South Bend Slim Paul Kwiecinski M.C., Bass, Guitar, Vocals

Face The Music's Managing Partner and co-founder, Paul "South Bend Slim" Kwiecinski, is, , from South Bend, Indiana. His first stage appearances were singing with his six brothers and sisters at St. Hedwig Choir concerts. But Paul's musical education really began in earnest with his playing upright bass in the school orchestra, and bass guitar with his musical brothers (Dave and Jim) back home in South Bend, Indiana. Even way back in the 1970's, "The Kruze Brothers" as they called themselves, used to ad lib blues songs and encourage party-goers to get up and improv lyrics with the band, which is where future musicologists will no doubt say Face The Music "truly began."

Paul continued to work on his blues and jazz chops playing with the University of Notre Dame Jazz Band (yes, Paul's a "golden domer" with a degree in business management) and occasionally with a band led by "South Side Denny" (Snyder)-once opening for blues legend, Luther Allison.

In the 1980's, Paul worked first as a project manager for the Ford Motor Co. and later, in New York City, as a rock n' roller with now brother-in-law John Berenzy's band, Johnny Jewel.

White Trash Ken McGloin Guitar, Bass

Ken "White Trash" McGloin is the musical director of Face The Music, responsible for everything you hear in FTM performance and recordings.

Ken was always "into the blues," remembering that some of the first things he learned when his mother got him his first guitar at the age of 12, were some Fred McDowell and Freddie King songs.

His focus was on jazz throughout high school and college (at the University of Miami's excellent music department), and his musical education included tutorials with jazz greats Dave Holland, Larry Coryell and John Abercrombie. Ken even studied classical guitar for five years and played in a band called White Boys on Swing which combined Django Reinhardt gypsy jazz with hip-hop…believe it or not.

And, if that's still not enough musical diversity for you, Ken's "hard-core alternative" band, Lunchmeat, played the mainstage at the 1994 Woodstock Festival. He currently is writing music for TV and has aspiration s for film. He's written music for two of MTV's most popular series, The Real World and Road Rules. His music has also been used on The Oprah Winfrey Show, and ESPN network to name a few.

A working musician since the age of 14, Ken notes that when he became the head of the Music Department of the Poughkeepsie (NY) Day School last year, it was "the first regular job I've ever had. I've always made my living playing music." A big part of his duties at PDS is teaching students how to write and perform original songs as well as overseeing the writing and performance of the annual school musical.

Rev. Screamin' Sweet Pea Amy Fradon Vocals

Amy "Screamin' Sweet Pea" Fradon is a gifted singer/songwriter and voice teacher and truly "one of America's great voices," says famous Fugster/poet, Ed Sanders. Amy has recorded six albums on Alcazar and Shanachie Records with former partner Leslie Ritter and has since released four other albums; Amy Fradon live (1996), Passion Angel (1999), Small-Town News (2002), and the most recent, Mirabilis-The Path (2004), recorded in a chapel in upstate NY with singer Katy Taylor. Amy has also sung with a wide variety of outstanding recording artists including Rick Danko, Maria Muldaur, John Sebastian, Lucy Kaplansky, Rory Block, Livingston Taylor, Artie Traum, Jay Unger and Molly Mason, Dr. John, and Orleans, among others.

In addition to her performing and recording work, Amy is a much sought-after voice teacher and coach and is the founder of the Vocal Visionary Training Program. She has also taught many vocal and "healing through music" workshops including "Singing for the Totally Tone Deaf."

Interestingly, Amy's father is Dana Fradon, the legendary cartoonist for The New Yorker magazine and her mother, Ramona, is a celebrated illustrator of the "Silver Age" of DC and Marvel Comics widely admired for giving superb visual life to Superman and Aquaman, among others.

South Side Denny Denny Snyder Guitar, Vocals

Denny Snyder was born in South Bend, Indiana in 1958 and was raised with his two brothers who are also musicians. At the age of 12, he borrowed a guitar from a neighbor and started making noise with it. He became so obsessed with the guitar that he would play every night until passing out. This eventually convinced his parents to actually get him his own guitar …and some lessons.

