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Minor Strut

"E" and David Lee

Artist Bio

Minor Strut’s mission is to inspire the young and young at heart to keep music alive!  While only 11 to 16 years of age, Minor Strut has played professionally since March 2014.  They are based in Eastvale, California and cover Rock, Alternative Rock, and Rockabilly music from the 50s to the present.  They also released their first EP entitled “Connected” in 2016.  Their musical talent and charisma have afforded them opportunities to perform in front of thousands of people at legendary venues, festivals, charity events, and car shows all over California, Arizona, and Hawaii.  Just recently, Minor Strut had the opportunity to play Conejo Valley Days in Thousand Oaks where they shared the stage with Dave Grohl and Taylor Hawkins of the Foo Fighters.

Ethan Nguyen, or “E” as friends call him, is 12 years old and the lead guitar player for Minor Strut.  Ethan’s musical journey started in 2012 at the age of 7, when he purchased his first guitar with his own money.  Since Ethan showed such love for music, his parents enrolled him in private guitar lessons with Michael Anderson at Rockstars of Tomorrow, a music academy in Norco, California.  A few months later he began performing with the school and became friends with David Lee.  That friendship led to Ethan and David playing some gigs together and jokingly being known as ED.  In 2014 Minor Strut was formed and Ethan was selected as the band’s lead guitar player.  Later that year, he was honored to join the Gretsch Guitar family of artists.  Ethan and his bandmates have played some amazing venues, shared the stage with legendary artists, and have grown a lot over the last three years.  In October 2016, Ethan was a featured artist on Bigsby’s Instagram Story Takeover, which was another great honor.  Some of Ethan’s biggest inspirations include Jimmy Page, Eddie Van Halen, Slash, and the Foo Fighters.

David Lee is 11 years old and has a passion for music that surpasses his age.  David’s first love is the guitar.  He began playing guitar when he was only four.  By age five, he was performing in front of live audiences both as a solo artist and with his music academy Rockstars of Tomorrow.  He has had the honor to play with the Delgado Brothers, Johnny Vatos and John Avila of Oingo Boingo, Johnny Tempesta of the Cult, and many other amazing artists.  His goal is to inspire young and young at heart to make a difference through music.  David was 7 when he joined the Gretsch Guitar family and at the time he was humbled to be the youngest endorsed artist by Gretsch guitars.  In February of 2014, David was selected as the front man for Minor Strut and he aspires to up the bar and bring the band and himself to the next level at each performance.

David is a multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter and loyal friend.  He is an avid advocate for Rex Fest Foundation, The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Relay for Life, and our Military.  David has had the honor to win several talent and songwriting competitions.  He has been featured in several commercials, news reports, and music videos, and was honored as the 2016 Blues Kid of the Year by the Blues Kids Foundation.

David’s musical influences are eclectic and include such legends of rock ‘n’ roll as Elvis, The Beatles, Journey, Guns ‘n’ Roses, Queen, and the Foo Fighters.  He also draws influence from the legends of Motown, Michael Jackson, and Panic! at the Disco.  David’s rock hero is Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters and his instructors at Rockstars of Tomorrow.

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