History of The Brothers Grimm

 

 

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The Brothers Grimm came into existence in October 1993, when Adrian Cook, Ron van Lindt and Paul Kokshoorn joined forces to form a power Blues band.  The objective was to fill what was perceived as a void in the Christchurch music scene, a no nonsense Blues and Boogie band along the lines of ZZ Top.  Most gigs in those days were predominantly in and around Christchurch, New Zealand, but a small sponsored tour of Taranaki, in the North Island, was also undertaken with great success. While the bulk of the repertoire was covers, originals were also introduced and eventually led to TBG recording an album at Nightshift Studios in 1995. The album is called "No Fairytale".

 

In 1995 the band decided to permamently diversify and expand the styles of music to include "Rock", to become more accessible to a greater range of venues. This was made possible by the addition of another guitarist/vocalist, Frank Hendrikx. Due to multiple vocalists and different guitar styles, it was possible for TBG to make most songs sound very authentic to the original. The result was that from 1996 onwards the workload increased and the band started performing at major outdoor concerts and festivals over the South Island, i.e. Wild Food Festival, Blues Brews & BBQ, etc. working with many well known New Zealand artists such as The Muttonbirds, Hello Sailor, Midge Marsden and the Feelers on several occasions.

 

In April 2002 Paul left the band to pursue a career in Australia. This put the band on hold for about 6 months as everyone else was suffering from burn-out as well. However, performing music, once in the blood, can't be suppressed for long. Alex Ramsay took over the percussion duties. The break re-vitalised the band and enabled the repertoire to be updated.

 

Early 2004 Ron decided to leave the band to explore a different musical direction, our best wishes go with him. He was replaced by Dallas Matchett, who has been a professional musician working in the industry for many years. Later in the year Alex announced he was going to do his big OE. He left early 2005 and that's when Mark Hussey took over. Mark, still at Jazz school, settled in quickly and gave the band another quality boost. After finishing school and playing   3 1/2 years with the band he decided to move to Auckland because of personal commitments. Mark, thanks and all the best !

 

By this time, the band had become skilled at finding great drummers and so it didn't take long before they found Chris Webb. Chris has been playing drums for over 25 years in the Christchurch music scene and  was also quite familiar with the material TBG was performing. Chris has settled in quickly and he is doing an awesome job.  Towards the end of 2009 Frank announced his decision to take a long leave of absence from the band. Frank is a great guitarist / singer/ entertainer. We wish Frank and Sylvia all the best for an awesome holiday and safe travels.

The band was now at a crossroads and after much discussion and deliberation, we have decided to carry on with the show, however we felt it was time for a change. The band has been performing now for 17 years, and reflecting on comments and requests from our audience over this time, we have decided to add other dynamics to the act.

 

Frank's guitaring duties have now become the responsibility of Jimmy Taylor, as you will see by Jimmy's bio he is truly a musician of international standards. We feel very priviledged to have him in our lineup, and are really excited as to the wealth of experience and personality that he will bring to the band's performance and overall sound. Welcome aboard Jimmy.

 

We also felt that this was an ideal opportunity to explore another dimension and create a greater appeal for our audience. Through my relationship with Debi, the boys in the band had heard her sing, and we felt that it was good timing to imput a whole different ingredient into The Brothers Grimm mix, thus allowing a much greater diversity to perform songs from entertainers that were previously impossible for us to cover but often asked for. Debi has been invited to join the lineup and has bravely accepted the challenge. She brings with her a refreshing alteration to the band's lineup and overall sound, allowing us to perform many new songs by great artists ie: Bonnie Raitt, Sheryl Crowe, Fleetwood Mac, The Cranberries and also belting out Guns Roses, AC/DC, Stevie Ray Vaughan and much more. Debi has also strengthened our vocal section for backups and is adding in some light percussion. Besides this she has taken over the management of the band's website and merchandising. Welcome Debi, you have a huge job on your hands and we really appreciate your professionalism and imput to the band's overall performance.

Late 2012 we find ourselves at another crossroad as Dallas & Chris have decided to leave the band to pursue other musical opportunities, we wish them all the best. With the change we welcome Jon Biddington into The Brothers Grimm, taking over from Chris on drums as the band becomes a four piece once again. The band feels really tight with lots of dynamics & feel good vibes.

 

TBG, now in it's 22nd year has taken on the services of Dave Josland to assist Jimmy with guitaring duties. Dave is an extremely talented and experienced musician that has been working the Christchurch and New Zealand music scene for many years as a professional guitar player. We believe the combination of our two great guitarists, will have a huge positive effect on the band's overall sound and performance, great to have you with us Dave!

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At the end of 2015, Dave has decided to take a deserved break after many years of playing. We wish Dave and Heather all the very best for the future. Thanks Dave for all the imput and support you've given to the band, enjoy your break bro.

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We are now back to four piece and everything feels just as good as ever, great sounds, great buzz, and everyone happy, as we approach the bands 24th birthday. 

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......Early 2019 sadly Jimmy Taylor and Jon Biddington, due to other music commitments, made the decision to retire from The Brothers Grimm. Shortly after this, Chris Webb, one of our previous drummers, came back into the group to replace Jon, and Hippy (Andrew Dalziel) took over lead guitarist replacing Jimmy. Hippy stayed with us for approximately one year, then made the decision to leave during the Covid lockdown period.  

July 2020 Lorne Joblin was invited into the band as our new lead guitarist. We extend a warm welcome to him, he is a great young man and a top class guitarist and vocalist. He is a great asset to the band.

The Brothers Grimm is now 27 years old, and enthusiastically looking forward to future performances and playing heaps of new songs. If you get the chance to come and see the new line up, you won't be disappointed.

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We're still rocking our audiences from one end of the country to the other, playing all your favourite songs, at many top hotels & private functions, corporate events,

birthday parties & weddings, also outdoor events, motorcycle & car shows. See our gig guide & come check us out.

Special thanks to all the members, past and present and to all our friends that follow the band.

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