Cristina Battani
Vocals & rhythm guitar
Cristina grew up in Detroit, Michigan, where Motown and Bob Seger dominated the airwaves of her radio. The day after she graduated from college she moved to New York City to pursue a career in music, where she quickly built her reputation in the city’s highly competitive and diverse music scene. She has performed in many of its best known venues, such as The Bitter End, Nell’s, CBGB’s, Kenny’s Castaways, S.O.B.’s, and the Wetlands. Her various bands spanned a variety of styles, including alternative rock, reggae, jazz and blues. Completely immersed in music, she held senior executive posts as a VP at RCA Records, Volcano Records, and Velvel Music alongside legendary music executive Walter Yetnikoff. Her daily routine afforded her substantial exposure to some of the world’s greatest musical talent, many of whose influences can be heard in her vocal style today.
RAY BRINDLEY
LEAD GUITAR & BACKING VOCALS
Ray Brindley comes from a musical family in North Alabama, where he learned piano, drums and tenor saxophone before settling on the guitar. He was playing jazz and popular standards in his grandfather’s big band at a young age while also absorbing the influences of classic and southern rock such as The Who, Led Zeppelin and The Dixie Dregs. After leaving the South, he was a guitarist in the Stanford Jazz Band, had instruction by saxophonist Stan Getz and guitarist John Scofield, and played jazz and rock music in the San Francisco Bay Area and Boston while pursuing a medical degree. Despite his range of musical interests, Ray finds that while he can take the guitar out of Alabama, he can’t take Alabama out of the guitar.
Bob keast
bass
Bob’s playing career began at age 13 after discovering a souvenir guitar his sister had purchased in Mexico. His early guitar heroes were both flamenco players: Sabicas and Manitas de Plata. Like most guitarists at the time, Bob went electric in the mid 60’s and played lead guitar until the early 80’s. At this point he began playing bass. A long time San Anselmo resident, Bob has been active in the Marin music scene for many years. An eclectic and diverse musician he has played in a host of bands ranging in styles that include Latin, Reggae, Blues, Rock, Pop, Jam, and even Berber (Algerian dance music). Clearly, he is unafraid to try and play anything he thinks sounds good.
Anna buchmann gilbert
keys, accordion, mandolin, harmonica, & Backing vocals
Firewheel is a sort of homecoming for Anna, where she rejoins her earliest stage partner: her brother, Ray. She has a diverse musical background – as a kid, she sang jazz standards in her grandparents’ big band, studied piano and was an Alabama All State clarinetist and choir member, in addition to playing in the German band. She played lead roles in musicals in community theater in Alabama and college theater at Georgetown University, and also sang with the National Cathedral Choral Society. She eventually found her way to California and rock ‘n’ roll, learning guitar and taking up songwriting. She and Ray formed the roots rock band Dry County Runners and performed at the W.C. Handy Music Festival in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, as well as Northern California coffeehouses. Since joining Firewheel she’s broadened her range to include mandolin, banjo, harmonica and that Oktoberfest staple, the accordion.
JAN BASS
DRUMS
Growing up in San Francisco with music always playing in the house, Jan fell in love with The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, The Who and Santana. Their music was the primary influence that would later shape him as a drummer. His musical education began in the 80s when he spent many nights in the San Fernando Valley and Hollywood rehearsing with and playing in local Hair Metal bands. The music scene in LA was alive and busy; it was a fortuitous time to be a rock musician. Although stardom eluded Jan, those times and the music often show up in his playing style. Fast forward 20 years later to Sausalito, the drum bug hit again. With more maturity and much more passion, he has developed into a player that loves all forms of Rock, Funk, and R&B.