Andy Pike

I've never been busy as I am now. Whilst a lot of people use gigs to supplement their income it is a massive part of my livelihood and I always do it to the best of my ability as I would any job. I love it and to that end want to work as much as possible :-) Brief history. I started out at the age of 10 when my mum bought me my very first guitar and at the age of 13 I started learning the cornet. I developed admirably on both I guess but only really continued lessons on the cornet which eventually led me through music college and then to be my first study at University. Guitar was still something of a background part of my life. When I left University and went and worked at Mann's Music in Colchester and eventually managed it some years later. I started seeking out more guitar based bands and that is what I still do to this day. I teach guitar also in secondary schools and have a loyal list of students that share my passion for playing the guitar. I continue to play for many different bands as stand-ins (deps) and bands that I run. I play a mixture of styles both electric and acoustic and being able to read music is a great advantage as I can and have done played in musicals from the west end such as Grease, Our House, Legally Blonde and Jesus Christ Superstar. I play many first dances at weddings and background music for dinners and can learn tunes very quickly. Currently I play for a few bands:- Domix - a covers band that has a residency in the Palm Beach Casino every Friday in Mayfair. We are also available for private hire as well. Baregroove - another covers band but focused on the Motown genre with a few surprises thrown in. Possibly the busiest wedding and corporate band I know! The Gifted - a mix of musicians from a core lineup which grew out of a band called The Talent. We end up mainly playing weddings (there's a lot of people that get married you know) but the odd private party thrown in. Decades - a 3 piece rock covers band that plays smaller parties and generally pubs and clubs. Satori - an acoustic 4 piece containing Vocals, Guitar, Saxophone and Cajon. We re-work covers and give them our own twist :-) Telling Tales - this is me and the missus. Again an acoustic duo project of vocals, guitar and saxophone. Nice! Agency work - I work with an agency as well and lately have been hosting a lot of Bandeoke events. Something you might want to consider to involve the whole party!!