THE BACK STORY & BEGINNING OF RebelSlave Music

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Founded in 2004 by Jeremiah Cole Epler in the vicinity of Olivet / Bellevue Michigan. 

Before Rebel Slave Music actually come into existence, A couple music enthusiast originally started jamming together, consisting of 3 individuals (Jeremiah Cole Epler ~ Lead vocals and Rhythm Guitar, Mike Delany ~ Drums, Ron Collier ~ Alternate Rhythm Guitar) 3 individuals interested in playing music together and was considering Naming / Branding their basement band before any attempted attendance in any further future public events. 

The original band broke up before adopting any name!

RebelSlave was one of the names Jeremiah Cole had brought up as a possibility was very passionate about! 

Knowing the probability of future bandmates coming and going & band break ups through observation of other bands

Jeremiah Cole Epler adopted and assumed sole propriety of the name RebelSlave and entity for any future band music potential!

The Band once again restarted intermittently with Jeremiah Cole Epler on lead vocals and rhythm guitar and his sister Angie Sinclair learning bass guitar! 

In 2015 our band gained a 3rd member Gene Dockstader aka (GRIZ) learning on drums. 

after a very short marriage between Angie & Gene and the quick separation ~  

In 2016 our band once again became a duo with Jeremiah & Angie! 

In 2019 our band once again found a short-term drummer, Jeremiah's stepdaughter Jah'llel

 Stevensen.

Around 2019 Jeremiah had talked to Angie about the vision he had for a band logo design! 

A shield with the hand raised fist closed index and pinky raised symbol (in the United States often used for ROCK & ROLL) ~ With a chain HANGING FROM A HANDCUFF BROKEN ~ by a ribbon of music melody leading to a guitar!

Angie created the logo and SHE ADDED the symbol of ultimate freedom ~ THE WINGS LIFTING THE SHIELD!

WE ABSOLUTLY FELL IN LOVE WITH OUR REBELSLAVE LOGO! 

In 2020 our band seemed to be coming together with the addition of Dustin Boggess (Jeremiah's Brother in-law) on lead guitar. 

Soon after we welcomed Michael Sinclair (Cousin to Jeremiah & Angie) as full-time drummer!

The band was finally starting to show its potential was so lucky to make its public debut coming up June 12th 2021, opening for a special needs benefit JDL's Angels For Autism in Marshall Michigan. On the ticket two other local bands ~ Handsome Pete ~ SSX and the nationally known act ~ Saving Able! 

The band was overcome with the tragic news and eventually the loss of family member and the lead guitar player Dustin Boggess (AKA DBO), due to a home explosion that Dustin often stayed over with at friends on April 12th, 2021. Dustin and 7 other individuals made it out of the tragic accident with their lives barely - Some landed in intensive care and others in critical care! 

Dustin suffered more burns after heroically re-entering the structure to rescue a 2-year-old little girl! 

Both made it out alive - however their injuries landed them both in critical care! 

Unfortunately, the decision to pull the life support plug was made against our wishes by his 2-year estranged spouse on 5/6/2021 with staff insisting he would pass within minutes of discontinuing life support - Our Dustin Passed 22 hours later on 5/7/2021 It is our belief he was fighting for his life!

With grief so heavy upon us, we were given the chance to pass on our performance due to our sudden loss of our family and band member! We all agreed to perform in the memory of our bandmate who in all honesty was the one who lined up the gig in the first place!

June 12th, 2021

RebelSlave opened the benefit with the band's introduction as a memorial for Dustin, as we played a recording of Dustin's planned entrance to the stage playing the Star-Spangled Banner lead electric guitar RebelSlave style! 

Dustin played in spirit for everyone that day through the sound recording we had captured only months prior!

As to the remainder of the benefit - RebelSlave was able to help generate a healthy portion of the donations taken in during that benefit event! 

One of the individuals that actually owned the house that had the tragic accident, one of Dustin's good friends, who also suffered some burns and the loss of his home from the accident, also actually became a member of RebelSlave for as short time. Joshua Spear joined our band officially in July of 2021 as another lead vocalist and rhythm guitar player. Joshua would eventually break off from the group for unknown reasons following the holiday and new year season of 2022.

Our Greatest Influence

Our family influenced us at an early age as we watched our uncles, and aunts, dads, and moms, as youngsters play and sing at family events. It all started with our grandfather Don Sinclair teaching his children ~ Our parents! Glen, Duane, Alan, Nancy, Elaine. 

In turn our parents, uncles and aunts taught us and became our biggest influence in music. 

When Jeremiah & Angie was youngsters,

our father, Kevin Epler plinked on a guitar occasionally and taught Jeremiah the chords he knew and a couple riffs that started Jeremiah on his early dabbling in learning the guitar and overall musical interest.

Jeremiah was heavily influenced with music and performing when he had a 2 year stay with his mother's sister ~ his Aunt Nancy and her husband Jack Gyger. 

Jack & Nancy, two of the families most talented musicians, often preformed the likes of The Eagles, Clapton, Stevey Ray Vaughn, The Eurythmics, many more artist covers and numerous original songs  

Jack & Nancy

would become two of the greatest musical influences for Jeremiah, Angie & Mike. 

because ~

Jack & Nancy's home always had musical instruments at the ready and played often! A MUSIC ROOM!   

The best concept ever for anyone passionate about music is to just assign a room to playing and performing and recording music! 

When Jeremiah moved on into raising his own children ~ He wanted to offer the same musical instrument availability to his own kids and begun the collection of multiple instruments to have on hand! This seed of music instrument availability is what lead to the founding of REBELSLAVE!

The Passion for Music!

When we were young, Jeremiah, Angie & Mike attending family parties and reunions and the like, grew up watching our parents, uncles and aunts performing on some makeshift stage. 

Our uncle duo Duane and Alan had their special style of shredding some of their favorites CCR, Stevey Ray Vaughn and Hendrix on the Rock & Roll genre and a whole library of the older rebel country stuff from Hank SR. Hank JR. Mearl Haggard and Johny Cash tunes and more! 

Michaels dad, Angie and Jeremiah's uncle Alan Sinclair was able to sit in on a few practice sessions and kinda became an honorary member of RebelSlave adding his years of experience (and opinions) to help influence and improve some of our music. 

Michael, Angie & Jeremiah continue on in music therapy sessions practicing for the band RebelSlave's next public performance ~ If ever and whenever that might be!

See, We dont just get together to play and practice for anyone else although we absolutely love performing!

We do music because we love to do music!

Music sessions for us is a break from the world and the problems we cope with every day in life! Ya see, when your full attention is on Lyrics, Chords, Notes and Rythm - there is no place in the brain for any other thought

in the brain! If you as an individual musician are thinking of other things instead of focusing on the music - The truth of that lack of focus shows in the performance!

Ya see,

Everyday we go to work and then we come home to the commitment of family - And happy to do so - But for a couple hours once a week we break that chain of brain control and the stress of everyday life and just let it all go and jam out to our style of music. 

After all we are "Rebels of control"

But

We all like having money and affording a good life also - 

"Slaves of Currency" $$$,$$$

MUSIC IS OUR FREEDOM