VooDoo Chicken

SPIDER MURPHY -- A native of Cleveland, Ohio and a citizen of the world, Spider is a rock 'n' roll gypsy in the truest sense of the word. He has lived in New York, Los Angeles, London (UK) and Toronto, and has toured all over the US, Europe and Canada as a drummer with such notable bands as The BellRays, The Streetwalkin' Cheetahs, Sinnerstar and Crash Kelly. Spider gave up the touring upon the impending birth of his beloved daughter, Frith, but couldn't keep away from the stage for long. He formed VooDoo Chicken to be, in his words, "the ultimate bar band!" He recently moved from the drum throne to centre stage, taking over as lead vocalist, with two days notice before his first gig as frontman. He is a consummate showman, bringing a visual and musical flair to VooDoo Chicken honed from "hours spent in front of the mirror as a kid, singing into a hairbrush and imitating the moves of my rock heroes, like Elvis, James Brown and Mick Jagger."

PETE WOBSCHALL -- Pete started playing guitar when he was 5 years old. He had started piano and recorder lessons a year earlier, but these weren't cool enough. When he saw a teenager walking down the street with a guitar, he immediately told his mom "that's what I want to play". From 1986-1990 Pete "sang" lead "vocals" and played guitar in local favourite Death Metal Band "Ritual Abuse", touring Ontario and North-Western New York. After that, he started jamming with different rock and blues artists, and eventually moved on with the drummer from Ritual Abuse to form Jam Central Station in 1992 with John "Big Red" MacDonald. Playing intense, heavy funk jam rock, Jam Central Station toured Ontario for years, and released a CD "Sunny Side Up". Pete has played with a number of cover bands since then - he has no preference for music type as long as it has soul - ACDC, Black Sabbath, Merle Haggard, Pink Floyd, Motown, R&B, Blues, Classic Rock, Jazz, etc. He does the bar circuit, weddings and corporate and private gigs. He lists his favourite music as any ACDC with Bon Scott, anything pre 1980 by Pink Floyd, anything by Mahavishnu Orchestra, almost anything by Wes Montgomery or George Benson, most Led Zeppelin, old Neil Young, some Beatles, Johnny Cash, Slayer - Reign in Blood (Pete saw this tour at the age of 13 at Massey Hall, and got the guitarist's signature on his first pack of smokes.

JOHN “BIG RED” MACDONALD -- The man. The myth. The legend. John has played bass in every type of band playing every type of music. His talent is well-known and highly respected throughout Ontario.

BRISCO -- Primarily playing Rhodes and organ, Brisco has been playing music in the Hard City of Hamilton for a number of years, with many local musicians and projects. No one is sure how Brisco came to be in this world. In short, nobody fesses to being responsible for his creation. However, this is something he has grown to be accustomed to, and he releases any childhood anger and aggression through his music. He somewhat remembers growing up with Gospel, C&W and Bluegrass. He has since grown to love all roots music and immerses himself in pure and raw music whenever possible. "You can eat processed food (once in a while.) However, like food, music has to be in its pure and unrefined form to deliver the nutrients that sustain mind and soul." This is his mantra - Brisco believes that to shut oneself off from a type of food, music, culture or experience is truly a sin against one's mind, soul and body (within reason).

MICHAEL SCOTT -- Mike is 34 years old, and has been living in the Hamilton area since 1990 (he moved here the day of Stevie Ray Vaughan's tragic death). After after 3 years of intense study at Mohawk College, he graduated with a diploma in Applied Music. Mike has been a drummer for over 20 years; it is his passion in life. He loves to work in all sorts of musical situations and currently plays locally with a number of different artists, including the Troy Harmer Band, KRUSH, Voodoo Chicken and Mike Alma.

VOODOO CHICKEN -- They are a tight band of highly respected and seasoned musicians who keep their show fun and interactive ... professional at all times.