biographies
Charles Dearness
 I
started learning the Trumpet when I was 8. My older brother
was already blazing a trail on the trombone. We played together
in school brass and wind bands. When I was 15 I was a finalist
in the Scottish Young Musician of the Year competition.
By the time I left school, playing bass with local Rock Gods
Bigg Muff, meant the trumpet lay idle in its case until the
call came from hivida.
I'm currently living in Edinburgh and working as a session
musician. Recently I've been performing with Harris Playfair
and spent a month in a London club last summer as part of
a Calypso band. I have many influences but would cite Freddie
Hubbard and Miles Davis in particular.
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James Henry
 I
was born in Lerwick, Shetland in the early seventies. I was
16 before I started learning the guitar but I had fronted
a couple of school bands before then, singing The Cult and
U2 before my voice had broken!
As soon as I had learned three chords I began writing songs.
In total I've probably written over a 100 songs. My songwriting
influences include Bob Dylan, Ray Davies, Paul Weller, Mike
Scott and The Clash.
In my late teens I formed The Strange Conspiracy - a young
indie-folk-funk collective that featured teenage prodigies
including Bryan Peterson on bass (Bongshang and Wise Monkeys)
and Peter Gear on fiddle (Bongshang). after causing a bit of a stir at the
1991 Shetland Folk Festival, the band imploded soon after.
After spending two years living in Sweden, I returned to
attend The Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen. It was here that
Drop the Box formed and continued the indie-folk-funk sound
that had started with The 'Conspiracy. the band signed to
Glasgow based Klub Records and released two albums in 1995
and 1998. extensive touring throughout Europe and visits to
North America, Russia and even Africa firmly established Drop
the Box as one of Shetland's prominent bands. A third album,
Loveday, was released in 2001. The band still write, tour
England and play occassional folk festivals.
The music I am now playing with hivida signals
a slight change in direction. The "trumpet sound"
is one that has haunted me for a while. The songs on time to listen
have been written over many years. The title track
and Christine date back to 1992! However, Fear and Stampy
were written in 2005. It's funny how songs come together and
seem to work at a given moment in time.
New songs are already coming together for the follow up to
time to listen. It's important never to rest on your laurels
and of course everything that goes around has gotta come around
... sometime baby!
I'm currently listening to:
- Gorilaz - Demon Days
- Killers - Hot Fuss
- Nick Drake - An Introduction
- Cake - Comfort Eagle
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Chris "Chas" Milne
 The
bass thing first started during my teenage years. There's
music in my family - Dad played keyboards with local bands
in the 60's and 70's.
I cut my teeth playing in school bands and staying cool!
Early musical influences included Sex Pistols, Buzzcocks and heavy rock.
In 1996 I left Orkney to play full-time with Flat Stanley
- an agit punk/pop outfit. The band was based in Cumbria.
Despite playing the live scene regularly, the band split and
I eventually moved back to Orkney.
Since then, as well as forming hivida, I
also play with local folk collective Lazy Boy Chair.
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Robbie Thomson
 I
enjoyed hitting things and making a noise from a young age.
During my teenage years, I was spending lengthy periods in
the garage banging out beats. Rock music was my staple diet
- Nirvana and Metalica in particular; there was also Beatles,
Mammas & Papas, and Queen, amongst others, forming the
soundtrack of my early years. Interestingly all these bands
featured strong harmony vocals; my family have a love for
music and a good sing-along, so drumming and singing have developed
pretty naturally for me.
I was involved in school bands and the mighty Backlash along
with my cousins Brian and Marie Cromarty. We then went onto
form Silver Penguins with fiddler Douglas Montgomery. The
band have performed around Scotland and have the status in
Orkney as the ultimate party band.
Whilst studying at Gray's School of Art in Aberdeen, Fuz,
an indie-rock 3-piece, formed. The band was a prominent act
amongst the emerging Aberdeen scene. An EP was released and
a successful support of a major band at the time - Toploader
- brought considerable critical acclaim.
On returning to Orkney in 2001, I've done some private drum
teaching and was invited to instruct at a major drum festival
in Shetland in 2005. I continue to play with the 'Penguins
and also play percussion with Lazy Boy Chair.
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