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The Band • Elese • Stephen • Nick • Jay

It was a late fall day when a little kid from RI was trying to decide between getting an electric guitar or a bright shiny red Casio key-tar for Christmas. The 80’s were a strange time for music and the MTV videos of the day were filled with happy synth and pop acts. Surely he thought the key-tar would bring instant success. After all, he saw these “musical heroes” jumping around having a great time on TV and thought “How hard could it be?” After several weeks of debating on which instrument to get he finally made his decision. On Christmas morning he opened up his gift and there it was a brand new, bright shiny red…..guitar. A cheap Harmony 2 single coil pick up. But to him it was the greatest gift ever. And on that day musical history was made. Well, at least he didn’t get that Casio key-tar which was soon banned to the public for its ridiculous concept. From that day on, Stephen spent as much time with that Harmony guitar as he could. It wasn’t until 6 months of making random noises with it that he actually learned how to tune a guitar. “I thought the tuning keys just lined up straight and looked pretty. I had no idea the strings had to be tuned to a certain pitch!” He briefly took some lessons and learned a simple 12 bar blues pattern and blues scale. After that he learned as much as he could on his own. Taking out library books on music theory and listening to songs over and over again, learning them by ear. Stephen went thru a phase of trying to be technically proficient at guitar. Playing as fast and clean as he possibly could. Over the years he started listening to bands like Jane's Addiction, My Bloody Valentine, The Cure, and The Smiths. He shifted his focus from being technical and fast to using the guitar as more of a subtle and textural element. Using multiple effects for ambience and creating moods rather than just playing blazing solos. “I kind of see music and especially guitar playing as more like paint and colors. I’ll try to think of a part of a song and a certain color and what sound would make up that color. Whether it be using a certain effect pedal or using everyday stuff like a Taco Bell “Spork” or house fan. It sounds weird and it’s hard to explain but basically, when I hear something, I associate a color with it.” Stephen’s obsession for weird sounds and pedals is only rivaled for his obsession of pancakes. He is constantly looking for an obscure or odd sounding effect to add to his already extensive pedal collection. “I definitely have a pedal fetish. I am constantly trying to look for something that will make that particular sound or color I am looking for. Even if it is just for one note in one song.” • Influences       J. Mascis       Kevin Shields       Dave Navarro       George Lynch       Jeff Buckley       Robert Smith       The Edge       Django Reinhardt       Jimi Hendrix       Eddie Van Halen       Johnny Ramone • Equipment       Fender Guitars       Gretsch Guitars       D'Addario Strings       Boss Pedals       Electro Harmonix Pedals       MXR Pedals       Fender Pedals       Genz Benz Cabinets       Seymour Duncan Pickups