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1975 Gibson Les Paul Deluxe |
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Fender Stratocaster Plus |
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Taylor 455ce 12-string acoustic |
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Godin ACS-SA nylon string |
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Jerry Jones Master Electric Sitar |
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Wattson Superfuzz |
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Aramat Soul Patch Fuzz |
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Foxrox Octron |
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MXR Phase 90, Phase 100 |
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Keeley Compressor, Looper |
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Boss DD-20 Delay, DS-1 Distortion, FS-6 / FS-5L |
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Ernie Ball Volume pedal |
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E-bow, Pinky-ring & Dunlop slides |
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Roland Jazz Chorus 120 (Chorus / Reverb / Vibrato) |
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| Born in 1965, Jeff literally grew up listening to early Progressive Rock music thanks to his older brother, Bruce. Even at a very young age, Jeff was attracted to the lush keyboards, diverse guitar styles, instrumental virtuosity, complex time signatures, and thought-provoking lyrics that defined the genre. |
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| In fifth grade, Jeff started playing viola in his grade school orchestra and continued through high school. Over the years, Jeff performed in many school concerts and theatrical performances, culminating in performances with the Illinois All State Orchestra at ages 15 and 16. While in high school, Jeff also received formal music theory training through advanced placement classes. |
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| Jeff also started playing guitar in grade school. Inspired by Steve Howe, Steve Hackett, David Gilmour, Steve Morse, Al Di Meola, and many other guitar heroes of progressive and jazz-fusion, Jeff began taking guitar playing much more seriously by his late teens. Soon, Jeff, Bruce, and some friends formed a band called The Foundation. The band played mostly simple classic rock covers, but occasionally threw in a few obscure gems like Peter Gabriel's "On the Air" and Captain Beyond's "Thousand Days of Yesterdays." |
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| In 1985, Jeff joined the US Air Force and moved from Rockford, Illinois, to Colorado Springs, Colorado. Not long after he arrived, Jeff joined a band that was preparing to play the Peterson AFB talent show. After participating in a series of local, regional, and command-level shows, the band attended the Air Force World Wide Talent Contest where Jeff was chosen for the 1987 Overseas Tops in Blue tour. Tops in Blue shows are a bit like touring USO shows, requiring proficiency in a wide variety of musical styles and a very demanding touring schedule. While on tour with Tops in Blue '87, Jeff played over 100 shows in 17 countries. |
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| After returning from overseas in 1988, the band reformed to begin working with Air Force friend and Elvis impersonator, Dave Hodges. Soon Dave Hodges and the TCB Band were playing all over Rocky Mountain region. The same musicians (minus Dave, of course) also began performing jazz gigs as Raw Silk and 50's rock 'n roll gigs as simply The TCB Band. Surprisingly, the "Elvis gig" proved to be useful in developing Jeff's guitar skills, since it required learning the pick-and-fingers technique pioneered by great country guitarists such as Chet Atkins and James Burton (and featured heavily in the playing of Steve Howe). In early 1991, Jeff left The TCB Band to form his own rock/blues trio, Suspicious Minds. Over the years in Colorado, Jeff also performed many "pick up" gigs with local bands and theater groups. |
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| In late 1992, Jeff moved back to Illinois to attend college and graduated from Northern Illinois University with a degree in Computer Science in 1998. During this time, Jeff was not a member of any actively gigging band, but he continued honing his guitar skills and playing with friends occasionally. |
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| In 2000, Jeff attended a Grand Parade performance at The Bridge and struck up a friendship with Jay. They stayed in loose contact until December of 2001, when Jeff auditioned and was offered the lead guitar position in Grand Parade. Thanks to the considerable abilities of all the members of the band and the support of Midwest progressive rock fans, Jeff has been able to live his life-long dream of playing classic progressive rock music. |
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