Bios
Click on a Name, then click "back" to get back to the list.
Drummer
Me born.
Me here.
Me beat drum!
Guitarist/Lead Vocalist/Background Vocals
Growing up in a family with 4 other siblings wasn't exactly easy in the seventies. Not that it was uncommon to be brought up in a family that large but being the middle child always gave me the Jane Brady complex. I was too young to be independent and too old be babied, but I always found ways to entertain myself. My dad was a portrait and landscape artist with an amazing ability to paint the exact likeness of a person or the mood of a certain scene. He always inspired me to draw and always took what little time he had to show me color and shading techniques which were the only art lessons that really stuck with me. I was 5 years old when my dad brought home an acoustic guitar, he knew some chords and would play The Star Spangle Banner and Michael Row Your Boat Ashore for me as I would sit in amazement just watching his hands play those 3 chords and thought he was friggin Elvis. I miss him.
It was that time that I first felt the desire to be a musician. I would put in my moms 8Track cassettes, put on the head phones and picture myself singing and playing the guitar in front of large audiences to the music I was listening to. I loved the fantasy of being the center of attention and having everyone dancing and singing along with me, I guess it all stems from the lack of attention I didn't get growing up. It wasn't till I was 9 years old when I received my first guitar. Actually my sister got it for Christmas 74,but it didn't take her long to become frustrated and bored, and since I picked it up more than she did it was only right to pass it on to me. My parents couldn't afford lessons so my dad bought me a couple of instruction books, which helped, but for the most part I taught myself by listening to a song and picking out each note 1 by 1. It was a tedious process but if I had to do it again I wouldn't change a thing. Unfortunately the dysfunction in my family was brought on by the separation and divorce of my parents and my dad moved out. I was so devastated because my dad was the stable parent in the family and it was very hard to comprehend what was happening, so I would lock myself in my room and escape by playing my guitar for hours on end. One day my oldest sister asked my mom if it would be alright to take me to go see KISS in concert because she thought I would enjoy it and it would help me get out of the somber mood I was always in. It took a while to convince her but finally she agreed and I was off to my first concert. It was the Love Gun Tour 1977 when they were at the top of their game and it was incredible. I have never seen a concert before and I was completely blown away by the whole experience. I was a die hard KISS fan for years after that and I wanted to be Ace Frehely. I bought every album, I had every poster on my wall, trading cards, magazines, action figures, you name it, I had it and it drove my dad crazy. Two years pasted and I finally got into my first band. Bad Influence was the name, and to say we sucked was an understatement. My first gig was at a bar in the heart of Fall River's murder district on a Sunday night. The patrons were buying drinks with food stamps and the place reeked of vomit from the previous nights festivities. I was only 14 and I knew I wasn't going to make any money that night but the experience would be more valuable to me at that point in my career. Years went by and so did the bands. When I think of all the silly names we had I'm almost embarrassed to bring them up, but what the hell? Bad Influence, Galaxy, The Videos, Lyx, Truce, Free Fall, Mirror Mirror, Spitfire, Crying Out Loud, Outnumbered, Push Comes To Shove, Nobody's Business.
I've learned a lot in each band and got my share of lumps (hypothetically speaking). But it wasn't until the winter of 95 that our agent wanted to take the existing members of the band I was already in which consisted of myself, Rick, Stan, and a keyboard player. We weren't happy with the situation we were in so we were open for anything new. The agent came up with the idea of getting a female singer named Kim, (whom I worked with in a previous band), and start a new band with a new attitude. There was something missing though. It was Steve, I wanted to get Steve in the band because I knew it would be a project where he could shine and besides I worked with Steve in the past and it was always a pleasure so we fired the keyboard player and hired Steve. After we got all the musicians together we had a meeting with the agent to iron out the details and come up with a name. Our agent came up with a few ideas for a name for the band and having to come up with yet another name for another band was something I was not looking forward to so his ideas were welcome with open arms. The 3 names were Noon Moon, Zippo Deluxe, and Wicked Peach. We liked Wicked Peach and decided to go full force. It took a little while for the band to get started but as soon as we gained momentum we finally started to build a following (thanks to you)!.
It's been 6 years now and we're on our 5th singer but I still feel the hunger I felt the first time I heard my dad play guitar and thanks to our following we don't plan on quitting for a long time.
