Message From HRSF:Hello Fans, we had a blast on our last run. For the immediate future we'll all be playing in our other bands and projects, both in the studio and on stage. We'll be keeping the HRS and F project alive for special future shows. Thanks for the support and the efforts in naming the band. We'll see you soon.
Jimmy Herring (guitar)
Born in Fayetteville, North Carolina, Jimmy started playing guitar at age 13; his first guitar was a Fender Bronco.
Herring can look back on a career filled with years as a player in such legendary bands as Aquarium Rescue Unit, The Allman Brothers, The Dead (The Post-Jerry Garcia version of The Grateful Dead), Phil Lesh and Friends, and most recently Widespread Panic. In 2004, Herring had a long discussion with Rodgers following a sit-in with The Codetalkers during MagFest, in which both A.R.U. and The Codetalkers played. That night, Herring and Rodgers decided that they needed to find a way to work together again, and now they have.
Bobby Lee Rodgers (guitar, vocals)
A gifted musician and songwriter, Bobby Lee Rodgers began playing the upright bass at age seven, and then went on to the banjo, guitar and drums. He had the fortune of playing in one of the most recognized high school bands in the country, which allowed him to play with some jazz greats at a young age. Rodgers went on to study Jazz at the University of Georgia, and to teach the same subject at the Berklee College of Music, becoming one of the youngest professors ever to teach there at the age of 23. Rodgers moved back to Georgia in 1999 when his father became ill. A day after moving home, he met Col. Bruce Hampton, who until that time had best been known as front man and founding member of the Aquarium Rescue Unit, and is often referred to as the Godfather of Southern Alternative Music. Within months they had formed The Codetalkers. The Codetalkers just recently celebrated the release of the critically acclaimed album, NOW.
Jeff Sipe aka Apt-Q258 (drums)
Jeff Sipe was born in Berlin, Germany in 1959. Jeff's family moved frequently in his youth while his father worked for the United States government. Some of his early memories include watching Buddhist monks in their bright orange togas walk the streets with their bowls of rice in hand. Jeff once said that he would "often visit the temples just to hear the ringing of the bells". Jeff learned to play drums in junior high in Germany, and in 1973 Jeff's family moved to the U.S. for good. Jeff started listening to early fusion, and was once quoted as saying that "Bitches Brew was the beginning of the rest of his life". Jeff was accepted to Berklee College of Music in 1977 and started his first fusion band with Steve Vai and Baron Brown. This experience turned Jeff on to a wide world of music and gave him valuable tools that he still carries with him today.
In 1983 Jeff moved to Atlanta, where he met Bruce Hampton, Oteil Burbridge and Jimmy Herring, and the Aquarium Rescue Unit was born. In recent years, Jeff has played with Leftover Salmon, his own experimental big band Zambiland Orchastra, Project Z with Jimmy Herring, and Trey Anastasio.
Neal Fountain (bass)
Neal Fountain hails from the musical hotbed of Athens, GA, and has been playing professionally from the age of 14. Best known as a sideman to Col. Bruce Hampton and the Fiji Mariners (a post-A.R.U. project of Hamptons) and drumming phenom Jeff Sipe. Neals name is on the short list of greater Atlantas finest musicians. Fountain and his current project, Herring, Rodgers and Sipe, is sure to bring many eyes in the direction of these five fine musicians.
After playing seven dates in May 2006 that ended with a headlining slot at SmileFest in the mountains of North Carolina, Herring, Rodgers, Sipe and Fountain have decided to roll with this ensemble. This project will undoubtedly draw the attention of Codetalkers fans, A.R.U. fans, fans of icons The Dead and Phil Lesh and Friends and beyond.
(This bio was created from info found on the websites in the upper left-hand column. More information about the artists can be found in those places.)
