Band Members Info

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Band Members Info

Linda - Drums and Vocals

Linda started learning guitar at the age of four playing such classics as Chick Chick Chicken and Grandfather’s Clock. Many different instruments followed including Violin (now there’s a way to punish parents), Cello (too big to fit under the chin), clarinet (used to make her pass out and forget to breathe) until finally at age 14 she nagged for a drumkit. After learning air drums to You Could Be Mine her mum finally gave in and got a surprise present of her first drumkit for her 15th Birthday.

Linda started joining bands from age 16 and the first band of any real promise was a covers band called JR Hartley where Linda also discovered she enjoyed singing almost as much as banging things. Other bands followed in Swindon including Laruszo and Origin, playing mainly original songs with a few covers chucked in for good measure.

In 2000 Linda moved to Ipswich with her husband for a job in engineering and despite being made redundant within a couple of years she decided to stay and call Suffolk her home. She’s been in many great bands since making the move including Limo Wreck, Terrapin and Blackout. Having 3 children finally made her take a break before getting back to music with The Lazy Orange Housecats in 2006. That went well for a short time but then fell apart and so Linda joined a band called Softwire with Igor. After some success gigging, Linda and Igor decided that they wanted to move on and look for some more talent in certain areas of the band and so met Leigh and Pete through auditioning. CrossOver was formed in May 2007 and Linda couldn’t be happier playing with them.

Linda’s Influences – Crowded House, Faith No More, Paramore, RHCP, Metallica, Slipknot, George Benson, Blues Brothers and even some country since meeting Leigh!

Linda's Gear - Mapex Saturn Fusion Kit in Violet Stardust, Pearl Chad Smith Signature and Yamaha snares, Meinl Byzance 14"hats, 16" Crash and 20" Dark Ride, Sabian 17" Studio Crash and 18" China, Mapex and Yamaha Hardware, Tama Iron Cobra Pedal, Tama Stool and Protection Racket Cases, K&M Mic stand and a Shure SM58 Mic borrowed from Leigh.

Linda’s likes – her family and friends, her dogs and rabbits (apart from the poop scooping), watching music telly, being cooked for by Leigh, eating out with good company, watching gigs and playing them and Egon's eyebrows from Ghostbusters! (the saddo)

Linda’s dislikes – arrogant people, tactless people, and having to drive on the motorways for 3 hours at least to see her loved ones BOOOO! She's also scared to death of thunderstorms!

Leigh - Vocals

Born in Salisbury during a summer storm, Leigh was almost named “Storm” by her Mum, until her Dad talked her out of it! Having a “boys name” was no walk in the park either though! From a very young age Leigh had the confidence to sing and act in front of anyone who would listen. From playing the Virgin Mary in the Infants Nativity Play, singing solo pieces in school and church, learning all the words to the score of Grease by age six, Leigh had an interest in the performance arts and decided early on she was destined to be a “thespian”! Going on to study piano/keyboards and taking classes in voice, tap, ballet and jazz.

During her school years Leigh appeared in many school productions and particularly enjoyed musicals and comedy roles. She joined the local am-dram society and went on to appear in many productions until after getting her A Levels in Music and Theatre Studies she won a place at East 15 Acting School to achieve a BA in Acting/Musical Theatre.

Leigh's acting training helped her get many jobs in sales while she was "resting" from bit parts and making some decent money working for a publishing company and later EMI. She considered a normal 9-5 job might be more appealing when the time came to start a family. After getting married in 1998 her children followed in 2001 and 2003. After concentrating herself on being a stay at home mama, once the eldest started school full time it was time to get back into music!

In 2005 she started the acoustic group The Lazy Orange Housecats - www.myspace.com/thelazyorangehousecats which was pretty short lived when her co-vocalist decided to leave to extend her family. Linda who briefly played drums for the band, contacted Leigh in 2007 to audition for a new rock covers band she was in - that band was to become CrossOver!!

