Moreality - Biographies

Book the Band

Here's kind of the story of us. Some of the background, who influenced who... you know that sort of thing...

Moreality is ...

Jeff Davis ~ Leading and Backing Vocals / Keyboards

At six or seven it was the sounds of The James Gang, Steppenwolf, and Aerosmith that echoed out of his older brother's room and started his passion. Jeff started singing to old Elvis records by the age of twelve, and at times was up singing until wee hours of the morning. This kept his usually patient father up with work looming early. His dad and mom are still musical, both sing in church, and when he was young his mom played an antique pump organ. Oldest brother Joe had also been playing in bands and Jeff would hear this music emanating from his room.

Playing percussion in high school band allowed Jeff to develop a keen sense of rhythm that would serve him in his music interests. His influences were spanning The Beatles, Elton John, Steven Tyler, Ray Manzarek, Jon Lord, Billy Powell, and scores of other rock and roll greats. Although he had spent some years running sound and helping out with Joe's bands, it was evident there was much more he was destined to contribute.

Enthralled by the melodic content of music from rock and pop greats, Jeff decided it was time to get involved playing music in a much bigger way. By the time he was 22, he bought his first keyboard and began to sing and play. As an original member of Live Wire he honed his vocal and playing skills throughout many live performances and recording projects. With Live Wire, Jeff performed at the Cabaret, Cactus Club, Oasis, and numerous south bay clubs.

Jeff's influence in Moreality is unmistakable. As a veteran musician, he weaves the elements that are his part of Moreality. Vocal depth and range make up his trademark sound. As a keyboardist he adds color and character to his instrumental passages, from airy jazz inflections to a veritable wall of sound.

Gear ~ Jeff plays a YAMAHA S80 88-key sample player/synthesizer/Master MIDI Controller with the KURZWEIL K-2000R sampling/synthesis system.

Joe Davis ~ Leading and Backing Vocals / Guitars

Joe doesn't really remember a time when being a musician wasn't a part of who he is. His first real memory of that feeling happened on Sunday February 9th, 1964 as he eagerly watched the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan show. For the next few years, even though he was playing trumpet in school, Joe's parents never heard the end of his wanting to play guitar and sing.

Around ten years old Joe had found a forgotten and somewhat warped guitar on top of the old piano they had. Soon, with a folk songbook in hand he taught himself to play and sing songs such as "Blowin' in the Wind," and "Puff the Magic Dragon." In school a poetry assignment was so liked by his teacher that he had to recite it to his class. Not a cool thing for boy, but it was all starting to fall together, as his ear for writing and love of melody started to merge. Joe learned to take two cassette tape decks and record between them to create "multi-track" recordings of his song ideas. From about twelve Joe was in bands throughout his school years playing high school dances and local parties.

In his early twenties he focused on southern rock, learning to mimic the lines of Steven Gains of Lynyrd Skynyrd and ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons. His band Bootleg played Ohio State clubs, and local radio performances. The guitar work and song styling coming from Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, and Jimi Hendrix were now influencing him as his taste evolved to mainstream rock and roll.

Joe grew restless by 24 and wanted to go where he could get his career in music off the ground. Ending up in the San Francisco bay area he played in several bands and by 1985 formed Live Wire. This was one of the first bands to emphasize originals, and the first band where his brother Jeff was now singing and playing along with him. In a prolific time for his writing, Joe was now recording multi-track versions of his song ideas.

By the time Moreality was forming Joe had constructed a project studio complete with multi-track digital recording at his home. Three of the song's on Moreality's first album were recorded in his 5 to 9 Studio, with many more to come. In reflecting upon why he feels this band can emerge, he replies, "There is a vibe that eludes so many bands, and we knew from the start that there was something special brewing. The audience picks up on that, they want all of you, the passion, the highs and even the mistakes. We play our music because it is what we love, not some sound that sells for today."

As one of the primary writers for the band, you can find Joe's influence riddled throughout their songs. Be it soaring articulate leads or vocal passages drenched with passion, you'll find a musician at peace with his craft. With his ear for production and love for emulating the music that channeled a generation, you know he "gets" what makes great rock and roll. He just happened to find a whole band that gets it too.

Gear ~ Joe plays through a 1967 Fender Deluxe Reverb with a Parker Fly Deluxe guitar. For recording, early Vox amps and a modified Stratocaster, Electra and Gretsch guitars can make their way to select tracks.

Mike Fine ~ Base Guitars

When Mike was around twelve his mom drove by a music store and heard music playing. A band was playing outside promoting the store's grand opening. After stopping by the store she asked if he was interested in taking guitar lessons, and Mike had his start.

Not long after, he was taking a music class which had a semester long project. One option was to form a band and perform live. With classmates, a band was formed and they performed "House of the Rising Sun," "Paint it Black" and "Gloria". The performance went over so well that they performed for all of the classes that day. This was when Mike decided he wanted to be a musician.

Mike stayed active on guitar, even through military service. Upon returning and forming a band, the roster was short a bass player. Mike stepped up to take the spot and found his real niche, keeping control of the bottom.

