Russ Fossey – Chair

The members of the Music sub-committee are very much part of the local music scene. The initial aim of this sub-committee is to ensure that we raise awareness of the Guernsey Arts Commission, and its objectives, amongst the music community.

To deliver this a workshop initiative was launched in July 2009 to build communication with the music community. Musicians of all ages are getting involved, sharing ideas, getting to know each other better and generally supporting the initiative with great enthusiasm. It is through this that we can develop our longer term aims based on the real needs and wants of our local music community.

The Music sub-committee have also been active, along with Culture and Leisure and the St Peter Port Constables, in bringing busking to Town and look to developing this activity further in 2011.

Also following the success of the GBG #2 compilation CD, Mark Le Gallez, a sub-committee member, is progressing well with the GBG 3 which bands can submit their original music to until the end of August 2011. Find out how to submit your music.

For the latest news see our news / blog detailing projects and initiatives.

Members:

Russ Fossey (Chair)

See Commissioners and Trustees

Mark Le Gallez

Mark did not attend any university and describes himself as ‘not clever’. Everything he has learnt he has picked up himself ‘from building sites to gig venues’.  He cannot read music or play anything ‘particularly well’ but likes writing songs, cats and encouraging younger musicians who can usually play better than he can. He is a self-confessed ‘chancer’ and finds humour – unfortunately sometimes – in nearly every situation. He has done lots of stuff for sure, including running a struggling record label and playing bass badly in an 80s mod band called The Risk. He currently pretends to be Hank Williams, (he drinks slightly less at least) plays a box and a bull fiddle and the harmonica worse than Bob Dylan. He also makes a dreadful row trying to sing and play bass in Thee Jenerators. He is always keen, and if you are not a big head, friendly.

Nick Windsor

Nick was born and bred in captivity. He has webbed feet and can’t sing. He say’s playing guitar helps him to relax….something his audience can relate to as they are usually dozing by the end the first 4 bars.

He once toured with someone ‘supposedly’ famous though he can’t remember the name. He also played and recorded with someone else famous… so he was told. He still plays and is happy to trade guitar licks for those tea cards you used to get in PG Tips back in the 70s  – in particular the ‘Great Adventurers’ series with Sir Francis Chichester being the missing card. His lifelong ambition is to still get through a gig without sneezing and farting at the same time.

Tom Girard

Tom has a long interest in music in Guernsey which started when he first ventured down to a show on the Vazon Bay Hotel balcony in the late 90s only to find the band’s frontman hanging off the stage while still singing.

After three years away from the island at university in Aberystwyth where he was vice-president of the RocSoc, Rock Music Society, promoting four nights of rock, punk, metal and anything else heavy a week, he returned to Guernsey to work for the BBC where he became the station’s BBC Introducing representative, championing new music from around the Bailiwick.

As well as this  Tom has also DJ’d regularly since his university days and in more recent times has reacquainted himself with the guitar and is developing his take on music based on the notion of three chords and some shouting, while helping to develop and promote other people’s as part of the Guernsey Arts Commission’s Music Sub-Committee.

Claire Mockett