In the Beginning...
The year was 2007, and drummer Bubba Farmer had a vision. While playing with, and/or seeing other bands play, he noticed an intense crowd reaction when they launched into various 80's classics. They audience could be seated or relatively uninterested in what the band was playing, but within seconds after launching into "Nothin' But a Good Time", it was a completely different scene. That same audience was now focused on the band, and most were dancing or standing at the front of the stage. Even more surreal, was the fact that these songs were 20 years old and still garnering such a reaction. At the time, quite a few, if not all of the groups in the Richmond area, would have maybe one or two of these type of songs in their set. However, there was nobody in the area exclusively playing all of those classics.

Wheels in Motion...
Across town, vocalist Pete Beckie was in the midst of putting together the same type of project. A mutual friend recommended he call Bubba, since they both seemed to have a similar vision of what they wanted to accomplish. Pete's operatic style of vocals fit perfectly, since that was almost par for the course back in the day. Now, it was time to begin the search for a bass player. There's an unwritten rule in the dynamics of playing music, which is NO band works without a tight rhythm section, regardless of the talent level around them. Fortunately, they didn't need to look any further than fellow Katana Mantra alum, J. Ratt. Having just finished a stint with Sin City, he found the perfect situation with type of music he wanted to play, combined with the level of talent he wanted in the musicians around him. With the addition of J. Ratt, Age of Excess was effectively underway. While the band had performed around the area, guitarists seemed to come and go. To the band's credit, despite the lineup changes, they still managed to continue building there fan base

The Missing Element...
Around the same time, guitarists Bryan Williams and Mark Madison were gaining notoriety with their band, Fall'n. There weren't many bands in the area that employed two guitarists that worked together as well as these two did. With their complementary rhythm styles (ala Wilton/Degarmo), harmonized lead patterns (ala Murray/Smith), and solo trade offs (ala Tipton/Downing), word had spread throughout the local scene about the Terror Twins. Since Pete and Bryan had worked together previously, they had kept in contact and were fans of each other's work. As Pete revealed that his band was in need of two guitarists with pending shows, Bryan and Mark came out to jam. What was not expected, was the almost instantaneous chemistry between the five. The guitarists' styles added that explosive element to the band, which had not been there before. The vocal harmonies they brought thickened and enhanced Pete's amazing voice. They could all sense that they were on the verge of something special.

The Present and Beyond...
After only three weeks, the band played their first show together, and it was a huge success. Since then, they have been consistently playing around the Richmond area, with each show getting positive responses. The shows are a reminder of everything people loved about that era of music. Everyone has a great time, and the crowds often live up to the band's name. The initial vision may have been to form an 80's hard rock/metal tribute band. However, what ultimately surfaced was a band that pays tribute to the Age of Excess.