David Stefanelli (drums/vocals) was born and raised in Somerville, Massachusetts. In a household filled with music and musical instruments, the options were many as far as playing music. Drums, keyboards, woodwinds, brass and guitar were all tried at some point or another. Comedy and laughter were also a big factor in the Stefanelli household while growing up and still is.

The early 70's were one of the great times for an inner city kid who loved music and art to grow up in. David was exposed to playing in school bands right from the start of junior high school which was 7th grade in Massachusetts. "I got to play trumpet in grade school but I really wasn't that into it. It was when I entered my junior high school and started to play drums that things got happy for me."

Not sure of which instrument to play in 1963.

Exposed to drums at the this point after seeing both his Dad's drumming pals work it up and also watching TV show drummers on Bob Hope's Troop Tours, The Banana Splits and the great Buddy Rich when on Johnny Carson, and also watching the free concerts in Harvard Square each and every Sunday with his Dad, David set his mind to learning the drums. "I just fell in love with the drums...Watching the drummers on TV was very cool..I was even allowed to stay up late on school nights for those Buddy Rich appearances."

Junior high school was a great time for David. Playing drums for the many school plays and band concerts helped plant the music seed firmly in the ground. High school offered more of the same with band concerts and trips for competition. "It was cool playing in the High School band in those days. We had the best drum section with a ton of talented people that shared the learning. Plus you got to show off in front of the girls even while wearing those goofy uniforms."

1975 introduced David to his first rock band, "Zenophon." This band was considered "it" on the local band scene in the city. "It was so cool being in that band. All the guys were seniors in school except for me so that alone was a cool thing. We played a lot of the Somerville High School dances and even the Talent Show playing Grand Funk's "Paranoid".... whew, loud as Hell. My parents were kinda shocked I think. Ya know, their little boy now growing into a long haired rock freak. Kinda brings a tear to your eye."

Zenophon 1977

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David appearing with the band "Zenophon" at the Sancta Maria Church Hall, Cambridge Ma. in 1974. He still has that classic Rogers drum kit today.

Playing in Zenophon was a great experience. The band played all over the state playing top-40 music of the time and a few original songs thrown in. The club scene was absolutely thriving and the band made enough money to move into the infamous Cambridge Music Complex in Cambridge to rehearse. This place is legendary with bands such as Boston, The Cars and many others rehearsing there. "I was a HUGE Boston fan and met Brad Delp there one day. He was showing me photo's of their first tour. I was absolutely beside myself talking with whom I thought was THE best singer in the world. If you could have told me then that in about 10 years I would be in a band with Brad I would have Simonized your car for a year !"

During a show at the now defunct club, "Jaspers" in Somerville, David saw a singer/songwriter named Robert Ellis Orrall do his show. All original songs and great songs at that, plus Robert had his own EP out at the time and was rumored to maybe have big time record interest. "I was really blown away from the songs that he had written and word was out that he was looking for a drummer." After some this and that, David auditioned for the band and was added as Robert's new drummer. This would be the start of what David calls his "dreams to life" times of travel, recording and making real records. "Robert got signed to RCA and we made a record called "Fixation" at the now defunct Studio B in Boston. That was myself, Robert, Kook Lawry on guitar, Don "Gomer" Walden on bass and Doug Millet on guitar. It also opened a door for me to studio drumming for all kinds of things. I ended up working for a company called The Handsome Brothers who were producers of jingles, corporate films and the infamous comedy act Red Peters. I spent years working in the studio for this company."

"Fixation" The LP by Robert Ellis Orrall - 1981

The Robert Ellis Orrall band toured all over the US after the release of our first record. The band got a bit of airplay but nothing to write home about. What was great was the band opened for everyone and anyone that they could. "I got to put my drums up on stage and opened the shows for U2, The Go Go's, The Psychedelic Furs, Bow Wow Wow, Greg Khin, Wall of Voodoo, The Romantics, Robert Palmer, The Kinks, Ronnie Spector, Southside Johnny, Molly Hatchett (who were total assholes!) and many, many other bands trying to get a piece of the pie like Robin Lane and The Chartbusters, Private Lightening and a ton of other GREAT Boston based bands. I was also in the studio doing other things and just could not have been more pleased."

