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Members of Flannel Asparagus are... |
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Jim Moore: vocals, bass, percussion, computer whiz Jim’s parents tell the story about when he was a toddler bopping around the room in his walker whenever they played the song, "Papa Loves Mombo" by Perry Como. Some of his first influences were brought into the household by the TV show, "Hootenanny". There was always a piano and guitars in the house when he grew up so he began learning to play at an early age. Jim played electric guitar in garage bands in junior high and continued on playing into early adulthood. When he moved to Sacramento California, the music world suddenly opened up for him. He quit his day job and pursued playing music as a full-time career. He began playing bass in 1978 and performed professionally in various bands for almost 12 years. Some said he lived and breathed music and it ran in his veins. After several years of road work in the late 80's, he reconsidered his options. Jim quit the road band and got a day job back in Sacramento. He played music on the weekends with a local band. When his day job turned into a night job, he quit playing music for almost 10 years! ...a far cry from a life full of music! Jim went to computer tech school, got married and moved to Seattle. After a few music projects and bands in the Seattle area, Jim met Bob, Steve and Pete and joined Flannel Asparagus in 2008. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Rich Budinich: appearing with Flannel Asparagus when needed—drums and vocals Like most musicians of his age group, Rich's desire to play music all came together on a Sunday night in February of 1964, when he and 73 million other viewers watched The Beatles perform on The Ed Sullivan Show. Through his years playing drums, Rich has studied with local greats such as the legendary George Griffin (The Dave Lewis Combo; Ray Charles; Lionel Hampton; Jimmy Witherspoon; Jr. Walker and the All Stars; Etta James, and Sammy Davis, Jr.), studio session drummer and drum instruction author Gary Keeth, and the late great Keith Purvis. Rich's foundational training and his technical skills are very apparent in his playing, which is why he is highly sought for studio session work. |
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Pete Tomack: vocals, guitar, mandolin, harmonica, percussion Here it is – the year 2008 and acoustic music is alive and well in the Pacific Northwest. Pete has returned from parts unknown and is optimistic about the revival of the original music scene. Pete is connected to the music scene from years of playing a variety of music venues. He has performed everything from blues, folk, jazz, country and his own songs encompassing his own personal experiences, his dreams and aspirations. A true believer in living his music, like his song “Traveling Blood”, Pete has traveled to California, Arizona and his favorite state, Montana, where he continues to entertain folks with a variety of original music. Pete’s musical experience has enabled him to continue to provide entertainment with his original music to a variety of people, at venues including coffee shops, pubs, open mikes, college concerts and anywhere there are audiences who appreciate good original music. Pete met Steve Beck through a good friend a couple of years ago and Flannel Asparagus was unearthed. Spear on!!! ````````````````````
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Steve Beck: vocals, guitar, bass, percussion Rock and roll has certainly been Steve’s musical inspiration. ‘Meet the Beatle’s’ and the Beachboy’s ‘Surfin’ USA’ were the first two albums worn out on his folk’s stereo console. He learned to sing and play along to tunes on the record player. The various bands he has played with convey his since of style and humor. Bands he played in as a teenager were The Van Dykes, The Immaculate Conception and Red Herring. Later he was a member of The Family Jewels, (don’t ask), The Seclusions, Alter Ego, The Rulers (the band that measures up), Specks, The Twisters and Boomerang. Steve has also played in Nevada, Washington, Oregon and military bases in Hawaii, South Korea, the Philippians, Okinawa and Japan with the tribute band Pure Gold. Currently, Steve plays a variety of musical instruments, bass, guitar, keys and drums. Known as the “Deep Note” his tonal register is obvious as he works on original compositions of music and lyrics. His preference is acoustic guitar finger picking style with lyrical content encompassing abstract, reflective, humorous and heartfelt. He hooked up with Pete Tomack about two years ago and they like to let the ‘chips fall where they may’ as they enjoy the momentum of the ‘Flannel’ experience. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Bob Sparks: vocals, guitar, options Bob grew up in East St. Louis, Illinois with parents who were both musicians. He discovered that he had a true affinity for music when he took piano lessons at age 12. He received his first guitar as a gift when he was 16 and although he learned how to play and write, it was not until years later that he discovered his true calling with music. Bob eventually graduated from Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville, Illinois with a degree in music. His areas of performance were classical guitar and chorus. During the next 15 years Bob performed with various local bands around the St. Louis area, most notably the rhythm and blues band Rocket 88. He performed with the Sparks band with his sister Mary, who is an accomplished percussionist and hammered dulcimer musician currently recording in the Ashville, NC area. Fast forward to today; Bob has developed a renewed interest in music in general, and specifically with his own music. He currently plays lead guitar for the band Justyn Case and has found a home contributing his guitar expertise, vocal skills and original music to Flannel Asparagus. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ |
