Brian Wilson calls his band the best he's ever worked with. Paul McCartney echoed these sentiments when he called them "the best touring band in the world." Brian's band has earned rave reviews from critics and fans alike for bringing Brian's master studio recordings to life on stage. Following are bios of these great talents, along with links to their respective websites for more information.
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Jeff Foskett
A great vocalist who can emulate the sounds of a young Brian Wilson, a student of the classic surf guitar style of a young Carl Wilson, and a power pop artist who has written and recorded with power pop luminaries such as Doug Fieger (The Knack), Bill Lloyd, and Marshall Crenshaw. Jeffrey has recorded roughly a half dozen CDs of his own Wilson/early Beatles influenced music. And he also has a "best of" disc called "Stars in the Sand" on the Pop Collective label.
Jeff is also a member of California's Papa Doo Run Run. Jeffrey has enjoyed a 25 year association with Brian and the Beach Boys, having spent 10 years as a sideman in the Beach Boys touring band and a key member of Brian's touring band. In addition to Brian himself, Jeffrey was one of a handful of musicians who performed at both the original Live Aid concert and the Live 8 sequel in Berlin.
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Darian Sahanaja
Darian Sahanaja was born in Indonesia and emigrated to Los Angeles just in time to witness the "giant leap for mankind" on the black and white television console. Though he had a difficult time grasping the language of this new country, music and art came easily and he was encouraged to develop those talents at an early age, starting piano lessons at seven and oil painting when he was eleven. His world changed when he heard "I Get Around" on the radio and bought his very first album "Endless Summer" with his saved-up allowance. He attended Eagle Rock Junior / Senior High School which was the only six year combined high school in Los Angeles. The school had a very prestigious jazz program and his talent was noticed early and nurtured from that point on. He took on studying the vibraphone with Gene Estes (original Wrecking Crew percussionist) and was eventually made a member of the California All-Star Jazz Band and performing at the Monterey Jazz Festival two years in a row. He later studied music and art at Cal State University Northridge.
When Darian met Nick Walusko, they hit it off instantly and their combined song writing became something they called Wondermints. As members were added (which included Probyn Gregory and Mike D’Amico) for live performances, Wondermints soon became an integral presence in the then burgeoning L.A. pop movement. The strength of their song writing got them a contract with EMI Publishing placing songs in television and films such as "Austin Powers: International Man Of Mystery." Of course they also caught the attention of Brian Wilson. They would never think in their wildest dreams that they would spend the next ten years as part of his band, but fate had other plans.
In 2003, Darian was invited to tour with the band Heart and has continued to be involved with them over the years. By the end of that year and into 2004, Darian dedicated himself to the realization of "Brian Wilson Presents Smile." Darian is currently scoring an animated series for Disney called "The Replacements" and is a supporting musician for the recent 40th Anniversary performances of "Odessey & Oracle" by the Zombies. Darian enjoys everything to do with psychotronic film, unusual keyboards, and geeky gals ("because their brains are sexy"). |
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Scott Bennett
Scott Bennett Scott is a versatile multi-instrumentalist who has played keyboards, mallets, percussion, and an incendiary lead guitar on occasion. He possesses a golden tenor. Plus, he looks like he could have been a Beach Boy!
Originally from Chicago, but now based in L.A., Scott is also a composer and recording artist in his own right. He released in 2004, "The Dotted Line," an album that melds modern rock with a strong melodic sensibility. In addition to his work with Brian, Scott has also lent his talents to artists like Liz Phair and the Flaming Lips. His boundless energy certainly adds a great deal to the Brian Wilson concert experience.
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Probyn Gregory
Probyn Gregory is a composer and multi-instrumentalist/vocalist based in Los Angeles. For the past 9 years he has been a member of the Brian Wilson Band (2005 Grammy award), and has performed/recorded with Paul McCartney, Billy Joel, Eric Clapton, Heart, Arthur Lee and Love, Jan & Dean, Andrew Gold, Badly Drawn Boy, Peter Case, Eels, Wondermints, TNP/Stew, The Groundlings house band and innumerable others over the past 25 years.
He created Valentunes, a musical Valentine company, and wrote and recorded 19 songs for a Children’s TV Workshop science series. Probyn is also a summer director at Apple Hill Center for Chamber Music, and has composed and recorded for several music libraries. Currently his website is under renovation, his online presence is at myspace.com/probyngregory. He is at his best full of berries and lying in a mountain stream.
