Previous Band Members
On this page, we pay tribute to our previous band members, who contributed in their own way to who we are today.
Natasha has been performing her whole life due to having a musical family background.
Growing up in Griffith NSW, influences for Natasha were mainly from country music as well as Jazz and Pop. In Griffith she performed in a duo with her twin sister at charity functions, football games, Australia day concerts, weddings and many, many more events.
Natasha has received a Bachelor in Performance from the University of Wollongong's Performance Art course and has done many musical productions since.
For the past couple of years Natasha was performing in a dance band in Sydney, before relocating to Canberra for a change of scenery, where she found Big Idea.
Pierre has been listening to music since the womb and playing it not long after. His parents were both musos so he grew up in a house where there were regular jams with different players & instruments that gave him an eclectic range of influences and tastes that he brings to the music he makes now.
He’s played with folk, jazz, blues, & rock bands and even played bass for a while with a Chilean contemporary folk group. He has played with people as diverse as Angus Young and Pat Drummond and he “can’t remember the names of most of the bands” he was with, but here are some: The Mudflaps, Bullfrog, The Clan (with Angus), Rocks Edge, The Impalers, Gay Pierre, Rock’et, Farrell & Palmer, Filthy Rich, CofA, Band with No Name and now.…No Idea!
Steve Johnston 2006-2012
Steve was a founding member of No Idea. From the start, Steve wanted the band to be capable of playing a variety of styles, in a variety of situations, from restaurants to dance venues. His eclectic vision for the band shaped our sound and gave us an amazingly broad palette from which to choose the songs we played.
For people who saw the band, Steve was the quiet guy who sat at the back and played a seemingly endless array of instruments. For us, he was The Captain, setting the course for the band on our musical journey.
Steve was the archetypal grouch with a heart of gold. Behind the gruff exterior hid a sensitive man whose generosity knew no bounds.
Steve was an enthusiastic musician, always ready for a gig. With No Idea, he played 6 and 12 string acoustic guitars, four different lap slides, banjo, ukelele, sang lead and backing vocals, and even played percussion (triangle!).
Sadly, Steve passed away in December 2011. We will always miss him.
Paul Harris 2008-2010
Paul was the No Idea bassist during 2009 as well as
adding vocals. His rendition of "Blackbird" was a popular part of
the No Idea set list, and his "baby of the band" status did us no harm
when playing to a younger audience. Paul has moved on to pursue his
interest in the blues. We'll miss his exciting playing, good
humour, that wondrous tattoo, his lovely wife
Julia (who designed our
logo and the original band website) and the irrepressible Nonna.
Best wishes mate.
Raelene Farrell 2009-2010
Raelene fattened up the No Idea sound during the latter half of 2009 with her wonderful keyboard playing while also entertaining audiences with the occasional dance routine. We'll miss "Raels" and her 100 kph lifestyle - good luck with your next 400 ventures Raelene!
Mike Mitchell 2006-2008
Mike was with No Idea from its formation in 2006 until early 2008. Mike provided bass, guitar and vocals and helped shape the No Idea sound. Mike is now part of a duet and we can't wait to catch their gigs once they are up and running.
Mike Smith 2008
Mike played drums, guitar and provided vocals for No Idea during 2008. He has moved on to another band and No Idea wishes Mike all the best in his future endeavours.