The Band

Why and how the band started? more>>

Mick Bisiker Vocals, guitar & bouzouki	Mick has been a stalwart of the Midlands folk scene and first received critical acclaim for his album ‘Bisiker & Romanov’ (1989), with gypsy fiddle player Al Romanov. This album won the Music Retailers Award for best folk album. His subsequent recordings have all been received warmly: • One More Curtain Call (1994) with Davey Slater • Home Again (1991), a solo venture • Ball & Chain (1996), Both Ends of the Street (1999), Hard Times (2000) and Gone To… (2005), all performed with Rack and Ruin.
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Nigel Ward Fiddle, guitar, vocals	Nigel was the original fiddle player in the trad band ‘Tom Tiddler’. As well as performing in various ceilidh bands, he was in the excellent duo ‘Bailey and Ward’, which released ‘Sign of the Times’ (2001). He has now left The Oddsods due to the increasing commitments of Rack and Ruin. Teaming up with Mick has led to a fusion of English and Celtic styles and is an ideal platform to bring his tasteful fiddle backing onto the jigs and reels as well as Micks’ songs.
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Chris Radley Bass guitar, vocals, recording studio	Despite starting out as a guitarist in a heavy rock band, Chris has spent many years as half of the songwriting partnership with singer/guitarist Steff Hutchinson. He was behind indy band The Trial and then roots/rock band Dead After Dark (in which Duncan featured for a while on keyboards). The band toured all over the UK and parts of Scandanavia. Chris still plays bass in Firedaze (a fusion of dance beats with folk and rock). Chris’s other main love is recording and he engineered and helped produce the Gone To… album in 2005 in the dmusic recording services studio. His rock background alongside Duncan’s drumming has brought an extra energy, urgency and tightness to the rhythm section of Rack and Ruin.
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Duncan Arrow Drums, webmaster, rehearsal space	Duncan has the dubious honour of being the only band member to ever co-write a Rack and Ruin song with Mick. ‘Time’s a Healer’ is featured on the Hard Times album and is often performed in their live set. Duncan has been playing the drums for over 20 years – not bad seeing as though he’s still just within reach of his twenties! In his formative years, he studied up to Grade 8 and has performed in jazz bands, pit orchestras, windbands, percussion ensembles as well as too many pop and rock outfits. The fusion of Duncan’s rock and pop influences alongside Chris’ bass, creates a heavier, louder, punchier rhythm section. Mixing with the more traditional folk influences has truly created folk-with-attitude! As well as writing unfinished material himself, Duncan is vaguely competent in piano, guitar and bass.