Al GUIMARAES

Vocals, Guitar, Harmonica, Bass & Drums

  

It was not until faced with pending college graduation and the "real" world did Al decide to convert his life long love of music into a career! Picking up an old guitar during the second half of his junior year of college, Al  has not put it down since. Disregarding his degrees in practical matters, he went on to earned an Associates Degree in Music Performance from a local community college and immediately put it to work in the cover duo "Barley & Hopps". A chance encounter with Rose Marino, (Right-hand lady of Clive Davis of Arista Records) and her husband George Marino (Mastering engineer extraordinaire), landed him in the mailroom of Capitol/EMI records in New York where he delivered mail for the likes of Paul McCartney, Crowded House, Huey Lewis, The Smithereens, Megadeath and Natalie Cole. Having touched the mail of greatness, Al moved on to a position of Artist & Repertoire Pee On with Chrysalis Music Publishing where he never received credit for placing songs with Expose and the Muppets, completely over looking Lisa Loeb or discovering the Dave Matthews Band. Since 

 

leaving the music business, Al has installed jet fuel pipe at Kennedy Airport, been inside of the Brooklyn Bridge, learned computers really well, road the dotcom bubble all theway from NYC to Hartford, CT, became a Real Estate Broker, drove to Seattle for a Job, drove back twice and all the while has continued to write and perform his own compositions and reorganize and interpret  the songs of any other artist his muse presents to him. 

with the Arch De Triumph of Paris

THE EAST COAST BRANCH

GENE SANTINI

Drums, Percussion, Bass & Vocals

 

Gene Santini was brought up in the music scene of the 1970's. His father, a Professional Touring Bass Player and Session Musician exposed young Gene to how it is suppose to be played. From the tender age of 4, Gene sat beside and learned from some of the greatest players ever:: Steve Gadd,  Bernard Purdie, Buddy Williams & Alan Schwartzberg to name a few. Mostly they made him fetch sticks and beers but by the age of 12, Gene had learned something and was playing on a nationally televised Hertz commercial jingle (that was his beat that O.J. was jumpin' suitcases to), and then was member of the "All County Band" by 13 (Drummers did not receive the usual beating all the other band members got). Gene went on to study at Berklee and then performed throughout Fairfield &

Westchester Counties, Long Island and New York City. Gene has been involved with various studio project and has worked with Anthony  Robustelli (Kelly Price, Spearhead) and Nunzio Signori (Brian McKnight) of ShadyBear records. Gene is an avid motorcycle enthusiast and he often restores old wrecks for fun and profit, well mostly profit. He enjoys fishing hats and "laying down the funk".

Gene with John Blackwell (Prince)

PHIL GAITA

Bass & Guitar

Phil "Phylo" "Philbert" Gaita is one of the New York Metro area's most respected musicians. His musical journey began in 1977 when he picked up the bass guitar and the first week he learned the E string. the second week he learned the A string. The third week he learned the D string. The fourth week he had a gig. When high School came around Phil thought that playing a guitar with 6 strings would "pull more birds" so he began teaching himself. Phil's amazing talent allowed him to learn play the music of bands such as Yes, King Crimson and Rush. Unfortunately "birds" like three chord songs. Phil went on the study jazz performance and studio composition at the Purchase College Conservatory of Music, and holds the degree of Bachelor of Music. He is currently involved with several solo artists (some of them musically) and a couple bands in the New York area, and his multi-instrumental talents are featured on over a dozen independent
recordings. He performs regularly in the Northeast United States and in the Caribbean Islands where he is known as "Blanco Loco". Phil is an avid composer and has contributed film scores to the documentary Get off the Curb by Susan Cobey, which aired on PBS, and for the independent film 'Till Death Do Us Part by Roko Markolovic. Additionally, Phil has been teaching piano, guitar, and bass to students of all ages and skill levels since 1997, and currently holds the position of Musical Director and instructor at the Thornton –  
Donovan School in New Rochelle, New York. When not performing or teaching, Phil likes to "chill brother".  THIS JUST IN....Phil has given it all up and up and moved away to Korea to teach English as a second language. Though immersed in a new culture, Phil continues to 쌀쌀한 형제 ("chill brother" in Korean) and earn his reputation as 미친 둥근 눈.

PAUL "The Scottish Blister" BREMNER

Electric Guitar

Photograhed by Joe del Tufo/Studio M Live

  

Paul is an enigma, a Unicorn trainer, a shadow dancer, a Leprechaun with a Scottish accent. To know him is to love him. Paul can mainly be found sharing his love for note multitudes shredding with IZZ ....and when the fret board smoke clears..."who was that masked man and when can I hear him play again!" is heard said by all as he quietly, without fanfare or pagentry, returns to the magical land from which he had appeared gently poised for the next time the Gods request his presence.
   

THE WEST COAST BRANCH

 

Died due to lack of water (which is ironic given the fact it was based in Seattle, Washington)