during his mid to late teens and into his 20s, often playing as support act to some of his guitar heroes with the local bands he had helped to form.
Then a break of some 30+ years, and apart from playing around with guitars at home, and enjoying watching others play at concerts etc, there was very little involvement with the live music scene. Being married with a lovely family and work commitments there was little time for the self indulgent experience of joining or forming a new band.
However, his lost skills are slowly returning, and with it, the enjoyment of playing live music again. He now uses Fender and Gibson guitars through Fender and Vox amplification, as always trying to capture the authentic sound of the original bands.
Phil also creates the drum and bass tracks that form the rhythm section of the 49ers, with a good deal of help and constructive criticism from his band colleague Rene.
Renés Background
René started playing guitar in his early teens. In those days he was interested in Folk music and was influenced by Bob Dylan, Joan Baez and Donovan. Eventually his taste turned to Blues music and his hero’s were John Mayall, Eric Clapton, Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix and Rory Gallagher. Heavy Metal was next with Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, The Move and loads more.
In his teens René played with many local Bands but at 19 joined the forces. In Germany he played in a band formed from members of different regiments. On leaving the forces he either formed or played in several other local bands. He also served time as a guitar/vocalist, but he admits he didn’t like playing as a solo artist a great deal.
Since this time he has been influenced by music from the Eagles, Smokie, Joe Cocker, Guess Who, Sherbet, Lynryd Skynryd and many others. He recently played with a local band until their split a few months ago. Being happily married with a lovely family, balancing family with work and music has become quite an art.
Out of the blue, a mutual friend of both Phil and René introduced them to each other. Meeting up with Phil has been good for René, they get on really well, working hard and spending hours on end to get their music and sound to an acceptable standard.
René has used many different guitars including Fender Stratocasters, but at present he is using Variax 600 which he finds works well in conjunction with Line 6 amplification. René is the lead singer and provides a steady rhythm section to which Phil can supply lead guitar. As a team, René fronts the show but it’s Phil that looks after the sound and all the technical stuff.
