KNOMAD
There are only two kinds of music...
ROCK & ROLL
...and we play both
Home
Koncerts
Photos
Bios
Kovers
Mailing List
Kontact us
Klinks
Formed in August 2001, we are a six-piece band covering classic rock & performing original music. Knomad will rock your event. We consist of a drummer, percussionist (bongos, timbales, etc.), bass player, pianist, and duel guitars. We are all veteran musicians with over 20 years of experience each. Elvis, The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Rolling Stones, CCR, The Who, The Doors, The Allman Brothers, Van Morrison, Jimmy Buffet, Lynyrd Skynyrd, U2, and the list goes on. We take our audiences on a musical ride that has them singing along, dancing, playing air guitar, and just plain old partying down.
Walter Smith - Guitar
Born ’62 in Manhattan, picked up the guitar in 1971. Musical influences include Hank Williams, Beatles, Derek and the Dominoes, Pink Floyd, The Who, Hendrix, CSNY. Founding member of The Night Riders, Bluelines and our current endevour, Knomad. Classically trained. Had the priviledge of performing in a select chorus that backed Paul Anka.
Larry "The X-Man" Xerri - Keys
Started playing piano in 1961 age 13. Originally trained in classical piano, musical theory and musical history. All along grew up listening to my father’s pre-rock hits (He loved Glenn Miller). But it was the Beatles that really got my attention in 1964, and the family room piano started getting busy with “Love Me Do” and all the rest of the album “Meet the Beatles”. Influences include the The Who, Led Zeppelin, Billy Joel, Elton John, The Beatles, and the two greatest keyboardists ever, Rick Wakeman and Keith Emerson. Founding member of the Bluelines and Knomad.
Billy Purcell - Drums
Born in Huntington, NY. Started playing the drums in the 1970's. Pulled out of mid-life crisis by Walter, better than a new wife or a Harley. Musical influences include Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Van Morrison, The Pogues, The Band, and the Doors.
Tom Essex - Bass
Born 1962 in Brooklyn NY, Grew up in North Babylon, Long Island listening to Frank Sinatra and
Tony Bennett records!!!!
Started playing guitar late in High School (1980ish)
Switched to Bass out of necessity one day (too many f'in guitar players) and stuck with it.
Influences : Classic rock including Beatles, Stones, Zep, Who, Elvis, Clapton.
Learned his craft playing the bar circuit on LI during the 80's in various "Forgettable" groups including The Wreckers, The Untouchables, The Coveralls and Kelly's Heroes.
Dropped out of site in the early 90's and proceeded to get a "real" life.
Got a real job, Got Married with children, got a mortgage and now living on the
"east end" of LI. Dusted off and brought out of retirement by Walter Smith in summer of 2001
Al Mercado - Guitar
We don't know very much about Al (then again neither does he). He first met bass player Tom on a New Years Eve cruise aboard the Captain Morgan. Like Tom, he was a bass player, but had always felt like a guitarist trapped inside a bassist’s body. Fast forward to an impromptu block party performance in Holtsville where we found him sitting in the road. At that point, the Knomados and their brand of Rock n’ Roll inspired him to have the operation: a full blown bassectomy (a removal of the bass parts vis-à-vis the C clef). The operation was a success and with a little help from his friends and a quick trip to the Bayou, a solo craving, two hand tapping, guitarist emerged. Although, we do find that his mind tends to wander a bit more, we attribute that to the fact that he's a guitarist and therefore is genetically predisposed to this condition.
Mike Connell (Crawfish Mike, The Afterlife Coordinator) - Guitar
came to us straight out of a Grateful Dead Parking Lot! While we were playing at Mike and his wife Anne's Crawfish Boil, Mike joined in a few tunes and never looked back. Influenced by his High School Music Teacher, Mike's love of music grew. Among Mike's musical influences are of course the Grateful Dead, Stones, Beatles, Marley, Pink Floyd, and Dylan.
Bongo Joe Arena - Percussion
Hatched 1960 in Brooklyn. Grew up in Deer Park, Long Island.
Listened to his parents Doo Wop and Top 40s Pop until junior high school.
Did the band thing & sang in the school choir. Picked up his first set of stix in 1976, & has been singing and tappin' ever since. Woke up musically to the influences of The Beatles(together and separate), Elton John, ELP,
Springsteen, Jackson Browne, James Taylor, The Eagles, The Moody Blues and Steely Dan.
Then life hit; college, jobs, kids and shazam!!! fastforward to ....2002 and I'm a Knomad.
© 2009 Knomad
All Rights Reserved.