VOODOO ARMPIT - Key Persons

Although Arleen has contributed backing vocals to several of husband Richie's bands and also starred with him in the popular duo "Ella Guru", this is her debut fronting a full-on rock band. Much under-rated in the past, Arleen now has the chance to cut loose as she shares the lead vocals with Richie and also adds percussion to the mix. When not strutting her stuff with the Armpit, Arleen is a consultant gutbuster with her own business "Why Weight"

Having been a regular guest percussionist with the Armpit during breaks from his studies at the University of Wales, Ben nevertheless managed to graduate and was welcomed on board as a full time member. From early days with the school band, Ben has played live with many local bands covering a wide spectrum of music from rock and blues to funk and folk. He has also contributed to recordings by a number of these acts and has previously collaborated with Gareth both live and in the studio on numerous projects including their latest band "Pixie Money". Ben is currently studying Drums and Percussion at the Academy of Contemporary Music in Guildford.

A talented lead guitarist and singer/songwriter in his own write, Gareth was not only a prize winner at the Welsh Eisteddfod in 1994 but also founded rock band "Rystik Grwf" with baby brother Iestyn and featured on Welsh language television. Gareth is currently studying Theatre Studies at Trinity College, Carmarthen and is the technical genius behind the recording of the Armpit CD.

The youngest member of Voodoo Armpit, Iestyn is rapidly gaining recognition as one of Wales' finest drummers. Having featured with brother Gareth in "Rystik Grwf" before joining the Armpit at the age of only 15, Iestyn is currently studying Computer Science at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth..

Job Titles:

• Guitar, Vocals and Percussion

Irreverently regarded as the "Godfather of Pembrokeshire Rock" by Welsh music fans, Richie has been active on the local music scene for longer than he would care to admit and has fronted numerous bands since the mid 70s. "Envy", "The Boneshakers" and "Frostbite" have all kept local audiences on their toes and often on their feet as well with styles from punk and reggae through psychobilly and ska to rock and blues. Richie has also produced several home recorded tapes over the years featuring his considerable songwriting talents and is a regular performer at local music clubs. His barnstorming guitar playing has earned him considerable respect and his total dedication to music is such that when not actually playing, he is still surrounded by music at his day job at Dales record store in Tenby. A particularly skilled slide guitar player Richie's collection of bottlenecks is surpassed only by his wide selection of ethnic percussion.