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The Brink Band Bio - Paddy Gibney - July 7-20, 1999
Singer/Guitarist Paddy Gibney and Violinist Bill Ayerbe play a mix of hard driving pop & rock music with a Celtic flavor. Gibney, a native of Dublin, Ireland, has toured the NC Pub scene since 1997 playing primarily Wilmington, Fayetteville & Raleigh. Bill Ayerbe, a classically trained violinist, adds a unique twist to their sound by playing a lot of the lead electric parts on the violin. Paddy's desire to play came from listening to bands like U2, Van Morrison, REM & Sting - not necessarily their musical style but the emotions they create. "I think that popular music has gotten away from emotion - music should make you feel something." The Weeklys, Inc, introduces Paddy Gibney - one of the premier up & coming talents of the Southeast.
Paddy's typical performance includes 3 sets totalling 50 songs - mainly cover songs with around 5-10 originals. The cover songs are a mix of traditional Irish and both American & Irish rock. Paddy is very careful in preserving his integrity on stage. He is not uncomfortable telling someone to leave if they are unhappy with the music! Paddy believes that a live show (even acoustic) should be honest - not just a human jukebox experience. He packs the house at Shanakee Irish Pub (Wilmington) every Saturday & Babes (Fayetteville) every Friday with loyal fans. Crowd favorites are "The Pussy Cat Song", "When Will It End" and U2 covers.
Paddy's first guitar was an Ovation Applause - he now plays Taylor Acoustics. Bill plays a Yamaha Silent Electric Violin - otherwise known as "The Black Banana!" Paddy uses a 16 channel Fender Mixer/Amp live and runs vocals and the guitar through an Ensoniq DP/2 effects processor - mainly for chorus & reverb for that "acoustic sound." Paddy & Bill are currently working with Greg Miller of Sound On Sound Studio in Laurinburg.
Paddy was a world class soccer player (recruited by both Clemson & North Carolina Universities) who planned to play professionally. He attended Fayetteville Academy for one year and played on the school's National Championship Soccer Team. He was later recruited to play for Methodist College - by the way Paddy graduated Magna Cum Laude! His intentions were to pursue a career of soccer until a local coach showed him something he liked better - an acoustic guitar. Another interesting note: Paddy personally knows the members of U2. Paddy's current favorite unsigned band is Dimestore Indian.
Paddy is releasing his first full length CD August 1999 and it will be available for sale at his live shows. You can also buy a copy of his live performance at Shanakee Irish Pub.
Band Lingo: (CRAIC) Pronounced "Crack. "Craic" actually means "fun" in Ireland. When asked how last nights show was, Paddy often replies: "It was great CRAIC."
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