Joe Chiappone’s desire to play an instrument began at age five during a family jam session. He began guitar lessons when he was eight years old, and went on to study with jazz guitarists Dick Longale and Tom Rizzo (MaynardFerguson/Doc Severinsen).

Joe also majored in Jazz Guitar at the University of Miami and studied Jazz Improvisation with Ray Ricker at the Eastman School of Music. Besides owning and operating Northfield Music Studios, a popular guitar store and music school in Pittsford, NY, Joe is in demand as a studio musician and side man. He’s also performed with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Broadway touring shows, and many well-regarded regional bands.

Brian Regan hails from Hamburg, NY, where he started his first rock band in Junior High School. He studied Sound Recording Technology at SUNY Fredonia and the Eastman School of Music, later earning his Master’s Degree in Library Science from SUNY Buffalo. Through the 1990s he played bass and sang in the Boss Street Band, and since 1997 has led the Earthtones on guitar, bass and vocals, along with his wife Eva.

From a musical family who have all left a mark on the local scene, Tony's jazz laced guitar riffs, deep groove, and gritty, soulful voice are an integral part of The Klick.

Watching and listening to his older brothers and their bands growing up gave Tony a solid foundation musically, and add a couple of years at the University Of Miami studying music and performance, and then the last 25 years or so working with area bands too numerous to name here, it's easy to understand where his repertoire of infectiously interesting fretwork and bluesy, raw vocal prowess come from.

Greg Gilmore is a published, award-winning composer and keyboard player from Rochester, NY. He has played in numerous local and regional bands including Reporter, Network (with members of Duke Jupiter), Heritage, Me & the Boyz, Goodness, and his original Jazz Fusion band - Hard Logic.

He has shared the stage with REO Speedwagon, Meatloaf, Marshall Tucker, Rickie Lee Jones, Alex Skolnik, Big & Rich, and the late Phoebe Snow among others. He appeared on the National TV show Star Search with the band Reporter in the late 80's and in 2008 took 1st place in the Billboard World Songwriting Contest in the Jazz Category for his song 'Crudites' which was co-written with sax player Paul Deloria.

His songs have been played on over 100 Radio and Internet stations around the world and have reached the top 10 playlists in 3 major markets in the U.S. In addition to playing music, Greg is a software programmer and an experienced studio engineer.

Ron D'Angelo was born in Philadelphia, raised in Pottsville, PA, and has been living in Rochester since 1988. He has recorded numerous radio/TV jingles and has played lead trumpet for Aretha Franklin, Johnny Mathis, The Four Tops,The Temptations, Gap and Chuck Mangione, The O'Jays, Bobby Vinton, Connie Francis, Martha & the Vandellas, Josh Groban, Joan Rivers, the Eastman Jazz Ensemble, and Royal Cruise Lines. He has also performed with Natalie Cole, The Woody Herman Orchestra, David Clayton Thomas, and Frank Sinatra, Jr., and played the jazz trumpet chair on the PBS special, An Evening with Michael Civisca. Ron holds degrees from the University of Rochester and Syracuse University, and attended Berklee College of Music.

Gregg Dougherty-Herman enjoys performing in a wide variety of music styles including Jazz, R&B, Singer-Songwriter favorites, Top 40, Rock, and Folk.

He has been a member of bands in Rochester including Me & the Boyz, Al Chez and the Brothers of Funk, Eclipse and other groups led by saxophonist Terrance Bruce (of Cabo Frio fame), Jive Street Five, and groups led by saxophonist Bill Tiberio. Gregg also leads his own trios and quartets.

Bio Coming

Bill Tiberio is no stranger to the Rochester music scene. He has been an instrumental music teacher for 32 years, 28 of them at Fairport High School. At FHS he conducts the FHS Concert Band, Sophomore Band, two jazz ensembles, jazz combos, pit orchestra for musicals, and chamber woodwind ensembles. He also teaches woodwind lessons in the district in grades 5 through 12. His work at ECMS includes summer study with the High School Wind Ensemble, the “Maiden Voyage” Basic Improvisation camp and the Middle School Jazz camp. During the school year he directs the Music Educators Jazz Ensemble. In the summer of 2013, he founded the ECMS-sponsored Music Educators Wind Ensemble, which meets in the summer and during the school year.

Other awards and honors include selection as the RPO Music Educator Award in April, 2003, induction into the Fairport High School Alumni Wall of Fame in 2003, the Class of 2001 Fairport High School yearbook dedication, selection as Fairport High School Commencement Speaker, 1993; University of Rochester Excellence in Secondary Teaching Award, 1994; Downbeat Magazine awards for student jazz ensembles, 1995 and 1997; Fairport High School faculty-nominated Teacher of the Year award, 1996, and a nomination for a Disney American Teaching Award, 1999.

