User:Leprakhauns/sandbox

Alex Bodnar was born in the Ukraine in 1983 and spent the first five and a half years of his life there. His father, a fine artist moved his family to Italy for six months prior to immigrating to the United States and settling in New York in 1989.

Alex got his first acoustic guitar at ten years old and practiced for hours every day. By age fourteen, he had already developed amazing technique and was able to play ‘note-for- note’ the music of Malmsteen, Vai, Satriani, Hendrix, Van Halen and many others. At fifteen, he had the good fortune of meeting the renowned music producer, engineer, and mixer, Ron Saint Germain. Ron immediately recognized Alex’s ability and encouraged him to begin writing his own music. This began an enduring mentorship and was a turning point in Alex’s musical development. Shortly after this meeting Ron invited Alex to sit in with him in the studio while he mixed the first album for the unknown band, Creed. This was another major inspiration for Alex to make music professionally.

After graduating from high school Alex enrolled in the Five Towns Music College in Long Island, New York to study guitar composition and music theory. After a year and a half in school Alex got an offer to tour with a working band. He took the job and has been a working professional musician ever since.

Alex celebrated 21st birthday in Japan while playing lead guitar for Utada Hikaru (Japan’s number one selling female artist of all time!). While playing for Utada, the PRS Guitar Company endorsed Alex and gave him his own custom PRS guitar, which has become a huge part of Alex’s guitar sound.

In 2004 Bodnar helped found the band Streetkind. Nearly 18 months after its founding, talks with Ron St. Germain began to produce Streetkind's first album.

In 2006 Alex became musical director and guitar player for a promo tour with RBD (Grammy nominated group).

In 2007 (only eight years after hanging with Saint while he mixed CREED) Alex joined forces with Scott Stapp for his second solo effort, and with whom he wrote numerous songs, played lead guitar and toured with for two and a half years.

In 2008 Alex as part of the Scott Stapp Band, performed for the troops during their AFE tour (Armed Forces Entertainment) in over twelve countries including, Africa, Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Kuwait, Bahrain.

In 2011 Bodnar joined the rock band Madison Rising. The pro-American patriotic band, named in honor of founding father and author of the federalist papers James Madison, made headlines when denied the permit to perform at Zuccoti park in New York City during the occupy Wall St. protests. Madison Rising did perform for protesters at an Occupy Congress event on January 19, 2012. Lead vocalist Dave Bray said of the performance;

"It wasn't like we're trying to punk them," said Bray. "It was more like, 'This is what we're about. Have a listen.'"