Almost Midnight
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Almost Midnight

Aylesbury, England, United Kingdom | SELF

Aylesbury, England, United Kingdom | SELF
Band Rock Funk

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Discography

Internet Girlfriend, Do you know (how it feels), F#C}Mondays, You can't lie (airplay on Absalute Radio), Different Light

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Bio

Almost Midnight play original funk/rock/pop and are based in Aylesbury, Bucks in the UK. Front man Charlie Wood plays Bass, Sings and writes songs about life. The music is catchy and a bit cheeky without being clichéd, there is a great depth to the sound and elements appreciated by all levels of musical connoisseur which comes from the diverse backgrounds of the members. The line up is Bass, Drums, Keyboards and Guitar. this is augmented by a 3 peice horn section and 2nd guitarist for bigger gigs. Influences include Queen, Neville brothers, Stevie Wonder, Jamiroquai, The Police, Paul Simon, Brand New Heavies, Elton John, Phil Collins, Bon Jovi, Michael Jackson and Billy Joel, Carpenters.

Charlie Wood - Vocals and Bass
I play music and write songs because something inside me makes me do it and I can't stop. Life ain’t a rehearsal as they say, and I'm just loving making as much music as possible. My main instruments are synth/piano/rhodes/wurli, Bass, Drums, Trumpet. I also play a bit of guitar, Sax, double bass, Irish whistle, Dijeridoo and Yugoslavian foot banjo. My whole family is musical, I've been immersed in it my whole life so I was probably bound to turn out a few tunes at some point. I first showed signs of musical talent when at 3 years old I quite literally bashed out a tune on the piano with a metal soup ladle, breaking the ivory off the keys in the process. My parents turned my attention to the pots and pans, then drums at 6. I learned sensitivity early by playing the drums in amateur pantomimes from 8 and took up the Trumpet at 9. My love affair with the piano developed and I learned to express myself less violently and secretly wrote my first song at 9 (in between parentally motivated classical practice), which I performed in my first band “Chaz and the Dreamers”. We shattered the peace of our quite village every Sunday, rehearsing in the front room. I went on to play in the 11th Hour until my best mate Jack (keyboards) sadly died in a car accident. Life seemed to stop, I found music too hard to do.
I got back on the horse and determined to get out of a rut, wrote new songs and with a respectful nod to the past and sights firmly set on the future put Almost Midnight together. First call was to Felix, a close friend and on the same musical wavelength. We had properly peed the neighbours off with several late night/early morning jams and played together previously in a number of bands and developed a synergy so it was a natural thing. We went through a couple of different guitarists and drummers who could not commit to our busy schedule, before getting together with Ed on drums who I went school with and Dan on guitar. The band has been very well received; we are finalists in the UK music pub of the year’s battle of the bands.
I am also busy in other areas of music including writing music for independent film, sound engineering and running charity gigs. I like to immerse myself in as many creative projects and have as much input into the world of music as I can. Once described by Keith Chegwin as “right good music, and what a lovely sounding bass”, Merv Goldsworthy (FM) as “Inspiring stuff”, and the UK songwriters guild as “Excellent hit single material” (of “Internet Girlfriend”).
Felix Ruiz plays keys, and brings a soulful Caribbean funk dimension to the mix. He grew up in Trinidad listening to old time Soca and Caribbean grooves, learning from his dad who is a well respected pro trumpet player who has played with all the main acts in the carribean. He has played with Rita Marley, Sting amongst many talented people.

Dan Waters plays Guitar, and is influenced by Herbie Hancock, Radiohead, Kings of Leon, RHCP, G-Love and Special Sauce, Ben Harper, AIR, Led Zeppelin, Toto, John Butler Trio, Faith No More, Mr Bungle, Portishead, Aphex Twin, Squarepusher, Jaco Pastorius, Charles Mingus, Agurk Players, Schlomo... And many more. He also writes library music and is always up for a laugh and a funky little jam.

Ed Barber has been playing drums for 15 years, his dad was a jazz/funk drummer and taught him the basics. When Ed was 17 he went off to The Academy of Contemporary Music where he learned how to play various styles of music and was fortunate enough to have a jam with Chad Smith (Red Hot Chilli Peppers). Since then Ed has played in several bands in the south of England including The Gregg Allen Blues Band and Simon Rowbottom (The Boo Radleys). Ed's influences cover a broad spectrum of music from Handel to Rage Against The Machine, Buddy Rich, Tony Mason, Derrick Mackenzie, Dave Weckl.