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Rick Plester (born September 1959) is a touring guitarist, music producer and engineer, composer and songwriter, and professional hockey player from Canada currently living in the Austin, Texas, area. He was a founding member in 1992 of the power/progressive metal band, Black Symphony, of which he has remained a member, performing internationally to much acclaim. Rick recently returned to professional hockey after leaving it to focus on music, and in 2014, joined the Texas Stars, an American Hockey League (AHL) team, in Cedar Park, Texas, as a goalie.

Music Career
Rick's music career began in 1992 with the formation of his band, Black Symphony, and has spanned composition, songwriting, performing, producing, and engineering for Black Symphony and many other artists. His earlier years were focused on his hockey career

Bands
In 2012, Rick produced a self-titled instrumental CD and now periodically performs under his own name, but otherwise has primarily performed with his own bands or appeared as a guest in others. Since the release of its initial CD in 1998, Black Symphony, his primary band, has toured internationally as a featured act as well as fronting for many name acts throughout the world. His other bands include a short-lived band, Barney Fifer, and recently, The Foundry, a joint project with Blaze Bayley scheduled for touring in 2014-2015.

Critics received Rick's initial Black Symphony CD, also titled Black Symphony, with acclaimed reviews, and Rick received

Black Symphony
Rick, along with singer Rhett Forrester of Riot fame, formed Black Symphony in 1992 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada and released a demo of three songs under the title The Black Symphony. Rick composed, wrote, and produced a full-length version of the CD titled Black Symphony, which included the three demo songs and six others that Nuerra Records released without authorization in 1996. Clemens Vaeth of Rising Sun Productions, based in Germany, officially released the CD in 1998. Rick re-mastered it in 2007 and released it under the band's label, FTM International. Michael "Mike" Pierce replaced Rhett, who died in 1994, as lead singer on the CD, with Rick (guitars and keyboards), Jeff Martin (drums and percussion), and Games "Rev" Jones (bass), providing backing vocals. Robert Vasicek also played keyboards with the band, and Robert Bennett sat in on a guest session, providing cello, bass, and backing vocals. Support staff for the original CD included Michael Phelan, executive producer; Rick Plester, producer; Jimmy Crichton and Shay Baby, engineering; Max Norman, mixing; and Todd K. Smith, artwork.

Rick also composed, wrote, and produced Black Symphony's Tears of Blood, released by Rising Sun Productions in 2001, which includes 16 songs on a 2-CD set. Ric Plamondon sang lead with Rick (guitars and keyboards) and Rev. Jones (bass) providing backing vocals. Pete Holmes and Mattias Burström played drums and keyboards, respectively.

In 2007, Rick composed, wrote, produced, mastered, and mixed Black Symphony's Black Symphony No. 3: Sowing the Seeds of Destruction (14 songs) and No 4 (12 songs), through the band's label, FTM International, in Los Angeles, California. Randy Reeman (keyboards) sang lead with Rick (guitars and keyboards) and Rev Jones (bass) providing backup vocals. Band members Pete Holmes and Robert Vasicek played drums and keyboards, respectively, while Wayne Finley played keyboards in a guest session for Tracks 3, 10, and 13 on No 4. Todd K. Smith developed the artwork for the release.


 * Current Members
 * Randy Reeman-lead vocals/keyboards (2007-present)
 * Rick Plester-guitars/keyboards/backing vocals (1992-present)
 * Rev Jones-bass (1994?-present)
 * Pete Holmes-drums/percussion (2006?-present)
 * Robert Vasicek-keyboards (1994?-present)


 * Former Members
 * Robert Bennett-bass
 * R.J. Killinger-bass
 * Tim Waterson-drums
 * Jeff Martin-backing vocals
 * Doug Patterson-guitars/vocals
 * Mattias Burström-keyboards
 * Andrew Freeman-vocals
 * Michael "Mike" Pierce-vocals


 * Former Members, cont.
 * Rhett Forrester-vocals
 * Ric Plamondon-vocals

In addition to Black Symphony, Rick plays guitar with Blaze Bayley when on tour and with The Foundry; Rev Jones plays bass with Forté and Steelheart and was formerly with Jeff Martin, Kottak, and Michael Schenker Group; Pete Holmes plays drums with Malice (US Band) and WWIII and was formerly with Monster and Wild Dogs.

Barney Fifer
In May 2005, Rick formed the band, Barney Fifer, in California with Black Symphony band members Rev Jones and Pete Holmes. By August, however, Black Symphony reemerged with Andrew Freeman as lead vocalist and opened for Great White in Lancaster, California.

Rick Plester
In 2010, Rick stepped out to front his own band, along with R.J. Killinger (bass) and Pete Holmes (drums), and in 2012, released a self-titled solo CD under his FTM International label that includes 10 instrumentals. Since the release, he has toured....

The Foundry
In 2013, Rick and Blaze Bayley formed the band The Foundry, including John Moyer (bass), James Kottak (drums/percussion), and special guest vocalist, Shawn Austin. The band toured nationally during the summer months, raising funds for the Oklahoma City tornado victims, and will perform in several Texas cities in October 2014.

Associated Bands
Blaze Bayley: Since 2011, Rick has performed periodically as a touring guitarist for Blaze Bayley, a former lead singer for Iron Maiden and Wolfsbane (band). James Kottak

WWIII: Rick made frequent guest appearances as a guitarist for WWIII for several years.

Music Production
Besides being a guitarist, composer and writer, Rick produces his own and other artists' records, including mixing and mastering, through his company, Rick Plester Production. Altogether, he has been involved in 139 records, either as a composer, writer, musician, or producer/engineer.(need reference)

Hockey Career
After spending many years out of the rink, Rick returned to the ice for the 2014-2015 season as a goalie for the Texas Stars, an American Hockey League (AHL) professional team, in Cedar Park, Texas. Rick spent several years on the rink after high school as a goalie in junior league, semi-professional, and professional ice hockey teams, and continued to play periodically throughout his music career beginning in the early 1990s. He also played with several major professional California roller hockey teams during summers in the mid 1990s and the first to use inline skates.

He started playing ice hockey at age 18 with the Williams Lake Mustangs, a Peace-Cariboo Junior Hockey League team, in Quesnel, British Columbia, Canada. In 1994-1995, he played with the Bakersfield Oilers, a semi-pro team from the Pacific Southwest Hockey League and a predecessor to the Bakersfield Condors, for whom he later played. In 1999-2000, he played for the Bakersfield Condors, a Minor Professional team in the West Coast Hockey League (now East Coast Hockey League), in Bakersfield, California. As goalie, Rick had an SVS% of .930, meaning he saved 93 percent of shots on goal from scoring. His GAA, or goals against average score, was 3.00 out of two games played, meaning that the average number of goals made against the goaltender per 60-minutes was 3.00. Altogether, he had 40 saves out of 43 shots on goal.

Rick also played with the Anaheim Bullfrogs (1993-1994), Los Angeles Blades (1996-1997), and the Sacramento River Rats (1993-1994), Roller Hockey International major league professional teams in California.

Personal Life
Richard "Rick" E. Plester was born in Drumheller, Alberta, Canada in September 1959. He has lived in Toronto, Canada, Palmdale and Lancaster, California in Los Angeles County, and moved to the Austin, Texas, area in 20??. He married Heidi ? in ? in Palmdale, California, and they divorced in 20??.