Tike A.

Tike Started on the violin(suzuki method) at 9 or so. Played for a few years before deciding it wasn't for him. It was a decision he regrets(sorry mom) but at that age, Tike didn't know what was going on. Tike convinced his mother to buy him an electric guitar. It was a woodgrain "magnum" with a 15 watt gorilla amp with chorus! Those were the days and he's always had an affection for low quality guitars, effects, amps, mics, all equipment really. The Shivers, his first band, at age 14, played old Detroit rock and roll clubs like "Paychecks" and "Lily's 21" lying about their age, or telling the booking agent that some drunk at the bar was someone's dad. A few years after the Shivers fell apart, ex bandmates asked him to join a new band they called Riddle Me This. Tike had been working at a liquor store/deli slicing cheap meat and re-dating milk cartons when Nathan stopped by to ask if he could borrow an acoustic guitar. They hadn't spoken to each other in a while, mainly because Nathan had been busy recording a new 7-inch and starting a new band. To make a long story short, Tike talked his way into the new band. Riddle Me This spent quite a few years playing regularly in Ann Arbor and Detroit and recorded one full length CD before disbanding in 97'-98'. From there Tike took on two projects at once: one was a funky little jam band called Plum Loco, the other a spooky lounge-a-billy act named Velvis. Plum Loco started with Tike on guitar, and Jake Seizer on vocals and drums. Jake didn't want to sing and play drums, so they played with three different bassists, keyboard players, and drummers before finding the right line-up about a year later: Jake Seizer on drums, Jon Sperendi on bass, and Josh Hanson on Keys and Guitars.... "Velvis was much easier to get together..."said Tike, "Ted had written all the material already, had a great concept for the group, and we were all on the same page from the beginning!" Theodore J. Reed and Nathan Reed made up the songwriting behemoth that became Velvis ,along with Tike on bass guitar and lots of Jim Beam. Since the end of both of those bands Tike continued to play music with Josh Hanson, collaborating on some of his favorite recordings to date.