The Bumper Stickers

JOE HEUTTE (lead vocals) has been singing since childhood. His mom calls the period from
when he was three until about ten "The Seven-Year Opera." And over the decades, Joe has
learned probably 500 or so songs from a range of genres, but Van Morrison might right at
the top of his main influences. Although he hasn't had a professional singing career, Joe's singing has been warmly welcomed within circles of musicians for many years. In the past, Joe sang as part of a harmony trio called "Memory Leak," and he is currently working on another trio project as well as The Bumper Stickers. For Joe, singing takes him to where nothing else matters.
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LIZ FIXSEN (Keyboard & Vocals; band leader) has been singing and playing keyboard all her
life. Starting in 2001, she studied jazz theory and performance at Howard Community College and Towson University as well as privately with Baltimore jazz pianist Alan Blackman and in Jeff Antoniuk's Jazz Band Master Class. With her band Moonstruck Jazz, she has performed at numerous private events in the greater Washington and Baltimore
area. For many years, she has played keyboard in a contemporary Christian band at St. John Lutheran in Columbia and for three years has led a monthly worship band at Kittamaqundi Community Church in Columbia. Bill Evans is a major influence on Liz's
approach to jazz, because of his strong sense of melody and of swing groove and the emotional intensity of his playing. The Bumper Stickers is Liz's new project since she began making forays into popular genres that still have a touch of jazz. Liz ascribes to Kenny Rodgers' view of music -- that it must make you laugh, cry, or think, or it's a waste of time
-- but she would add that it should also make you dance.
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JAY WILLIAMSON (Guitar) has been a guitar player since his teenage years. While his
formative musical experiences included church and school chorus, musical theatre and
piano, his true love is guitar. In addition to playing in rock bands, he studied and performed on the oud (a fretless lute) in the Middle Eastern Music Ensemble at the College of William & Mary. Wes Montgomery, JOe Pass, John Coltrane, the Allman Brothers,
Goerge Jones, and Danny Gatton are just a few of his influences. For Jay, playing music is a journey of continuous enlightenment and the most remarkable form of emotional
expression.
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JIM MARTINO (Saxophone) Jim started playing clarinet around age ten, and later flute and
alto and tenor saxophone, studying under Mickey Lange. Jim has been interested in and
influenced by all kinds of music over many years. In addition to being a regular member of
the Bumper Stickers, he plays regularly with the jazz quartet Loose Canon, and the 7-piece
jazz/funk Chip Miller Band. Jim can sometimes be spotted around town sitting in on gigs or
jam sessions with other area musicians. Jim equally enjoys using his horns to add color
and texture to the playing of others, and improvising as a means of personal expression
and exploration.
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ELIE JOSEPH BERGSMAN (alternate saxophone) has been playing woodwinds since early
childhood. He started on the flute, taking lessons from his father. In fourth grade he began
on the saxophone in school, and soon after taught himself the clarinet. He later continued
his studies under saxophonists Ken Ulansey and Andrew Neu. Elie has a wide range of
influences, which include Johnny Hodges, Gerry Mulligan, Dexter Gordon, Joshua Redman,
Jeff Coffin, Duke Ellington, Herbie Hancock, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, and Phish. In
addition to the Bumper Stickers, Elie plays in the funk bands Sound Makers Union and
Soultet and can often be found in guest appearances with the rock band Buffalo 40. For Elie, music is about being in the moment, and expressing yourself in creative and
non-conventional ways.
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RUSS CAROLLO (Bass) - began teaching himself bass and guitar from his early teens and
realized, by his late teens, that there was nothing else he'd rather do than music. After
earning an AA in music at Howard Community College, studying under well-known
Baltimore bassist Jeff Reed, he enrolled at Towson University and is soon to earn his
degree in jazz performance. Part of Russ' musical persona is accompanying for acoustic
singer-songwriters, and he also finds appeal in a wide range of musical genres, including
jazz, pop, reggae, and rock. He has even been performing regularly with a local heavy
metal band called Hejira since the summer of 2013 and has had the honor of playing
opening sets for a number of internationally touring acts. Russ' major influences include
jazz legends Ray Brown, Scott LaFaro, and Niels-Henning Ørsted Pederson as well as
contemporary progressive metal bassists Dan Briggs, Arif Mirabdolbaghi, and John
Myung. To him, music is a universal form of communication that can unite people in the
most unexpected ways and teach us things about ourselves and each other that language
cannot.
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SVEN ERIC RADHE (alternate Drummer) is a professional drummer and private drum
teacher in Columbia MD; he has also taught internationally in Panama. He studied music at
Howard Community College. In addition to playing with the Bumper Stickers, Sven also
plays with his own funk band, Soultet, as well as with a seven- piece funk band called "Sound Makers Union", the Columbia Concert Band, and various small jazz, pop, rock, and soul groups. His drumming inspirations
include Steve Gadd, Jojo Mayer, Teddy Campbell, Benny Greb, David Garibaldi, Dave
Weckl, Steve Jordan, and Lil John Roberts. Sven's philosophy on music parallels his
philosophy of life: both are journeys of continual learning and sharing. For Sven, music is a language that transcends the barriers of country and culture that allows us to
communicate from our spirits as well as our minds.
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EDO BANACH (Alternate drummer) is a professional lawyer and sometimes drummer. He has played and recorded in New York City and Nashville, TN and toured with Adam Weiner,
now of the band Low Cut Connie. Edo is influenced by Jim Keltner, Steve Gadd, and Russ
Kunkel, among others. For Edo, whatever else is going on in life, there's gotta be music, too.