Biography
Sex And Violins…the scream of ecstasy, the whisper of the heart. It’s the beat of the tormented soul, the caress of a longing hand. It’s the sparkle in a child’s eye, the dark of a wind from hell. The black, the white, the laugh, the cry. It’s life, it’s here and it’s in front of you. TAKE IT!
Lynn Sorensen (lead vox/violin) and Jeff Kathan (drums) had been touring the world with legendary rock vocalist Paul Rodgers (Free, Bad Company, The Firm and Queen) as the rhythm section in his solo band. In the summer of ‘06, Shane Valdez of Realm Films out of Las Vegas recruited the two to record music for upcoming feature film projects. After the first session in Las Vegas, making it a band was the only choice. Sex And Violins was born.
By December of ‘06, Sex And Violins was shooting the video for the title track Sex And Violins. It was directed by Shane’s son Ryan Valdez (Panic at the Disco, Tool, Nora Jones and Jet) on film in two days on location in Las Vegas. With high energy and raw passion, this video gives you a unique visual look into the compulsion that drives a young woman’s sexual appetite to the point where she must take the trophy at all costs. And take it, she does!
In July 2007, Lynn and Jeff brought on long-time friends, guitarist and back-up vocalist, Joe Shikany (Paul Rodgers), and bass player, Evan Sheeley (TKO, Q5). Lynn and Jeff went on tour through Europe and the US with Paul Rodgers for the summer. Off the road, Lynn spent every spare second finishing all the vocals, mixing and mastering in his home studio in Seattle. In October 2007, Sex And Violins was signed to Dead Famous Artists. CD pegged for world-wide release in 2008. This CD is truly “hot off the press.”
Meet each member:
Lynn Sorensen:
Lynn Sorensen is the co-founder of Sex And Violins. Lynn is the voice, the violin, and the producer for the self-titled debut. He’s burnin’ inside with a lot to say…take the time…give him a listen.
Since June of 2001 Lynn has been the bassist, back-up vocalist for the Paul Rodgers solo band. From the Barrowlands in Scotland, to the Royal Albert Hall in London, to the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, to BB Kings in New York, to the Ryman in Nashville, to the Sidney Superdome, Lynn has toured Europe, Japan, Australia and North America with Paul. As Lynn puts it, "You have the worlds premier rock vocalist touching the hearts of millions, and I'm a part of it! He just gets better with age. He has inspired me to realize that no matter how long you do this or how accomplished you are at your craft you should always challenge yourself. It makes no difference how many gigs and sessions I do with Paul it is always a deep musical pleasure to hear that man sing!" After spending much of 2005 touring the world as frontman for Queen, Paul is back with his solo band. Lynn toured Japan with Paul (with Nils Lofgren and Howard Leese on guitars) in the Summer of 2006 and the UK in October 2006. A full DVD of the Glasgow Scotland show entitled Paul Rodgers Live At Glasgow is currently available in stores worldwide. It charted #1 in the UK and Canada and #3 in the US. Lynn has just finished touring the States and Europe with Paul through the Spring, Summer and Fall of 2007.
Currently, Lynn has signed with Astral Records/Dead Famous Artists for his band Sex and Violins. Expect digital worldwide release by Febuary 2008, touring in 2008. Lynn is the writer, producer, lead vocalist and electric violinist and bassist for the band. Jeff Kathan is on drums. A video for the title track, Sex And Violins, was filmed in Vegas with Shane Valdez of Realm Films (Panic At The Disco, Jet, Nora Jones, Tool) directing.
Lynn has also finished his second record with founding HEART members Roger Fisher and Mike Derosier with the band Clever Bastards. The album is titled Dumb It Down. It is available on iTunes, and CD Baby
You can see Lynn with Spike and the Impalers feauring KZOK's Bob Rivers, Spike O'Neil and the whole morning show crew at a concert venue near you. Lynn has worked with Sir-Mix-A-Lot and his apprentice Mike Singleton. The project is called Outtasite. He has also worked on Randy Hansen’s album “Drunk With Power”, and with Ronnie Montrose , in Sacramento, California.
In 1998, he became a member of the Major League Baseball All Star Band, also the Players Choice Band thru 2000. Lynn represented these groups as their lead vocalist and bass player. In the year 2000, Lynn had the opportunity to sing for the Players Choice Awards for ESPN where it was broadcast for national television at The Joint in Las Vegas. The song that Lynn performed is titled “Welcome To The Show” which is the title cut for the album “Big League Rocks” on Capital-EMI. The song is co-written and co-produced by Lynn who also played bass and sang the lead vocal.
From the age of nine until 17, Lynn studied classical violin and viola from Don Weyand of the Seattle Symphony. All-Northwest Orchestra at age 15. All -State Orchestra age 16. Seattle Symphony Orchestra Gold Medallist age 17. To this day, nothing moves Lynn more than Vivaldi's Four Seasons.