And as if that's not enough - he is also a highly regarded, and sought after, sax player for both live performances and studio sessions.

Lauren Rister is a native Rochesterian and has been performing professionally since 2003. A former member of the party band The East Rochester All-Stars, she has performed every style of music as a vocalist, auxiliary percussionist, and fiddler.

When not on stage as a “Sneakette”, Lauren is also a classically trained violinist and is a member of the Greater Rochester Women’s Philharmonic in addition to various string quartets. She often performs locally, and has also performed in Austria, the Bahamas, and Carnegie Hall.

Lauren has taught all levels as an educator, and is currently the orchestra director at Pittsford Mendon High School. She loves to combine her classical and rock worlds whenever possible and has fun dissecting the sometimes-complicated and always-interesting music of Steely Dan.

Eva Regan has been performing and teaching music in the Rochester area since 1988. A graduate of Indiana University and the Eastman School of Music, Eva has performed extensively as a classically trained clarinetist. She got her start in the Rochester music scene as a vocalist with the Boss Street Band, and has been performing with The Earthtones (on keys and vocals) since 1997 with her husband, Brian. A lifelong fan of Steely Dan, she is excited to be a charter member of Bad Sneakers and thrilled to have the opportunity to collaborate with this line-up of top Rochester musicians. Eva is also responsible for arranging all of the background vocals for the group. She has studied classical voice with Pamela Kurau, and vocal jazz with Nancy Kelly and Darmon Meader.

As a music educator, Eva has taught woodwinds, brass, and percussion to thousands of students of all ages and abilities, from her current beginning band students in the Pittsford Central Schools to senior citizens in the Eastman New Horizons Program. A native of Huntington, Long Island, she is thankful to have established her teaching career in Rochester, a community that is rich with fantastic musicians, endless performing opportunities, and appreciative audiences for live music

Bio Coming Soon

David Pinto is originally from Smithtown, N.Y. (on Long Island), but has been a resident of the Rochester, N.Y. area since 1993, except for a four year break during which he attended Berklee College of Music in Boston.

After some early formal lessons, he remained self-taught until attending Berklee in 1999, graduating in 2002 with a BS in Electric Bass Performance. While in Boston he studied with Bruce Gertz (Bill Frisell, Mike Stern, Jerry Bergonzi), John Patitucci, Danny Morris (Bo Diddley, Robben Ford) and the legendary Charlie Banacos.

After leaving Berklee, David relocated back to Rochester and has since been associated with many regional acts in a variety of genres, including jazz, funk, rock, latin and big band, in addition to doing recording sessions and working in pit orchestras. In addition to Bad Sneakers, his recent projects have been Hard Logic, an all original jazz-fusion band, and The Klick.

Born in Rochester, NY, Billy's musical journey started out somewhere around the age of four when he discovered the piano at his aunt's house. By the time he turned eight his musical focus had shifted (much to his parent's dismay) to the drums.

Throughout the 70's and early 80's Billy played in a number of local Rochester bands including The Neil Marvel Goodtime Band, Sweet Feelin', Next Exit, Yankee, Frontline, and Lickety Split.

In 1985 Billy left Rochester and spent many years living, recording, and touring out of Nashville.

As a session player in Nashville, he regularly worked with bass players Dee Murray, Willie Weeks, and Bob Babbitt. In addition to session work, Billy was the drummer for Ricky Van Shelton, Dave & Sugar, and toured with Reba, The Judds, Alabama, Randy Travis, Clint Black, Highway 101, Lee Greenwood, Alan Jackson, Willie Nelson, George Jones, Dwight Yoakam, Randy Travis, and many others. In addition to touring, Billy played on multiple TV shows for The Nashville Network including Nashville Now (the old Ralph Emery program), The Grand Ole Opry, and Hee Haw and also appeared on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, The Grammy Awards, Austin City Limits, The Country Music Awards, The American Music Awards, and The Peoples Choice Awards programs. Recently, Billy was the drummer/band leader for Nashville Artist, Sean Patrick McGraw and the founder of the bands Goodness, The Klick, and Bad Sneakers.

Billy continues to work as a session player here in Upstate New York having played on sessions for Russell Thompkins Jr., Jackie Gore, Krista Marie (The Farm), Claudia Hoyser, Kate Lee (O'Connor Band), and many others.

Billy is endorsed by DW Drums, Sabian Cymbals, Evans Drumheads, Vater Sticks, Roland Electronics, and Tune-Bot. He is also a regular contributor to the Drum Forum, an international online community of drummers.