In 1983, The Robert Ellis Orrall band was ready to record their second album for RCA. Producer extrodinare, Roger Bechirian who's credits included The Undertones, Elvis Costello, Nick Lowe, Lene Lovitch and Carlene Carter was secured for this crucial next record. "I almost fell on the floor when Robert told me that Roger was our man. I mean this guy produced ALL of these GREAT records that I was listening to everyday. AND we had to go to England to do the recording. Holy Fungoli !!!! "

With Carlene Carter recording at Maison Rouge in London in the 1980's

Watching the master, Roger Bechirian engineering and making my drums rock at a session at Rockfield Studios in Monmouth, Wales.

The entire band flew to Great Britain and then drove to South Wales to start the project. "We were at Rockfield studios in Monmouth Wales. This is where Queen recorded "Bohemian Rhapsody". This place was an old English farm converted into a studio. Sooooo cool. We were soooo lucky to be doing all of this."

"Special Pain" The LP by Robert Ellis Orrall - 1983

Robert wrote an incredible duet song called "I Couldn't Say No" and it was a top choice to record. The decision to use Carlene Carter as the other singer was a good one. Carlene (daughter of June Carter and Johnny Cash) was married to Nick Lowe at the time. The song made it into the top-40 charts in the US that coming year. The band made a third album called "Contain Yourself" but like so many other bands have and will have happen, the record label dropped the ball. The band disbanded soon after. Robert went on to writing several country hits for many artists after moving to Nashville. David ended up flying back and forth to London and Wales many times under the helm of producer Roger Bechirian as the drummer for several recording projects including Lizzie Welch and Simon Byrne.

During the mid 80's David played for many local New England cover bands as well as original bands. "I had a blast with these bands and they really helped with cash flow and headache release. Playing with bands like Pat Benti and Shaboom, Joey Scott and the Connection and Soukie and the Memories kept me working as a musician. Pat Benti who has saved my life 1,000 times by hiring me has recently founded the organization "Fame" that protects bands from having their names exploited by false members now touring listing themselves as original members using the groups name. And my pal Joey Scott is one of the best blue eyed soul singers performing on the planet today."

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During this time David got a call from musician friend Ed Grenga and was offered to go to LA to record some albums with producer Ross Vannelli. These records would have the great Buddy Miles (Buddy Miles Express, Jimi Hendrix) as the vocalist. "I said to Ed, are you kiddin? Where and when do you want me? Oh and by the way, what's the project called?" Grenga response was "The California Raisins."

3 albums later with one actually going Gold and Platinum, these R&B records are some of David's favorites.

"The California Raisins" Certified Gold and Platinum! 1986

"The California Raisins - Sweet, Delicious and Marvelous" 1987

"The California Raisins Christmas" 1988

During this time David was introduced to Boston guitarist, Barry Goudreau and was hired to record demos for the band "Orion The Hunter." The band also had keyboardist, Brian Maes whom David played with in the Robert Ellis Orrall band. "Like I said, I was a HUGE Boston fan and was totally glad to record with Barry. I had some big shoes to fill because the band's original drummer, Mike Derosier (Heart) had just left...........Nyaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh! The band kinda switched members and we went through several great singers including Toto's Fergie Frederikson. Altho they were all great versions of the band, nothing worked out.

Some years went by and by the late 1980's (gulp) Brad Delp started coming by to write and sing on the recordings. THIS DID NOT SUCK! We put together the new band and it was called RTZ. This was myself, Tim Archibald on bass, Brian Maes on keys and the rich dudes. (wink) We got signed to Giant Records and went to LA to record the first RTZ LP."

"RTZ" With Brad Delp and Barry Goudreau 1993

RTZ- Brad Delp, Tim Archibald, Brian Maes, David Stefanelli, Barry Goudreau

"RTZ toured after the albums release and scored a top-40 hit ! We played everywhere. Even the Boston Garden several times for different shows. This was when WBCN was a rock and roll radio station and NOT a White RAP/ROCK station!"

