BRUCE MARSHALL GROUP

BRUCE MARSHALL

Lead Vocals, Electric & Acoustic Guitars, Dobro. Bruce writes all the songs for the group and creates melodies that stay with you after the first listen. His infectious energy on stage sets the tone for the live show and keeps his crowds always coming back for more, giving his all for every single performance. Known as a powerful and expressive vocalist who sings with emotion and conviction, whether it's an all out rave up or a sensitive ballad. He favors a melodic style of lead guitar rarely heard today and is featured on slide with his trademark steel body dobro throughout the set, which has become a crowd favorite. Influences include Duane and Greg Allman, Muddy Waters, Robert Johnson.

DAVE COURNOYER

Guitarist/Vocalist Dave Cournoyer has earned a reputation for "coaxing seemingly impossible sounds from his instrument", and has mastered the art of re-inventing himself every night, almost never playing the same lick twice. Totally at ease with over the top solos or sweet subtle lines, he possesses a soaring vibrato and builds his solos from a whisper to a scream. With a myriad of sounds at his disposal, David has a gift for creating just the right parts for the original material. He never fails to mesmerize the crowd and truly is the group's "secret weapon". He's taken his slide work to another level. Sings lead and backup vocals, joined the group in 1995. Formerly with The Shittons, The Vex, and The Rubies. Influences include Hendrix, Beck, and Clapton.

JEFF MAJEAU

Jeff anchors the group on bass and has the rare ability to play with restraint and understatement while driving the band to a fever pitch. A consummate professional, he creates the perfect bass lines for the original songs, totally at ease with swing, shuffles and straight ahead rock and always plays with the utmost sense of taste and dynamics consistently night after night. Jeff has developed a unique "stand up" sound that works so well with the rest of the unconventional lineup. Just when you thought you heard him do it all, he cuts loose during a solo feature and takes you to the next level. Truly enjoys playing music and conveys that on stage, joined the group in 1999, formerly with The Cliph Band.

PETE PREMO

Pete Premo has been playing drums for over 30 years. He began studying the rudiments and reading at the age of 10 and then began formal classical percussion training at 15. At age 19 he attended Berklee College of Music where he majored in Percussion and Audio Recording. He later continued his education elsewhere and got a Bachelors degree in Electronic Engineering. Pete has had vast experience playing in a variety of musical genres from jazz, to classical, to blues and rock. Some of his prior gigs were with Tornado Alley, The Blind Tiger Swing Posse, The Cliph Band, Affirmation, Blues Food, Chet Williamson, and Big Town Blues. He has also shared the stage with Luther "Guitar" Johnson, The Fools, and James Montgomery. We are psyched to have Pete back with the band the original "groovemeister!"

SPECIAL GUESTS

JOHN DONAHOE

Multi-talented John Donahoe adds color and texture to the group on Tenor Sax, Fiddle, and Mandolin. John's support lines and blistering solos are a major part of the excitement of the live show and helps define the group's unique sound. His sax work really sells the blues/R&B material and the fiddle is great in the country blues numbers. It's fun to watch crowd reaction as he lays down one of his smokin' sax solos and then picks up the fiddle and proceeds to blow the roof off the joint! The mandolin is a nice touch and meshes beautifully with guitar and dobro. John will appear on selected dates as he continues to persue additional solo and duo dates on his own.

Steve Wolpe

Steve has been a teacher and performer in the Boston area for over 30 years playing with many bands such as The Taylor Made Band, Mission of Blues, The Joe Mack Band, Chris Fitz and Fatwall Jack. After starting out with his first band in 1962 at a very young age of 14, Steve has never looked back on his music career. He attended The Berklee College of Music in the 70's. With a mixture of a very strong rudimental background and traditional jazz teaching, he has truly developed a wide variety of styles for percussion. His strong back beats and technical abilities allow him to really drive the band and get you grooving.Look for Steve playing with the Chris Fitz Band and joininh BMG for some guest appearences.

BUD MACLELLAN

The group can also be heard in an acoustic format called "Treated and Released", and features many different songs and varied arrangements of the electric numbers. Drummer and Percussionist for "Treated and Released", Buddy MacLellan played with Bruce in their first professional band "Whitecap", and have come full circle once Buddy came aboard in '97. Buddy has developed a "niche" on percussion with his expertise on the "hybrid" drum kit - congas, hand cymbals, kick drum, chimes, and hi hat, all played with monster technique, using his bare hands!! The result is a latin influenced sound with a warm, woody tone and is offset by his trademark rim shots and "pops" to drive the group. Plays many different styles with conviction and is very conscious of dynamics, which contributes to the excitement of the band.

CARL MENARD

Carl has been performing and teaching percussion professionally since 1982. A Berklee graduate, he's studied with the legendary Alan Dawson and Ed Saidon and spent time on the road with Pride and Joy and Swinging Hot. Known as the "shufflemaster" he excels at all the different feels and his creativity behind the kit is tasteful and dynamic. A seasoned, disciplined drummer who can really pour it on when it's his turn in the spotlight. Look for Carl to be highlighted in the bands accoustic format, "Treated and Released".