The Bee-Ciders
Back in the late 1990s Peter and Nype already played together in a band called „The Styrian Beerwolves„, named after the favourite beverage of most band members at that time and possibly the howling sound of the drummer’s backing vocals. Though focusing mostly on Country and Blues material, some of the titles by Gary Moore and Deep Purple in today’s Bee-Ciders‘ catalogue were already found in the Beerwolves‘ setlist, building the foundation of what should become the bees‘ treasure chest of songs decades later.
After the split of the legendary wolfpack in 1999 and a two years break another influencal project was born. Nype and Eddie first met in 2001 in a group initially called „OhrWerk“ and later renamed to „push’n’funk„. Writing original songs with german/styrian lyrics through all musical genres from Rock and Folk to Reggae and Funk with a slight touch of progressive elements, push’n’funk aimed to follow in the footsteps of legendary Austro-Pop giants „Ausseer Hardbradler„, yet failed to finally reach their targets due to many line-up changes. Interestingly enough, in 2011 a young female singer named Sandra Danzer came to audition for the lead vocals, but refused to sign the contract due to a parental leave from the stage. The push’n’funk project came to an end in 2021 – at least for the time being, leaving the fans desperately waiting for their third album release which was announced already in 2014.
It was in 2020 when Peter and Nype decided to join forces again. Relying on long lasting partnerships, Eddie was the natural choice on the drums. Shortly after a first setup-phase it was the moment when Sandra despite her engagement in various other projects took her spot center stage, opening the door to a whole universe of options thanks to her incredible singing skills. The search for a bass player turned out to be difficult but finally ended with the highly experienced rock and metal bassist Andi Pongratz finding his way to the hive and contributing more than only the long missed low-end. What started as a jam session finally completed the puzzle when Upper Austrian violinist and singer Verena Schwarz decided to be a full member of the then six-piece band, willing to accept extended car rides to join the rehearsals.
After the determination of the line-up the band named themselves „The Bee-Ciders“ which mainly expresses the tendency to avoid the first go-to No. 1 hits you would expect from a cover band but instead try to spotlight the hidden gems, the forgotten jewels and the diamonds others wouldn’t dare to unearth. And even if you find prominent names on the setlist you might sometimes be surprised by the choice of the songs. So make sure you don’t miss a single show, you might lose the chance to hear what used to be your favorite song in Kindergarten and hasn’t been played live ever since!
Sandra
With decades of experience in making music – which is astonishing for a woman impossibly older than 25 – no fear of big names and an open attitude to accept any challenge, Sandra is the undisputed captain of the band through sunshine and stormy weather – or in this particular case: the queen bee. Bee-cides her stunning vocal performance alongside instrumental accompaniment she guides the musicians and the crowd through the sometimes intense and demanding shows with her pleasant and humorous narrations. Whenever she enters the stage to deliver what she precisely elaborated in numerous rehearsals before, the audience is listening.
Peter
When still in a conceptual stage the band was called „Piotr & The Combo“ for a reason, as Peter performs in two major roles in the band. Mastering the challenge of being lead vocalist and keyboard / piano player at the same time cannot be valued highly enough. His warm and colorful timbre complements the female vocals and perfectly completes duets in any language spoken in the western hemisphere. And while tending to understate his own skills, Peter’s keyboard playing sets the canvas and contributes all the flavors not covered by the string instruments to finally build the full spectrum of the bees‘ sonic landscapes.
Verena
Having mastered her instrument through a classical education, Verena contributes the ability to read and correctly transcribe music, which is a rare asset in the band and turned out to be extremely helpful when it comes to arranging orchestral parts for a single violin or string voices on the keys. On top of the violin playing, which is a tremendous enrichment to the overall performance of the bees, she is also a very experienced singer filling all the gaps with her incredible vocal range from soprano to counter tenor. As opposed to the rhythm section Verena enjoys a good glass of white wine instead of amber fluid.
Andi
Spices up any bee show with his energetic live performances, sometimes leaving people in doubt whether his bass parts were really being played live – which they are of course! Originating from Carinthia he naturally loves the stage and conquers it with a smile you cannot resist. His good vibes would be able to even bring the „fun“ back in a „funeral“. Always willing to set sails to new shores and constantly extending his repertoire of genres and techniques, he keeps experimenting with gear and sounds chasing the perfect bass tone to lay the foundation of the bees‘ artwork. Becoming a dad was a true game changer for Andi, upgrading from an expert in aviation to a Bachelor of Diapers.
Eddie
An incredibly gifted drummer benefiting from his photographical memory of beats, melodies and lyrics which he is able to weave into his rhythmic and vocal performance. Whilst originating from a grunge and metal background he developed a very exquisite style over the years influenced by and open to all genres always trying to learn from to the best of his craft, like Gavin Harrison and Mike Portnoy to name only a few. When the drum sticks are put aside, dedicating his heart and soul to any musical project he’d be part of, he sure is the emotional backbone of the band. In his spare time he also holds the position of the band’s Corporate Beer Officer.
Nype
Trying to push the setlist forward in all directions, reaching out to the next crazy idea of a song to add and being a stickler for details with a touch of insanity Nype sometimes has the potential to drive his bandmates mad – which he understands as the natural obligation of a lead guitar player in any band. Being self-taught, he tries to make up for technical shortcomings though being far from the level needed to even try to mimic his idols like Steve Morse, Nuno Bettencourt, Joe Satriani, John Petrucci and the like. Although the left side of the stage is packed with various axes a clear preference for MusicMan guitars driving ENGL amps is undeniable.
