English Channel Band John Bio
John Riedel
Where were you born?
Cincinnati, Ohio
Why the Keyboards?
We had an old piano in the basement as a kid, I would always mess with it. Later when I started playing music with friends, we didn't need a trumpet player in the band, so I sat down at the piano.
Musical Influences:
Yes, Genesis , Led Zeppelin, The Who
Name one or two of your favorite albums of all time:
Wind and Wuthering (Genesis), Van Halen II (Van Halen), Learning to Crawl (Pretenders)
Name a few of your favorite songs that English Channel Plays:
Misty Mountain Hop (Led Zeppelin), Hush (Deep Purple), Allison (Elvis Costello)
Say anything about yourself and the band you want to say:
Playing in a band is about two things for me, the fun of working with the other members of the band, and seeing the audience enjoy the music we create on stage.
Give a phrase or sentence (or two) about each your fellow band members.
Gary is the quiet guy in the band that every now and then comes up with true words of wisdom. Gary provides a lot of non-verbal communication on stage. A lot of communication with his playing, adjusting to what is going on in the song. Other times a quick look across stage and smile that could mean, "I picked up on what you just did," or "Oops, sorry about that." Sometimes it feels like you had a long conversation him, but you never uttered a word.
Tom is a teacher. He is always looking at some way to pass on his knowledge and love of music. Many times at rehearsal Tom has called up a sound clip or video on the internet to show everyone what direction he wants to go with a song. If you listen close you will even hear Tom passing on some bit of information about songs we do.
Vicki is a non-stop hard worker. In the short time I've known her I've been amazed at her attitude towards work.
What's your fondest memory with the band so far?
We were on a large outside stage, it was one of the hottest days that summer and the event crew was worn out from working out in the heat for 2 days. I looked over at one of the staff during a song and saw he had a big smile on his face and was grooving to the music. At the end of our set, before the next act he took the time to tell me they had more fun with us than any of the other acts over the two day event. It means a lot when someone that has heard it all enjoyed us, and went out of his way to say so.
What do you want people to know about the band most of all?
Come on out and give us a listen. You are going to hear some songs you know well, and some that you may have forgotten about, but you will like them all.