Denny was inspired, in the beginning, by the white blues guitarists of the so-called "British Invasion." However, one of the advantages of growing up in the "rust belt " is the near proximity of the Chicago blues scene. It didn't take long for Denny to realize his true passion was for the blues of Muddy Waters, Luther Allison, Freddie & Albert King, and Johnny Winter, as well as fellow "Hoosier" Lonnie Mack.

In 1980, Denny became a full-time musician. He started a band called Smoke Stack Lightnin' which eventually became The Duke Tumatoe Band, backing that fairly well-known artist. In 1985, Denny decided to pursue his own music again and formed Southside Denny and the Skintones. This band became regionally very popular in the Midwest and parts of Canada by constantly performing and releasing two independant albums, including one with the harmonica virtuoso, Sugar Blue. By the early 90's, Denny played regularly at Buddy Guy's Legends in Chicago and worked with several different Chicago rhythm sections. This led to the recording of Rollin' Home in 1994.

In 1995, Denny played a string of dates in Quebec, Canada and enjoyed the French-Canadian culture so much that he stayed. At the end of 1997, he returned from Montreal to South Bend with a wife, two daughters and some new material. In September of 1998, he released Rendez-vous Blues.

On August 21, 1999, Denny became the 2nd recipient of the Ole Harv Award for a life long achievement in blues music in the Michiana area. Denny began his collaboration with Face the Music, as a singer, songwriter, and guitarist in 2000.

LoFi Cy Dean Sharp Drums

Dean "LoFi Cy" Sharp is Face The Music's "Sultan of Syncopation" who lives by the dictum "rules are made to be broken" or, to put it in his own words, "parameters are meant to be stretched."

Perhaps it was because Dean's mother was a dancer (both classical and East Indian) while she was pregnant with him or it may have been simply because "my dad (a trumpeter) decided that I was a drummer and got me my first drum kit when I was five or six," but Dean took to drumming quite naturally. On his eleventh birthday, that first kit was replaced by a set his father acquired from his big band's drummer, the legendary Elvin Jones.

Jones turned out to be one of Dean's major influences and teachers, along with fellow jazz legends, Tony Williams, Bob Moses and Barry Altschul. Since then, Dean has carved out a name of his own, creating the polyrhythmic flow for such disparate pop entities as Billy Ocean, Jane Siberry, Jill Sobule and Moby, not to mention film composer Carter Burwell and sound master and living legend David Torn. Dean has also played and/or recorded with Marc Ribot, Elliot Sharp, Greg Brown, bansouri flute master Steve Gorn, and indie fave Stoneboat.

For Sharp, being an integral part of the Face The Music band is a natural extension of his own passion for communication and "getting out of the box." A member of his local church's "teen ministry," Dean brings his ability to instill confidence and trust in others to FTM. "My main job with FTM is, refreshingly, not just to be a drummer, but to be a coach and a listener. It's, well, all about… stretching."

Professor Voodoo Val Vadeboncoeur MC

Val grew up in Rhode Island, was educated at Boston University (a journalism major), and has lived all over this fair country; his favorite places being Denver, CO., Brooklyn NY and the Woodstock, NY area where he currently resides. His surname was a "nom de guerre" for the French Army during the war against the British for the New World ("we don't call it the 'French and Indian War'") and means, literally, "go of a good heart." He is part MicMac Indian.

His checkered past includes work as a radio disc jockey, a recording engineer, a bookstore manager, a stage manager, the road manager of a dance ensemble, a playwright/director, and a ghostwriter, but not necessarily in that order. He has also attempted to master several musical instruments to very modest success, tried his hand at acting, and can juggle. And once upon a time, was the best damn waiter you ever saw.