Leigh's Influences are: any strong confident performers from stage, screen and music.

Leigh Likes: Her family and friends above everything! - Musical Theatre, performing, going to see other live bands, cooking for friends, being sociable, being cooked for (this is rare!), writing rude lyrics and secretly filming them, writing fantasy stories, having a lie-in and going on holidays.

Leigh Dislikes: Arrogance, dishonesty, people who say one thing and do another, getting up early and battling with the bulge!

Leigh's gear: 2 x 300W Behringer powered speakers, Xenyx 1444 Behringer mixing desk, 2 x Calsbro powered monitors (150w), Shure BetaSM58 Microphone, Shure SM58, tambourine, harmonica,

Igor - Keyboards

Igor has done a great job writing this biog himself and whilst it may not be perfect we're amazed how well he's done and none of us are about to attempt to write ours in Slovakian!!

Igor is the one who was born abroad in Slovakia and first language is not english. When he was four he started to play in children’s TV program called Golden Gate. Singing, dancing and playing a role was really exciting. Hence when he was six years old he started to attend a music school in Slovakia, where he was taking piano lessons. Also his grandmother gave him maybe best school ever as she was brilliant pianist. He has learned the classic music theory for eight years. Also he was taking drums lessons for 2 years. His Dad also big violist bought for him his first keyboard when Igor was 8 (first Casio). Along his educating on secondary school he started to learn how to play guitar himself. Igor went through the different styles of music - rock, pop, blues, jazz standards, funky. He didn’t play only covers but I started to write his original music too. Till 18 he was very quiet guy and even he didn’t play in any of local bands. Since he has joined an university in 1996 he’s jumped in to hip- hop. Very different style of music. The freedom he couldn’t forget. Later on he joined his first rock band, year later another called The Flirt with an enthusiastic singer. Also his uncle started to teach him playing saxophone. Theirs big shows in local pubs have been really memorable. They’ve got a couple of awards from music competitions from Slovakia. Their songs were played on local radio stations in Slovakia and Czech republic.

But after few years He was getting bored and he needed the change. Yeah. In 2005 he came to UK as good target to learn English and work hard to buy the best keyboard in the world - KORG.

Since that I’ve been contacted over internet to play few covers in Ipswich by Lauren and the rest of the story you know.

His big “problem” is can’t remember names of bands. Why? He is saying bands on music scene is changing very often and after 2 years many of those are gonna split up. Then no one gonna remember them (except some strong one’s)

Igor's Influences are: everything of the big one’s + some from Slovakia

Igor Likes: my son Philip ,computers, electronics, beer, and my all keyboards (currently 4) and English breakfast

Igor Dislikes: “big” blokes in theirs tunings cars, long travelling and women in the front of wheel who driving veeeeery slow

Pete - Bass

Pete started playing accordion aged 9 in the family band and took up bass shortly afterwards. His school career was ruined (apparently) by forming a rock band. He got interested in folk music at Dukes Folk in Whitstable, met and played with outstanding musicians who later went on to form Oysterband and other amazing projects.

Pete then gave up bass for a long time during an extensive foray into Irish traditional music, eventually re-emerging in 1998 to take up tuba.

His interest in electric bass reawakened by his son's guitar playing, Pete answered Linda's ad in partysounds and the rest is history.

Pete's Influences: Ry Cooder, Colin Hodgkinson, James Jamerson, Iain Kearey, Richard Thompson, Oysterband, Danny Thompson, Jackie Daly, Martin Simpson, Bellowhead

Pete's Gear: Basses by Yamaha, Fender, Bass Collection. Amplification by Burman, EBS, Euphonic Audio, Markbass

Pete Likes: scuba diving, decent beer, old Ducatis, morris dancing, banjo playing

Pete Dislikes: trad jazz, crashing old Ducatis, people who don't do what they say they're going to do

For more info Call: 01473 463602 or 07971 816548