Acoustic/folk/indie rock with a jazz and funk attitude

12 MP3 Songs
ROCK: Rock & Roll, FOLK: Folk-Rock

Details:
Stay Awake is comprised of: Graham Johnson - Lead Guitar, Lead Vocals, Songwriter/Composer; Erik Friday â Drums; Cary Knipe â Bass Guitar,Saxophone; Kim Kuhlman â Violin. The earliest members of this band have been playing together for 3 years. Their musical style has been influenced by Classic Rock and Folk Music with a little Funk attitude.

Graham Johnson â Lead Singer, Lead Guitar, Songwriter/Composer

Graham is a prolific songwriter, with influences in the classic rock/folk genre; Beatles, Crosby, Stills and Nash; Neil Young; Led Zeppelin and Bob Dylan.

Gifted in the art of song-writing, Graham plays piano, lead guitar, harmonica, drums and sings lead vocals. Music has had a heavy influence on him his entire life. Being an ambitious, sometimes precocious young man, he took an interest in the piano and asked his father, also a musician, to teach him Billy Joelâs Piano Man at the age of 9.

After a short stint with the school band and drums, he picked up the guitar during his Freshman year of High School. He hasnât put it down since. At that point, he decided his ambition and dream was to become a musician.

Graham wrote and compsed the Class Song, My Dream, for his graduating Class of 2005 at Corunna High School, which he performed during the graduation ceremonies.



Erik Friday â Drums

Born in Viesbaden, Germany into a military family, Erik spent most of early years in Utah and returned to his parents home state of Michigan at the age of 10. Currently, he resides in Flint, but describes himself as a âtraveling minstrelâ while visiting family in Corunna, Lansing and West Bloomfield.

Erik started playing the drums at the age of 11. Since then, he has relied on his natural ability, skill and love of the drums to master almost any style of music.

Jazz, with the likes of Dave Weckl have played the heaviest role in his musical influences, while The Dave Matthews Band created his love for a more rock style. He admits, quite easily, that his favorite drummer would be Billy Martin of Medeski, Martin and Wood.

His goal for his musical career can be summed up in three words: âMake good musicâ; and as for the future, he certainly hopes to make a career out of it.





Cary Knipe â Bass Guitar

Having music in his blood is how Cary Knipe, an Owosso High School graduate, describes his desire to follow a career as a musician. With a father and grandfather as conductors, a grandmother as a choir director and a mother who is an accomplished musician, it is easy to see how he comes to this conclusion. Music has been a part of life from the start.

At the age of 9, he started his classical training on the piano, then moved on to the saxophone and sousaphone for high school band. During this time in high school, he started to teach himself the guitar. Only less than 3 years ago, he moved to the bass guitar and has honed his skills to include slap bass guitar, and easily moves from classic style to slap style depending on the âfeelâ of the music.

Influences of music have varied over the years, starting with classic rock and changing to heavy metal. While attending college, his tastes changed to more funk and jazz, now listening to hip-hop.

Caryâs hopes and dreams for a music career are simple: on stage somewhere, wherever the music basically leads him.

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