Born February 12, 1968 in Holland, the first musical activity was playing piano, and the first attraction to bass came by hearing Bruce Foxton pounding out a heavy motown/soul groove in 'Town called Malice' with The Jam in the mid 80's. Around the same time Paul Young's version of "Whereever I Lay My Hat with Pino Palladino on a fretless bass was played on the radio which started a quest for that amazing sound. When finally able to buy the first (plywood short scale) bass, and no clue of tunings, the musical carrier could take off, and pretty soon the first bands just had to be formed.

In the early 90's getting even more inspired after hearing Larry Graham, Jeff Berlin, ‘Saint’ James Jamerson, and Les Claypool the interest in the possibilities of bass led to a study at the Hilversum Conservatory Holland, where also the acoustic double bass had to be conquered.

After living in the South of France for a while, live & studio jobs came in more frequently from many different bands, and made it possible to make a living out performing & recording as a freelance bass player from 1995 on.

Some events since then: live shows for Dutch & German radio & television, recording/touring with the John Hayes Project, Rich Wyman Band, Sue Chaloner Soul Train, Jessie Galante, Wolf Mail, Arsen Shomakov, Ted Oberg, Cees Meerman, Coen Wolters Band, and teaming up in many interesting bands & different styles of music with Dutch superdrummers like Rene Creemers, Hans Eijkenaar, Nico Groen, Jusso Whistler, Rob Snijders, Ramon Rambeaux, Alex Steier and Niko Sarran(F).

Musical aspiration: combining tone + groove + soul to create deep moving sounds/songs in jams and/or recordings.

www.michelmulder.com

Alex Steier (drums)

Alex Steier, man of the world, currently lives in Arnhem, the Netherlands but started his life in 1976 in the town of Tschirtschik in Uzbekistan. According to his family he entered the world with two sticks and a drum in his hands. He can't remember any of that but does have very vivid memories of drumming along with Metallica and Primus videos on cushions and chairs. Of course he also remembers his first drum kit and the frustration of not being able to play it due to very thin walls and oversensitive next-door neighbors. At the age of twelve he and his family moved to Germany where he formed his first band, playing and rehearsing at the local youth center. After playing in a couple of bands he formed the band Nutshell. Nutshell turned out to be highly successful and in 1996 won the prize for best new band in Germany. Nutshell supported Garbage and Die Toten Hosen, played Bizarre and other festivals and toured extensively throughout Europe.

After a couple of very interesting jobs, varying from being a car mechanic to a construction worker, Alex decided that it was time to take things a step further and become a professional musician. He applied to study at the Conservatory of Arnhem, and even though he never had a single drum-lesson in his life, got admitted. At the Conservatory he not only studied percussion with Joop van Erven en Rene Creemers, but also studied studio technology. Currently Alex plays in a wild bunch of bands, easily switching between pop, disco, blues, rock and cover bands, and also collaborates with various DJ's. Besides playing in the biggest clubs of Europe and northern Africa, he also has a thriving teaching practice, owns his own recording studio in Arnhem and regularly works as a producer and sound engineer for various bands and theater groups.

His inspiration mainly comes from people like Steve Gadd, Wim de Vries, Rene Creemers, Hans Eijkenaar and bands like Dream Theater, King Crimson, ZZ Top and of course Porcupine Tree, with his favorite drummer, Gavin Harrison. Since the end of 2009 Alex is a member of Tony's band, which he experiences as a very rewarding and inspirational journey.