MotorMouthMusic

Getting in front of a microphone wasn’t easy for me.I was an incredibly awkward and shy kid growing up. So my first rock performances at the age of 19 or so were nothing less than terrifying. But over the years I’ve really had a chance to hone my art form and explore my abilities as a vocalist.

I’ve had the honor and pleasure to 

have played with and opened up for bands such as Blue Oyster Cult, Rick Derringer, and The Outlaws. Over the years I’ve fronted several bands..both cover and original and have played with some really terrific players…most of whom I still consider friends. I’ve probably done a couple hundred shows over that time and played just about every bar in the tri state area at one time or another but I’ve never enjoyed music more than now.

My vocal influences are Robert Plant, Sting, Geddy Lee, and Chris Cornell. I grew up listening to the haunting wails of Robert Plant and there is no greater honor than to get on a stage today to perform the music of Led Zeppelin. By far my favorite band.I prefer to use a wireless microphone. Most bands have an invisible line that no one crosses. I removed that line early in my performances and love bringing the show out into the audience. You people are my family. You are the reason I am here. And anything I can do to make you part of the show creates a great night in my book!!  Contact:  deepstblue@aol.com

GUITARIST:  Jim

It was the summer of 1984, in Greece, where I was introduced to the incredible guitar sound of Eddie Van Halen and the world of rock by my cousin John. The intro to Panama hooked me. Van Halen I sucked me in forever. Prior to that all I knew was the pop crap that was played on Z100.

I picked up the guitar in ’87 and bought my first Kramer electric with my paper route money. I never took a lesson. I used my ears, guitar player magazines, and

 Van Halen’s Live Without a Net to cop EVH riffs and licks. EVH made playing the guitar look like so much fun and cool to do.

It wasn’t until college, and the death of Stevie Ray Vaughn, that I picked up my second main influence. He squeezed everything he could out of his Strat and played with such feeling and soul. His style of aggressive, sizzling, Texas blues and distinctive tone put him right up there with EVH.

Through the years I’ve played with nobody famous but some really good players nonetheless in cover bands and doing originals. Just like EVH I like to tinker with my instruments and equipment. My main guitars were built and customized by me. I love Strat bodied guitars, Seymour Duncan pickups, Floyd Rose bridges, Marshall amps, and Celestion speakers. My rig is a Marshall 6100 30^th anniversary from 1993 plugged into a 4×12 with Celestion G12M-25 and G12H-30 speakers. I use a Rocktron Intellifex for digital delay, vintage MXR Flanger and Phase 90 from ’81, MXR Microamp, TS-808 reissue, Boss GE-7, Analogman Chorus, and Robert Keeley compressor. All effects changes are controlled through MIDI controlled GroundControl.  Contact:  alexiouj@hotmail.com

On a final note. Don’t listen to music. Feel it.

 

Mike: aka Big Country

BASS GUITAR:  Mike: aka Big Country

I started playing guitar in the 6th grade but had to switch to bass guitar because my fingers got too big.

My influences are Geddy Lee, John Paul Jones, Cliff Burton and Steve Harris. My favorite bands are Rush, Slayer, Metallica, Maiden, Megadeth, Kiss, as well as a whole shitload of others.

My gear consist of two fender jazz basses a 4003 rickenbacker (Ricky) and a schecter neck through diamond series. My amp is a mesa boogie with a 600 watt head and I use a sans amp DI pedal along with some other stuff.   Contact:  Cope4me1822@yahoo.com