When The Staff Blues Band formed in late July 2008, the band only had five members.

By the time November rolled around, the band had gained three new members and added a full horn section.

“The whole experience of having an eight-piece band is still pretty new to us, considering that we just added our last member in November,” said vocalist and rhythm guitarist Sean Walker.

“I learned one evening that we had a chance to play a show at the State Fair and me and my roommate started piecing a band together,” said Walker, a senior art major.

Although the band originally formed for just one show, they soon began practicing on a regular basis.

“We originally only started for that gig, but I think that we really felt how much we all enjoyed the show and we decided to continue going,” said Mike Pond-Jones, the trombone player.

Along with vocalist/rhythm guitarist Walker and bass trombonist Pond-Jones, members of The Staff Blues Band include tenor saxophone player Mike Block, lead guitarist Chris Hastings, keyboardist Dan Hoffman, drummer Jamie Mauck, bassist Wally Ulrich and trumpet player Nick Grill.

With having an eight-piece band, including a full horn section, the people of The Staff Blues Band are able to create a sound that is all their own.

“Typical rock bands really don’t have a horn section, so we are able to create a much different sound than other bands,” Hastings said.

“I think we are a little more unique in the way that we can have more solos and harmonies because of the big sound a larger band can create,” Block said.

The Staff Blues Band describes its sound as jazz influenced funk-rock.

Their musical influences include James Brown, Jimi Hendrix, John Coltrane and many other jazz artists.

“With having a full horn section we are able to play a more wide variety of music. Plus, I think that horns make everything sound better,” Grill said.

The Staff Blues band currently have only a few songs written, but they play a full variety of covers including “Superstition” by Stevie Wonder, “Vehicle” by the Ides of March and “Brick house” by The Commodores.

The band has recorded a couple of demo CDs, but they haven’t recorded a full album yet.

Touring and recording an album are two goals that the Staff Blues Band is currently looking into for the near future.

“Hopefully, we can get in the studio this semester,” Walker said. “We are crossing our fingers that we can get some recording done this semester. As far as touring goes, we are going to try and setup a couple Midwest tours for the summer.”

History will be broadcast on many television screens throughout the campus community today, as Barack Obama becomes the first African American president of the United States today.

(more…)

The Staff Blues Band is an 8-piece group that plays jazz, funk and blues music. They were the winners of the Battle of the Bands last semester, which was co-sponsored by University Board and The Verge. As it’s prize, the band will be playing at Panthers

(more…)