Fiat Origins
Jeff Benjamin and Alex Tate met while attending the UMKC Music Conservatory. Fed up with classical stiffness, they began looking for other musicians to experiment with. On an introductory visit to another classmate's apartment, Jeff met Nick Vawter, whom he approached about trying the project out. Having seen Jeff perform at another occasion with the band Coma White, Nick was intrigued about the prospect of creating a completely new sound. After a few jam sessions with a plethora of other musicians Jeff, Alex, and Nick finally began pursuing the completion of a modestly-sized recording. Jeff invited his virtual brother Griffin Malnar to play some auxiliary percussion and the four of them practiced the entire summer of 2007 to record Ambrosia Vein. Since there was no keyboard or lead horn, Alex double tracked his alto saxophone on top of the original baritone saxophone parts in post production. Though Griffin is now back at Berklee College of Music in Boston, he plans to eventually return to the group, and Fiat now has two new members. Ryan Heinlein, a doctoral student trombone player at the umkc conservatory, has filled the necessary role of lead horn. Mike Fenton, a friend from Landmark Lofts (Fiat's first home base), has been our tech manager designing our website and making connections with various promotional companies. He has brought his conga skills into the mix as well. Though still on the lookout for a keyboard player, Fiat is a live functioning band ready to face the world one audience at a time.