Frank "Fringo" Ohler, Drums & Background Vocals
On the same day that The Sweet stormed the charts with Co-Co I was born. Ok, Tony Marshalls’s Schöne Maid also entered the charts on that day but let’s forget that....
When I was 14 years old I decided that I didn’t just want to hear music anymore, I wanted to be able to play it aswell. But which instrument? Guitar? Keyboard? Nope, I had to read notes for that. E-minor, C-major... I couldn’t get to grips with that.
After realising that you don’t have to be able to read musical notes for drumming, I decided to learn the drums. This fact I realised even without the aid of my drums teacher (Klaus Hartmann, the drummer from the „Hoi-Doi’s“, the best band west of the Mississippi! Apart from Helen and the poor boys of course!) Nowadays I very glad that he was so strict and that he taught me not only how much fun it is to play the drums but also how to play them using written notes.
After taking part in music clubs and playing dance and party music I founded my own band „Die Gaudijäger“ and for seven years we played at different carnivals. With Andreas Zwing the base player from that band I started playing with the band "In Fjusion" (along with the lead guitarist from „Trance“). Andreas and I then founded the band „seven o'clock“. After this band’s one and only gig I came across Diethards advertisement. Diethard, Pete and I then met up and had our first rehearsal and it was clear to me that we fit together personality wise and musically. Over time and with experiance you realise that a band is not only built on musical talent and that the most important thing that brings success to a band is that the individual band members get on well.
If I’m not busy listening to a CD in order to practise for a rehearsal, I like to listen to bands from Cologne like "Höhner", "De Räuber", "Bläck Fööss", "Paveier" etc. Most people think that these band just play carnival music but if you have ever been to the pubs and bars in Cologne and have listened to these band live then you have a completely different opinion of them and their music.