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NIcky Walusko
"I grew up in Hollywood in the mid-1960s several blocks away from where Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys recorded all those fantastic songs. The first recollection I have of hearing Brian’s music is the opening mysterious intro chords to ‘California Girls’ – that really had me going! All throughout grade school and high school Brian’s music played a prominent role in my musical education and sensibilities. Quite honestly, I started playing music sort of late in my life because I was a science major (though music obviously won out in the end). I attempted to play French horn in my high school years and also started dabbling with guitar. In my first few years of college at Cal State Northridge I met up with Darian (through a mutual friend).
We had a lot of the same likes and dislikes for Pop Culture – which was a good thing because it ultimately established our artist relationship as well as a genuine friendship. His esthetics for art and music were pretty much aligned with mine. This led to us forming a band in the early 1990s: [the] Wondermints, and who along with our drummer, Mike D’Amico, covered a lot of Beach Boys-related material at all the various venues around Los Angeles. We played clubs, bars, coffee houses, et cetera. In the mid-90s Brian saw us playing one night while visiting the Sunset Strip and apparently liked what he heard. He made a comment that was highly complimentary (this info was passed on to us and we were of course thrilled). It wasn’t until a little later in 1998 that our manager got a call from his representatives and invited us to join his newly formed touring band. Our first tours were mainly situated in the Great Lakes region, but slowly spread out to the East and West Coast, and then to Japan and beyond – this took place in early 1999.
As the years progressed we added more challenging material from the vast Brian Wilson songbook. Playing the classic album, “Pet Sounds”, and then re-creating the unfinished magnum opus known as “Smile”, from start to finish, was only but a few of the high points in playing Brian’s music live. Our ten-piece band, I believe, really pays attention to the minutiae of production and sound without getting lost in the individual details of the arrangements – a difficult task indeed. Every member is highly talented. I am proud to do my dedicated part of playing guitar and singing vocals. It is a pleasure and a real privilege to be able to this music night after night – I never forget that while I’m up on stage during one of our tours. This man’s music is so full of love and beauty --- audiences need and respond to that kind of ‘positive vibe,’ especially nowadays. I know I do." |
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Taylor Mills
“Taylor Mills sings like an angel.” – Brian Wilson
“Taylor Mills is a gorgeous girl with a gorgeous voice.” – Roger Daltrey
Taylor Mills is back. After recording and touring the globe with music legend Brian Wilson and releasing her critically acclaimed 2007 debut, "Lullagoodbye" she returns with her alluring and unforgettable sophomore effort, "Under The Surface." No doubt you've heard her strong yet disciplined emotional vocals and this exceptional collection of new songs is another testament to her musical prowess.
Mills has spent the better part of ten years in Brian Wilson's band, called by Sir Paul McCartney as "The best touring band in the world. Period." She now returns with the same team that produced "Lullagoodbye" which critics called "a stunning and thrilling pleasure" and "superior sunshine pop/rock." As Mills explains, "Working with Scott Bennett (band mate in Brian Wilson's band, co producer) and Todd Sucherman (Mills' husband, co producer and drummer for the platinum selling STYX) is such a creative joy. It just feels like everything is in the right place and it makes the process of making music exciting and rewarding. Hopefully that spirit is passed along to the listener."
"Under The Surface" is her new release for 2009 and like her previous effort runs a gamut of emotions with lyrical and aural scenery that become more intriguing with every listen. "I think records that grow on you over multiple plays are the ones that ultimately mean more to you over the years. I know I feel that way. You have to work for it, in a sense, because something that is 'instantly catchy' can often be shallow or become boring quickly." Mills continues, " There's something special about hearing a song for the fourth or fifth time and realizing that you are falling in love with that song. It's almost a microcosmic feeling of actually falling in love with a slow burn."
Perhaps this gives us an insight to the album's title. "Well, perhaps" she explains. "It's also about various struggles that people deal with regularly like conflicts with love, self, relationships, loss, dreams and ambitions. Just under the surface of the facade we show people in daily life, there could be issues brewing that need to be dealt with----and these are some of the issues that the characters in the songs have to face and ultimately overcome."
