Bio
BOB WIJNSCHENK/WINESHANK:
For over forty years, Bob has been involved in studying, teaching, composing and, more importantly playing music or “telling my stories” as he puts it.
EARLY DAYS
Bob started playing his dad’s 1959 Hofner acoustic guitar – listening to the jazz standards his dad used to play. His love of playing stayed with him through high school where guitars like the Fender Stratocaster and the emerging Hendrix and Cream heavily influenced Bob’s playing and early song writing.
BANDS
Bob’s first “serious” bands - ‘Shagrat’ and ‘Outburst’ - played an Indie mix of originals [Bob played bass then]. Their vocalist had a killer voice and the band did a few stints on Channel 9’s New Faces.
Bob eventually left ‘Outburst’ as he wanted to focus on playing lead guitar. During this period he wrote a many songs and started to develop his own very distinct style.
INFLUENCES
During his 30’s Bob studied with renowned jazz guitarist Bruce Clarke. As Bob says: “I started to take music more seriously”. His “jazz phase” was a tremendous growth period for him in terms of understanding music theory, harmony and later, most importantly, melody.
It was during this period he was introduced to Pat Metheny, the great American jazz guitarist and composer. Pat’s ‘Bright Sized Life’ album had a huge impact on Bob and heavily influenced his song writing style. His songs became more complex and often featured harmonic progressions reminiscent of jazz. His instrumental ‘Windmill’ was a case in point.
Other influences, including Hendrix and Cream, that made Bob the music alchemist he is today were Brian May (Queen) and Sting. Much of Bob’s legato style of playing was inspired by Brian May’s smooth toned lead lines on early Queen albums-Queen II and Sheer Heart Attack.
Wineshank’s ‘I Was There’, featuring on his soon to be released debut album, is reminiscent of ‘Fields Of Gold’. Shades of Deep Purple come to mind in ‘Hearing The Verses’ dedicated to and about a close friend who passed away in the late 70’s.
The new single release ‘High In Amsterdam’ was inspired by both Vincent Van Gogh artworks- of vivid thick brush strokes and rich vibrant colours and textures and Bob's love of Amsterdam. The single is gathering interest and momentum in the digital market and is proving to be a song with difference.
Recently the likes of Sonny Landreth and Eric Johnson have inspired Bob to dabble in the languid world of slide guitar.
GIGS
During the mid 90’s Wineshank played with ‘Offal Pump’. The music was written and spear-headed by Matty Whittle from Melbourne band God- best known for their track ‘My Pal’.
Offal Pump’s music was inspired by Captain Beefheart and King Crimson and was very much riff based. Their standout gigs were at The Punters Club, Fitzroy and The Cherry Tree Hotel, Richmond where the band and the music were well received. “The band was so tight” Bob recalls.
AND NOW
With the recent drop of their debut album ‘Distant Calling’ Wineshank stay poised and relaxed about the future. Bob openly admits his vocal prowess is basic when compared to many but as he has said many times “I sing to tell my stories” and he prefers to do it true to his style. He loves playing guitar and the forthcoming album is thick with layers of guitar lines.
This is his vision and so it will be.
The 2017 band line-up features song-smith Bob Wijnschenk on vocals and guitar, Clive Stevens on drums and Mike Mathews on bass. Clive’s style, always unique and individual, delivers a crisp and snappy feel to the songs. Mike, ever the technician, is always ‘on the money’ and lays down solid grooves time after time.