I’ve been involved with music my whole life as my ear for music was nurtured by my parents, particularly my father, who was an avid jazz enthusiast. But on my own, I was also hopelessly enamored with the rock-n-roll music that was getting airplay. From the seeds of this upbringing, I grew to teach myself the bass, the guitar, and the piano, but the bass was in my blood and it became my favored instrument by age 14. From the beginning I’ve been successful at bringing the bass guitar to the front of the stage as a lead instrument by incorporating the speed, complexity, and melodic improvisation of jazz into rock music. Among the many original bands I’ve played with, some notable entries include Krankin’, Polar, No Comment, Trips’s Society, Sons of God, and Prayground. Among some of the the cover bands were Thunder Sound, Nitro, The Parlour Dogs, Snake Oil, and SRP. I’ve also done numerous sessions and studio work for a plethora of Detroit’s jazz, fusion, and rock artists.
My love for rock never waned, and I’ve always been on the lookout for a new rock project with a talented group of guys that are willing to continuously improve toward creating a product that is above the commonplace, that is, extraordinary. I became involved with John, Joe, and Andy a few years ago after responding to a post in a local on-line periodical. My abilities on the bass guitar and my knowledge of composition, theory, and musical directing were a perfect fit for the band. With the defining bass lines, crisp guitars, tight percussion and emotive vocals, we’ve taken this band to a level that’s unique, innovative, and beyond anything else that’s in the club scene. We’ve evolved into the tight, diverse, and energetic entity that is… Maximum Impact!
I’ve always had a love for music, but I couldn’t play a musical instrument. In time I discovered that I had an instrument; my voice.
My goal of being in a cover band is to have fun, but I can’t lie. When people clap and yell and sing along the fun reaches another level. I’ve been a singer with current lineup for three years now, and we all continue to push our capabilities. As a band, we try to grab the present and embrace the past.
The songs we perform rock, and were written for all to enjoy, including ourselves. Our set list includes hits from the 60s, 70s, 80, 90s, and 2000s, and we have fun doing it.
My rock influences are numerous, but some of the rock singers and their styles that have had an impact on me are:
Half of being a good cover band is playing great songs that rock. The other half is being good at it and enjoying every minute of it, and we strive for both.
The first time I saw a drum kit, it was at my friends house in Detroit at the age of seven. It was his older brothers ’65 Rogers 4-piece set, and it eventually ended up in my possession. After getting together with some other friends we started learning the Beatles and other artists tunes from the era. It was then that I knew that I wanted to learn more, and I opted for drum lessons from a place called Doc’s Drum Center. Doc was a jazz musician, but his partner Ray would give me lessons downstairs at the store until I was 14. Those lessons were the base, because Ray would teach the different rock beats of real Rock-n-Rollers.
The music that influenced me the most was the Beatles, but also the Monkees, Led Zeppelin, ZZ Top, Alice Cooper, Pink Floyd, Who, Uriah Heep, Black Sabbath, Rolling Stones, Traffic, Cream, Deep Purple, Allman Brothers, and so many more.
My first band was a cover band called Uneasy Piece. We played hall parties, graduations, and even went all the way to Traverse City to play at a military base there. Years went by and in the late 70’s I started an all original band called Cadillac Kidz. The band was very talented, but it turned out it wasn’t my scene.
Years went by and finally a friend asked me to come to my guitarist’s home for an audition. I guess I passed. The Benjamin Lake Band would let me join in on the fun, and we played at local bars and parties for about 2 years. Myself and the two guitarists from that band, Andy and Mike moved on the form this band. We brought in John on vocals, and the final addition was Tom Cat as our bassist for a really, really great band. Maximum Impact is the best band ever, and I’m proud to be a part of the experience. I know once you see us you’ll be saying… “This band really rocks!”
My biggest influence is Blues Rock. Some music I love to listen to is Steely Dan, Chic Corea, Frank Zappa, among others. My favorite guitarists are Alvin Lee, Eric Clapton, Carlos Santana, Jeff Beck, Al DeMeola, with the number one going to Alvin.
I’ve been playing in bands since my college days and never really took a break. One of the bands from those days was Easy Access. After some time I moved on to the project Benjamin Lake; we did almost all originals and released a CD – American Life, for which I was involved with the writing and producing. That band also did some classic rock covers, but of the softer variety.
Mike, Joe, and myself decided to move on to pursue playing better. or at least more desirable material, and we formed Maximum Impact. John at the time was doing back ups, but developed into a primary vocalist. We found Tom Cat as our bassist to complete and balance the band.
We use cookies to analyze website traffic and optimize your website experience. By accepting our use of cookies, your data will be aggregated with all other user data.