Brand Inequity BioDavid Bell (Rhythm Guitar). Born in Hattiesburg, Mississippi on August 6, 1936, David is the son of the legendary bluesman Freddie Bell. As a young man David performed with his father in minstrel shows and county fairs through the south, where he earned his famous nickname, “Dave”. When his father tragically passed away in a motorcycle accident in 1948 the young Bell struck out on his own, experiencing modest success with the blues-polka fusion trio, "Hans, Gretchen, and Bell". After the band broke up over musical differences in 1963, David turned to rock and roll, and recorded the now-legendary LP, "For whom the Bell Rock and Rolls" for Decca, which spawned his first Billboard single, "Hit Single". Unfortunately, "Hit Single" was a hit in name only, and, out of luck and resources, David moved to California, where he earned a Ph.D. in marketing at Stanford University. With Brand Inequity David returns to the musical stage after a 35-year absence, where he is the highest-paid member of the band. Discography: Get Stoked with Polka (RCA 1953); Get Poked with Polka (RCA 1954); For whom the Bell Rock and Rolls (Decca, 1963); The Lost Freddie Bell Recordings (Island, 1993). Keith Niedermeier (Bass, Lead Vocals). Keith joined Brand Inequity in 2006 after a long career of staring performances in Broadway and off-Broadway rock musicals. His credits include the role of Danny in Grease, Mark in Rent, and Glinda the Good Witch in Wicked. Keith hails from Wichita, Kansas, where he toured the Midwest as a member of his family’s folk singing troupe, the Niedermeiers. When the Nazis invaded Kansas in 1972 the Niedermeiers escaped on foot over the Rockies, a saga that later formed the basis of the well-known film and musical, Best Places to Hike in Colorado. When not performing with Brand Inequity Keith is an active songwriter and day trader. Among his current projects is a musical adaptation of the lecture slides from the Wharton School’s core curriculum. Discography: Singin’ Round the Campfire (EMI, 1973); Rockin’ to Michigan State’s Core Curriculum (Island; 1989); Rockin’ to Penn State’s Core Curriculum (No label, 2002). Robert Meyer (Lead Guitar). Bob joined the band in 2008 as part of the TARP legislation, which set aside 23 billion for resettlement of displaced Wall Street house-bands musicians. Classically-trained as a youth, a hand-gliding accident at the age of nineteen rendered Bob completely tone deaf, a limitation that lead him to a career writing advertising jingles, playing guitar for easy-listening bands, and investment banking. While on tour with John Tresh in 1989, Bob’s distinctive atonal guitar solos brought him to the attention of the heavy-metal band Entombed, who he joined as lead guitarist. Medication taken during his recovery his accident left him with an uncontrollable milk addiction, and his wild on-and-off-stage antics caused him to be dismissed from the band in 1991. These unpredictable traits were seen as an asset at Lehman Brothers, however, who in 1996 hired him to play lead guitar in their house band, “Too Loud to Fail”. Now clean and sober, Bob's renewed joie de vie can be heard in his trademark discordant solos which are a cross between Eddie van Halen and Tiny Tim. Discography: “A Random Walk down Rock Street” (2002); I’m VARy in love with you” (2003), “Hedge my Head” (2004). Americus Reed (Drums, Percussion). Americus is the youngest member of the band. Born in Leipzig, Germany on March 13, 1993, Americus was a child prodigy on drums who was invited to join the German National Orchestra at the age of 7. Known as “der Wunderkind auf Leipzig”, Americus’ tenure with the Orchestra ended in 2002 when he was dismissed for inserting impromptu drum solos on all pieces by Mozart, claiming that Mozart would have wanted them. Early in 2003 Americus left Germany for the United States, where he replaced Don Brewer on drums on the 2003 Grand Funk Railroad reunion tour, and recorded his own solo CD, “Drumotopia”, which told the story of the evolution and eventual demise of the Dinosaurs on drums. This recording brought him to the attention of the Marketing Department of the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, where he now teaches the German-language sections of Marketing 622. Discography: “Bangin’ Bach” (Deutsche Gramophone, 2002): “der Wunderkind auf Leipzig (Deutsche Gramophone, 2003); “Drumotopia” (Sony, 2003); “Brand Inequity does Broadway” (Sony, 2005). Buy your tickets today through the WGA website:
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