Mick Coste (Drums, Percussion, Vocals)
Mick started playing when he was the ripe age of 10 & spent his young school years playing at keg parties with a cover/original band called Onyx, with early influences such as Aerosmith, Zeppelin, The Who, The Pretenders & The Police to name a few. He took an immediate liking to the art of songwriting, and based much of his musical experiences with the approach of playing as the music dictates rather than a lot of technical training. After discovering the world of progressive rock, jazz fusion, & heavy metal, he moved onto a series of bands (Sharp Left, Power Surgeon, Midnite Gallop, & Revelation) that allowed him to tone his skills at these adventurous styles. He spent the 90’s in the Boston/Providence club scene & in recording studios establishing an original musical identity in his various bands, with elements surfacing from Rush, Yes, Kansas, Genesis, Dixie Dregs, Zappa, Mahavishnu, Queensryche, Fates Warning, Metallica & Dream Theater. In the late 90’s to early 2k’s, he continued his gigging experience with Overnite, The Maggie Salzberg Band, & reuniting with members of Revelation. He took a break from steady gigging in recent years to form two ambitious writing/recording projects: Artifact, which highlights his love for progressive rock, & Bluebox which focuses on improvisational Jazz Fusion. Two full length albums are expected to be completed from these projects in the near future. Having spent so much time & effort in the studio has left him with an itch to sink his teeth back into performing, which is what led him to the soulful hard rockin band Beyond Blonde. The four seemed to click immediately & here he hopes to continue to form a long term bond with the band, incorporating his drumming and writing styles into something he sees a unified dynamic entity with an obvious love for music, committed to creating and performing heart felt, untainted rock & roll.
BEYOND BLONDE'S ORIGINAL DRUMMER:
Donna Compos (Drums, Backup Vocals)
Unfortunately, Donna was diagnosed with cancer in 2007 and had to resign from the band. She is doing well and recovering. Here is a little bit about Miss Donna.
Born and raised in the woods of Dighton, MA with 4 siblings (all of whom had to learn to play an instrument), Donna took up the Clarinet but longed to play the Saxophone since drum lessons were not an option at the time. Donna’s first attempt at drums were on pots and pans using wooden spoons for sticks; moving up to a "starter kit" at the age of 10, and doing concerts for the neighborhood kids for a quarter. At 16, Donna finally got a "real kit" and practiced constantly with the radio - in great wave volumes to the dismay of her parents. She entered contests like the Jr. Miss Pageant and talent shows in school whereby getting her first sweet taste of being on stage banging away to "Proud Mary" and loving it. In the 80's she auditioned and got the spot in the 50's band TYME. After 5 years, she ventured into Top 40 with the Primetime band for 7 years. Her career as a Nurse didn't allow much time for banging the skins so free lancing with different bands kept her busy for many years. Career now under control and more time to follow her passion, she's back in the groove, driving the rhythmic bus on drums for Beyond Blonde, and having a ball. NOTE: Donna hopes she will be able to drum again....that is a dream we hope comes true.
