tyler

Tyler

Stell

Bio

Age: 22
Hometown: Mesa, AZ

Social

History:

I started playing bass at the tender age of 11 so that maybe the other kids at school would talk to me. We moved a lot when I was little, and that evidently has the tendency to make kids a little strange socially. Prior to that, I was a not-so-aspiring violinist and a barely-coasting piano student, but as neither of those instruments frequented Metallica records, they were not easily transferable to the music in which I was interested at the time. I asked me ma for a bass for Christmas of ’98 (guitar and drums, at the time, were in my eyes out of the question: my two older brothers had laid their respective claims to them and I didn’t want to be labeled with the dreaded moniker of ‘copy-cat’) and behold, Santa-mom came through.

I proceeded to break everything of value that could be shaken off the walls by my 60W Marshall practice amp turned all the way up to 11 (including casserole dishes in top-cupboards and personally autographed posters of the famed ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev). I took three months of lessons with a guy named Darrell (I do not remember his last name, but I cannot thank him enough for his teachings) who forced me to open up to other techniques and other styles of music (as he said, no one cares if all you can play is every Metallica song ever written). Ate, slept and breathed bass until…

Come High School, I joined the front ensemble in the marching band (all them xylophones n’ stuff) to keep up with the family tradition (not copy-catting in this case either: the two older brothers had both done the Drumline) that went back on mom’s and dad’s side of the families for two generations. Slappin-da-bass took a little bit of a back seat as, those who have done it know, marching band tends to swallow one’s life whole. With the help of my exceptional percussion teacher Emma Bartlett (Counnihan at the time), a Juilliard and Indiana University Graduate (MM, BM respectively) I took well to percussion, did some stuff here and there and I’ll be finished in May of 2010 with my Bachelor of Music in Instrumental Performance degree from Arizona State University.

I first saw the Joey Arroyo Band when they opened for Rocco de Luca at the Martini Ranch in Scottsdale. It ruled. Big crowd, long line (everyone seemed to get there early to check out these fine gentleman) and the people responded well. Fast forward… I worked with Chris Lucier at Paradise Valley HS (my alma mater), a gig I got through our mutual friend Anna Montenegro and we all hung out a bit. Fast forward again… Anna takes me to Chris’ house warming party where he tells me the band is looking for a new bass player. OH HELL YEAH! I asked for (demanded) an audition, borrowed Anna’s CD to learn the tunes (which I have yet to return) and here I am writing my bio. I am grateful to all those stars that aligned, all of my friendships and connections that have led me here, and am having a blast working with Joe, Gabe and Chris.