Music changed during the 90's and melodic, good vocals, "I washed today" type bands and songs went by the wayside in the mainstream media. The real Devil's music, RAP, took over everything including our kids and our culture. Bands like RTZ whose pants actually fit them and didn't own pit bulls, were dropped from record labels right away. Oh well. It had to happen.

"Rock is dead,..... rock is dead." - Roger Daltry of The Who

RTZ released a collection of unreleased material trough a small label in Germany but scored no major hits. The band disbanded and everyone moved on.

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The J. Geils band with their funky, soulful music and grooves are legendary when it comes to bands that "made it big" from Boston. With their crazy, marathon live shows initiated by front man extrodinare Peter Wolf, The J. Geils Band were the best live show you could see. Like most bands that became successful, The J. Geils Band went through a terrible break up which left Peter Wolf on his own looking for a new start. Enter David. "I had met Peter Wolf at a jam with my friend Jerry Antonelli and ended up jamming with him. Pete hired me to do some demos that he recorded at the now defunct Syncro Sound Studios in Boston. Nothing much happened after that and Peter ended up releasing an album that he did in New York with some other players."

By the mid 90's Peter was still looking to find success again. He released some good solo albums but nothing scored as big as he hoped. "I was invited down to a rehearsal joint in South Boston one night and saw Wolf. We jammed and had a blast with some players that were hanging out as well. One thing led to another and I remember all of us telling Pete that he should get a live band together and go out and play....fuck the stupid record company bullshit."

Peter Wolf and David at one of many rehearsals in Lynnfield, MA.

Peter Wolf and the House Party 5 were Peter Wolf, David, Johnny A. on guitar, Tim Archibald on bass, Doug Dube on Hammond B3 and Brian Maes on piano and keys. The band was probably one of the tightest bands on the planet. Between Wolf's incredible showmanship and his J. Geils playlist and the bands ability to play and turn on a dime, the tours sold out shows all over the US and Japan.

"I could not believe the touring we did...we had several tour buses and played all over the US. We also had the best guests! Wolf knew everyone. He was married to Fay Dunnaway in the 70's and she would come to shows whenever she could. We played Detroit all the time as well as the rest of the Midwest and we met some great people involved with all kinds of aspects of music and radio.
Mick Jagger came to see us at a tiny club on Long Island and stayed the entire show. George Thorogood would come to see us and jam with us on-stage.
We toured Japan in 1998 and sold out all the shows. Incredible!"

Peter signed a deal with Reprise Records and the entire band moved to Longview Farms Studio in North Brookfield Ma for a month to record "Longline." The record got some airplay and tremendous reviews but didn't do much in sales. Tough business.

"Longline" The Peter Wolf solo LP recorded at Longview Farms in North Brookfield, MA.

Ron Wood, David, Charlie Watts, Peter Wolf

"We were asked to do so many shows and we did most of them. We shared the stage with Aerosmith, Cheap Trick, Bad Company and a ton of others. We got to play the televised sports night of the closing of the Boston Garden. I am the last drummer to ever play the Boston Garden. We played the Garden several times and Great Woods as well. What a ride. Thanks Wolf!"

In the late 80's David was hired to play drums on a demo tape for a young talented singer named Michael Troy. The recordings were cut at the legendary Downtown Recorders in Boston's South End. "I got to the studio and did my thing with the producer but there was no singer in site. After a while this dude shows up in a tiff over where to park and if he forgot his lunch money and fixing his hair. This was Michael Troy. We got along right away. He was really funny and kind of telekinetic with me. We carried on and had a blast and what a fucking voice on this kid."

David and Michael remained friends over the years and started to touch on writing songs together. Years went by and in 1994 both set their minds on getting a project together.

"Michael and I got together and started to really concentrate on writing together. I had a bunch of musical beds, some unfinished and all with no lyrics. Michael, being a great songwriter on his own had a bunch of ideas as well. We set up an 8-track cassette studio in my apartment and went to work. The first song we worked on was "The Beloved Few". I got this title from a friend of mine (Kook Lawry) after he told me that it was the name of his band in the 60's. We wrote and finished that song and then "Sister Blue." We knew that we had something special but we wondered if everyone else would dig it. We also decided to put a LIVE duo together and play out. I had been playing guitar for a while but never in front of people but I really needed this challenge. We named the duo The Beloved Few and went to work on more writing."

