Fronted by vocalist Max Schimm, Strange Daze brings accurate renditions of The Doors’ tunes, featuring all of the hits as well as some B-sides and Deep Cuts. With Bruce Gordon - keys, Jason Krist - guitar, Michael Gay - drums and John Arntz - bass, this tight band is able to bring back memories from that bygone era when Morrison stalked the stage
Since entering the music scene in 2019, Sonoma native Max Schimm has collaborated with a number of established local acts, as well as working his musical chops as a solo singer/songwriter. Having a passion for all things rock n’ roll, Schimm draws on influences all the way from 60’s psychedelia to modern rock. Schimm fronts the band with a voice and aptitude for channeling Morrison. His mission is to fill the velvet shoes of the Lizard King himself, the late Jim Morrison, while the band produces faithful renditions of The Doors’ iconic music.
Largely “street trained” until receiving his BA degree in Music Performance from Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle, WA, Bruce Gordon has pushed musical roots deep into the Jazz, Blues and Funk genres. Since graduating, Bruce has gone on to record and tour with a number of known bands including the California Honeydrops, Norton Buffalo and the Zydeco Flames. Based in Sonoma, Bruce plays piano and Hammond organ in weekly blues and jazz sessions in Santa Rosa, Calistoga and San Francisco as well as playing in myriad local bands. Given his musical history and influences, Bruce is a natural fit to the music of The Doors and brings Ray Manzarek’s passion for adding jazz flavors to the rock and roll circus that revolved around Jim Morrison.
Seasoned with a solid Motown upbringing and a British mum, Michael grew up with a host of great Detroit artists and powerful songwriting talents: Bob Seger, The Beatles, Marvin Gaye, Aretha Franklin - the songs with true emotion and PHAT grooves! After a brief taste of college, Michael decided It was to time expand his talents and ventured West to Hollywood, landing at the soon to be world renowned, Musician’s Institute. The timing could not have been better: Studies at P.I.T. with members of LA’s “Wrecking Crew,” left an indelible mark. To this day, making people gyrate some part of their body is what Michael strives for! Michael also plays with the long-time bay area Beatles tribute band, Hey Jude, along with several other SF Bay Area bands (the guy just LOVES to play). On the day-side, Michael does freelance video editing for ESPN and Bluefoot Entertainment.
Jason grew up on a ranch in Sonoma County. He received his first guitar when he was 13, and spent hours ducking ranch work by practicing out in the chicken shed. He formed his first band in middle school, playing Kiss covers at school parties. Moving to San Francisco in the 80’s to become part of the burgeoning music scene, he was guitarist for bands including Stone Juju and Sonic Brain Jam, playing iconic nightclubs such as the I-Beam and the Chatterbox, and the Whiskey in LA. The twist and turns of life took Jason down other, less musical paths for a number of years, but now he’s back, with a reinvigorated appetite for playing. In addition to Strange Daze, he concurrently plays lead guitar with the bands Bear Punch and Mild Heroes.
Holding down the position as bass player for a Doors band has its peculiarities: While Doors’ keyboardist Ray Manzarek played all of the bass parts during the live shows, the majority of the band’s recorded music featured studio musicians playing electric bass. John Arntz strives to bring both of these aspects to Strange Daze performances, playing either an electric bass or a vintage Fender Rhodes Piano Bass, depending on whether the band desires to capture the sound and feel of an album track or to create the energy of a live performance. When not playing the role of Ray’s left hand, John can also be found fronting a Live Band Karaoke band, playing upright bass in a swing band or sitting in with various rock, blues, pop and jazz configurations in the Bay Area.
Davo Farrel is a founding member of Strange Daze and his background remains shrouded in mystery. Rumor has it that he has previously played many different instruments in various configurations since the 70's including roles as bassist in a SF reggae band, a B3 organist in various jazz/blues/funk projects and an adept finger-style acoustic guitarist working with open tunings on Celtic instrumentals and Indian ragas. Davo exploded onto the Sonoma music scene about a dozen years ago as a budding electric guitarist and has since been widely sought after by many bands due to his ability to play any musical genre with the uncanny ability to match notes and tones to original recordings. His knowledge of music theory is legendary, and his battle cry: "Any song, any key, any tempo, any time, any where!" is a true testament to his musical abilities. He has become an essential figure in many bands and is beloved throughout Sonoma Valley and beyond. At this point Davo has retired from performing publicly, and it is with utmost honor and respect that the band acknowledges his contributions to the Strange Daze project.
