7/3/2007

Blisstrz Bio

In 1991, Bill Tierney and Chris Franzen met at Bill’s house for a cup of coffee and some conversation.  Soon, this dialogue revealed that they each shared an interest in playing Rock and Roll music.  Bill told Chris that he had written some songs and Chris asked if he could hear one or two.  Bill pulled out his old 1974 Yamaha TG-160 acoustic (still his favorite guitar) and began playing and singing, “Everything comes down” which he had just recently written.  As Chris was listening, he began to keep time on a coffee can that he found nearby.  Chris had captured exactly the feel of Bill’s sound.  Bill suggested that they do some serious jamming and they decided to include their mutual friend, bass player Ron Green.  Ron had a second floor studio where he operated his business in downtown Spokane, Washington.  At the front of the studio with a window over Riverside Avenue, was an area specifically dedicated to playing music.  Chris set up his drums and the 3 musicians formed “Aardvark”.

Bill’s musical influence originated as a child at home in his Catholic family of 5 sisters and a brother.  Bill’s dad (also Bill) was a self taught guitar player, song writer and singer.  When Bill was 10 years old, his parents gave him a Sears Silvertone guitar and he taught himself to play, spending hours in his bedroom with his beloved guitar.  Eventually, he taught the rest of the family to play.  Bill’s parents enjoyed listening to Johnny Cash and Hank Williams while his older sister played her Beattles records repeatedly throughout the day and night.   The explosion of music during the 60’s and 70’s heavily effected Bill’s ear and preferences.  He had his first band experience in 1981 when, while working at a grocery store in Kalispell, MT, he was approached by the store baker.  The baker knew that Bill played guitar and sang.  The lead guitarist and singer had been thrown in jail and they needed a replacement in their country and western band “Sourdough” playing at the Moose Lodge.  Bill wanted no part of this until he was told that he would be paid $50 and all the booze he could drink.  Bill could drink a lot of booze.  Bill has been married twice and is presently happily single.  He lives with his 14 year old daughter, Taylor who will be attending Shadle High School next year in Spokane.  He also has a 28 year old daughter, Sarah, a 27 year old son, Billy and a 26 year old son, Dillon.  Sarah has provided Bill with 2 wonderful granddaughters, Alexa and Natalie, ages 9 and 7.

Ron Green had his musical beginnings in the mid 60’s when, in high school, he  formed a band called the “Nailbenders”. This high school garage band played local slab dances (bands would set up on city park tennis courts) and local venues in Spokane & Coeur d'Alene ID. "Arriving late, we practically closed a club in Trail, B.C.!" Claiming to play for "parties, concerts and orgies", one big nite playing at the grand old Fox Theater disaster struck when the 50' curtains opened- removing all the P.A. gear, mikes & stands, and the lead singer into the orchestra pit! 

Ron,  having seen the Beatles in Seattle (1964) was also Influenced by the Byrds, Eric Burdon and the Animals, the Kinks, Stones, and the British Blues Invasion. Ron also loved songs from Pacific Northwest & Seattle influence- pre grunge bands: Sonics, N.W Wailers, Marilee Rush, Paul Revere, Don and the Goodtimes etc. "God I think I listened to everything and most styles". 

Before high school ended, the Nailbenders fell apart when the groups keyboardist was sent off to a private boarding school, having been caught by the family housekeeper in an act of indiscretion with his girlfriend.

After playing with a seemingly endless number of dead-end  local groups at least once, and living in rock & roll night clubs- Ron in the 80's and 90's played bass with RiverTalk, (folk) Aardvark (country rock) Mickey Rat, (a power rock trio) and Blues Fuse with the late Joe Johansen- (blues fusion). He has also worked with Steven Simmons, Eric Rice, Lindell Reason, Fiddli'n Al, and other various local hippies, liberals, artists and rock-stars. 

Powered by Ampeg and playing vintage Gibson and Guild  basses, Ron’s musical history has had a heavy influence on the song selection and sound of the Blisstrz.  Bass player, wooden boat restorationist, artist and craftsman, Local 93 stage crew, audio geek, dad and dog lover- He is married to Mary Ellen who once told Ron that "she would not wish to be married to a man who would play bass for any band called: 'Kammel Toe'".….

Eventually, drummer Chris moved on, leaving Bill and Ron drummerless and Aardvark was no more.  A few months later, Ron and Bill put together another band.  Ron asked his friend John Wold to join on keyboards.  Finding a good drummer who wasn’t already working proved to be difficult.  Andy Jessberger drummed for a while.  After family obligations and work took precedence for Andy, a new name for the band was adopted over sandwiches at Domini’s sandwich shop in downtown Spokane.  Bill, John and Ron decided on the name, “Blisstrz” which seemed sufficiently self effacing while accurately portraying the results of their efforts to move from self amusement to determined improvement in the quality and the sound that they produced.  Ron was able to get Dave Reynolds, a professional drummer to play with the group for a few months before he moved on to join Wiley and the Wild West Show touring Japan.  This seemed to be the end of the Blisstrz.

But the Blisstrz re-formed  in 2005 when Bill and Ron began playing together again with a group of mutually old and out of shape local dudes near Mount Spokane who played old time Rock and Roll songs from the 60s and 70s.  Bill and Ron were joined by Pete Lineberger, a local attorney for one last jam with this mismatched group before personalities and musical preferences put an end to the party.

Like Bill, Pete learned a love of music as a kid, as his mother played the piano and his father sang off-key, off-color ballads, ditties and parodies.

