PAST

NOW

CREW

Biography

Born: All Souls day 1957 / Wetteren  / Belgium.

Early influences - Living opposite doors of the "Honky Tonk Jazz Club" in the mid-sixties, music quickly captured his attention.  Being allowed in as a kid during the soundcheck, he saw some of the greatest black boogie woogie pianists playing before his eyes, that rhythm would never leave him.  Than influenced in his teens by the Beatles and the Stones, he first started playing drums in 1972, than switched to guitar and formed a Booker T-like cover band called "Feagin", the rock started to roll.

Trampolino (1975 -'79) - Schools out, psycho rock, spaced heads, cosmic mail.  Trampolino started out as a psychedelic rock band, kicking against many hi-hat heels of the establishment.  As the punk wave came along, they turned into an explosive live band, with high energetic stage performances.   Althought many fab gigs between Paris, Amsterdam and Brussels, the only vinyl they appear on is called "The first Belgian Punk Contest", from 1978.

Luk Bral (1979 -'81) - After Trampolino Marvin became guitarist for the Flemish minstrel LUK BRAL, together they formed an acoustic duo, and appeared a lot on radio and TV.  Later they raised the Plastic Dreamband and released some coloured singles, but it didn't last long, and the band broke up. Althought Luk and Marvin kept performing and recording together through the years.

Starvin Marvin (1982 -'86) - Because Marvin was so thin in those days, you could literally pull him under the door.  But somehow he got himself together and started writing songs which impressed a lot of people, including Kevin Ayers, who always brought up he was starving.

Kevin Ayers (1994 - 2004) - Marvin has been a long companion in his later career, as a guitarist, composer, recorder, but most of all as a friend.  They met at ROCK WERCHTER in 1980.  Kevin produced Marvin's first album in the mid-eighties and recorded one of Marvin's songs on his next album.  Unfortunately, in 1992, Kevin's multitalented guitarist Ollie Halsall suddenly passed away, and a year later his bass player too.  Soon after that Marvin was contacted for an audition, passed it, and from than on was invited regulary to join in on acoustic gigs with Kevin Ayers in the UK, Spain, France, Germany, Holland and in Belgium.  They even became fab for a while, specially at the 25th anniversary of GONG in London in 1994.  Five years later, Kevin accepted Marvin's offer to let the rest of his band join in, so the Starvin Marvin Band finally came alive too.  And, as if by devine intervention, they suddenly went worldwide in 2002, with two tours in Japan, four in the UK and some tropical destinations in the end.  Begin 2005 Kevin disappeared for good to the South of France, released his final album a few years later, and enjoyed the rest of his days fishing, reading and dreaming.  He passed away peacefully at home in 2013, bless his soul.

Starvin Marvin Band (1992 ~ now) - Originally began in '92, first edition was with Dirk Van Gansbeke on drums, who died in '99 in a car crash, the second with Ludo Huyghe who replaced him.  Patriek De Neve has always been playing bass, and Alain Berthe joined in on guitar in '95.  Together they've been through all kinds of various shapes and names, but became a solid rhythmical machine thanks to Kevin Ayers his worldwide exposure.  They're still performing as a trio, cause Alain Berthe has retired in the South of France too, with regular guests and an impressive repertoire to grab from, and they hope to be back on stage after Covid-19 's decline, asap!