vocals are a great asset to the diversity of song styles Diminished Blue can perform, and his
strong bass playing creates a solid foundation for the band. Richard also writes his own
material and enjoys singing and playing his own songs as well as his own interpretations of
popular standards. Richard most frequently plays a custom made Carvin fretless bass but also
owns a Fender Precision bass. His performance amp is also a Carvin with a 15" JBL speaker.
The only vocal microphone he has ever used is a Shure SM 58 (23 years and counting). Also in
his collection Richard has a Fender practice amp, Carvin electric guitar, Kamaka Brothers
ukelele, and, up until recently, a Gibson Ripper bass guitar (has anybody seen my Ripper?)
New York, started playing guitar in 1979 because his parents made him. His first guitar
teacher was named Chuck. Chuck looked like Jabba The Hut and he threatened to nail Alex's
thumb to the guitar neck if he didn't practice. After cowering in his room for a couple of
years (Come on! He was just ten!) Alex decided to pick up the guitar again. It helped that he
got a cool electric for Christmas. This older, wiser and more handsome Alex was less afraid,
and he decided to take lessons from some hippie-dippie studio musician for whom no note was a
wrong note. Soon thereafter Alex became the world's biggest fan of Alex. . . Lifeson of Rush.
This was both a very good and a somewhat bad thing. Learning a Bm7b5
cubed/augmented/dominant/etc. chord was a valuable experience. It taught Alex's fingers
precision and cool chords. Not being able to swing from a tree with a rope attached to it was
the bad thing. After years of bands (one, a Rush cover band called Adrenalin), Alex,
fortunately, fell into a more melodic and swinging groove with influences such as Mark Knopfler,
Jimi Hendrix, Robert Cray, and Stevie Ray Vaughan. In the last few years, though, the
much older, somewhat wiser, and FAR more handsome Alex has decided to go to the originals. Day
and night now it's the greatest of them all: Django Reinhardt. Alex is also a huge fan Django's
contemporary, Oscar Aleman. Alex's main electric guitar is a G&L ASAT Deluxe Semi-Hollow,
and his main accoustic guitar is a Gitane, Selmer Style Jazz Guitar, "Maple Petite Bouche" DG-250M.
His main amp is a Roland Jazz Chorus JC-50. Diminished Blue is the only band
Alex is in right now. Guitarists are all over the place and The Wiggles turned him down
(and don't return his calls).
A Bay Area native, Stewart started playing the local club scene in his teens. Thereafter he
studied percussion at Cal. St. Northridge under the direction of Prof. Joel Leach and studio
ace Steve Houghton. Stewart then transferred to Sonoma St. Univ. and focused on a degree
in Jazz Studies. While at Sonoma St. Stewart recieved numerous awards, including three Evertt B.
Person perfomance scholarships (1994, 1995 & 1996) and an Outstanding Musicianship award at the
1996 Berkeley Collegiate Jazz Festival. In addition to studying Jazz, Stewart continued
to work in the San Francisco music scene playing a variety of styles including pop, blues, rock,
funk, R&B, soul, Latin, big band, country and jazz. His big break came when he got the gig with
legendary jazz pianist Bob Lucas. Bob mentored Stewart in the fundamentals of cooking in a jazz
combo setting, as well as giving him the opportunity to play with world class jazz musicians.
Soon after earning his degree in Jazz Studies, Stewart landed the gig with blues harmonica
virtuoso Red Archibald and the Internationals. Playing 300 dates a year, touring internationally, and
recording Red's third CD gave Stewart invaluable experience. In 1999 Stewart moved to New York City
where after a year of club and session work, he auditioned and got the gig with the legendary
Chubby Checker. Touring all over the USA, the band played all of Chubby's long-standing hits
for enthusiastic fans. In Fall 2001 Stewart relocated back to the Bay Area and has been freelancing
doing club and session work. Besides being an accomplished and sought after drummer, Stewart
is also a drum instructor with 7 years of teaching experience in the Bay Area. After many years of
studying, performing, and on the job experience, Stewart is comfortable playing all styles-live or in
the studio. Stewart also sings backup vocals, bringing an extra voice to a band's musical package.