He started playing acoustic guitar while sequestered in a New England boarding school with an unlikely assortment of bored but talented boys from New Mexico, Wyoming, Oregon, Montana and Chicago. Their trademark performances for the student body consisted of strumming and singing as loudly as possible in the fully-tiled dorm bathrooms with the windows wide opened, while the kids sat in the grass outside and savored the cacophony.   Senior year, 1965, they cut an LP of mostly original songs as "The Shenandoans." At his summer job on a dude ranch, he started singing solo around the campfire. This led to things like college coffee-house gigs and a first marriage - neither of which withstood the test of time.

After many lost years of practicing law, mountain climbing, fly fishing, and teaching his kids the love of music by amusing himself with his own interpretations of contemporary songs, Pete finally got a steady gig at his church. This made him practice in earnest, which led to his meetings with Bill and Ron in Spokane.

The formation and development of The Blisstrz has been the fulfillment of a dream for Pete: good music for fun and for free. His personal motto for the band is, "If it's no fun, I quit." A dedicated amateur, Pete nevertheless tries hard to help keep the rhythm going on the love-of-his-life possession, his Taylor 6-string acoustic, while crooning, shouting, and singing vocals outside of his natural range. He is blessed with an amazing wife, Connie, and three very hip daughters.

Despite the fracture of the Mount Spokane group, Bill, Ron and Pete wanted to continue to play.  Ron Sinnott, a friend of  Ron Green’s was asked next to join the mix.   

At the time Ron S. was deeply involved with his Irish roots and had been studying Celtic music for a number of years. Learned the mandolin, learned to read music, forgot how to jam and his guitar took second fiddle so to speak. But he really liked the idea knocking the web's and the rust off his trusty Gibson 330 guitar that some how survived his life and play with these guy's. Guitar muscles were weak but something about these guys that made him want to keep coming back for more. Rock & Roll was still in his blood somewhere and his wife was BEGGING him to find it. Playing music we all grew up on with our different and similar tastes and styles. MAGIC!!!!…..Ron’s musical history - Most recent, well actually 20 years ago a band called "The Brokers" was a near brush with success. If those kids just didn't drink so much............other near bushes, and always fun, "Stryker", "Memphis Reunion" and of course "The Mickey Mouse Club".

….Ron is married to the most wonderful and beautiful Janet. An artist, musician, best friend and superb wife….He will never finish loving her.

After a failed attempt with another drummer, Ron Sinnott brought in his friend, Troy Major into the group.

When Troy was a child his grandma got mad at him for beating on pots and pans.  He played bongos when he was 9 or 10 years old.   Troy liked to listen to Michael Jackson, Jazz, R&B, and the Supremes.   While in high school in Seattle he liked to listen to Rock and Roll.  Troy first played drums when he walked into a music store and tried out a set.   When he was in his mid 30s, Troy began playing drums with a friend who played bass.  Troy climbed behind the drum set and began to teach himself to play.  Eventually others began to join the jam sessions and they formed a full band, complete with guitar and singers.  He stopped playing in 1998 until he met a friend who had a drum set at home.  Troy bought a drum set and put it in his basement but soon became bored with playing alone.  Ron Sinnott asked him to come and audition with the Blisstrz who had just lost their drummer.  Troy has been a member of the Blisstrz since early 2005.  The more he plays, the more he learns, the better he gets and the better he sounds.  His Blisstrz nickname is “The Count”, a name earned with his steady, natural metronome.   Troy’s significant other Margaret.  She and Troy have been together since 2003.  Troy has 4 children; 3 girls and a boy.  Troy is happy to be considered a musician.

The most recent “Blisstrz to surface” is Roger B. Nelson, the band’s harmonica player.  A self-described “Wharf rat from the tideflats of Tacoma”, Roger started playing harp at the age of twelve while he was out by himself fishing.  31 years in radio broadcasting, (the first 15 on the air in Seattle), fostered a deep appreciation for the blues.  Married to a social worker, (which means he has a full-time therapist), and the father of three, Roger is a member of Mensa, has run 26 marathons, raises orchids and bangs his knuckles restoring an antique British sports car.  His musical highlights to date have included:

playing on stage in Aberdeen in a concert organized by Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic; chattin’ it up with two of his idols – Delbert McClinton and Bonnie Raitt and recording with the Blisstrz.  Roger keeps Hoffman Music in Spokane in business by “blowing up” at least one harp a month, which he pays for by running a group of seven radio stations owned by the KXLY Broadcast Group as Market Manager of Programming and Operations. 

What started out for the Blisstrz as playing music for the love of playing has evolved over time.  Local acquaintances have begun to request performances.  With some initial resistance from some of the band members, the Blisstrz have moved in the direction of a performance and dance band.  As the quality of sound has improved and quantity of music has increased, that resistance has been transformed into enthusiasm for improvement and excitement about opportunities to perform.  Sharing their music with appreciative audiences has proven to be both fulfilling and inspirational. 

Bill Tierney has written several originals which the band has recently begun to work on.  A recent session at College Road recording studio yielded Bill’s first professionally recorded original, “I Gotta be Free” which is currently enjoying airtime on Big Blue Radio (available online at www.audiocandy.com).

 The combined musical experiences of each of the band members has created a unique repertoire.  Songs are presented by individual band members and, if accepted unanimously are then “Blisstrized” with accents and flavors created in the evolving development of each song.  An insistence to play “tight” combined with a freedom to be creative produce the unique “Blisstrz” sound.  

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