Bassist DOUG SHREEVE  started taking piano lessons in the 5th grade, but eventually his sights were set on the bass, since a friend of his had one, and Doug, thinking that it looked "cool",  wanted one of his own.  "I started playing because I wanted to be Geddy Lee playing 'The Spirit of the Radio' ", says Doug.  His parents bought him one about the time he started 9th grade on the condition that he would take lessons.   He found a good teacher who also exposed him to some jazz recordings.  Doug started jamming with friends, playing rock covers of Rush and Ozzy Osborne, and Yes.    He played bass in the high school jazz band, even going to "all-state" band one year.    Eventually Doug ended up at Townson State College in Baltimore.  He met some good musicians there and started a band.   They transcribed lots of Allan Holdsworth and Bill Connors tunes.   "Working out and writing down all those great bass lines really accelerated my learning, playing, and my concept", says Doug.   Eventually, all the band members decided to move to Los Angeles to attend the Musicians Institute.    Doug feels that MI was a great experience with lots of exposure to many great players.   He started doing jazz gigs around L.A., paying what he calls his "straight-ahead dues" ...("still paying of course!", he says)..  He really started to get deep into listening to the classics, Coltrane with Elvin Jones being the most inspirational for him.   Doug has been the Persuader Band's bassist for over 13 years.