Biography

American Steal began in the late-70's and graced several stages in the Akron area with their folk influenced rock. For further details on early-ASB history, see the webpage at Mikesplacerestaurant.com.

After a long hiatus, several founding members, namely Mike Kostensky, Steve Urbon, and Rick Demiglio joined forces in 1999 with a few other area musicians to begin playing shows and introduce some new songs. Among these additions were Fred Franks, Matt Moore, Jim Lyons, and Mark Dunham. At this point, the ASB was playing primarily town fairs and steakhouses, as well as public events, such as Akron's "First Night". Doug Matthews began filling in for some gigs beginning in late 2000, and eventually took the place of Jim Lyons on Bass. Shortly after this, the ASB began playing more venues and became a regular presence in many of the area's Fraternal Clubs, such as Eagles and Moose stretching from Bucyrus and Sandusky to Ravenna and many places in-between.

The ASB made some personnel changes in the subsequent years and dabbled in the pub and niteclub circuit. Notable members of this period include: Frank Horvath and Bob Mastri. Steve Urbon and Rick Demiglio also moved on to pursue other musical projects during this period.

Ultimately, we have chosen to stay true to our roots and focus on providing entertainment mostly at fairs, festivals, and fraternal organizations. The current and since 2009 lineup of ASB consists of: Mike Kostensky and Bob Kraus on rhythm and lead guitars respectively; Matt Moore on lead vocals and harmonica, Fred Franks on keyboards and vocals, Doug Matthews on bass guitar, and Peter Harjung on drums.