Bruce |
| Bruce
Allen-Musical Bio
A native of Texas, Bruce grew up with the local sounds of Rocky Hill, Lightnin’ Hopkins, the Moving and 13th Floor Elevators. In his early years, the acoustic guitar was for learning and only a substitute until he could afford an electric. Only later did it become as much of a staple as the electric. He played for several years with Rex Bozarth (of Dallas based progressive rock band, Ten Hands) and with Philip White (from the Texas cult band Josefus). Bruce’s guitar heroes are predictably Clapton, Hendrix and Muddy Waters. Later day interests include Robben Ford, Stephen Stills, jazz great Pat Metheny and Tulsa guitar legend, Steve Pryor. After moving to Arkansas, Bruce sold his amps and bought a Martin, playing solo acoustic and with the vocal group Applewood in the early 1980’s. When he moved to Fayetteville in 1984, he started gigging solo acoustic and played frequently at the old Back 40, Jose’s, Coy's Place, Downstairs Club in Eureka Springs, Fairfield Bay and at various other venues in the state. When a sunburst Les Paul caught his eye in 85, he began rockin’ electrically again, founding the groups, Joss Jamel and later, Walter Ego with local songwriters Mike Bewley and Michael Lee Sloate. Since the mid 1990’s he has played with the group Blue Healin’, a rockin’ blues trio that has released the CD Bark and Roll in 2003. He joined Strange Heroes in 2001 and has had a decided influence on the degree of rockiness and bluesness of the band, which previously leaned more toward folkiness. With the Heroes Bruce Plays a: 2003 Fender American Stratocaster (sunburst) 1952 Martin 0-15 acoustic, 2002 Epiphone "Dot", 1964 Silvertone (Dan Electro). He Plays Through a: 1959 Fender Delux (Tweed) He uses various Boss and Alesis effects and a Hendrix Crybaby pedal. With the Heroes, Bruce plays with the Fender Delux facing him, so that it is still, "in his face", and not so much in yours.
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Guy |
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Guy King Ames, banjo player, singer, and songwriter for the Heroes, lists his musical influences as Spike Jones, Gabby Hayes, and Sacco & Vanzetti. We think he's kidding, but who knows? When he's not playing with the Heroes, Guy says he likes to launder dog sweaters and untwist pretzels. We're thinking that the brain damage might be related to the banjo playing, though it's hard to know which came first.
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Tim |
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Tim. Likes Playing the Drums
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Kirk |
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I was born in Jacksonville, Florida and grew up in Odessa, Texas where I was influenced to play guitar in the early years of R&R. I was always fascinatedwith the bass guitar and switched instruments when the band I was in went on the road and the bass player got cold feet and quit. We were on the road for 7 years and traveled all over the U.S. My last road trip was a 6 month tour with a troupe of New York theater actors, dancers and musicians performing the Who's Rock Opera "Tommy." Ted Neely (played Jesus in the movie "Jesus Christ Superstar") played the role of Tommy. With enough traveling to wear out a few cars and vans I settled in Southern California where I played with a lot of great musicians and was lucky to have had many House Gigs and was able to make a descent living just playing music. A giant magnet in the sky pulled me to Fayetteville, Arkansas where I've had the good fortune to start playing with singer songwriters, up to this point I had mostly played cover music. Out of playing with these songwriters the band Strange Heroes was formed. My philosophy for playing Bass is keep it simple. Find the groove and keep it smooth and solid. Listen to the other players and lock with the drummer. I like playing music that makes you want to get up and dance. I love the creativity and satisfaction that comes from playing original music.
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Jamie |
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1970 - Traveling in India I fell in love with hand drums. 1972 - At a drum circle at Renaissance Fair in Eugene Oregon Mickie Hart of the Grateful Dead said: " Listen, feel, if you can't hear every note & nuance that everyone else is playing your probably playing too loud, be sensitive."
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Mark |
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Mark was stolen by gypsy when he was a young child
they told him he would never play the harmonica because it would not
play gypsy music. So he hid it in a beer cozy to hide it from his
abductors. They found out and tried to take it away from him. He new
what he had to do go somewhere where the gypsy would never find him.
So Mark ran away to become an accountant but he still had to
hide his harp from all his fellow accountants they would tell
him it was not the proper thing to do they gave him small pocket
calculator. But nothing could take the place of his harp and so
to this day he still puts it in a beer cozy and dreaming of days
hiding from the gypsy and playing what he wanted, That was when he was
free and happy.
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