With songs mostly penned by collaborator Scott Bennett, "Under The Surface" also includes a song by long time friend and ex-Falling Wallendas band-mate Allen Keller as well as a remake of "I Wanna Stay Home" by the Beach Boys influenced band "Jellyfish." Keller's contribution, "St. Louis Misery" is a heart aching confession of adultery sweetly sung by Mills. "Melody" has the story of an aging singer seeing the spotlight drift away and contains the thought, "dreams don't age gracefully." Taylor is an emotional powerhouse on "Kiss My Soul" and "Best Intentions" but never flaunts her chops instead using them at the perfect time for an emotional swell. The collection's most upbeat moment comes with the up-tempo "Living Room" co written by Bennett and Drake Bell, from the popular Nickelodeon show "Josh and Drake." "If We Let Go" is a sultry, smoky duet between Mills and Bennett that features Brian Wilson band mate Probyn Gregory on Flugelhorn and Sucherman's jazzy touch on the drums.
"This might be a slightly mellower, more piano driven record than the last one" Mills explains. "The whole creative process was much faster this time due to working in the holes of our touring schedule and the fact we have our own studio now." "Under The Surface" is another showcase for Mills' range as singer/storyteller and lets collaborators Bennett and Sucherman shine as well.
Scott Bennett has spent his tenure in Brian Wilson's band along side Taylor Mills and has worked on various TV shows and other musical projects. In 2008 he co-wrote and co-produced Brian Wilson's "That Lucky Old Sun" which included Taylor's talents as well as Sucherman on drums. The release received 4 stars in Rolling Stone and Mojo magazines. Todd Sucherman continues to hold the drum chair in the band STYX and still makes time for other recording and performing duties. In the 2009 Modern Drummer magazine reader's poll he was voted #1 rock drummer and his dvd "Methods and Mechanics" which featured songs from Lullagoodbye was voted #1 instructional DVD.
Can we look forward to more from Mills in the near future? "I hope so but for now my commitment is to Brian and the band. We'll be touring some more this year and it's an honor to perform that music with him--- someone who's one of the 20th century's greatest composers. But with "Under The Surface" I feel like this record is where I'm at now and we'll take our time before embarking on another effort. I'm proud of this record. I feel nothing on it is dated or kitschy. Ultimately at the end of the day we have to be proud of what we've done and that's what matters most."
"Under The Surface" is another stunning accomplishment from Taylor Mills and her crew, sure to charm and engage listeners with that emotional slow burn she desires. We said hello to Taylor with "Lullagoodbye" and now we get a deeper, more intense look at her "Under The Surface."
Under The Surface released on Aqua Pulse Records Oct 2009
Taylor Mills on the Web:
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Paul Mertens
Paul Mertens is a Chicago-based composer/arranger and a performer on saxophone, flute, clarinet and harmonica. He has performed and recorded with a variety of artists including Paul McCartney, Eric Clapton, Elton John, Mavis Staples, Stereolab, The Sea and Cake, and Wilco. He is currently a member of the Brian Wilson Band and Poi Dog Pondering.
Paul has written arrangements and performed for Brian Wilson's tour and Grammy-winning recording of "Smile", the Pet Sounds Tour, "Live In London" "Gettin' In Over My Head" and Brian's latest recording "That Lucky Old Sun". His arrangement of "Dvorak Re-mix Fantasy" was premiered at Orchestra Hall with Poi Dog and the Chicago Sinfonietta in 2005, and "Carmen Remix" in 2008.
Writing credits include music for Steppenwolf Theater, the Peabody Award-winning documentary "The Lost Children of Rockdale County"and "Merchants of Cool" for Frontline, and the long-running "Workplace Essential Skills" for PBS.
Paul and his wife, Cynthia Von Orthal, have written and performed an original puppet musicals "Akuba's Dream" "The Yellow Wallpaper" "Peaches and Popcorn" and "Tara's Story" for their own company, Von Orthal Puppets. |
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Nelson Bragg
In 1992, Nelson Bragg was told by L.A. songwriter and late 70's rocker Chris Fradkin (co-author of The Plimsouls classic "A Million Miles Away), that he should move to Los Angeles. L.A. needed a good singing drummer. It took Nelson seven years to work up the courage to take his advice…
Nelson started drumming at Boston's Emerson College as a traps player for musicals. That led him to performing for eight musicals in as many weeks at The New London Barn Playhouse in New Hampshire. That kind of discipline taught him all he needed to know about dynamics in percussion. "You have to play for the actors, the musical director and the audience. Rehearse the next show by day, play the current show by night. That's a lot of pressure, so I left and became a slacker at Bard College in Annandale-On-Hudson, NY, home to Steely Dan.”