Lead Guitarist
I started playing guitar at age 4 and never stopped. I spent countless hours very young listening to The Beatles, and Eagles albums, learning vocal and guitar arrangements. My passion for rock music was sparked by Led Zeppelin II and from there I honed my chops and initiated my first band back in high school. We played covers & originals but also gigged locally including New London’s El n’ G club. I had two original projects in the 90’s. Heavy Metal band Cry Havoc and rock/funk/ hip hop/reggae band Kill at Will (KAW)/Furious Styles. We had the privilege of opening up for Maceo Parker (James Brown band) as well as Quiet Riot and The Spin Doctors. While playing in New York City with KAW (CBGB’s, Bitter End, Red Lion, Club Indigo, The Continental,) we had the opportunity to catch the attention of producer Simon Townsend as well as Kamal of Jerky Boys fame where we collaborated in putting out our first self tilted album. After countless hours of traveling, recording, rehearsing, and showcasing for Record Industry people I decided to leave KAW in 1996 and took a hiatus before landing the lead guitarist position with the Sugar Daddy Band in 2001. While in The Sugar Daddy Band we enjoyed local success throughout Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts. Playing such venues as the Wolf Den and at Mohegan Sun Casino, Harris Casino- Atlantic City NJ , Yellow Kittens-Block Island, and Esker Point Beach Concerts, Jonathan Edwards Winery-in Southeastern Connecticut just to name a few.
In 2007 I joined Wicked Peach and I am back playing Rock and enjoying every minute of it. Wicked Peach continues to be one of New England’s BEST Rock cover bands and delivers a high energy “Rock Show” to packed crowds throughout Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Southeastern Connecticut.
My influences include: Martin Sexton, Jimi Hendrix, Yngwie Malmsteen, Stevie Ray Vaughn, The Black Crowes, Neal Vituallo of Young Neil and The Vipers, Joni Mitchell, The Beatles, Richie Blackmore, Shawn Mullins, Jimmy Page, Paul Gilbert, Racer X, The Foo Fighters, Dream Theater, Wes Montgomery, Ottmar Liebert, The Eagles, America, Loudness, John Coltrane, Joe Pass, Ed Bagley Jr (GO GREEN), Chris Duarte, Walter Trout, Buddy Guy, The Weather Channel, Van Halen and Vintage Hawaiian Music.
My gear includes: Vintage Fender Stratocasters and Vintage Fender Amplifiers, Engl preamps & power amps, Naylor heads and Cabinets, Gries Ampflication, Tom Anderson guitars, Gibson Advanced Jumbo Acoustics, Segal electric/acoustic, George L cables, Dimarzio Pickups, Lindy Fralin Pickups, LR Baggs Acoustic pickups and direct boxes, Fulltone, Menatone, and Analog Man pedals, Pedal Train Pedal Boards, Voodoo Lab Pedal Power, Fender Heavy Picks, and 11 gauge strings.
(I am also powered by Ricola Cough Drops, Red Bull Energy Drinks, Patron Tequila, Corona Beer, Cannon Digital Cameras, Converse Sneakers, Apple iPod, Soilo Solar Chargers, Sigg Water Bottles, Toyota cars, Organic Produce and Tiki Farm Tiki Mugs).
Yes I am looking for endorsements!!!!!!
Bassist
I started getting into music when I was around thirteen years old. I started listening to whatever my sisters were listening to at the time (bands like Edgar Winter, Emerson, Lake and Palmer, and Steely Dan). My first real influence was probably Led Zeppelin. After hearing Zeppelin, I wanted to be a drummer, but my family was poor (so poor we couldn't pay attention) so I couldn't buy a drum set. When I was fifteen, I saved up enough money to buy a bass guitar and an amp. I just farted around learning bits and pieces of songs and drove my parents crazy. Then I wanted to get into a more serious mode, so I found a teacher who had attended Berkley college of music. He was an awesome guitarist and he taught me music theory and composition. After three years of lessons, I wanted to start playing with a band. At first I started out playing in a small jazz ensemble with a few friends and my teacher. We did a lot of different stuff like bossa novas, be-bop, straight ahead jazz, and some Frank Zappa thrown in for fun. But I wanted to rock, so I jumped from one band to another giving me a chance to experience different styles. My first playing-out band was called Vyper. We only gigged twice, then I quit to join Park City which never played out. Some band mates and I formed a new band called Stone King and I started to work a lot playing four nights a week. I auditioned for the band Outnumbered and got the gig, I had to learn thirty-five songs in three days. This is where I befriended Ernesto (Ernie-W.P. guitarist) who I actually met a couple of times at the Laundromat we both frequented. Outnumbered broke up, so the keyboardist, Ernie and I formed a band with a strange stinky drummer who was raised by wolves. His pack called him Rick (with a silent "P"), I was elected to paper-train him. At first it was hard to get him to stop licking his private parts in public and sniffing people's crotches, but it's amazing what a rolled up newspaper and the threat of being neutered will do for one's social graces. After a year in that band, Nobody's Business, we decided to put that sick dog to rest like old yeller. We axed the keyboardist and formed a new band. We took aboard a feisty female vocalist named Kim, and a hairy, but gentle guitarist named Steven (whose chest and back hair had to be groomed and occasionally gelled). This was the beginning of Wicked Peach.