artist Wonderful Diving Horses

WONDERFUL DIVING HORSES were formed in Vancouver, British Columbia in August of 2008 but the seeds were planted several months earlier when drummer STUART QUAYLE replied to a post on Facebook written by lead singer/guitarist/main songwriter MARK GOLDBERG. Quayle was looking to form a roots/alt.country band and had found all the musicians. When all the players met, the chemistry as a whole wasn’t there but Quayle and Goldberg bonded after discovering that as well as having a shared love of rockabilly and alternative country, they both wanted to combine those elements with the type of melodic pop/rock n’ roll which is often referred to as Power Pop. Over the next few months Quayle found the right musicians to complete the band , first with bass player and harmony singer TED RATCLIFFE and then with guitarist/vocalist/songwriter STEVE WARD. Though the band may be new, the individual roots of the members run long and deep.

Drummer and band founder STUART QUAYLE has the most detailed recording and touring history of any of the members in the band. He played and recorded with fellow WDH Steve Ward in Red Giant, played drums with Vancouver trad rockabilly band The Sunsetters, played and recorded with Big John Bates (as recently as contributing drums on two songs on Bates’ latest release) both locally in Vancouver and on tours of Canada, the U.S. and Europe. With Vancouver based The Uprights he recorded a demo which featured in the Melissa James documentary “Shake Rattle and Roll”. Prior to forming WONDERFUL DIVING HORSES, Quayle played with Vancouver rockabilly band the Deadcats and toured Canada and the U.S. in 2007 as well as playing on their full length CD “Feline 500”. Most recently, in his time between rehearsing, recording and playing live with WDH, he’s served as drummer for both the Ani Kyd Blues Experience and reformed California punk legends The Authorities (now based out of Vancouver).

MARK GOLDBERG has played in a number of bands and served as songwriter/lead singer for over two decades, going back to Toronto in 1982 when he fronted a rockabilly band called The Lucky Strikes. After disbanding that band he formed High Noon. This group played country, folk and rockabilly influenced songs, all written by Goldberg, and which predated what is now known as Alt.Country music. In the years since High Noon's split in 1986 Goldberg shyed away from music and when he was playing it was live as a sideman on guitar for acts like Betty Moon or in the studio with people like Allen Baekeland (Lost & Profound). It wasn’t until moving to Vancouver from Calgary in 2007 and forming WONDERFUL DIVING HORSES that he returned to fronting a band and playing publicly on a regular basis.

STEVE WARD, WONDERFUL DIVING HORSES’ other guitarist and songwriter (and occasional lead singer) has been playing around Vancouver, southern BC and Vancouver Island since the mid 70’s in cover bands as well as groups featuring his own compositions. The longest running of those groups was Berlin who recorded a demo that was shopped to a number of major labels. He recorded an independent cassette release in the mid ‘80s with a new band called Left Over Right. In the mid 90’s he released “Mind Your Head” as a member of Red Giant. Most recently, as a member of the Pillocks, he released a cd entitled “Perfectly Flawed”, the majority of which was written by him.

Bassist TED RATCLIFFE has played locally in Vancouver since the 90’s. Then he played with Reverie and Lithotripter (who released one CD). WONDERFUL DIVING HORSES sees Ted retuning to playing in a band after a 9 year hiatus. He also provides most of the harmony vocals heard both live and in the studio with WDH. Most recently WONDERFUL DIVING HORSES recorded a six song e.p. which they plan to release early in the new year (2010).

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