Band leader, bassist, lead vocalist and electric violinist of the Seattle club bands Magic Bus, Powercell and the Fabulous Johnsons.
Lynn owns and operates the mobile recording studio Tuta.
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Jeff Kathan:
Jeff Kathan is a big man. He's also the drummer for Sex and Violins. His job is simple...deliver the groove like a cattle brand from God. Deliver, he does, in spades.
THE FACTS:
Jeff Kathan is a professional drummer who has had the honor of playing with such legendary rock artists as Paul Rodgers (Free, Bad Company, The Firm), Ronnie Montrose (The Edgar Winter Group, Montrose, Gamma), and Howard Leese (Heart). Now beginning his 10th year of international touring experience as the rhythmic backbone of The Paul Rodgers Band, Kathan has earned his place as one of the world’s most respected touring drummers.
With a stature somewhere under 20-feet tall with arms the size of small oak trees, the term “power drummer” is often used to describe the big man, but Kathan’s talents are hardly limited to one style of skin bashing. Jeff has also brought a Blues/Funk groove to acts like Spike and the Impalers (featuring KZOK's Bob Rivers and Spike O'Neill) and the Sir Mix-A-Lot produced project, Outtasite. The high demand buzz that has been generated among producers in the industry is due in part to this type of immense versatility.
Jeff has also earned many endorsements with highly respected companies such as: D.W. Drums, Sabian Cymbals, Remo Heads, VATER Drumsticks, Buttkicker, CAD Mics, Puresound, Randall May, Levy's Cases, Westone, Red Bear Cleaner, Holz, and Starflight cases.
THE STORY:
It was at the tender age of eight years old when Jeff Kathan first discovered that he wanted to play drums. While visiting his grandfather in Colorado, Jeff was introduced to the jazz recordings of legendary drummer Gene Krupa. That profound event proved to be pivotal to the direction the rest of Jeff's life would take.
After years of practicing and playing with several local bands in the Northwest music scene, Jeff soon found himself playing with some of the top bands in the Seattle region. The traction he gained in the local music scene eventually led him to work with producer Mike Flicker of Heart fame. With Mike's recommendation, Jeff was recruited to play on some major recording sessions for Dixon House "Masked Madness" (A&M), Trooper's "Money Talks" (RCA), and The Kinetics (Etequette Records).
Jeff continued to practice hard; doing as many session recordings as he possibly could, and playing live on a regular basis. He performed with Vancouver BC area bands like Code Red before returning to the Seattle area, where he played with local acts like The Kinetics, Fighting Cocks, and the Rogers Rogers band. Jeff's relentless ambition helped bring his playing to new heights. Always striving to become better at his instrument, Jeff began adding more depth to his playing and was soon recruited by former Heart guitarist Howard Leese and bassist Jason Boyleston to form The Howard Leese Brigade.
Jeff was later approached by Paul Rodgers' manager to bring the entire Howard Leese Brigade to audition for Paul Rodgers and soon landed the gig. Howard Leese would temporarily leave to tour with Heart, and Randy Hansen was brought in to take over on guitar until Leese completed his touring obligations. When Jason Boyleston later decided to retire, Jeff recruited bassist, vocalist and good friend Lynn Sorensen to take over the bass duties. Together, they helped orchestrate the arrival of Joe Shikany as a second guitarist.
Jeff spent much of 2007 touring throughout Europe and the U.S. with Paul Rodgers, but during any time off during the tour Jeff and bandmate Lynn Sorensen kept themselves busy by playing local gigs and recording with Spike And The Impalers, The Fabulous Johnsons, Magic Bus, and of course Sex & Violins.
Jeff spends his “free time” trying to hone his craft even further by finding new artists to play with, while increasing his workload in the studio as well.
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Evan Sheeley:
Evan Sheeley (AKA Evan Seven), Bass In Your Face
When Lynn and Jeff started looking for a bassist to form the live rhythm section for Sex And Violins the list was short and sweet with only one name…Evan Sheeley. Lynn has admired Evan’s playing for years. His sense for melody combined with rhythm sense and pocket feel makes him a perfect fit. As Evan puts it, “playing with Jeff Kathan in Sex And Violins reminds me of the Led Zeppelin rhythm section of John Bonham and John Paul Jones.” Add the fact that he is a great guy and how could the boys go wrong?
Evan is a dedicated bassist with a passion for rock and roll. "She Loves You" by The Beatles inspired him to play bass.
His first major touring act was TKO. TKO has always been considered the first Seattle grunge band. With TKO, Evan toured all over the world and opened for every major act from AC/DC to ZZ Top. With comparisons from Led Zeppelin to The Who, TKO influenced many great Seattle artists from Pearl Jam to Alice In Chains. Says Evan, “TKO was a loud and powerful band on stage. The best way I could describe it would be to say that it was like having a 747 jet coming through your living room.”
