ABOUT
George has been singing in the Philadelphia area over the past 20 years. He has fronted Rock, Hard Rock, Metal, Pop and Alternative style bands.
George has been with Big Whiskey since July 2014 and his gritty vocals complement the band's and gives them that genuine southern sound.
George Steinheiser - Vocals
Mike Peters - Guitar
Mike has been playing guitar since the age of 12. He has been in various local cover and original bands over the years, most notably, the original hard rock band “Slowly Going Deaf”.
Mike's main influences are Van Halen, Motley Crue, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Metallica,
Guns N Roses, and Stevie Ray Vaughn.
“I love to play guitar and I couldn’t ask for a better group of guys to jam with.”
Syd Sholly - Guitar
Syd has been playing guitar in bands since he was 16 years old. His first influences were Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Ozzy (Randy Rhoads), and Deep Purple. Then came Metallica, Anthrax, Slayer, etc.
All the while having a deep appreciation for blues, Southern rock, Pink Floyd, Frank Zappa, and anything good, really.
Syd has played in a ton of local bands over the years, too many to mention, but happy to finally come full circle and play Southern Rock with a great group of guys!
Billy Mendenhall - Bass
Billy has been playing guitar for over 20 years and has been influenced by Metallica, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Van Halen, Stevie Ray Vaughn and Ozzy Osbourne among the many.
He bought a bass a couple years ago to play in the rock cover band "Blackwater". That was when he realized his love for the bass and convinced Mike that they had to get this band started if for no other reason then to have fun, appreciate each others talents and play some great music.
"Playing in front of a crowd of people singing and dancing along is one of the coolest experiences as a musician. Being able to do it with the guys of Big Whiskey makes it even better."
Bryan Bartleson - Drums
Bryan has been playing drums for over 35 years around Bucks County. His playing keeps the driving force behind Big Whiskey and pushes Southern Rock to new heights.
He mixes up his drum kits according to the venues, either for smaller clubs or huge outdoor events. High energy and solid chops keeps every gig high energy.
"It's great to be playing with Big Whiskey, and touring with these guys is a blast"!
Billy Wayda - Keyboard / Harp
Billy plays multiple instruments, sang lead and back up vocals for many well known area bands since the early 80s. Split Image, Jasper, Prowler, Rockin Horz, Hot Rocks, Sticky Fingers, Tuesdays Gone, Fuzzy Side up just to name a few.
Billy was lucky enough to also tour with a few of the legendary Southern Rock bands as opening acts in the late 80s/early 90s before coming back to his native Bucks County Pa.
Mainly playing the signature piano in Big Whiskey with some nice harmonica licks.
He adds that something extra that rounds out an already incredible sound Big Whiskey creates during there shows.