User:Visium/Uberac 9

Uberac 9 is a band which showcases the talents of four musicians including the newly welcomed piano and saxophone player, Vincent Webb, and drummer, Dougal Taylor. More recently it has been confirmed that saxophonist Benedict West to join the group at some point in the future after David Robinson and Max Miller expressed interest in playing more jazz-influenced pieces.

In the beginning

The founding members of Uberac 9 - David Robinson and Max Miller - had been playing guitar together for many years before deciding to form a band and start performing for real. Their admirable guitaring abilities teamed with David's song-writing (which is considered by many to be of a high standard), lead to a unique musical outfit.

Name

The inspiration for the group's unusual name came from David's IT password and has remained the same ever since.

Performances

The band's first official performance took place during the interval of the annual school gala concert and involved outlandish military jackets teamed with feather boas. They certainly made an impression on the audience with their attention-grabbing renditions of rock classics and it was not long before a repeat performance was called for.

The "Battle of the Bands" at the premier professional music venue in the area, "The Wedgewood Rooms", really put Uberac 9 on the map. They wowed the crowds with their self-penned tunes and old favourites and introduced their newest member, Dougal Taylor who improved the band's sound immeasureably.

After these first tastes of live performance, the band set about organising a concert to raise money and awareness for the "Make Poverty History" campaign. Not only did the group rehearse over two hours of material, but they also arranged every detail of the gig including tickets, sales, refreshments and all the necessary red tape. Improvisation is key to any Uberac 9 performance - a skill best seen, perhaps, during this charity concert when the audience were called upon to suggest topics for an improvised song. Suggestions included "fluffy bunnies" and "pink clouds" to which the band responded with a highly credible blues numbers. Over two hundred pounds was raised for the campaign.

In March 2006, Uberac 9 had another opportunity to perform thanks to David's sister Rebecca who arranged for them to support up-and-coming surfer group "Get Amped" at a special concert in Portsmouth High School. This time, their show memorably included some African drums and a battered top-hat but perhaps more importantly the debut performance of pianist/percussionist Vincent Webb.

Influences

Uberac 9 are dedicated to their music and are not afraid to experiment with new styles and musical genres. To date their influences have varied from Irish folk to Led Zepplin, from The Beatles to Grieg and the diversity of their playing is increasingly diverse.

Why is this article here?

For the answer to this question, please see the discussion about Uberac 9 here