After TKO, Evan joined forces with Floyd Rose and formed Q5. Floyd Rose was the inventor of the Floyd Rose Guitar Tremolo system used on millions of guitars worldwide. Q5 did two records on Polygram and had success in Europe and Japan.
In March of 2004, Evan opened Bass Northwest in Seattle, Washington with his business partner Chad Beeler. It is one of the most successful bass ONLY shops in the world. The motivation was to have a store and internet company that only sold bass guitars, amps and accessories. They wanted the store to be like a "candy store" for bass players around the world. Bass Northwest has a real comfortable vibe that is much like a music store from the 1960's or 1970's. Customers like shopping at the store because of the great bass gear that they have and also because of the knowledge of bass that the people who work there have. Hell, Evan has even drained Lynn’s wallet a time or two!
When asked how he would describe his live performance Evan says, “I have fun and play hard the entire show. I'm not the kind of player that runs around the stage and does somersaults though. I prefer to hang back with the drummer in the band and make sure that the frontmen (lead singer and guitar players) have the absolute rock solid rhythm section that they need to do their jobs on stage.”
Evan’s musical influences include The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Cream, Jimi Hendrix Experience, The Who, Cactus, Mountain, Alice Cooper, The Stooges, Mott The Hoople, KISS, David Bowie, Golden Earring, Grand Funk Railroad, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, New York Dolls, The Dictators, Cheap Trick, Budgie, The Sensational Alex Harvey Band, Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Scorpions, UFO, AC/DC and more.
For gear, Evan uses pretty much whatever he wants, whenever he wants.
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Mark Russell:
Mark Russell is an integral part of the powerhouse that is Sex And Violins. He brings an unmistakable sound, presence, and excitement to the stage. Mark's hard and heavy groove-based riffing and acrobatic shredding are simply put, unparalleled.
Mark was raised in Gig Harbor, Washington and continues to make his home in the small town. Inspired to pick up a guitar when he heard "Walk This Way" by Aerosmith, it became apparent that Mark had rock and roll in his veins at a young age. Mark's dad, who plays a little guitar himself, saw an obvious natural talent and supported Mark all the way by helping to provide his son with good gear, as well as a lot of love and encouragement. To this day, whenever Mark's dad is at one of his shows, Mark is careful to make note of where his dad's seat is in the venue so that he can acknowledge his biggest supporter from the stage at some point in the show.
Mark has been a member of (and sometimes play with) the driving hard rock band, The Jet City Fix, and is also a former and original member of Spike and the Impalers. Mark also plays tribute to a few of his biggest influences in an Ozzy Osbourne tribute band called Off the Rails.
Mark met Lynn, Jeff and Joe at the auditions for 102.5 KZOK's Spike and the Impalers back in spring 2005. Chosen to be a member of the Impalers, Mark was given the wonderful opportunity to play with these veterans of rock and roll at some great venues, and given the chance to strike up friendships with them as well. Lynn and Mark get along particularly well, both sharing a vrey similar "sick and twisted" sense of humor. Mark and Evan met when Evan came on board with Spike and the Impalers in 2007. All share a love for 'the groove'...groove-laden rock music. Asked to become a part of Sex And Violins in the summer of 2008, Mark didn't hesitate to jump at the chance to be part of a band with friends that are world-class musicians, and great people. Mark's sound compliments Sex And Violins a great deal, bringing a heavy dose of classic and modern guitar acrobatics to the fold.
Asked to describe the way he performs live, Mark says, "I am hard to miss wherever I am on stage...and if for some odd reason you can't see me, you'll sure as hell always hear me." With a wide stance, a huge sound and an undeniable presence on stage, Mark let's his guitar playing do the talking. The hammer of the Gods meets thunder underground...Heaven's elevator descending into Hell. There is no denying the sheer sonic brutality that Mark brings to the table.
Mark's musical influences include: Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Jimi Hendrix, Guns & Roses, Ozzy Osbourne, Black Label Society, AC/DC, Pantera, Bad Company, Van Halen, Warren Zevon, Elvis Presley, Alice In Chains and many more.
Mark Russell plays Gibson guitars, Marshall amplifiers, Eminence speakers, Ernie Ball strings, EMG & Seymour Duncan pick-ups, MXR/Dunlop pedals and strings, Boss pedals, Monster cables, and some other random toys.
Instrumentation
Lynn Sorensen - Lead Vox / Violin
Jeff Kathan - Drums
Evan Sheeley - Bass / Vox
Mark Russell - Guitar
Discography
2007
Sex And Violins ®
2007
Video / Sex And Violins
Links
| http://www.sexandviolins.com |
| Sex And Violins homepage |
| Sex And Violins Myspace |
| Dead Famous Artist homepage |
| Sex And Violins on IAC |
| Lynn Sorensen homepage |