There began Nelson’s 80's odyssey with "Big Noise," Woodstock’s post punk dance band that got its start at Bard. That trip lasted for six amazing years of world beat, Ska, Rock and funk weirdness. Towards the end of the decade he left and tried his luck in NYC, where he landed a job at Manhattan Center Studios (home to The Hammerstein Ballroom) as the "house drummer" and elevator operator. Seven or eight bad heavy-metal records later with dignity somehow intact, Nelson moved back to the security of his hometown, Rockport, MA.
As the 1990's trudged along in Massachusetts, Nelson lent his talents to numerous bands, most notably the folk-rock outfit "Farmhouse" and a stint with Boston rock icon Brian Maes. "Working with Brian taught me a lot about how to have fun and to stop worrying about things.” In 1999 that worry-free attitude finally led him to take his friend Chris's advice. He moved to Los Angeles, and was back where he started: at the bottom of the barrel.
For the next four years, Nelson focused on his passion for melodic pop music with emphasis on vocal harmonies. That led him to play drums and sing in stellar L.A. bands The Quarter After, Cloud Eleven, The Mello Cads, The Now People, The Mockers and rock/poet Stew. It was after recording at Wondermints’ studio and auditioning for a Byrds tribute band led by Andrew Gold and Jeffrey Foskett that Nelson appeared on The Brian Wilson Band radar. In 2003 Nelson was hired for the Smile project, joining the band on percussion and vocals.
Recording and touring with Brian for the next four years inspired Nelson to release a solo CD "Day Into Night," (Side B Music) to much critical acclaim. "That record is a big deal to me. It was the culmination of many years of music and life experience. Playing with Brian Wilson? That was the catalyst for finally doing it. All that music rolling around in my head...it was overwhelming." The CD came out in 2007.
"All in all, I am so grateful to be experiencing The Brian Wilson Band. It's a gift from God."
Nelson cites his twin sister Louise as his main inspiration.
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Mike D'Amico
Michael D'Amico is a multi-instrumentalist , singer / songwriter originally from New York City. After many years of live performances and recording sessions, Michael joined the L.A. based Wondermints in 1992. Throughout the 90's, the Wondermints have enjoyed success all over the world including Japan and the U.K. They were also featured on the 'Austin Powers' film soundtrack and Rolling Stone magazine. In 1999, the Wondermints joined Brian Wilson's newly formed solo band.
His original position was on percussion / guitar / vocals and is currently Brian's drummer. He has performed with Paul McCartney , Billy Joel , Elton John, Heart, Vince Gill, Carol Kaye and Nancy Sinatra to name a few.
He resides in West Palm Beach , Florida with his wife Cynthia and daughter Malena.
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Todd Sucherman
Todd Sucherman grew up the youngest in a musical family and has been playing the drums since the age of two and professionally since he was six. He has held the drum chair for the multi platinum band STYX for the past twelve years, touring the world and recording several albums with them.
He has also recorded and performed with artists as diverse as Brian Wilson, Peter Cetera, Eric Marienthal, Spinal Tap, Steve Cole, Michael Bolton, John Wetton, Brian Culbertson, Tommy Shaw and many more. Sucherman co produced with Scott Bennett on Taylor Mills' "Lullagoodbye" record in 2007 and 2008 sees the release of his 5 hour drum instructional DVD "Methods and Mechanics."
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Brett Simons
"Howdy! Brett Simons here. I'm a Bassist, Producer, Composer, Songwriter and all-around Collaborator currently living in Los Angeles. I feel I've been very lucky in striking a comfortable balance between working as a producer, multi-instrumentalist and writer, while touring just enough to keep it fresh – all with a diverse palette of artists whose work I really enjoy.
A few projects that I've recently been involved with as a sideman include current releases by Peter Himmelman and Michael Brook and recent releases by Aidan Hawken and Christian Doscher.
I've had the pleasure of touring with artists whose music I really dig. These include most recently Pat Monahan and Fiona Apple and in the not so distant past Anastacia and Liz Phair, among others.
I'm also involved with a handful of projects of my own which are due to see the light of day soon. A couple casual gatherings with guitarist Julian Coryell, keyboardist Jeremy Ruzumna and drummer Herb Graham Jr. turned into four solid days of purposeful freestyling in the studio. A lot of music was made. We intend to sort through the damage and create a monster. Another is Date/Of/Birth is a Jazz/Ambient trio with piano/keyboardist Deron Johnson and drummer Oscar Seaton and Shiny is a sort of collective of Chicago based musicians started back in 1998. Both of these projects are slated to be released on my label Veristic Records later this summer.
