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Richard Robb
My first recollection of "the scene" , living in Northern New York, was the Ed Sullivan show. Every Sunday night I would stay up past my bedtime for popcorn, and to see the new acts. The Beatles of course made a lasting impression on me which I carry through to today. I also recall The Rolling Stones, Elvis, Chuck Berry and even The Doors infamous performance. But it wasn't until my early years as a teenager that I really heard "the sound". Of all people, my girlfriend at the time, played an album which by today's standards would never happen, with "boy bands" and "gurl bands" being the norm for adolescent girls. The album featured the most riveting cover art I'd ever seen and the sound was electrifying...literally. The band, it seemed, was out a Bela Lugosi horror movie. Of course I am talking about Black Sabbath. I was hooked. I had to learn that sound and how and where to find it. I became a music store junkie that very day. I got "the" amp or least the amp I could afford. Then the ongoing, elusive search was on. The guitar, the pedals, another guitar, more pedals. On and on. Then, a new sound... Led Zeppelin! Oh my God! Another guitar, even more pedals, a new amp! But wait...Deep Purple, Cream, Mott the Hoople, Blue Oyster Cult, Grand Funk Railroad, Yes, Pink Floyd, The James Gang, Lynyrd Skynyrd... what to do...what to do...? More guitars, more pedals... Then, I had it..."THE MARSHALL"...! I was in heaven. I had the sound. I had the guitar. Maybe I should start a band! Those were creative days... er... yeah...cre... a... tive. Anyway, we got better. Then it happened again with an "Eruption". The first time I heard it, my jaw dropped and I broke into a cold sweat... how does he do that? Van Halen started a new era with an emphasis on a virtuosity that had never before been seen or heard. Uh oh...what to do now? More guitars in wild colors with whammy bars and locking nuts. Digital effects racks and another amp and speaker cabs for "THE MARSHALL"....The unrelenting and vicious cycle had begun again. And so, the saga continued. Then the bottom dropped out... the "BIG EIGHTIES" were gone and a new "lo tech" sound was born. Those were sad times for guitarists the world over. But wait... Stone Temple Pilots, Kings X, Candlebox, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains... There were some guitarists left out there taking it in a similar but fresh direction... Uh Oh....! So here I am today playing with Oakley's Ghost. I currently use Gibson Les Paul, Peavey Wolfgang, Fender Telecaster and Parker Fly guitars. And out of retirement once again... "THE MARSHALL" Hey! I heard an old song the other day... Uh Oh....! Lead vocals,
Guitar
LLike his bandmates, Mark was
strongly influenced by the magical appearance of the Beatles in
1963, they totally blew him away.....A little music store on
Front Street in Binghamton, NY enticed Mark into the purchase of
a Kimberly hollow body guitar. This "Magic Axe" led him into
garage bands, playing at school dances, etc. He was totally into
the whole music thing and faithfully marched off to see all the
local bands that he could get his ears on. With his brain racing
and an imagination that wouldn't quit he entertained musical ideas
and dreams that just had to be fulfilled.
Mark is a product of the radical sixties: Vietnam, Woodstock, Monterey Folk Festival, Kent State and all things peaceful were ringing in his ears. Mark Wilcox, the budding musical artist, felt that Dylan was the man, his lyrics simple but true, and his music led to profound changes in the way Mark saw life. He began to see a possibility of making a difference himself, a change in the way things were. Crosby, Stills and Nash hit Woodstock; The Beatles and The Byrds featured the magnificent 12 string Rickenbacker guitar. Roger McGuinns' signature tone rang true in his ears from the first day that Mark heard it. As Mark Wilcox stated in a recent interview: "I believe in the powers of music--the jingle, jangle of "Mister Tambourine Man" beats in my very being as it has for the past 4 decades. Still, to this day, I'm about change. So I'm hopeful that the embers which Qakley's Ghost will rekindle in the hearts of our listeners will bring them to a magical and musical place that we can all share."
Drums & Percussion Seeing Mike behind his sets of Sonor drums is a common sight for many throughout New York. Long known as one of the most solid drummers in the business, he fits in well to drive the engine room that brings life to the Ghost. Mike has been playing for a couple of decades and has performed in top R&B and Blues bands as well as providing percussion duties in a variety of other musical projects.
Rich Briere
“Ladies and Gentlemen, The BEATLES!!” Those words had just left Ed Sullivan’s lips when Rich Briere, seated on the floor in front of the TV, a bowl of popcorn planted firmly between his knees, decided what he wanted to do with his life; he wanted to be a bass player. The next day at Hawley Junior High School in Northampton, Massachusetts, he and several other totally-spellbound Beatle fans decided to form their own band, learn a few tunes, be swamped by screaming girls and, immediately, enjoy the world of great wealth that they’d just witnessed on TV the night before. After all, quitting JUNIOR High School and retiring to a life of fame and fortune at age 14 made perfect sense. Rich ran to the local music store, slapped down the dollars he’d saved from his paper route and picked up his brand new bass and amp, expecting that his other “band mates” were doing the same thing. He soon found out that he, alone, had taken the plunge. Obviously, the Red Ferrari that he was already envisioning would have to wait a couple of weeks. Since that time in the mid sixties, Rich has lead a life which revolved, totally, around the world of music. He played in several popular bands and spent a number of years as an artist relations director for several top musical instrument manufacturers. His clients included: Dire Straits, Genesis, The Moody Blues, Rush and others. He and, "rocket-scientist" and "Rock" photographer, Diane Bollen, soon found themselves neighbors, living and working out of the Finger Lakes Region of NY, just a few miles down the road from Ithaca, a musicians paradise. Major musical influences include; Paul McCartney, Paul Carrack, Eric Clapton, Timothy B Schmit, Eva Cassidy, Barry Oakley, Duane and Greg Allman, Tony Levin, Jerry and Jason Scheff, Michael Tobias, Tom Petty and Peter Gabriel. You can visit his personal website by clicking on the pic above.
Rich plays MTD basses and has an odd addiction to old, Sunn amplification gear.
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