I've been writing, recording and performing with bands since before I could drive a car to my own rehearsals. Here is a list of many of the bands I've performed with since then.
A post-industrial rock collective featuring current, former and touring members of bands such as Ministry, Revolting Cocks, Pigface, Marilyn Manson, Stabbing Westward, The Dead Boys, The Machines of Loving Grace, Skatenigs, Mary's Window, My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult, Blue October, Ashes Divide, W.O.R.M., 16VOLT, ONO, 13MG, Red Red Meat, Cheer Accident and more. The Joy Thieves are signed with London's Armalyte Industries, and our recordings can be found HERE.
Dark, introspective, insomnia-inspired songs for fans of bands such as Massive Attack, Digital Daggers, Depeche Mode and Crosses. Drownbeat's sound is strongly anchored in moody electronic music; however, the frequent use of live instruments expands the sound beyond the realm of simple electronica, which reveals layers of subtler influences, such as Slowdive, Porcupine Tree, The The, Zero-7, and at times, Dark Side of the Moon-era Pink Floyd. Drownbeat released 3 full-length albums and several stand-alone singles, all of which are available HERE.
I am the drummer and the Director of Marketing and Promotions for Chicago’s premiere dance and party band, Libido Funk Circus. Formed in 1996, LFC performs over 150 times annually, making us one of Chicago’s busiest live bands. Besides clubs and bars, we frequently perform at private parties, corporate events, fundraisers and weddings. We have won WeddingWire.com’s Couples’ Choice Award (which is only awarded to the top 5% of wedding professionals) seven years in a row.
Jordanhorse
Jordanhorse is a 3-person instrumental project that centers around the acoustic guitar performances of Jeff Harris. Our first album is available to stream HERE, or you can purchase CDs on Amazon.com.
The Monday Machine
Some of the current and former members of Libido Funk Circus get together to write, record and release original music...and when we do, we release it under the name The Monday Machine. TMM utilizes a mix of styles, but we lean heavily on funky rock and pop songs. The band's releases are available at all major digital distribution outlets, including Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon Music, and more!
Bill Acuña & The Despotic Hall of Fame
Bill Acuña & The Despotic Hall of Fame is an experimental band that writes and records a broad spectrum of music styles from Stax-inspired soul to Spanish Tuna, from Brazilian samba to African Bikutsi, from Jamaican reggae to delta blues. The band has been featured many times on local alternative-friendly radio stations such as WXRT, UIC Radio and WDCB.
A precursor to Drownbeat, Lunation was a one-off recording project I did in 2011 with Boston-area vocalist Kate Galluzzo Martin. Our one and only album, Restless, is available HERE.
Random Carbon Atoms
Random Carbon Atoms was an experimental industrial/hard rock album I released in 2012 with guitarist Jeff Harris and Chicago-area jazz vocalist Meghan McKown. The mix of muscular guitar guitar riff-rock and the powerful, yet sultry vocals make the RCA album of one the most unique albums I have ever recorded.
Created by fellow Joy Thief, Matthew Clark, Mary's Window enjoyed lots of success, including national touring, the release of several albums, and a stint with Mercury/Slipdisc Records. After 20 years, we recorded a brand new album called "Goodbye She Said...I'm Off to Join the Circus" in 2020...and it is available HERE.
RPM was an experimental electro-rock group I performed with for several years in the early 2000's. The original concept was performing modern sounding renditions of 80's new wave and rock songs, but from there the concept grew, until we wrote and recorded an album's worth of rave-inspired rock songs...Of Light and Shadow.
Traveling Sky was a roots rock/Americana band that I performed with between the years of 1994-1999. All five abums we recorded, Traveling Sky, Reflections, A History of Decay, This Too Shall Pass and Miles & Time are currently available for purchase on our Bandcamp page.
In 1999, several former members of Traveling Sky formed Release. Shifting the focus away from Traveling Sky's Americana sound, Release was an alternative pop rock band in the vein of Vertical Horizon, Matchbox 20 and Counting Crows. All three Release albums are currently still available on our Bandcamp page.
The Urban Suburban Alliance (USA)
One part funk, one part rock, and one part inner city rap, The Urban Suburban Alliance had a brief, but truly exciting trajectory back in the early 200's...culminating in the release of the album The Humanology of R.A.P. (Rock and Paper) and the use of several of our songs on The Discovery Channel.
Charlie's Pipe Dream
In 1994, I helped form a brand new funk/punk/rock band called Charlie's Pipe Dream with brothers Joe and (future Libido Funk Circus bass player) Nick Sanzeri. After playing many shows together and releasing the Primateen Mist EP, I left the band...but they continued to release some fantastic music over the next few years!
Lovelies Bleeding
Lovelies Bleeding was an industrial rock project that began after the dissolution of my first band, Perfect Isolation. What started out as a musical collaboration soon became a vehicle for guitarist/singer Dave Bachta, who truly made the album his own, in the best way possible.
Perfect Isolation
Perfect Isolation was my very first band in high school. We were a progressive metal band and the music was simply strange, and complex.