The Beloved Few emerged on the North Shore of Boston in the local pub scene and immediately became a favorite. "We played our own songs and some classic 70's tunes that no one else would ever have the balls to play...songs from Bread, Todd Rundgren...ya know. Our original songs were very popular so we recorded and released an all original cassette tape and sold them at our shows."

The Beloved Few performed all over the North and South Shore's of Boston in the late 90's and wrote and released original material on their own CD's. Both CD's received incredible press and even achieving The Boston Globe's CD pick of the week by Steve Morse. The track "Sister Blue" was used by NBC Television for their show "Passions." The Beloved Few tracks "Please Take Care", "Wire" and "Lonely Time" have all been aired on such shows as All My Children and The Young And The Restless."Hey, we wrote, we released the CD's on our own, we got press, we sold, we got airplay and got paid...and we didn't have to kiss the ass of any record company prior to getting dropped and finally, being left with a pile of disappointment to contend with....(tears)... Ahhhhhh the sweet smell and allure of success !"

"The Beloved Few" The debut album from David Stefanelli and Michael Troy. 12 tracks of great songs. The Boston Globe's "PICK OF THE WEEK!" You can purchase this CD right now at CDBaby by clicking here! Or select any song for digital download at iTunes Here!

"The Beloved Few - Wire" The follow-up 2 song teaser. Some great songs and great sounds. You can purchase this CD right now at CDBaby by clicking here! Or select any song for digital download at iTunes Here!

The Beloved Few disbanded in 2001 and decided to go their separate ways.

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David had been sitting in on drums with Mama Kicks on Wednesday nights at Manchester New Hampshire's coolest club, The Black Brimmer. "I have known Lisa Guyer and Gardner Berry since their Wicked Big Band days. In fact, I used to go see them at a place called the Yard and hoped to be asked to sit in and play. It's obvious how good singers and players Lisa and Gardner are as soon as you listen to them for 30 seconds. Lisa's voice is simply the best funky, soulful, kickin' voice that you will ever hear. Gardner's is the ultimate rock n roll voice and should have been Bon Scott's replacement...and about these two I do NOT JOKE. I was also pleased to hear that Barry Goudreau had been working with these two kids on a project. After I heard about the Mama Kicks project Lisa and G had, I made my move."

David was asked to join the Kickers full time and did exactly that.

"Like always, if I was to commit to a project it just has to be great and Mama Kicks is exactly that. Just like Wolf's intense band, with Mama Kicks I now have to tape up my hands before we play....I'm IN! We play what are some of the great, classic R&B and a ton of classic dance tunes. I love it and from the looks of our crowds, so do they. We really do work our butts off when we play. Our first set is 2 hours long. That's great, less chance to get into trouble. It's also the first band I have been in where there are truly ALL ages at our shows. FAB! When I joined we bought an entire new sound system which is amasing...now we got some BIG punch and are in full stereo.

Recently, a fourth member was added to Mama Kicks. Guitarist, bassist and vocalist Chris Lester has pushed the envelope for the band and has made things Oh So Special!

David uses classic Ludwig drums as well as Joe Montineri Signature Snare Drums.

And always, a beautiful set of Zildjian cymbals. Thanks to Zildjian for more than 15 years of a full endorsement. Always there...always the best. Period!

David is also a full time member of the Led Zeppelin Tribute band, FOUR STICKS.

In addition to playing music full time in the evenings, David owns and operates a full time web design company, DavidsWebs.com.

Some projects David has also recorded drums/percussion for:

Lizzie Welch - Epic Records - London, England - Roger Bechirian producer
Simon Byrne - Epic Records - Monmouth, Wales - Roger Bechirian producer
The Avant Gardnerz - Why-Fi Records - London, England - REO producer
For The Love Of Harry - Tribute To Harry Nilsson
Red Peters - I Laughed, I Cried/Old Blue Balls Is Back
Handsome Brothers Music - Staff drummer for a million projects.
Nick Lowe - Abominable Showman

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