Mollison Drive is an exciting pop rock band from Ventura County,
California. With influences ranging from the Beatles, Pink Floyd, Pete
Seeger, Jimi Hendrix, Buddy Rich, and Miles Davis to Sheryl Crow, this
eclectic quintet is equally at home in a coffee house or on a festival
stage. Their soulful, melodic and powerful songs are like cold lemonade
on a hot day. They'll grab your attention and leave you wanting more.
Ben Liu hails from New York City where he took up the accordion at an early age. Fearing the imminent demise of Lawrence Welk's big band sound, he
switched to guitar, lured by the susurrant sounds of surf music as played by
the Ventures. Soon he jumped on the Beatles bandwagon, intrigued by their
spectacular harmonies and novel chord progressions. He subsequently played
in a number of bands whose sounds ranged from the acid rock anthems of Mr.
Toad and the Speed Freaks to the acoustic articulations of Arcas. When he
isn't co-writing music for Mollison Drive with singer Chris Hagemann, he
plays guitar in the contemporary Christian praise band, Higher Ground.
Mike Harris started playing and immediately became enamored with the guitar in 1963. His musical influences represent a wide spectrum of genres from folk to jazz and include Pete Seeger, the Beatles, early Fotheringay, Wes
Montgomery, Joe Pass, George Van Eps, Larry Carlton and Paul Jackson Jr.
Mike started his musical career on the east coast playing clubs, coffee
houses, and college concerts. In an odd juxtaposition, he was teargassed
on his way to perform on the steps of the nation's capitol during the second
March on Washington and later performed on the presidential yacht, where
Tricia Nixon was present.
On bass is Micheal Furlong . A California native who's passionate belief is that music is a spiritual lubricant for communication that speaks to the subconscious. It feeds your spirit and what better way to connect a fine group of musical spirits than with the creative approach of Mollison Drive. 25 years playing bass has landed Mike in what he considers to be the most musical band he has been a part of. From recent gigs in improvisational groups in Santa Barbara and Ventura all the way back to his beginnings in innovative original rock bands in East LA and Hollywood it has been and continues to be a journey worth a lifetime of effort and commitment. "I am so fortunate to have been welcomed in so many creative groups and my fortunes never seems to run out!". Influenced by Joni, Zappa, Beatles, Tori Amos, Quincy and Steely Dan, Mike hopes to continue this limitless run with Mollison Drive onto another level of professionalism, creativity, harmony and fresh music that will let the audience be there with us.
Doug Conant's formal drum instruction began at age 11 with world-renown instructor Tony Capko. Tony forced traditional technique and reading upon Doug, who, to this day, could not be more grateful. At Los Angeles Valley College he participated in the Jazz "A" Orchestra, which included old (and very old) members of the Tommy Dorsey, Glenn Miller, and Buddy Rich orchestras, to name a few. His major influences include Buddy Rich, Dave Weckl, Carter Beauford, Dave Garibaldi, Will Kennedy, Danny Carey, Japanese Taiko, Miles Davis, and Coltrane. In another odd juxtaposition, Doug is a decorated ninja, can speak Braille, and lies a lot.
Chris Hagemann has a voice that stops traffic… literally. After a recent show in Ventura, one woman approached Chris and said, “I was driving down the street with my windows down and I could hear you singing as I drove by. I immediately had to do a U-turn and come in to see what you were all about.†Chris is a soulful singer/songwriter, with influences all over the map. She has been compared to the likes of Sheryl Crow, Faith Hill, Norah Jones, Bonnie Raitt and Alanis Morissette, but as this eclectic list of artists implies, you’ll quickly hear that she has a style distinctively her own.
Bookings: contact Ben Liu (805-907-2261, [email protected]) or Chris Hagemann (310-409-8452).
