Biography

Beauty & the Bastards is a new American musical project, which grew out of a collaborative effort dating back more than 30 years!

To music fans in America's heartland in the mid-to-late 1970s, the band known as "Silver" put on a show like no other. It wasn't uncommon for fans to drive 100 miles, or more, for a chance to see and hear one of the most exciting and dynamic bands around!

"Beauty & the Bastards" - which is an outgrowth of "Silver" - has its genesis in the late 1960s, when Danny Mangold met Doug Geston and Mike Wetzstein in high school in Fargo, North Dakota, and, like many of their contemporaries, the three of them decided to form a band; Danny on Guitar, Doug on Bass and Mike as the Drummer.

Danny: "Every gig I did, I can remember like it was yesterday. Geston was really the start as we met in the 10th grade and he was a real musician. Then Mike... he hung with these guys that were pretty bad-**** in town and doled out ****-whoopin's of Biblical proportions on a pretty regular basis... but he wanted to hang with us wanna-be rockers... we fell in love with his charm and grace immediately... I remember the first time Mike sat down behind a set of drums, Geston and I looked at him like... what do you think you're doing?...and Bam!... he was just this amazing drummer!"

After graduation, and a few years of hanging around the Fargo-Moorhead music scene, the three friends decided to take a chance and strike out as a professional music act; by a fortuitous chance, they met (and were immediately impressed by) lead guitarist Gene Wilhelmi, newly-arrived from the aptly-named Starkweather, ND, and looking for an opportunity to make a name for himself in the "big city".

After convincing Gene to join them, they settled on the band name “Silver”, because it reflected the purer and cleaner style of music that they were drawn to. “Silver” enjoyed fair success during the early to mid-1970s, although the departure of Doug Geston to serve in the US Army forced the band to limp along with the substitution of several bass players, until they were fortunate enough to hook up with Rick Hutchinson.

Rick, who had been the bass player for several years with “Gravel Road” - one of the area's most popular rock bands, was still casting around for a permanent gig, after Gravel Road's breakup several months before. When he heard that “Silver” was looking for (yet another ) bass player, he armed himself with a six-pack in one hand and his bass guitar in the other, and burst into the band's practice facility screaming "Rock 'n Roll!" He was hired on the spot.

Several months later, Doug Geston returned from his Army enlistment, and was sought out by the band to fill the role of Sound Engineer. With the addition of a full, pyro-technic and lighting and theatrical designed-driven show, including projected images, fire and smoke, along with lighting techniques and effects which were generally unknown in rock music at the time, Silver finally became a a band that was, in the words of Danny Mangold, "a 6-nights-a-week; 4-sets-a-night, journeymen, black belt touring act!"

The newly-configured “Silver” soon found itself as one of the most sought-after bands in the upper Midwest music scene. Where before they had found themselves consigned to playing smaller clubs, or opening for headlining bands, they were now the featured acts at the more prestigious venues. Soon the word got around: “Silver” was worth seeing!

By 1978, the band had begun opening concert venues for national touring acts, such as Foreigner and Little River Band, but at the same time they were experiencing more and more success as musicians, they began to come under increasing pressure from family responsibilities, eventually resulting in the break-up of the band, in 1979.

During the 1980s and ‘90s, the band members drifted further and further apart, and eventually lost touch with each other.

Rick Hutchinson moved to the San Francisco area, where he was a founding member of the popular and successful “Hoosier Daddys”, in addition to his work as a consultant for the Hewlett-Packard Company.

Mike Wetzstein became a bit of a nomad, moving with his family to Texas, Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina, and finally ending up in Omaha.

Gene Wilhelmi and Danny Mangold went on to Minneapolis to found the "Metro All Stars" (winners of a weekly "Star Search" competition, as well as a total of 6 Minnesota Music Awards, including “Best Guitarist of the Year” to Wilhelmi, and and a personal nomination for "Musician of the Year" for Mangold).

When the "Metros" finally disbanded in the mid-1980s, Gene Wilhelmi moved back to Fargo with his family and Danny Mangold relocated to Seattle, where he opened a highly successful and nationally-recognized vintage guitar shop, “Danny’s Music”, and continued to play and produce music with local and nationally-known acts.

During the intervening years, most of the band members stayed involved in music, although not all professionally; however, during their hiatus from “Silver” the various band members signed to Capitol, MTM and A&M records; recorded, wrote and toured with artists such as: Ann Wilson and Heart, Charles and Aaron Neville of the Neville Bros. Chris Barron of the Spin Doctors, Joan Jett, Morris Day & The Time, Prince, The Romantics, Albert Collins, .38 Special, Leo Kottke, Survivor, and Queensryche; and produced music for Showtime and Disney, among others.

In the late 1990s, the band members began slowly finding each other, mostly through the magic of the internet; eventually electronically reconnecting the entire band, including most recently, Doug Geston, who had moved to the Minneapolis area, and made a career as a successful choral arranger and producer.

Finally, after several months of contemplation and discussions about the old days, the band members made a decision to shake the dust off of the road cases, get back in the harnesses, and take a chance at reviving the magic that was “Silver”!

As the music progressed the need for some additional vocal and instrumental talent became clear. An old friend and mega-talented Gordy Christensen from "The News", joined the project as vocalist, and Rick Hutchinson reached out to an old friend, Mike Jenkins, to bring his keyboard skills to the project. Finally, Danny Mangold recruited Shandon Hayes - whom he had worked with on musical projects in Seattle - to add her sultry voice to the mix. "Beauty & the Bastards" was born.

To quote Danny: "The "story" is the Beauty.. people automatically assume it's Shandonista because..well..she is a cutie pie....but...she is a b@$tard like the rest of us...fantastic, graceful, spare, orphaned parts..yep..that's us. We are the Bastards...the spirit of the music is the real Beauty"!

With a new album of mostly-original material in release, (including the hit singles "Better" and "Broken"), Beauty & the Bastards are a musical force to be reckoned with!

Don't miss Beauty & the Bastards when they appear in your area, and check out the new music on the band's "ReverbNation" page at: http://www.reverbnation.com/beautyandthebastards !

Beauty & the Bastards is managed and booked exclusively by Mithril Entertainment, Ltd.; contact us at:
(503) 933-2581, or by email at: bandbtheband@aol.com