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Dave
Ladner On Sunday, February 9, 1964, Dave watched the black-and-white broadcast of the Ed Sullivan Show while lying on the floor of the living room in an apartment on the Northwest Side of Chicago. He was only 5 years old, yet he instinctively knew that this thing called music was going to be very important in his life. And it has been... Dave has played guitar since the age of 9, when he finally convinced his parents that he wanted to play. Only took four years... He added a talent for bass and keyboards in high school. Dave's rock background includes the bands Blue Soul, Antiquity, The Andrew Collins Band and Ten Tons. (Ten Tons, Dave is quick to point out, was named long before he joined it.) Dave's bass influences are many. They include John Paul Jones, Jack Bruce, Duck Dunn, Bill Wyman, John Entwistle, James Jamerson, Carol Kaye, Sting and more. Oh, and a terrific local Chicago bassist named Dave Czech with a band called Street Corner Blue. But, Dave's bass deity has got to be Paul McCartney. Whether Paul is playing the simplest of bass lines, as in Love Me Do; something simple, yet iconic, like the bass line in Come Together; something more complex, like the bass line in Day Tripper; or something as supportive, yet personality-filled, as the bass line he wrote for Something, there is so much to learn from the guy. And, says Dave, "I've tried...". Dave finds frequent work in Chicago area church music, both as a director and as a musician. Additionally, he has been 'in the pit' for many local productions of Broadway shows, where he has also enjoyed playing double bass. Dave is an experienced music director, conductor and instrumental and vocal arranger. |
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Steve
Torres Steve has been playing guitar for over 27 years. "Air guitar got me started... lessons kept me going." It's been a long, strange trip for Steve. "I've been influenced by absolutely everyone. People have told me that they've recognized players' styles in my playing that I've heard but not really studied. I really appreciate that. But if I had to choose... I would say the major influences would be the "Trinity". You know, Clapton, Beck and Page. But you can't overlook anyone." Steve's heart is in the Blues. "The music that I learned to play when I started was Rock but with a heavy Blues base. You can't get away from your roots. Even the early "Heavy Metal" had a Blues base." Steve is new to playing slide guitar. "I've been at it for about 2 years now and find it very challenging." Who said you can't teach an old dog new tricks? Steve is most concerned with the overall sound of the band. To him, it's a sum of all the parts. "It's about everyone adding something to the stew. If something is missing, you can taste it." |
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Brian
Voss Someone let Brian start playing drums when he was only 8 (8!). What were they thinking? His early bands played blues-rock, which was extremely popular during the late '60's. Brian has been signed to 3 recording contracts. In the mid-'70's Brian was a union musician in Colorado, playing Big Band and (we have both kinds) Country & Western. After experiencing marriage, children, and at least 5 mid-life crises he re-emerged in the blues-rock band Hard Wired.
A reborn,
self-proclaimed "over the hill" drummer, he now is doing his best to keep up
with Daddy'O Deluxe. He has made a triumphal return - again. |
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