Vortex Park

VORTEX PARK was founded in 2005 when singer/songwriter/guitarist, Alex Wolf, teamed up with double bassist, Justin Roberts, and began playing the Atlanta local scene. With Roberts’ solid and thumping bass lines and Wolf’s thoughtful lyrics, unique guitar technique, and extremely eclectic writing styles, Vortex Park made an early impression on its audiences with their dynamic acoustic act. Brad Stott and Rurik Nunan later joined, adding a dynamic rhythmic presence on percussion and a wailing a...

VORTEX PARK was founded in 2005 when singer/songwriter/guitarist, Alex Wolf, teamed up with double bassist, Justin Roberts, and began playing the Atlanta local scene. With Roberts’ solid and thumping bass lines and Wolf’s thoughtful lyrics, unique guitar technique, and extremely eclectic writing styles, Vortex Park made an early impression on its audiences with their dynamic acoustic act. Brad Stott and Rurik Nunan later joined, adding a dynamic rhythmic presence on percussion and a wailing and melodic violin, giving Vortex Park depth and emotion that continue to attract new and diverse audiences. Wolf made a move from acoustic to electric guitar, and then they were joined by star-drummer, Noel Felty, evolving the project into a much bigger, bolder sound, which led them off the smaller cafe-type venues (Red Light Cafe, Kavarna, Alcove Gallery) and onto more medium size venues such as Five Spot, The Earl, Smith’s Olde Bar, Krog Jam, Vinyl, Three Bears, Stella Blue, Rocket Room, Eyedrum, Eigth & Rail, and more. As Vortex Park continues to evolve and receive loyal support, the band members’ determination and dedication to creating an exciting, relevant and unique experience for their fans has even further strengthened. ALEX WOLF - Guitar and Lead Vocals - Returning to the stage in 2006 after a 11-year hiatus from playing out live, Wolf makes good use of his vast array of influences in order to write unique, eclectic songs with lyrics that range from story-telling to political relevance to raw emotional confession. As a seasoned guitarist of 25+ years, Wolf’s guitar work shows much experience with the determination to really “go for it” as well. In the early nineties, Wolf fronted Athens-based grungy-groovy rock band, Both Sides, who shared the stage with many great artists, most notably Widespread Panic and Col. Bruce Hampton & the Aquarium Rescue Unit, played most of the finer stages in the regional southeast and recorded with legendary producer/engineer, Johnny Sandlin. Wolf was born on August 20, 1970 in Washington D.C. JUSTIN ROBERTS - Double Bass and Backing Vocals - Roberts started off playing guitar in the Atlanta-based rock band, To Whom It Concerns, who won a number of competitions that lead to a sponsorship from Miller Lite and went on to play Lollapalooza 2003, the Riverbend Festival and 99x Big Rock opening for The Roots and The Donnas. Then Roberts began playing double bass in the bluegrass band, Smokey’s Farmland Band, which played Harvest Festival 2004 with Medeski, Martin & Wood, Tony Rice, Derek Trucks, Bob Weir and others. Roberts makes use of his rock and bluegrass influences in order to provide Vortex Park with a solid, thumping foundation with the natural ability to find the choice notes and accents that help make the music even more interesting. Roberts was born on February 25, 1978 in, Alabama. RURIK NUNAN - Violin and Backing Vocals - Nunan was born on March 17, 1983 in Moscow, Russia to an American father and Russian mother. Soon afterwards, he moved to Atlanta, GA and began studying classical violin at the age of four. In addition to his experience performing in various youth orchestras, Rurik was exposed to a wide range of folk music such as Balkan, Greek, Russian, and of course, the many sounds of American folk and popular music. After four years at Loyola University of New Orleans and complete immersion in classic jazz, Cajun music, and modern New Orleans jazz and funk, Nunan’s musical palette was replete with the many styles and influences that he now draws on in his playing. In addition to Vortex Park, Nunan plays in a variety of other settings and frequently adds his violin to projects ranging from bluegrass to progressive rock. BRAD STOTT - Percussion - Stott was born in Michigan in the late 70s and started studying percussion at age 10 through the local school system. Throughout high school, he was lucky enough to travel the US and Europe competing and performing while studying under several esteemed members of the Robert Hohner Percussion Ensemble including Dave Zerbe (Aretha Franklin, Michael Feinstein) and Doug Corella (The Verve Pipe, The Cells). While pursuing an engineering degree, Stott added further diversity to his musical influences by studying Jazz and Latin music under Mike Irish (Dizzy Gillespie, Louis Bellson, Dave Samuels) and playing with several jazz and latin combos. In 2001, Stott moved to Atlanta and focused his musical energy on guitar for a few years until he was inspired to dust off his drums and contribute to the unique sound that is Vortex Park. NOEL FELTY - Drums - Born on June 3, 1972. Felty studied Classical music and percussion for several years with Byron Hedgepeth, Director of Percussion Studies at UNCA. His first paying gigs were when he was only 15 with Swing & Big Bands. Noel played drums for Both Sides in the early 90’s with Wolf in Athens, GA. Noel went on to play for such acclaimed musicians as Col Bruce Hampton, Catfish Jenkins, Beth Wood, Jupiter Coyote, Patrick Smith Band, Kai-Zen, Lefty Hathaway, Francisco Vidal, Blue Dogs, Allgood, Lindsey Wodjik, Avery Dylan, Common Saints Trio, John Keane, Charlie Wooton and many more. Felty also is a composer; his composition “Fade” was featured on the television program “Random One”. He has shared the stage with many musicians, most notably: Dirty Dozen Brass Band, ARU, Jeff Sipe, Edwin Mcain, Jewel, Travis Tritt, Count Mbutu, Rusted Root, Darius Rucker, Toad the Wet Sproket, North Mississippi Allstars, Zac Brown Band, Vertical Horizon, Spyro Gyra, and more. Felty brings to the Vortex Park arrangement his impeccable technique and tasty, unique ideas for rhythm and musicality.