Stray Volts takes songs from a wide variety of styles then transforms them into our signature hard rock sound.
Rock, pop, country, plus we do mashups and originals too!
WE BRING THE PARTY!!!
Angie
▲ Lead Vocals
▲ Dance Moves
▲ Occasional Guitar
Angie has been singing all her life. Born into a musical family, she grew up surrounded by music and was encouraged by loving parents to pursue her interests. She sang in choruses and show choirs, always trying for the solo. In high school she learned basic acoustic guitar and over the years has enjoyed accompanying herself and playing in a variety of musical ensembles from easy listening coffee shop singer songwriter gigs to 2 – 4 hour rock shows at big venues like the Pour House and MotorCo. She’s been a member of several bands including First Names, Centricity and most notably, the hard rock band she fronted, 11 Echoes. Angie feels she lucked out by meeting John, Marcel and Ben and has high hopes for Stray Volts. Angie’s influences include Chris Cornell, Ani DiFranco, and Tori Amos. In her spare time she enjoys quality time with her amazing boyfriend and family, hanging out with her incredible network of friends, many of whom she met as a skater for the Carolina Rollergirls, working out, getting crafty and enjoying the outdoors.
Ben
▲ Drums
▲ Master of Beats
▲ Song-Choice Sensibility
Ben picked up the drums in High School. He worked at the Walnut Creek Amphitheater, parking cars for concert-goers , to pay for his first drum kit. He has been in a myriad of different styles of both original and cover bands over the years, from hard and classic rock and alternative, to RnB, pop, blues and country. Ben loves the blues and looks back fondly at his days drumming in a blues cover band and at the time he worked in a bar in Raleigh called the Blue Martini, which featured many blues bands. Not only is Ben a fantastic drummer, he is a talented artist too, and enjoys drawing and writing. He is also a skilled mason. When he is not sitting behind his drum kit, he loves walking his dogs and hanging out with his pet peacocks at his cabin out in the sticks of Zebulon.
John
▲ Bass
▲ Backing Vocals
▲ Craft Beer
John began his descent into funky bass grooves in the 5th grade lugging around an enormous stand-up bass and just being a general nerd of all things. His musical taste changed drastically over the years, going from jazz, to funk, to metal, to jam bands, to hip hop. He wanted it all. The main influences in his playing eventually settled on Rush, Rage Against the Machine, the Grateful Dead, Jamiroquai, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Throughout college he played in several original bands with the longest running being the “JDC Funk Project” playing a mix of reggae/rock/funk. Prior to joining Stray Volts, he played in several RDU area cover bands such as Oak CIty Underground, Supersonic, Redline and Neon Radio, rocking out every corner of North Carolina. John is a proud husband to his beautiful wife and father to their adorable daughter. Between the business of family life and his long commute as the Head Brewer at Vicious Fishes Brewery & Taproom, in his extremely limited spare time he is an avid board gamer, a woodworker and a masterful builder of bonfires.
Marcel
▲ Lead Guitar
▲ Guitar Synth
▲ Audio Mayhem
Marcel is our technical guru, the owner of over 30 guitars from the 80’s and 90’s (ask him why) and the landlord of the band recording studio. Marcel has an impressive musical resume and can boast that in all of his years playing guitar, it has only been in the last two years that he has learned a cover song or been in a cover band. He has written hundreds of songs and most recently played in local Raleigh bands Oak City Underground and Tortuga Stone. One of his best stories is about how one of his former bands opened for Southern Culture on the Skids at a New Years Eve show in New York in the 90’s. One of his favorite rock/funk bands from back home is 24-7 Spyz. Marcel delights his bandmates with musical factoids and his never-ending encyclopedic knowledge, so much so that he’s earned a new nickname: Mar-cyclo or Mar-cyclo-ne. He really is a force to be reckoned with and those riffs will make you have to call FEMA for assistance.