SEEKING
Band to Join, Accordion, Acoustic Guitar, Background Singer, Bagpipes, Banjo, Bass Guitar, Cello, Clarinet, DJ, Dobro, Drums, Electronic Music, Fiddle, Flute, Harmonica, Harp, Keyboard, Lead Guitar, Mandolin, Other, Other Percussion, Piano, Rhythm Guitar, Saxophone, Steel guitar, Trombone, Trumpet, Ukulele, Upright bass, Violin, Vocalist, Vocalist - Alto, Vocalist - Baritone, Vocalist - Bass, Vocalist - Soprano, Vocalist - Tenor.ABOUT
I have played lead guitar, woodwinds, keyboards, bass and drums in many successful gigging bands. I have a Billy Payne (Little Feat), Leon Russell, Floyd Cramer (Country/Southern Rock) and Classical/Jazz style on piano and a funky "old school" blues/ jazz (and Kansas/Yes classical) style on organ. I sync-up tightly in the background with the drummer and bass player and play piano and organ leads with the speed and intensity of a good lead guitarist. I grew up woodshedding, playing the sax leads of the Rolling Stones, Traffic, Joe Cocker, Edgar Winter, Pink Floyd and Bob Seger, so I sound like Bobby Keys, Chris Wood, Edgar Winter, Dick Parry and Alto Reed on the Classic Rock albums of the 70's and 80's. I have always been a big fan of the sound and playing styles of Johnny Winter, Thin Lizzy, ZZ Top and Michael Schenker (UFO), so my lead guitar style and playing sound is a combination of all of them. I am fine as guitar player to play a secondary role (and jump back and forth between guitar and keyboards and sax) as needed to make the band sound best. I can quickly (on the fly) figure out and play most things I want to play with equal proficiency on guitar, sax or keyboards.
I don't financially "need" to play, but am good and enjoy the satisfaction of playing with friends of good character. Thanks to COVID, many friends that I used to play with have quit playing. Others needed to form a good band now live over an hour away, so I would prefer to join an established band with a strong lead vocalist, that plays fairly complicated album rock (not 3 chord top 40) no more than three times a month and is interested in a utility musician to add versatility and bottom end to their band.
- Screen name:
- robert1614173
- Member since:
- May 03 2022
- Active within 24 hours
- Level of commitment:
- Committed
- Years playing music:
- 55
- Gigs played:
- Over 100
- Tend to practice:
- 2-3 times per week
- Available to gig:
- 1 night a week
- Most available:
- Days
Influences
I have played in many bands in multiple states; have been performing sax on stage since 1966 and lead guitar, keyboards and sax in gigging bands since 1970. I have also played bass and drums in bands. I was originally a music major in college on saxophone scholarship and improvise and sight read music extremely well. I played for a number of world famous celebrities in a night club jazz orchestra, played keyboards in a "note for note" Allman Brothers Band, played sax in an 8-piece "Chicago/Blood, Sweat and Tears" horn band; played lead guitar, keyboards, sax, flute, bass and drums in various classic rock, hard rock, blues, western swing and country music cover bands for many decades. I made a living of it all in the 70's and early 80's and played under the arch in a popular St. Louis area band that backed up Elton John in 1981. Because of my career, playing out became a part time thing over the last four decades. Currently, I am a retired (as of 2019) Boeing Lead Electrical Engineer, who still repairs guitar amps and music gear on the side.
Instrument experience:
- Piano:
- Expert
- Rhythm Guitar:
- Expert
- Keyboard:
- Expert
- Background Singer:
- Advanced
- Lead Guitar:
- Advanced
- Acoustic Guitar:
- Advanced
- Bass Guitar:
- Advanced
- Saxophone:
- Advanced
- Vocalist - Baritone:
- Moderate
- Flute:
- Intermediate
EQUIPMENT
I play a Roland RD700nx digital Stage Piano, a much lighter Yamaha P125 digital Stage Piano and a very portable Casio PX-S3000 digital Stage Piano, which all sound great; also, I play a Hammond XK3 organ and eight midi synth keyboard rigs powered through a pair of mechanical Leslies, Ventilator Leslie pedals and multiple keyboard amps as needed. I play an early 80's Gibson Designer Explorer, an early 2000's Gibson Firebird V and a couple of older Fender Stratocasters through a classic Peavey 6505 head and a modified Peavey Windsor head into Marshall celestion cabinets; a Peavey 6505+ combo amp, a vintage Fender Vibrolux combo amp, an Avid Eleven Rack, a Boss GT-10 pedal board and numerous high end distortion and effect pedals as needed. I own and play three vintage professional Conn, Buescher and Buffet Tenor saxes and three vintage professional Buescher and Conn Alto saxes, a Soprano sax and two flutes as needed. I also own a blonde Fender Jazz bass (nice copy) with loud Peavey and Acoustic bass combo amps; and a white vintage 80's set of Pearl Export drums. In addition to my portable "flying" active and passive PA cabinets, I still also own a large amount of professional sound reinforcement equipment (including enough power amp racks and cabinets to play a good sized arena).
