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| (Sweet Pea) |
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Phil Stiers: Leader, Sop. Sax & Vocals. Leader !? Phil's unique sound on Soprano sax came from his early childhood of listning to the wail of steam Locomotives that passed through his town. Phil was elected leader because he had an excellent sound system and could count to 4. Phil also plays the other saxes, Alto, Tenor, Bass and is an accomplished soloist on Train Whistle, Triangle, Firebell & meaningless Mic monologue. His hobby is collecting sheet music with names that begin with "Hark". He has one so far.
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| (Buzzy) |
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Zane Woodworth: Trumpet, Flugel Horn & Vocals. Now here's the wildman of the band ! Former Trumpet player for Woody Herman, he can, on a high "E", break glass at 20 paces. Before Woody Herman, he spent several years following the winter cotton harvest in Minnesota. Zane acquired his great wealth by accumulating several tons of belly button lint from his fellow cotton pickers, which he uses in the manufacture of under arm deodorant pads. His business is thriving and plans to go public in the near future. He still collects lint and everyone in the band contributes once a week. Look for Zane's "Cotton Pickin' Pads" Coming soon to your local Wal Mart Store.
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| (Knuckles) |
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Jan Stiers: Piano & Arranger. Plays huge piano (about 6' tall) & constantly harasses the band about musical etiquette. She says "it is insensitive & an embarrassment to play a Major chord if the lyric is an adjective or verb. Major chords only on nouns & Major 7th on pro nouns". But what do we know, she's the arranger. Jan's musical background comes from 12 years at Julliard & 8 years as a prot'ege' of Miss Manners. Jan's 10 years with Professor Plum is conclusive evidence, having never made a chordal/grammatical error. Her 16 years of dedication to Gold Coast has really paid off, most of us shower & change clothes before a gig. She says we've made real progress!!
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| (Twang) |
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Jeff Green: Banjo,( Inventor of same), was born at the age of 2 on a small farm two blocks west of Wilshire Blvd. in Los Angeles CA. His first association with the sound of strings happened when at the age of 3 he fell off the back of an old time hay bailer & became entangled in a maze of bailing wire. The following 2 months were a turning point in his life. During the accident he was mesmerized by the twang of a tight piece of wire & was soon performing as Concert Master with the Los Angeles Symphony on an instrument of his invention he called a "Bailjo". At the age of 3 when he had learned fluent Swahili, he renamed it the "Bandjo", hence the contraction & current name, "Banjo". He left the Symphony after a month, having become frustrated with the tedium of bowing his "Bailjo". Later (much later !) we found Jeff wandering the L.A Interstate strumming his now, "Banjo" to the beat of big rig trucks punctuated with careening of out of control cars & rear end collisions. This background has prepared Jeff well for Dixieland music. He still becomes melancholy from the aroma of freshly bailed hay.
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| (Slick) |
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Bill Badstubner: Trombone, Vocals & Shotgun. Bill, a former Foreign Legion mercenary, began a musical career in the Legion. When it was noted he couldn't shoot straight with a rifle, they transfered him to the band and issued him a trombone. They were reasonably sure a well aimed trombone could kill at short range. On taking the trombone chair with Gold Coast, we have insisted he keep his instrument pointed down and away from the audience. On his first gig with Gold Coast, 3 people became slightly dizzy while unknowingly dancing directly in front of the bell of his horn. Bill's a great player from all those years in the Legion, though his dynamic range of stun and kill can be hazardous.
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| (Sweet Lips) |
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Candy Woodworth: Tuba, Vocals & Catchy phrases. Probably the most introverted of the group. We are sure she chose the tuba as it gives her something to hide behind. She rarely speaks during performance or rehearsals. There is sometimes an almost inaudible utterance of "Oh My!" if she makes one of her rare mistakes. She is such a great tuba player we all wonder if her quiet demeanor is because she is out of breath from huffing and puffing on the horn. Her insistence of walking 4 steps behind Zane, her husband, while carrying his trumpet, may be a hold over from her Quaker upbringing. Candy can on occasion be cajoled into having a beer with the band but insists it be made from the finest hops and grains from Pennsylvania farms.
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Alan Grisette: Drums, Washboard & Palmist. Prior to working with Gold Coast, Alan devoted most of his time to women's undergarments. An excellent drummer, it is a little known fact he is an award winning salesman, having worked his way up from stock boy to executive salesman in charge of women's flimsy underthings for the 99 Cent Store. His ability as a quick change artist, made him just the ticket to model these delicates in the confined space of the store aisle. The long hours and chaffing from the nylon flimsies caused him to give up the job of his dreams. The disappointment was so overwhelming he decided to take up drums to alleviate his depression. The way he handles those sticks is simply marvelous. His rhythm is smooth and delicate and the look on his face when a nice article of nylon walks by says it all. It is so intense having Alan work with the band.
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| Thumper |
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