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Jerry Breiner (guitar, vocals) is a Midwest native, though he has called California home since 1980 and has been a mainstay of the local Ventura, Los Angeles and Santa Barbara club and concert scenes since. Performing professionally since the age of 8, Jerry is a multi-instrumentalist on guitar, piano, organ, marimba/vibes, mandolin, banjo, dobro and percussion instruments, and he has performed and recorded as both a singer-songwriter and multi-tasking session musician and producer in St Louis, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Nashville and Orlando, FL.  Jerry was signed as a staff writer to Sony-Tree Publishing in Nashville for a number of years before moving to California, and he has played with or opened for acts as diverse as Al Stewart, Karla Bonoff, Mama’s Pride, Heartsfield, Emmylou Harris, Billie and the Beaters, John Batdorf (Batdorf and Rodney) and many others. Jerry received a Bachelor of Music Degree in Theory/Composition from Webster University and was also valedictorian in his graduating class from the prestigious Full Sail Center for the Recording Arts, a professional trade university specializing in live and studio engineering.

Eddie Dies (bass, vocals) has been a mainstay of the Ventura music scene since the early ‘70s. Eddie started playing bass professionally at the age of 14.  His mother had been a big band singer and soloist in the Baptist church.  She gave Eddie a love for music and taught him to sing and play from his heart and soul.  Eddie has been playing ever since in Santa Barbara, Ventura, Los Angeles and on the road all over the U.S. and Canada.  One of the high points in his career was playing with John Lennon in Ventura (yes, you read that right!) in the early 70s. Eddie has played in Patch of Blue, the Roscoes, The Steve Hill Band, Studebaker, and Natty Bumpo and has performed for large audiences at the Ventura County Fair and The Big Fresno Fair. In his band-work, Eddie has opened for Shenandoah, Tower of Power, Blood Sweat and Tears, the Coasters and Poco.

Bob Nichols (drums and percussion) is a native of Southern California.  Playing drums professionally since the late 70’s, Bob has had extensive experience in a diverse range of music styles from rock, pop and country to r & b and jazz and has been a regular in the local club/concert music scene for many years. Bob is a seasoned session player having worked in Santa Barbara, Ventura, Los Angeles and Nashville. Bob studied with legendary drummer David Garibaldi (Tower of Power) during the 80’s, and has performed/recorded with Jim Messina (Loggins and Messina), Chris Hillman (The Byrds, Flying Burrito Brothers, Desert Rose Band, Manassas), Randy California and John Locke (Spirit, Nazareth), Peter Lewis (Moby Grape) and many other artists and notable session musicians such as David Hungate (Toto) Buddy Emmons, and Johnny Gimble.

 ~~~~~ the backstory ~~~~~

Jerry fell in love with the Beatles when he first saw them on Ed Sullivan. He especially was drawn to the chrome of Ringo's hardware, as well as the tuners and mic stands on all the boys' guitars. That love kept Jerry in to music from the age of 5.

After Jerry moved to California in 1980, he began to perform solo with a background accompaniment he recorded of himself, on cassette tape, playing all the background parts to the many folk and pop songs we still play (multi-part vocals, keyboards, bass and guitars). He had been a recording engineer and studio musician since the early 1970s in St Louis, Orlando and Nashville, and it seemed a natural progression - after all, he could play with himself in public and get paid for it. I mean, come ON already....

At one point, he thought it might be a good idea to add a drummer to play along with these tracks. He knew it would take a really EFFICIENT drummer to pull it off, as most drummers like to be the "driver" instead of the "passenger." When playing with these background tracks, it was necessary that the drummer be conscious of the volume of the music and especially the groove, so the two of them would not get off the beat. Jerry played with a number of stellar drummers in Ventura County, and it became evident early on around 2000 or so, that Bob Nichols was the sole drummer who really liked the challenge and would work out just fine - plus, Bob is a nut, and that's always a help.

They were playing under another band name one night, and in the middle of the song the CD just...stopped. No amount of cajoling it would bring it back to life. So they just kept playing, running one song into another while Jerry - with his free hand - tried to get the stupid CD player to kick in. While they were in the middle of what was turning out to be a 20-minute medley of surf tunes, the CD player kicked on again, in the middle of Sweet Melissa (by the Allman Brothers). Not surf medley material, but soldiers that they are/were, they jumped RIGHT in to the middle of the song - when the CD stopped again.

Needless to say (but I will say it anyway), that was how we got our name - BIG ADVENTURE - because, after all, it really is. Jerry and Bob played for almost 8 years with (and without the CD) until old friend and nutcase-himself Eddie Dies joined the band. Eddie's eternal smile and positive energy enthused the guys, and together the three of them make byootiful music together - pop, rock, bluegrass, R&B, soul, folk and psychedelia.

It is worth the trip.