I recently did some recording for Brian Wilson's record That Lucky Old Sun, to be released on Capitol in early September. I was subsequently asked to join the touring ensemble and just a couple weeks later found myself back at Capitol to shoot a DVD of the new work top to bottom live in the studio. Some footage from the DVD can be viewed in this EPK from Brian's site."
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Gary Griffin
Gary grew up in Cincinnati where he studied piano and theory at the University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music. He worked with countless local bands and worked as an engineer at Cincinnati’s fabled Jewel Recording Complex. Gary first worked with Brian in 1977 when he joined the Beach Boys’ touring band as organist and vocalist. Gary went to Fairfield, Iowa with the group when they set up shop there and recorded the “MIU album” and the “Almost Summer” soundtrack; with Gary playing keyboards, singing and doing string arrangements. After relocating to California in the late ‘70’s, Gary began a long stretch touring with Jan and Dean. He then began doing music composition and production, working with a wide variety of musical acts. Gary was co-producer of the Beach Boys’ 1992 remake of Dennis Wilson’s “Forever”, which featured the vocals of John Stamos, with whom Gary appeared on over 35 episodes of the ABC sitcom, “Full House." The two also collaborated on the Emmy-nominated ABC-TV mini-series, “The Beach Boys: an American Family," on which John served as executive producer, Gary as musical director. He renewed his friendship and working relationship with Brian in 2004 when Brian needed a keyboardist/vocalist to fill in on numerous dates for Darian Sahanaja. And he continues to fill that role when duty calls.
In recent years, Gary’s production resume has grown even more eclectic. He has produced CD’s by R&B sensation Nita Whitaker, gospel singer Sandra Stephens, comedian Dave Coulier, songwriter Laura Hall, BW vocalist/guitarist Jeffrey Foskett and has produced and composed music for the critically-acclaimed PBS-TV series “Edens: Lost and Found” and “And Thou Shalt Honor”. He and Jeffrey have teamed up to produce several songs for Harry Shearer’s grammy-nominated CD’s “Songs Pointed and Pointless” and “Songs of the Bushmen." They are currently producing the first-ever solo CD by Monkee Micky Dolenz, “King for a Day," a collection of Carole King songs, due out in March of 2010. “Acoustic Vibrations," the newest GG collaboration, is a paean to Brian’s music by the Surf City Allstars and features Dean Torrence, Al Jardine and David Marks. (surfcityallstars.com)
And despite his busy schedule, Gary has still managed to find time for another of his passions, working as a coach for the Highland Hall High School (California) Girls’ softball team in Northridge, Ca., a role he has filled for the past 12 years.
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The Wondermints
Although they don't share the vast performing experiences that their colleagues share, they are both active students of classic 60's pop production techniques and arranging styles (Priore has stated that back in the 80's, Darian and Nick used to wow their pals with note-perfect living room renditions of "Pet Sounds" numbers).
They started writing and recording their own songs for themsleves and other artists (a Christmas album by Lisa Mychols titled "Lost Winter's Dream," and Baby Lemonade's "Exploring Music"). The band was performing at a 1994 Brian Wilson tribute show in Santa Monica when Brian himself first saw them perform. It was during their set that Wilson remarked, "If I had these guys in 1967, I could have taken SMiLE out on the road." That is exactly what happened.
Darian Sahanja, with his keen studio expertise was credited as "musical secretary" for the 2004 SMiLE. Armed with a laptop full of the original music from the multi-tracks (and his own collection of SMiLE boots), Darian helped Brian and SMiLE collaborator Van Dyke Parks put the pieces of the SMiLE puzzle together culminating in one of the greatest pop events of 2004, if not of the new millenium. They are both supremely talented singers/songwriters with three studio albums of original songs to their credit and one "covers" album as well.
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The Stockholm Strings 'n Horns
Hailing from Stockholm, Sweden, this is the orchestral ensemble that performed and recorded with the band in 2004 and 2005 for the SMiLE shows, studio CD, and live DVD, as well as playing on the 2007 tour of That Lucky Old Sun in the UK. They came to the attention of 60's pop fans via their performances with Arthur Lee and Love during a tour where the classic Love album "Forever Changes" was performed. Their work greatly enhanced the SMiLE experience live, and they clearly had a lot of fun onstage.
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