
ALAMEDA ALL STARS

1995-2019

In the Summer of 1995 while attending a local event in his hometown of Alameda, Ca, Mark was invited up on stage to sit in with local heroes the Alameda All Stars. As a respected band in the Bay Area for many years, they hosted a revolving door of quality players. Their reputation was strong yet notorious. The occasional jams turned into Mark filling in on various shows for a member who was dealing with his family's challenging health issues. The occasional gigs quickly morphed into an updated and consistent line-up including McGee, Tommy Thompson, Tom Miller and Preston Thrall. They began performing shows around the Bay Area doing mostly blues, rock and funk cover songs with extended jams. The vibe was a relaxed, loose and fun atmosphere. While Mark didn't see this as a highlighted project, the lack of pressure allowed for a tight musical chemistry to form and longtime followers were extremely enthusiastic about the new energy in the band.
A few AAS members had been working with southern blues icon Gregg Allman and when an available guitar slot opened up, Mark was offered an audition. By Fall of 1995 he performed his debut show with Gregg at Slim's in San Francisco, Ca. This led to a decade of shows as lead/slide guitarist for Gregg Allman & Friends.
As an original music artist, Mark expressed his desire to write material together for an original album but unfortunately the commitment just didn't exist. In the end sadly there was no official album released. To document the talent and chemistry that existed would have been a very special album but unfortunately, it never happened. The All Stars reputation is widely known and quite respected and they've always been involved in the community, donated their time to special events and causes throughout the years as well as being hired to back other big name artists.
During their time together a very special and strong bond was forged! However in summer of 2019, following a noticeably slow period for the band due to members departing and returning, his path with Luvplanet was demanding his full attention. Shockingly after 24 years together, he was asked to choose between his commitment with Luvplanet and the All Stars. Wishing them well, he moved forward to continue focusing his energies on his original music career. The brotherhood within the All Stars is a broad and diverse musical family that continues to deepen and widen as they move on with a new incarnation of the band.
MEMBERS:
TOMMY THOMPSON - Keyboards/Vocals
TOMMY MILLER - Bass/Vocals
MARK MCGEE - Guitars/Vocals
MARK BURGSTAHLER - Guitars/Vocals
PRESTON THRALL - Drums
VIDEOS
Street Talk (Written by Mark McGee) - Live at West Fest in Golden Gate Park San Francisco, Ca 2009


Street Talk (Written by Mark McGee) - Live at West Fest in Golden Gate Park San Francisco, Ca 2009

w/ Nicole Sutton - I Wish It Would Rain
