Keith Steichen

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All it took was a 1970 clock radio and Casey Kasem’s top 40 radio show for Keith Steichen to know music would always be part of his life. In grade school, Keith wanted to play trombone in the school band, but his family couldn’t afford it, so he made his first drum set out of different sized Foldger's coffee cans duct-taped together. He got a paper route and used newspapers as his drum sticks. He saved his money and bought his first hi-fi in the 7th grade. His older brothers gave him his first 3 albums: Neil Young, The Cars and Black Sabbath. But as a kid, his greatest musical influence was Kiss. He had all their posters and albums. He is almost embarrassed to say that his record collection today has over 50,000 cds from over 8,000 artists!

In college, he joined his first band The Hozers. He actually started as the rhythm guitarist in the band. But it soon became apparent he was a better drummer, so he bought his roommate’s drum kit and has been pounding the pagan skins ever since. Through his best friend Randy Hill (bassist for the Hozers ), he met Tony Schoepke and they formed the band Thinking Dogs. They recorded 4 cds of original music and played all over Albuquerque, before Keith and everyone in the band started getting married and raising families. 

It wasn’t until many years later when one of Keith’s medical students learned he was a musician and recommended they get together and jam that he started playing again. Soon after Chance of Rain was formed, the band morphed several times over the years with member changes and evolved through Misbehavin, Morningwood, Fast Eddie and the …….. too many to name. Eventually they became Night Moves. It was then Tony Schoepke came out of hibernation and joined the band! But it wasn’t until one fateful night in Chicago, when Damian Esquibel and Keith (whose daughters were on the same volleyball team) were talking music when the ultimate lineup would fall into place. Keith, Tony, and Damian reworked the set lists, auditioned numerous bass players until Damians friend John David, aka Juan, moved back to Albuquerque and it was immediately clear to everyone that the search for the right bassist was over. The band was complete! Keith was recently quoted as saying, “I feel sooo lucky to be in a band with such wonderful, honest, and talented people as Tony, Damian, and Juan. I'm a blessed man to call them my friends.“