Since then he has played bass for a number of bay area bands, "The Lug Nuts," "Backlash," "Stonewall," and "Audiostorm". And with these bands is where he found his love for the metal bands of the day such as Metallica and Iron Maiden. Mike did several CD projects along the way, also playing a "KSJO Halloween Party" playing in a Black Sabbath/Ozzy tribute band called "Rhodes to Oz" as a guest bass player.

Mike joined Moreality four or five months after its start. It was evident from his first session that Mike's rolling bass lines and rhythmic interplay were adding the missing component in an otherwise complete ensemble. Since then, Mike has kept the thunder rolling; always ready to pick up the tempo and fill in the bottom.

Gear ~ Mike plays though a Mesa Boogie 400 with his Rickenbacker, Alembic, and Ibanez bass guitars.

Jeff Fish ~ Leading and Backing Vocals / Guitars

Jeff's love of art and music came at a very early age. Seeing the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show at age three, growing up listening to his parents records of Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Dave Brubeck and Broadway show tunes and then at the age of six hearing Jimi Hendrix, sent Jeff for a life long quest on the guitar and music. Combine that with growing up in the Bay Area in the late 60's; Jeff's list of influences grew to include the Grateful Dead, Frank Zappa, Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin. Not only was the music having an affect on him, but the poster art from the Fillmore, Winterland and Avalon ballrooms was making its impact felt. The psychedelic 60's made a huge impact on his view of art, life and music. Music and art are much more than passing fancies to Jeff, "they are integral parts of life, art is life" as he likes to say.

Always wanting be an artist, Jeff started playing guitar in high school and pretty much spent the next ten years trying to capture the sound that was in his head. Most if not all of Jeff's early projects were more experimental in nature, but all the bands that Jeff played and jammed with were other like minded musicians, willing to explore the "sound" first, with the song second. Traditional song structures were not as important; "The image that the music created in one's mind was what we were striving for." But finally after many years, Jeff wanted to be part of a more "traditional" rock band. Then Jeff happened to meet Bill at the bachelor party of his lead singer at the time, and that changed everything for him. "Once I met Bill and then heard him play I knew instantly that this was the drummer that I wanted to play with full-time." They've been playing together for going on 13 years now, the last six with Moreality.

According to Jeff, "What sets Moreality apart is its intense chemistry that happens when we're playing on stage. I love playing with these guys; they're the best group of musicians that I've ever been associated with. One of our greatest strengths is that we're a very organic band, our job is to just let the songs happen, not force them out." Always trying to capture the color in his head, Jeff's ongoing exploration of sound continues to grow. Constantly wanting to grow the scope of his own writing and the Moreality sound, Jeff likes to create "soundscapes" for the rest of the band to color. "I love to come up with a basic shell and let the rest of the guys color it" says Jeff, "I personally don't want us to sound like every other band. I like the way Moreality sounds the best."

Music is the Best as Frank Zappa once wrote. Music is the best...

Gear ~ Jeff plays a Fender Custom Shop Stratocaster, Gibson Les Paul Standard Plus and a 1961 re-Issue Gibson SG through several different Marshall JCM 2000 amplifiers.

Bill Ziegler ~ Drums / Percussion / Backing Vocals

Bill's love of music began at a very early age. His Grandfather, being a pretty good guitar player, used to sit with him for hours playing and singing old standards as well as spinning the 45 of The Beatles' "Love Me Do" for him over and over. Bill's parents were also big musical influences. Both love to sing and his Dad also plays the guitar. There was always music playing in the Ziegler household and Bill used to listen to the radio or albums for hours and after bedtime he fell asleep to the "AM Gold" of the 70's.

As a young teenager Bill displayed a natural sense of rhythm by pounding on everything in the house with anything he could get his hands on. The rapid deterioration of his mothers' furniture led her to present Bill with a battered old Ludwig drum kit for his 8th grade graduation, and he was hooked. For the next several years, much to his neighbors' dismay, Bill spent every free minute in the garage bashing away to records and tapes by Van Halen, Tom Petty, The Beatles, The Cars, The Stones, and many others. Led Zeppelin's John Bonham was Bill's biggest influence as a drummer. Bonham, with his power and impeccable groove, sat head and shoulders above the rest, and his playing paved the way for Bill developing his own hard-hitting, groovin' style.

After high school Bill began playing with friends and moved on to playing in actual bands with actual musicians. Fast forward many years later and Bill is as happy as ever pounding the drums behind Moreality. "After six years with the same line up in the same band you have to ask yourself what makes it work? There is a brotherhood and a camaraderie with these guys that is very hard to find and even harder to maintain which is why a lot of bands implode before they even get off the ground. It also helps that they are all great musicians that I love playing with."

Without a doubt, Bill has had his effect and inspired Moreality's rhythmic sound. His ability to capture the essence of the song and transform it through tempo and signature changes is key to the Moreality soundscape.

Gear ~ Bill plays TAMA drums, ZILDJIAN cymbals, REMO heads, and PRO MARK sticks.