Seven The Hardway Seven the Hardway is a 5-piece progressive rock/metal band based in Southern California and formed in 2009 by guitar virtuoso Tony MacAlpine (Steve Vai, Planet X, CAB), legendary drummer Virgil Donati (Planet X) and renowned vocalist Mark Boals (Uli Jon Roth, Royal Hunt, Yngwie Malmsteen). Joining MacAlpine, Donati and Boals are bass player Doug Shreeve and 21 year old Argentinian newcomer Stefanía Daniel on guitar. The band’s blistering 10-track self-titled debut, mixed by the legendary Roy Z, will be released on August 30, 2010 on Mascot/Provogue Records, and their fall European tour kicks off soon after the album’s release. The band’s live show will consist of their entire new album, a jaw-dropping drum solo from Donati, along with select covers of Tony MacAlpine’s well-known instrumentals. The show will appeal to both followers of MacAlpine, Donati and Boals’ solo and studio work, as well as fans of progressive modern hard rock. A tour of Europe is scheduled for September/October 2010. Members: Tony MacAlpine – Guitar Tony MacAlpine is a GRAMMY-nominated American virtuoso guitarist and keyboardist. In his 24 year career he has produced, written and arranged ten solo instrumental studio albums, four albums with his jazz-fusion band CAB, three albums with his progressive rock band Planet X, and has contributed both guitar and keyboards to a host of records by various other artists. He was “discovered” in the pages of Guitar Player magazine by Mike Varney in 1984, and became a key figure in the rock guitar virtuoso movement of the mid to late 80s. His debut album Edge Of Insanity (1986) and sophomore release Maximum Security (1987) are cited by countless guitarists as major influences. Tony performed guitar and keyboards on Edge Of Insanity, and all instruments (with the exception of drums) on Maximum Security, highlighting his musical dexterity. Tony would go on to join forces with Derek Sherinian (Dream Theater, Billy Idol) and Virgil Donati (Steve Vai, Scott Henderson) to form progressive rock band Planet X, regularly touring Europe and South America. In 1999, bass legend Bunny Brunel (Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock) tapped MacAlpine to join his jazz-fusion band CAB, along with drummer Dennis Chambers (John McLaughlin, Carlos Santana) and keyboardist Brian Auger (Tony Williams, Jimi Hendrix). This lead to the release of their self-titled album in 2000, and their GRAMMY-nominated CAB2 album in 2001. Two further CAB albums followed with tours to Europe, Asia and Russia. Shortly after, Tony was invited to join the band of fellow guitar virtuoso Steve Vai (along with Billy Sheehan on bass) where he played both guitar and keyboard (sometimes simultaneously!), often doubling Vai’s formidable leads. Tony performed and toured the world with Vai for seven years, playing to hundreds of thousands of people, and appearing on the platinum certified DVD Live At The Astoria, London, along with the G3’03 Live In Denver and G3 Live In Tokyo DVDs. Virgil Donati – Drums Virgil Donati was born and raised in Melbourne Australia. As a child, Virgil’s interest in music and instinct for rhythm had been apparent to his parents for some time. They began considering a musical path for him, and one month prior to turning 3, he found himself sitting behind his first real drum set. At age 19 Virgil traveled to the U.S. to further study drumming. Returning to Australia at age 21 his career took off – playing many genres of music, including jazz, rock, pop, theatre and studio work. His own pop band, Southern Sons, led to Virgil’s first taste of international fame, with their self-titled debut selling multi-platinum and producing the international hit single ‘Heart In Danger’. Virgil also worked with many artists visiting Australia’s shores, including jazz pianist George Cables, vocalist Mark Murphy, Branford Marsalis, Kenny Kirkland, and Melissa Etheridge. In the 90s, Virgil relocated to the U.S.A., recording and touring with the likes of Planet X, Steve Vai, CAB, Scott Henderson, Steve Walsh, Tribal Tech, Frank Gambale, Derek Sherinian, Mark Boals, Dave Stewart, Mick Jagger, Josh Stone, Michel Polnareff and many others. He continues to push the limits of the instrument to astonishing new levels. Mark Boals – Vocals Mark Boals is an American hard rock/progressive metal singer noted most for his work with Yngwie J. Malmsteen. Mark was born in Youngstown, Ohio, USA. As a young child he learned to play the piano and bass guitar, but he is best known for his singing abilities: Mark is known as a master of the soprano high A (A5) note, which he hits in many songs. This is a difficult note for many singers, and Mark is one of the few to have mastery of it. Although Boals has never had any vocal lessons or training, as a teenager he gained a lot of experience as a vocalist in local groups. Mark Boals is the founder and vocalist for the band Ring of Fire. He has also performed with Uli Jon Roth, and Danish progressive metal band Royal Hunt. Doug Shreeve – Bass Doug Shreeve hails from the Washington DC area. He studied Jazz at Towsen State University in Baltimore, MD, before relocating to Los Angeles to further his education at Musicians Institute, studying under Gary Willis, Jeff Berlin, and Steve Bailey. Doug currently resides in Los Angeles, where he performs with Planet X, Brian Auger, Patrick Moraz, The Virgil Donati Band, Katisse, Code 3, and Rick Berthod. He plays 5 string bass, and has recently begun using an 8 string (4 in pairs) recently with The Virgil Donati Band. Stefanía Daniel – Guitar Stefanía Daniel, born in Buenos Aires, Argentina has been playing guitar since the age of 9. During her earlier years she studied the instrument and performed with different rock bands around Buenos Aires. She was discovered by Tony MacAlpine when she sent him a CD of her playing. In 2010 she joined Seven the Hardway. In recent years she transitioned from six to seven string guitars. Mark Boals -- Vocals Tony Macalpine -- Guitar Virgil Donati -- Drums Doug Shreeve -- Bass Stefania Daniel -- Guitar It's a soupergroup!