Keyboardist: Mike Axman, mild-mannered engineer by day, has been a music addict since his first fateful piano lesson in second grade. Mike escalated to harder and more dangerous music with the formation of his first rock band in junior high. Over the years, he broadened his horizons, taking on all styles of music from classical to country. A native Michigander, Mike has performed in the Rochester area for only a few years. In addition to his keyboard and lead singing roles, Mike’s ability to hit the smooth high harmonies allows Where’s Dixie to cover territory ordinarily off limits to most bands who lack female backing singers.
Drummer: Bill Drum (yes, that’s his real name) has played in and around the Rochester area for the past 25 years, covering musical territory ranging from blues, to country, to swing, to good old rock and roll. Most recently sitting behind the kit and performing the male vocal lead for Paydirt, Bill also fills in on drums with many of Rochester’s most popular bands. In addition to running his own sound engineering company which provides services to many local and visiting acts, Bill now adds his considerable drumming chops and vocal ability to Where’s Dixie, whom he calls not only a great band, but a great bunch of people to boot.
Guitarist: Steve Wheeler, a self-professed weekend warrior, has played in several musical groups over the past 30 years both locally and while away at college. He started in the late ‘60s playing hard rock, moved to blues-based and southern rock, survived the disco phase, and semi-retired after gigging as part of a ‘50s-‘60s cover band in the early 1980s. Being thankfully dragged out of a 15 year vacation from performing by bassist Kurt Kuhn in 1997, he joined up with local country act Blue Sky for four years on lead guitar and backing vocals. With a natural ear for pitch and harmony, Steve now contributes guitar and vocals to what he calls the most fun band he’s ever been in, Where’s Dixie.
Bassist: Kurt Kuhn first picked up the bass guitar at age sixteen. Throughout the ‘60s and ‘70s, he performed locally and out of state in bands with guitarist Steve Wheeler, and in the ‘80s became a founding member of the Top 40 band Soundwave. More recently Kurt played rock and roll with The Moonlighters, and was an original member of Blue Sky. His solid, no-nonsense bass playing and infallible clock lock in with Bill Drum provide the rock-solid foundation to Where’s Dixie.
Lead vocalist: (and cowbell virtuoso) Becky Frens has been singing ever since she could talk. She performed concert solos, and in musical plays, while in high school. A top-level karaoke singer, she has won several local and regional competitions, including a Patsy Cline contest for which she was awarded a trip to Nashville. Having sat in with bands at parties and nightclubs, she joined Kurt and Steve in Blue Sky in 1998, and gained experience working venues between Rochester and Buffalo. Becky’s vocal range and power, with a tone and expressiveness matched by few even at the top levels of the industry, enable Where’s Dixie to stand well apart from the crowd. |
