Groundwave

Casey has been singing in church and school since childhood. Before he could afford his own music, he wore out his dad's records of classic rock and his sister's tapes of hair bands. His vocal influences include Ozzy Osbourne, Ben Harper, Jack White, Axl Rose, and Chris Cornell.

I was raised in the California Bay Area on British Invasion music and the sounds of San Francisco bands of the early 70s. As a child, I dabbled in acoustic guitar, having been inspired and given informal lessons by family friend and Vietnam Veteran, Lee "Rusty" Raymond. My journey into rock and roll kicked into gear on Christmas Eve of 1985 when my mother got me my first electric guitar - a metallic red Kramer Striker Mod-V. With its long and pointed protrusions, the Kramer was equally as dangerous physically as it was an instrument of rock. Soon after, in a faithful display of rock n roll spirit, I smashed my nearly unplayable junior steel-string acoustic guitar to pieces in the family fireplace, fired up the gas, and watched it burn to ash. Fast forward through infatuations with hair bands and prog rock as I played in high school and college bands, a 4-year patch when I stopped playing guitar, my world music lead guitar club band days, and a 15-year hiatus from guitar while focused on playing bass in the blues-rock band, Strictly for Kicks – I rediscovered my passion for rock and roll guitar as the lead guitarist for the Sacramento band, Groundwave.

Gary got his first drum kit around age 8 after destroying his mother’s pots and pans. In high school, while his contemporaries were listening to New Wave, he was listening to his father’s record collection that included Bob Dylan, Hot Tuna, and Simon & Garfunkel. Until now, Gary has played in predominantly alternative rock bands. His drum god idols include John Bonham, Stewart Copeland, Mick Fleetwood, and Keith Moon.

RICK RAPALEE - BASS GUITAR 

As far back as I can remember, music has always been a part of my life.  Both my father and grandfather played music and I am pretty sure I was destined to do the same.  As a very young child, I was always walking around singing whatever music my dad had playing in the car or around the house.  I began playing music in eighth grade by picking up the alto saxophone.  As I played, I continued to find new styles, instruments, and genres that interested me in different ways.  Within the next few years, I picked up a couple more woodwinds, but I also began picking up percussion as well.  My musical tastes were also changing to predominantly Rock, but several variations of it. Then came that fateful day that a buddy of mine had just bought several instruments so that he could do some recording.  He allowed me to pick up his bass, and that was all she wrote for me.  There were times in my life that my playing had to wane due to other interests or demands on my time, but it seems as though it has always been that mistress waiting for me to return.  Rock still remains the primary style I enjoy playing and listening to with my primary influence being Rush, Led Zepplin, and any 80’s hair band that you can think of.