Stephan "The Kid" Howard was christened thusly by the old blues players he first began gigging with as a bassist when he was only 13 years old in Chicago, and introduced him to a universe of music and travel that changed his life in every way. His time as both drummer and baritone guitarist in the influential Chicago band Pinebender in the 90's put him in contact with musicians that continue to alter his trajectory to this day. The Kid has had his hands in so much timeless music with folks like William Elliot Whitmore, Mike Lust, James McCartney, Keely and Maura Davis in Denali (née Ambulette) and BlueManGroup. But his life has been marked by the time spent in the hospital and an immune system that has caused myriad problems, including having both hips replaced 7 times, but has never compromised his time making music.