Steve first picked up the guitar at the age of 14. Twenty-six years later, he decided that just standing there, holding the guitar wasn't enough. So he decided to teach himself to play - at age 40! Just goes to show that if you wait long enough, nothing will happen!

After learning a few chords, Steve invited his friends to join him and jam. He quickly discovered that many of them hadn't learned to play until later in life also, and each regretted doing so. Since 2002, Steve and his friends have gotten together annually for BYOI Night (Bring Your Own Instrument) to raise money for kids to learn to play music now, and not wait twenty six years! BYOI Night was also the genesis for the band known today as Granite Planet.
 
Recently, Steve's keyboard has been added to "enhance" the sound of Granite Planet. "Enhance" is subject to interpretation.
 
Steve grew up in Athol, Massachusetts and moved to the Seacoast in 1988. He lives with his lovely wife, Anna, and teenage son, Joseph. His day job is co-owner of Allegra Print & Imaging of Portsmouth and Manchester. Thankfully, he's not likely to quit his day job any time soon.

Just to prove how diverse the Seacoast area is Granite Planet has it's very own Brit Bass player!

Gideon lives on the seacoast with his children, bossy cat and charming girlfriend (when she makes it over the pond). He started playing bass in London in the '70s, taking his lead from the idea that anyone could play if they just tried hard enough. Then he found out that his favorite bassist was also an accomplished classical guitarist, so he had to start practicing.

Dyanna's been playing guitar and singing since she was sixteen, when she taught herself to play on an old 12 string Epiphone at camp in Ohio. She tried song writing back then, but really, who could do better than Me and You and a Dog Named Boo?

A biologist by trade and training, Dyanna recently put away the microscope she's been carrying around since she was 4 and dabbles in glass art in her spare time. She founded the Red Eft Project, a regional conservation organization and spends the rest of her time on her PhD studies--that is, when she's not at practice sassing the rest of the band.

Prior to having any real responsibilities in his life, Paul played drums in several bands in Florida, Arizona, and Maryland.  He eventually figured out how to pretend being employed, started paying taxes, and then met his lovely wife and started a family.  His nomadic journey north has finally ended and brought him to the Seacoast area where he has been able to get the Slingerlands back into action with Granite Planet.  

Paul pretty much likes to play everything except Opera or Devo.  His band-mates were surprised how quickly he picked up the Shake’s blowout Disco, Punk, Country, and Rap mega-encore melody.

 

Doug's music career began at age 11 as a drummer in the Old Sturbridge Village Fife and Drum Corps. He then spent his summers playing drums for various bands in High School and College. Tired of lugging his drum kit around he switched to guitar for a while but put it down for 20 years to raise a family. After sending his daughter off to college he began playing guitar in earnest again 5 years ago and joined Rattlesnake Shake this past spring after hosting dozens of open jams in his basement over the past few years.
 
Doug works at Logan Airport as an Operations Manager and lives in Hampton with his wife Donna-Marie who is a Visiting Lecturer at the Mass College of Art and Design. Their dog Niko, a 4 year old Bichon Frise who flunked out of the Barking Dog Doggie Day Care Center, is a professional slacker who is skilled at napping and sleeping and bullying chipmunks. Their 22 year old daughter Elizabeth is a chef in Newport RI and a recent Johnson and Wales University graduate.
 
Doug uses an Epiphone SG Special and a BC Rich guitar as well as Vox and Line 6 amplifiers. He loves feedback and still can't figure out why volume controls stop at 10.