BAND BIO
In Brisbane, 2001, Brendan and JB played in an originals band together for the first time. Brendan was playing bass guitar and singing while JB was thrashing the drums and doing some backup vocals. They were pretty loose on stage but the band did write a couple of classic songs that the world will never get to hear again.
The band ended up going different ways, but a few years later, Brendan and JB decided that they would play some cover songs and get gigging as a duo. They ditched the covers idea pretty quickly when they seemed to have a lot of original song ideas that they could work on instead.
They both felt that the songs they wanted to write needed more, so they started auditioning for bass players and drummers.
In February 06, they joined forces with Shane Monteath (Sharni when dressed in drag?). When he isn't flinging dirty jokes at you, he lets loose but stays tight on the drums with great beats and tight high hat grooves!
Now the band had a drummer and two singers/guitarists. They still needed a bass player, and in April 06, Jesse Fielder answered the call! He picked up the songs so fast that the band decided he was the right man for the job after only a couple of auditions, and his bass lines add new depth and dimension to the music that will keep those people who are totally addicted to bass ("woah-woh-ohh!!!") more than satisfied.
The Volty Strings are
Brendan Agius: Lead Vocals, Guitar
Shane Monteath: Drums
Jesse Fielder: Bass Guitar
John Wilkinson: Lead Guitar, Vocals
Musical Influences
It is customary to include the bands musical influences, but rather then try and narrow them down to a select few artists, we are giving you a big list of a whole bunch of artists that have influenced, in some way, the music that The Volty Strings play today.
Metallica, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Tool, Offspring, Guns & Roses, Simon & Garfunkel, Cat Stevens, Oasis, A Perfect Circle, Franz Ferdinand, WolfMother, John Williams (Composer), Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Eric Johnson, Eric Clapton, Beatles, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Crowded House, Eminem, 2pac, Lenny Kravitz, U2, Pete Murray, Jack Johnson, Ben Harper, John Butler Trio, Tonic, Maroon 5, John Williams (Classical Guitarist), Greenday, Tommy Emmanuel, Incubus, Megadeth, Muse, Yngwie Malmsteen, Aerosmith, Billy Joel, Silverchair, Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Bush, Gorillaz, Queen, Paul Gilbert, Jason Becker, Billy Sheehan, The Living End, System Of A Down, Foo Fighters, AudioSlave, Rage Against The Machine, Filter, Outkast, Bon Jovi, Basement Jaxx, PowderFinger, Prodigy, Diesel, Cake, Poison, Regurgitator, Scissor Sisters, NOFX, The Tea Party, Bernard Fanning, Ozzy Ozbourne, Jamiroquai, Everlast, Velvet Revolver, Dave Matthews Band, Pantera, Korn, The Whitlams, Ben Folds Five, Disneyland After Dark, Days Of The New, Nickelback, Kiss, Everclear, The Feelers, The Screaming Jets, Dandy Warhols, Live, Alex Lloyd, Beastie Boys, Bodyjar, Grieg, ACDC, Dead Kennedy’s, Dream Theatre, Faith No More, Iron Maiden, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Marilyn Manson, Michael Jackson, Presidents Of The United States Of America, Victor Wooten, Ugly Kid Joe, Smashing Pumpkins, Garbage, Hilltop Hoods, Alice Cooper, Radiohead, Black Eyed Peas, Grinspoon etc……
It is a big list but not an exhaustive list. There is no doubt that the band has forgotten to mention some artists. And of course there is the music that they can’t ever admit listening to!