Official Tinman Bio PDF available for media outlets.
A special farewell to Tinman Bass player and backup vocalist Peter Allen III.
TinMan, a 5-piece professional band formed in 2005 from San Jose, California, takes pride in presenting the greatest rock classics of all time as they should be — with attitude, style, a strong dance-oriented groove, great musicianship, and a real stage show!
TinMan is a KFOX "Last Band Standing" finalist for 2007, and has rocked Redwood City's Little Fox Theater & Dance Club 8 times to sold out audiences in the past 2 years, including New Year's Eve, as both headliner and opening band for national touring acts. A popular band touring greater Bay Area venues, TinMan also adds their own "flights of fancy" to classics that delight and showcase the band's talent.
In addition, TinMan is a well-organized group — we have great references and a loyal and growing fan base (Funnelheads!) that follow us from gig to gig. We communicate with our fan base via our website and email to let them know where we are playing. For our club and concert gigs, we advertise and do media promotion, and work hard to bring in a good crowd. We work with our employers to provide the best possible musical experience for everyone!
TinMan has the song list, depth, and stage experience to play concerts, nightclubs, parties, indoor and outdoor festivals, and, yes, even weddings — any event that needs Classic Rock Done Right!
If you are looking for a real rock and roll band high on quality, high on energy, and high on fun that will get your crowd rockin' regardless of the age of your venue, you can't go wrong with TinMan. We will make your event a success!
Best wishes to You... and keep rockin'!
Christian Lee Swain
(Lead vox, acoustic guitar, Harmonica and whatever noisemaker is needed)
Christian began to pursue the Rock 'n' Roll life at sixteen years. A move from one SoCal high-school rat race to another afforded the new kid in town an opportunity to reinvent himself and find social acceptance with sweet music. And thus, a lead man was born. After several years in the garage, rocking the occasional Saturday-night keg party, fate found this thin white dude in Hollywood working the clubs. There are, indeed, documented tales of one Christian Lee headlining storied venues with names like Whisky a Go-Go, the Country Club, and the Roxy. But after humping the record machine with several demos recorded by big-name producers from the past, the well had run dry, the act had grown stale, and new worlds beckoned Christian away from the rock life. Now, after a lengthy hiatus, batteries recharged and pipes refitted, piss and vinegar once again coursing through his veins, a front man rises to provide the voice of TinMan! His free time is consumed by too many adventurous pursuits to list, along with a rumored run for the White House in '08.
Born: Inglewood, CA- fo'shizzle!
Mic: Sure SM58 Beta
Guitar: Ovation 6 string
Ardell Henderson
('Lectric guitar, background vocals)
Millard, Jr. on the birth certificate, but don't call him that. Certainly R.D. has been known to answer to a plethora of titles, some rude 'n' crude in nature. Born in the majestic Southwest we've heard, raised by a loveable group of rogue hillbillies in the Midwest, Ardell has been running from his past ever since. Seriously, though, and more to the point, he loves music, plays mostly rock, and is not a fan of disco, rap, hip-hop, or country (though there are exceptions to every rule). His favorite music is the progressive instrumental rock made by artists such as Rush, Deep Purple and Frank Zappa. A stranger in an even stranger land, Ardell very much enjoys his current gig, bendin' the strings for TinMan. His most secured secret is his love of horticultural porn.
Born: Unknown.
Guitars: Jem, Wolfgang, Strats, 12 total (at the moment)
Amps: Fender CyberTwin SE, Mesa Boogie Nomad, Johnson JM-150
Assorted implements of destruction: Digitalker, Morley Wah, Jack Daniels
Gerhard Lengeling
(Chairman of the boards, background vocals)
Born and raised in what was West Germany and just recently (as you may have heard) went back to being plain Germany again, Dr. G began hammering the ivories at the ripe age of four, and his parents managed to endure three years of madness before shipping him off to have some proper lessons. As a teenager, he discovered rock and the blues, expanding his arsenal of sounds to include, among other things, a wickedly distorted Hammond organ. In 2003, Gerhard found his way to the Silicon Valley and has resided here ever since, a musical genius lying in wait for just the right moment, and just the right band... Dr.G's favorite key-ticklers include George Duke and John Lord. Like all men he enjoys a good piece of sushi and eagerly awaits the chance to order his Double-Double's "animal style."
Born: Germany
Keyboards: Hammond B3, Grand Piano, Rhodes, Clavinet D6, various synths etc., digitally powered by Apple Logic Pro Software Instruments.
Larry Osborne
(Drumz)
Larry O was born to a military family around the time the Giants won their last World Series, the youngest of three children about to grow up with the Cold War as a constant backdrop. He was given his first Slingerland kit at the age of ten and was quickly able to absorb a wide variety of musical styles through the constant travels associated with military life. He toiled with garage bands in junior high and came of age playing "Top 40" hits on the club circuit. After many long years on the road Larry's love for classic rock and R&B could no longer overpower the new love in his life ~V road cycling. He made the agonizing choice to hang up the sticks, and that's how things stayed until a fateful encounter with a certain band~E 29-years married, 2 daughters, 3 granddaughters, and his bike. Larry O had a rich and fulfilling life before being sucked into the TinMan vortex. 15 years removed from last musical endeavor, we were shocked and awed to discover this diamond in the rough had collected very little rust, and more than happy were we to invite him into our tribe. His absolute favorite drummer of all time is the late, great Buddy Rich, and he prefers the taste of regular Dr. Pepper.
Born: Knoxville, TN
Kit: Slingerland (A New One!)
Bass pedals: Tama Duals
Cymbals: Zildjian
Drum mics: Shure
Philly Bill Weir
(Bass, Vocals)
Inquiring minds want to know who the new guy is, and where did he come from?
The rumor is true — Bill is a PA native, and the City of Brotherly Love — home to sports crazed, cheese steak chomping, ‘Yo Rocky’ speaking natives, was also home to ‘Philly’ Bill for over 20 years! Having grown up in a musical family and playing guitar, then bass since his high school daze, he managed to graduate from 2 universities (think - ‘lots of frat parties to play for’), eek out a respectable day profession, own a sound company (worked with Billy Joel), and continue his musical passion for rock and blues in those useless hours after work. There was even that tour down the east coast and the infamous Atlanta jail incident — but we won’t smear his good name with such rumor and innuendo...
Seen in all the best rock and blues bands the Keystone state offered, including his own, but OD’ing on shoveling snow, ‘Philly’ Bill cashed in his stock options and made the move to San Jose in 1999.
Wasting no time in his new snow free environment, he found a whole new music scene to get into trouble with, having played with the Lara Price, David Hull, and Nicole Cheri Bands before the Men of Tin turned his head and lured him to their great Classic Rock Soundscape!
When he is not playing bass, he enjoys bike riding, weight training, hiking, and working in his home recording studio. Oh yeah, the nickname — it came by way of his stint with east coast ‘Blues Guitarist of the Year’ Award Winner Mike Dugan — whose every band member needed a nickname. It stuck!
Musical Influences: Jack Bruce, Tim Bogert, Tommy Shannon, Randy McDonald, Charlie Mingus, Jaco, Dave Sanborn, Keith Jarrett, Eric Clapton, Mom and Dad