The Strokers + Band in Richmond, VA

ABOUT

"The Strokers were the best bar band Richmond ever had." So sais almost every club goer in the Richmond area in the 1980's. The Strokers got their start playing Rolling Stones' songs in the clubs and bars of downtown Richmond, Virginia during the heyday of the Live music scene, the 1980s.
Scott Curnow, the flamboyant singer/frontman, had Mick Jagger all but cloned. His voice, looks, mannerisms, and frontman style was classic Jagger. Dadion Lester, guitar (see Top Friends), held up his end of the show by playing a style of lead guitar that came from growing up a big Rolling Stones fan, and learning to play Stones songs from a very early age. Together, Scott and Dadion were the "Glimmer Twins" of the band. Mervyn Nikel, rhythm guitar, was a devout study of the Keith Richards school of guitar. Open tunings, capos, all the little nuances that made The Stones sound was covered. Greg Jones, a phenominal bass player, was like having Wyman on his best night--every night.
Rusty Simmons played a very energetic and powerful style of drums, and combined with the overall musicianship of the band, really took the Stones thing to a different level. The Strokers used to PACK the bars and college nite spots up and down the east coast. Wherever they played it was slammed to the walls with not only locals that knew of them, but friends and fans making the road trips from Richmond and surrounding areas. They opened shows for Atlanta Rhythm Section, Leon Russell, Pat Travers, The Guess Who, Steppenwolf, and many more, and consistantly recieved better press reviews than the headliners.
The Strokers not only could do almost any Stones' song upon request, but could also do it in the style The Stones did it from any given tour or era. With a huge lightshow, and the second largest P.A. system of any band on the east coast circuit, it was a incredibly ROCKING show. But The Strokers were not confined to just being Stones clones. They proved to be very talented songwriters themselves. Tim Brammer replaced Mervyn on guitar, and the songwriting team was complete. Before long a Strokers' concert was split 50/50 between original material and Rolling Stones, the originals being called "Stroke Music." This only increased their following.
The only time taken from the road was to record material to shop. They showcased in New York every month, and came very close to landing deals with several major labels. After years of playing five and six nights a week, Va. raising the legal drinking age to 21 (cutting deeply into the $ and audience), and a grueling trip to Los Angeles, The Strokers decided to call it quits... In 1996 Scott, Dadion, and Mervyn got back together for a reunion show. The response was so great it became a "Reunion Tour" that lasted an entire summer. That led to Scott and Dadion writing together again, and recording again in New York. In 2004 they released an album entitled "On Your Back" recorded at Stormkloud Studios,combining older and new original material, and one Stones song "Dead Flowers". "Intercontinental Cuisine", "Save Me", and "Crush Me" recieved moderate airplay on local radio, and is currently recieving airplay on cable, internet, and specialty radio around the world. CDs can be purchased at all Plan 9 Records Stores, Disc Stores, CdBaby Distribution, i Tunes, AmazonMP3, and our website; ./thestrokersdadion

Screen name:

The Strokers

Member since:

Jul 05 2010

Active over 1 month ago

Level of commitment:

Very Committed

Years together:

35

Gigs played:

Over 100

Age:

61 years

Influences

The Rolling Stones, England's super-groups of the 60s, 70s, and 80s.

Members Of Band

./thestrokersdadion
./dadion
Scott Curnow, Dadion Lester.

EQUIPMENT

Too massive to enumerate.

MUSIC