Tonics |
The Sparkling Tonics came together in April of '97 at the Victory Open Mike at the Antique Sandwich Co. in Tacoma, WA when three surviving members of a short-lived Hawaiian/jug band discovered their mutual love of older pop/jazz (1910-1940) and decided to reform. Steve, Marc and Mimi played as a trio for a while, and when they added their bass/rhythm player, things really began to cook. They have played from Monroe to Port Orchard, Seattle's Folklife to Yakima's, and at Swing Dances and Retirement homes. The Sparkling Tonics come from a wide variety of musical backgrounds, each adding a unique layer to the group's sound. Steve Akerman, playing the violin and mandolin, is a popular sideman on the Seattle/Tacoma music scene. He can be seen at Seattle's Folklife Festival playing everything from bluegrass to reggae/world beat to jazz. He has played with the Madrones, Gridlock, Jonathan Kingham, Lizbeth McLaughlin, Aunt Betsy and JW Sparrow. Steve is currently playing with Victory at Sea (chanteys), The Civil Servants (folk/rock), and Not So's You'd Notice (Celtic/bluegrass fusion), as well as the Tonics. Steve is a past president of Victory Music, a nonprofit musician's organization. Working for the King County Prosecutor's Office, Steve is a long time resident of Burien, WA. Mimi Geibel picked up the ukulele only because it was significantly smaller than the rest of her musical menagerie. Growing up in Connecticut, she sang in the choir and every musical she could. For years, her musical idols were (and still are) Manhattan Transfer, George Gershwin, Ronnie Gilbert, and Tom Lehrer. Currently playing the Autoharp, washboard, percussion and uke, Mimi brings pizzazz from her years of being on stage. She is also the band border collie; sniffing out gigs and making sure everyone has their lunches. Mimi can also be found playing in Not So's You'd Notice. She is a wedding planner in Seattle. |
