NEW MEMBER! Aldo Galatioto

Birthplace: Little Company Mary, Redondo Beach, CA Room 312A

Favorite Bands: Pantera, Megadeth, Symphony X, Steve Vai, Beatles

Other than music: movies, laughing and bmx bunny hops

Aldo was quite the rascal growing up.  While other children were making finger paintings and popsicle stick cabins, Aldo filled his time with stock quotes and ancient Latin poetry.  So as you might've guessed it wasn't long before Aldo landed a spot as a contestant on "Win Ben Stein's money".  There he won 223 dollars, just enough to buy his Ibanez starter guitar kit.  It was a slow start for him, but with the help of his banjo plucking uncle and his Andy Timmons instructional vhs Aldo soon conquered the pentatonic scale.  As the years went by, he slowly gained agility on the fretboard, agility that would soon come into handy one fateful night.  On that night, Aldo was patching a hole in his adobe apartment when a distant symphony floated through the air.  He didn't know it at the time, but it was Jeff's squeaky 23 minute rendition of stairway to heaven.  Aldo followed the music which led him to his every heart's desire, Heart of Cygnus.

Aldo's Equipment:

Jackson Guitars
various budget amplifiers and effects

Jeff Lane

Birthplace: Denver, Colorado, US of A

Favorite Bands: Rush, Iron Maiden, Queen, Pink Floyd, Megadeth, Frank Zappa, and Anthrax (Among the Living!)

Other than music: biking at the beach, sci-fi and fantasy novels, travel, and anything done by Pixar.

Abandoned as an infant in the snow covered Colorado Rocky Mountains, Jeff was taken in by a pack of wild wolves and raised as one of their own. They named him "Walks Like Human." One day he wandered too far from the mountainside and stumbled into a small town where everyone stood on their hind legs and looked like him, except less hairy. Then he saw it... The shimmering wine red Les Paul Custom, flooded in golden light, resting on a stand atop a marble dais inside the local guitar store. Though he knew not what it was, he was mesmerized, nay, hypnotized by it. Walking slowly up the marble steps, he gently lifted it from the stand... And then a most magical thing happened... His fingers started moving themselves, as if destined to play... he went on to play a 23 minute rendition of Stairway to Heaven. He even somehow knew the words, although his voice cracked on a few of the high parts (like "there walks a lady we all know-oo-oh...")

Jeff's Equipment:

Gibson, Fender, and Ibanez Electrics
Cordoba Classical Guitar
Guild acoustic
Rickenbacker 4003 Bass
Fender Princeton Reverb and VOX ACC30C Guitar Amp
Ampeg B200R Bass Amp
Brian May '76 custom touring boost pedal (www.fryerguitars.com)
Ibanez TS-808
Ibanez Tube King
Steve Vai Bad Horsie Wah
Shure SM7B
Emu controller
An assortment of virtual synths, notably Moog by Arturia, and the beloved Mellotron samples...

Jim Nahikian

Birth Place: Charlotte, Michigan

Favorite Bands: Iron Maiden, Led Zeppelin, Rush, Megadeth.

Other Than Music: Astronomy, Colorado Avalanche Hockey, University of Michigan Football.

After moving to Colorado, I started playing the drums at the age of 13. It all started with hearing Led Zeppelin's Physical Graphitti. Right away I had a mysterious attraction to that album. I would listen to it over and over for hours trying to learn every drum part. It was what got me started on my drumming path. After discovering Iron Maiden, I would find my new favorite drummer, Nicko McBrain. Where Eagles Dare.. WOW! I heard that song and found something that clicked with my natural style. I fell in love with the way he used the ride cymbal and bass drum. He is definitely the most influencial drummer to me.

Jim's Equipment:

Tama Starclassic Drums
22x18" Bass Drum
14x4.5" Brass Snare Drum
8x7", 10x8", 12x9", 13x10" Rack Toms
14x14", 16x16" Floor Toms
8" and 10" Tama Mini Tymps
Paiste Cymbals
20" 2002 Power Ride
20" 2002 Crash
19" 2002 Crash
18" Rude Crash/Ride
18" 2002 Thin China
16" Rude Thin Crash
14" Rude Hi-Hats
10" Twenty Splash
DW 9000 Double Bass Drum Pedal
Tama Iron Cobra Hi-Hat Stand