For the past 15 years, Val has worked as a consultant/trainer in the field of innovation, specializing in brainstorming and teambuilding. He has helped developed several innovative approaches to teambuilding, including those utilizing improv acting, hand drumming and film. Among his many clients are: PriceWaterhouseCoopers, GE, GE Capital, TIAA-CREF, Astrazeneca, ScotiaCapital, MTV Networks, Kraft Foods, Gatorade, and the Chicago Board of Trade.

For the past few years, Val has also served as a Face The Music MC. His "blues name" is "Professor Voodoo." He currently resides in Malden on Hudson, NY.

Deb Major Vocals

Deb Major is a Texas girl, so you don't mess with her. She is also an accomplished and versatile vocalist and music teacher/therapist. She grew up in Plano, Texas and continued her education at SUNY Orange in Middletown, NY, after moving to upstate NY while still a teenager.

Brannen Temple Drums

Brannen Temple is a recent, and very welcome, addition to the Face The Music team. Brannen is a drumset specialist who is one of the most sought-after drummers in the very big heart of Texas.

Brannen started playing drums at the age of 10 in Austin, including for the Ebeneezer Baptist Church band. His major musical and drumming influences growing up are only the very, very, very best: Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Stevie Wonder, Sly Stone, Max Roach, Elvin Jones, Jack DeJohnette, and Tony Williams, among others.

Along the way, Brannen has performed with an impressive array of top-notch musical artists, including divas Sheena Easton, Chaka Khan and Janet Jackson, jazz luminaries Kenny Wheeler, Roy Hargrove and Robben Ford, blues great James Cotton, and the beyond-category singer/bassist Me'Shell NdegeOcello. He has also appeared on The Tonight Show, MTV Spring Break, Austin City Limits and Soultrain.

Brannen is the leader of Blaze, a unique groove-driven band with horns, which has garnered terrific critical acclaim. Brannen has just recorded the band's fourth album, which is still in production, and his first solo CD as well. Previous Blaze CDs are Blaze (2000), Say What Now? (2001) and Aural Karate (2003).

Blind Lemon Pledge Akie Bermiss Keyboards

Akie Bermiss is a young pianist, singer and composer hailing from the county of Kings in New York City. He began studying jazz piano seriously in college at the age of 18. He has been singing, however, since he was in small clothes. He graduated from Bard College in 2005 with a degree in music and has, since then, been working all kind of day and night jobs to make ends meet and develop his skills.

Aside from working with the Face The Music Blues Band, Akie plays with a band of his own called theFoundation, a funk band with soulful, jazz yearnings. With theFoundation, Akie has been touring the northeast frequently at colleges and festivals.

Outside of music, Akie is a writer (and has published a children's book with Scholastic called "I Hate To Be Sick") and amateur music historian. He has plans to enter graduate study in ethnomusicology or journalism.

Billy Courtman grew up in Brooklyn, NY. As a child, people were always asking him what he wanted to be when he grew up. But Billy never wondered. As far as he knew, he was already doing it- singing around the house, making up songs, and harmonizing with his twin brother, Bobby. Noticing every musical note that was in the air was all there was, or needed to be.

That was until he heard the blues. It was then that he asked the eternal question: "How can people play with such passion and emotion, bearing their very soul in such a magical way?" That question began a journey that continues to this day, with every step in search of the answer.

On Billy's journey, which has included playing guitar, saxophone and violin as well as singing, he's worked with Chuck Berry, The Brooklyn Blues Busters, the James Cotton Blues Band, Edgar Winter and Cyndi Lauper.

Billy strongly feels that studying with jazz piano legend Lennie Tristano was one of the most profound experiences of his life. It was Tristano who taught Billy that "if you don't mean it, don't play it" which Billy translated to mean "acupuncture and out," that is, "make your point and split!"

Billy remains a highly respected and sought after player on the New York scene, leading groups of varying configurations. He has performed live for countless celebrities including the last three U.S. Presidents.

An avid songwriter, Billy keeps his skills fresh by working with young musicians, both teaching actively and producing recording artists in his studio.