(Taken a few years prior to the present day)
Nickname: Rick Thunderstorm is his stage name, as well as his most common nickname. There may be a handful of others, but nobody uses them.
Ethnicity: Caucasian
Role: Bassist
Birthday: March 5th
Age: 26
Residence: Rick lives in a studio apartment somewhere near the financial district, which is in an almost perpetual state of flux and alteration, with furniture being shifted, piles of detritus littering the floor and stacks of amplification equipment, string boxes and other detritus scattered everywhere.
Height: 6'2
Weight: 136 lbs.
Build: Rick has a fairly average build. While he keeps himself in shape, he is nowhere near a bodybuilder or anything like that; but he isn't overly skinny or fat. He's just... Rick.
Tattoos/Piercings: Rick has a single tribal tattoo on his right shoulder of curling, wave-like designs, and a Celtic knot on the back of his left wrist.
Clothing Styles: Rick dresses in a manner that is, at the same time, unique while at the same time average. When he's not performing, Rick dresses plainly, in black t-shirts, jeans, a pair of dog boots/shitkickers/construction boots/whatever you call them, and a leather bomber jacket (in the summertime, he wears it with the sleeves rolled up). Sometimes it's accompanied by a brown leather slouch hat with one side pinned up, and also with a pair of un-mirrored aviators.
While on stage, Rick swaps out his more modest attire for something a bit different. He does away with the nondescript clothing and instead wears a black gingham shirt with snap-pearl buttons, over which is worn a maroon paisley waistcoat with a black satin backing. He wears a pair of pinstriped charcoal dress slacks and a pair of black wingtips. On his head perches a brown stetson, and he wears mirrored aviators. Many people have dubbed this the "cowboy" look, due to the fact that he... Well, looks like a cowboy.
Skills: Rick is a very skilled bassist, obviously. Complimenting Santana's unique style of country-type hybrid picking, Rick has learned several alternative style of bass playing. He uses flamenco picking and double-thumping to produce a funk-influenced backbeat for the band (for reference, think Les Claypool or Victor Wooten). For some songs, he has also added a bottleneck slide, and played slide bass for a more experimental sound (for reference, think Mark Sandman). He can keep a basic beat on drums or by tapping (he took some tap lessons when he was in college to relieve boredom), and his raspy voice is useful for some songs.
Phobias/Fears: Rick doesn't seem to have any major fears outwardly. He's a pretty calm, unflappable person all around. However, it's well-known that he really doesn't like bees.
Bad Habits: He has an extreme tendency to run his mouth, especially at the worst possible time. Also, he bites his fingernails, and tends to enjoy a stiff drink from time to time. Of course, that 'one drink' turns into quite a few over time, and this has led to some rather unfortunate circumstances on several occasions.
Good Qualities: Rick is trustworthy and a good friend, and he enjoys spending time with the people he likes. He has a fairly good sense of humor and isn't afraid to use it. When he isn't being funny, he's almost perpetually calm and has a miraculous ability to mediate conflicts successfully. He also has a genuine lust for life, and a zealous enthusiasm for living to the fullest that, when at its max, seems to infect everyone around him.
Bad Qualities: Again, he has a tendency to run his mouth. He thinks very highly of his own opinions and doesn't take kindly to being turned down. His temper burns fast under normal circumstances, and when he gets angry he's more likely to beat the tar out of the person that offended him than to talk it out (in opposition to his ability to mediate other peoples' conflicts). He also has a tendency to make fun of people who don't play the genres of music that he likes, to the point where it just becomes provoking a fight.
Sexual Background: Rick has been known in the past to be quite the womanizer, but over time he's calmed down his sexual antics quite a bit, and although he's not in the market for a girl he certainly hasn't stopped looking.
Likes:
- Playing bass.
- Sleeping.
- Eating.
- Women.
- Occasionally a good book.
- Hiking.
- Classic cars, motorcycles, etc.
Dislikes:
- Certain types of music (screamo, grindcore, and several others).
- Being bored.
- Cigarette smoke.
- A few other things.
Business Goals: He doesn't see the band as a business; just as a way to have fun and maybe make some money along the way.
Goals for Personal Self: Enjoy life.
History: Rick has spent his entire life in D-Town, moving from various apartments and schools before finally earning his high school diploma. His parents were lower middle class and managed to scrape out a living on the bare edges of the city's lifestyle, and because of this Rick didn't go to college; instead entering the workforce to support his family. Years passed and Rick picked up the bass, mostly as a side hobby to keep him busy between shifts, and played with several bands before he eventually signed over to this latest band (so new that the name hadn't even been decided on yet) and began performing with them. Eventually he made enough money to set up his parents with a nice house in a Detroit suburb, and now he just kind of hangs out with the band, unwilling to leave Detroit proper.
Other: Very attached to his family.