Gum Leaf Mafia 

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Bio

Steve Separovich - Lead Vocals, Rhythm Guitar

 

My passion for music started from the days of Countdown - Good Ol Molly Meldrum! From the day I left school I picked up the trowel, hammer and axe (guitar) from then I collaborated and wrote with my brother Nick. First band we formed back in early 90's was a band called "The Chargers", as we progressed and got better we formed a band called "Apache Reign" where we toured all the pubs in Sydney and our greatest achievement at the time was demo of the month in the old Hot Metal Magazine! Shortly after that my brother lost his battle with this version of the world so then music was put on the back burner. Years after his passing I formed a band called "Paranoia" with the members from "Apache Reign" but it just didn't feel right without my bro. I tried another project afterwards called the "Haze Band" which again just wasn't the right fit singing my brothers lyrics without him there. As time went on I started writing with my own experiences and emotion barriers through life and started creating the Gum Leaf Mafia ideas which I then came to find a version of my music that was my own but with my brother looking over me and embracing the message I needed to convey in my music. After writing intensely over the last 10 year I was getting the itch to get a band back together when my friend Dave introduced me to Mick, where the last two years we have worked together to add the group touches to the songs that have been in my list all this time. 

Then the guy that has always played my beats Rockin Romanos who is no shadow of a doubt the best drummer down under introduced me to Benny and Bobby and the rest is history so far with many more pages to write.

I am looking forward to being able to share this journey with as many fans as possible so we can all feel real life melodies together!

 Michael Kunicki - Lead Guitar,     Backing Vocals   

 

My interest in music has been present throughout my life as my father had played as a professional musician on the wedding and club circuit for years. It wasn’t until I heard the Metallica song Enter Sandman in 1992 that I became interested in heavier styles of music and I developed a strong liking for Guns and Roses, Metallica, Nirvana, Bon Jovi as well as a an interest in blues artists such as Eric Clapton, B.B King, Paul Kossof, etc. I started playing guitar in 1997 during my university studies and then played in one original band and a few rock cover bands from 1999 to 2001 with my brother Jonathan on drums, my sister Angela on bass and a friend on vocals and rhythm guitar. We covered songs from Metallica, Pearl Jam, Split Endz, etc. In 2001 the band that I was in split and I then formed a heavy metal band with a friend called Deathwish. We covered songs by Metallica, Ozzy Osborne, Slayer, Deep Purple, Skid Row and Black Sabbath. It was during this period that my guitar playing and music writing skills improved significantly covering several different artists and often playing highly technical guitar parts. After a few line up changes in 2002, the band was renamed Vengeance and we regularly played in several venues around Sydney which included supporting Pegazus at the Annandale in 2004. The band split up shortly after the Annandale gig, drummer Luke Cooke and guitarist Nathan Shea joined the well known heavy metal band Mortal Sin. It was around this time that I met my wife, moved away from home and changed my career. Accordingly, playing music in bands went on a temporary hiatus. In 2010 my interest in guitar playing grew significantly thanks in large part to my friend Dave who encouraged me to jam with him regularly. Dave later introduced me to his friend Steve Separovich and I started jamming with Steve in 2011 and found the chemistry for song writing to be very strong. I would generally bring a heavier style of playing with lead guitar parts to the mix. Over the course of a year we composed the nucleus of several songs that now make up the set list for Gum Leaf Mafia. In 2012 Bobby and Benny joined the mix to form the rhythm section of the band and earlier this year we played some gigs and recently began work on recording tracks for an EP and future album. I enjoy playing music with the guys in Gum Leaf Mafia and look forward to composing and playing interesting rock music.

Ben Essey - Drums, Percussion

 I grew up with an eclectic taste in music, with my parents sharing a passion for the blues and old time rock & roll. As I hit my teens, my older siblings would be listening to everything from Guns N' Roses and AC/DC to Phil Collins and Michael Jackson. Inevitably, my interest in music manifested itself into something more and it wasn't long before I purchased my first drum kit. I honed my skills playing along to bands such as the Foo Fighters, Bon Jovi, and Pearl Jam (amongst others), until eventually taking the plunge and forming a covers band. What started out as a hobby bashing away in the garage with mates has now led to joining up with Gum Leaf Mafia. My ethos is to provide a solid beat, working closely with Bobby (our bass player) to form a powerful rhythm section.

Bob Vukovic -      Bass Guitar   

 

 Growing up I discovered such rockers as AC/DC, U2, Nirvana and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. However, more recent influences include Kings of Leon and Foo Fighters.

 I’ve always had a passion for music but never really had any thoughts of playing in a band.

 I was asked to join a cover band (Blue Shiver) when I was in my late 20’s. At that stage I had never played the bass and originally did not want to be the bassist. However, my passion for music and some positive encouragement gave me the motivation to buy a bass guitar and get bass lessons. As my confidence grew I began to develop my own style. I was then able to jump up on stage and perform a few gigs with Blue Shiver, eventually becoming a permanent member of the band. It wasn’t until mid 2012 that myself and Blue Shiver drummer, Ben Essey, were introduced to the lead singer of Gum Leaf Mafia. Since then, we haven’t looked back.