ameristos. musician. human.
I started playing piano at age five, lessons at six when I would play my older sister's lesson by ear. In grade five (approx. 9-10 years old), I started playing alto & tenor sax. By 14, I had my first guitar, left to me when my papaw passed away. In college, I studied and have a degree in guitar and jazz theory and continue learning anything I can today.
Over the years, I've added drums, clarinet, trumpet, banjo, mandolin, ukulele, upright bass and violin to the fold.
Check out the Blog for clips of recent ideas, my Past Projects below for more info and songs. Live videos can also be found in this area.
I adore scales and modes, but since I play in a lot of musical theater orchestra pit productions, my role isn't always to stand out. Ego kills talent. I am a piece of the puzzle, and each piece is different and unique, but also need the other pieces to become whole.
Make it Stand Out
Past Projects
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I hope to showcase some of my original music. I am manic at times with my originals, often moving onto the next before one gets completed. I have a lot of song ideas, love many different genres of music, and want to get my ideas down before they are gone. I'm not trying to become famous or get a record deal. I simply enjoy the creative process of playing / recording music. I play everything on each song unless noted.
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I played guitar in The Classics / Swing Shift / Bel-Airs / and bass for the Stardust Big Band, from approximately 2005-2008. These songs were recorded live around 2008, either at a show or in Jim's basement rehearsal space. Funny note: I left amicably, but have to laugh that they Photoshop'd me out of the below pic on their website.
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I played guitar in the cover band Hook'd from approximately 2010-2011. We were just getting going and I left for tours with Dragon Wagon. I really loved my time in this band. No egos. Great musicians. Fun!
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I played bass (electric, ukulele and upright) in DW from 2011-2013. We recorded one album, which was released July 13, 2012, and toured all over the midwest, with frequent stops in the Upper Peninsula as well as New York. I met a lot of great musicians / bands, and even learned to enjoy putting up a tent anywhere from someone's backyard to a sold out music festival.
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I played guitar in The DKB (Dan Kesterke Band), starting in approximately 2012 until 2019. This was a bunch of theater orchestra pit friends who got together to play a handful of shows a year.
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I met these boys while playing in the orchestra pit for Rocky Horror, which lead to me recording their first album with a mobile setup. We would discuss joining forces, and in 2013, at the Roostertail, it happened. I played guitar and ran sound, so I thought I'd record it. Next thing you know, I'm a brother, in the band, and working on the new album, One More Empty Grave, which came out October 28, 2016. We don't play many live shows, maybe 1-2 a year. The group ended in 2020 with everyone wanting to work on different projects.
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I played guitar for the Eastside Jazz Collective, starting in 2017 until I took a sabbatical in 2023, that I never returned from. The group went on without guitar, and disbanded in 2024. This entire endeavor was chill based on the people in the group. We played 2-4 times a month, with some months / time off when our schedules conflict because everyone in the group does musical theater productions. Many times, we're working together there so can't book the EJC.
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I played guitar for The New Normals. The group formed in 2017. After just getting started, we had one quick rehearsal / recording session. Nobody pursued gigs or really pushed for this to happen, and in 2018 it fizzled out without a lead singer or any gigs.
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I ghost recorded the music in my home studio, doing all the instruments, production, mixing, lyric edits, artwork / graphics, etc from 2020-2021.
Due to Covid & social distancing, I'd record everything, send him the track, he'd put vocals down, and send back. From there, I'd adjust his track, apply eq & effects, etc, and mix the song out adding my own vocals for harmonies and extra space. -
I play guitar in the band for Maggie Rhodes. I started in 2022. This is a spin off of the Eastside Jazz Collective, same drums, keys & guitar - with a different bass player and singer. This group is cool because all the songs chosen are female artists, so our entire show is supporting women in music.
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I played guitar on Sundays for a worship band. Starting in March 2013 with a Good Friday & Easter service, I got put into the main rotation by May of 2013, and played every Sunday until June 2015, but am now in more of a rotation at various places, and enjoy getting to work with so many different groups of people, using electric, acoustic, mandolin, and even banjo.
Modern Christian music wasn't my first choice to listen to, but I have to admit, the guitar parts are cool, the song writing is top notch, and the layering is great. I really like the ethereal approach with synth pads, layered guitars and keyboards, and multiple vocals. I got to be distorted rock guy one song, then clean U2 delayed the next.
I played electric guitar, acoustic guitar, mandolin, banjo, and bass. It was fun.
Since churches are known for reverb, getting a good recording was hard. I just used my field recorder in different places, to try and give an idea of what I was doing.
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played in orchestra pit