Press Kit Rock, blues, Latin, jazz fusion and more For more information: www.spectrarochester.com or visit us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/spectrarochester Booking: Spectra Management - Don Dow 585-576-8128 Info: spectra@rochester.rr.com 1 Press Kit New to the Rochester music scene is Spectra. All members of this new band are professional musicians and have been on the regional stages for years in such bands as: The Invictas, Hollywood Al & the Mix, Chris McKain Band, Promise, The Dave Profeta Band, Hip Pocket, Radio Nation Band, Lisn, Intruder, Curfew, D Squared, J Rabbit, Rock Force, Geoff Harder and the Moonlighters, The Bus (Gunther’s Bus revisited), Kid Kurry, The Larry Miller Band, Full House, Scarecrow, Pocket Change, Debbie Kendrick, Tom Cats, Black Caddy Band, Kelly Roberts, and Cactus Soul. Members of Spectra have also shared the stage with many national and international acts. Collectively the members of Spectra bring new shades of rock and blue-eyed soul to the scene. Familiar tunes given a fresh sound and Spectra's own spin on the arrangements. Blues, Rock, R&B, Latin and Jazz Fusion are all parts of the band's blend of musical colors. 2 Spectra is: Doug Hilsinger – Guitar/ Vocals Doug began playing guitar when he was 12 years old. One of his oldest musically- oriented memories includes how he pestered his Dad until he finally gave in, taking him on a trip to the only drugstore in Spencerport NY, where he bought his first acoustic guitar. Doug grew up listening to Country and Western (his parents’ favorite), thus he was exposed to a lot of good picking “way back when”. His Mom had the musical talent in the family, and he inherited her singing ability. She was always singing in church choirs, and of course, around the house. Then - came the Beatles – and everything changed then and there! The next trip Doug and his Dad took for musical equipment was a trip to House of Guitars, buying that first of many electric guitars. His Dad actually built him his first amp. Doug was fortunate enough to be in the presence of some really great players and musically inclined friends for quite a number of years. Doug has played Blues, Country, Rock, Classic Rock, Dance/ Party, Southern Rock, some Jazz, and some just outright Rock and Roll. Doug plays Fender and Musicman guitars, and has a huge collection of Mesa Boogie Amps and assorted cabinets. Dave Profeta – Guitar/ Vocals Dave was brought up listening to jazz, blues & even classical. He was taught by the best - his father was a local Rochester Jazz musician. Dave has been playing guitar since the tender age of six. His music has been strongly influenced by The Beatles, Joni Mitchell, Eric Johnson, Alan Holdsworth, Michael Landau, and many more. He has played with Masque, Trigger, J Rabbit, Rockforce, Curfew, Subject To Change, Pocket Change, and Winelight . More recently, he formed his own bands, The Dave Profeta Band, and D Squared. In addition to sharing the lead guitar role in Spectra, he plays with Herb Gross & The Invictas (remember the 60's rock band song, "The Hump"?). Dave does not hesitate to tell you that he "loves chord work" and gravitates to the melodic, spacious & moody... Dave plays Fender and PRS guitars and uses Mesa Boogie Amps and cabinets. Chuck Elberti - Bass Inspired by 1950s rock & roll and The Beatles, Chuck knew at an early age that he just had to make music! The Animals' tune, "We Got to Get out of This Place" with its bass line intro turned him on to bass guitar. His musical journey began early, with some local and regional bands out of Buffalo during the late '60s into the early '70s. Coming off a 20+ year hiatus from the music scene, he jumped right back in with both feet...playing with Rochester bands such as Last Call (southern rock), Intruder (rock),Hollywood Al & The Mix (R&B/soul),Hip Pocket (R&B/soul), Geoff Harder and The Moonlighters(rock), Blue Avengers (R&B), Black Out Blue (blues/rock), Promise(Motown) and the Chris McKain Band (blues/R&B). Chuck has opened up for such international acts as The Average White Band, The Tubes, Maria Muldaur, Cross Canadian Ragweed, and The Little River Band. His musical forte with the bass has earned him a number of opportunities to play as a band member with musicians that have backed the Godfather of Soul James Brown, Millie Jackson, The Platters, and Bo Diddly. Chuck plays Sadowsky, Lakland and Fender basses, Aguilar amplification and a Bergintino cabinet is his current rig of choice. Van Sanzotta - Drums Looking back as far as Van can remember, He guesses that he always liked fooling around with sticks. He would bang on the arm of the couch with his Lincoln logs or rulers to Ma’s records, usually, Herb Alpert, Winchester Cathedral, The Singing Nuns, whatever. Then it all seemed to make sense when Ed Sullivan introduced him to the Beatles. After that Van couldn’t think of anything other than drums. Christmas would come and he would get Bongos, a plastic snare drum, or something else that wasn’t a drum set. So with his toys and his friends with their toy guitars, they formed their first neighborhood rock band. On his eleventh Birthday Van got his first full drum set, began practicing and never looked back. Van joined one band after another and another… Road Work, The Starlords, Kelly Roberts, Platinum, Westside Drive, Doc Kavanagh, Full House, Scarecrow, The Tweeners, Betty Mangold, Freight Train, Cosmic Debris, Debbie Kendrick, Cactus Soul, The Jerks, Black Caddy Band and The Tom Cats. Along the way Van worked with some very talented and inspiring drummers in the area that helped him develop skills that pushed him to the next level. Jim Patric, Steve Bagandy, Mark Miller and Dave Mancini. After it’s all said and done, it all boils down to feeding this passion that Van has for making good music with good friends, and making it sound as good as we possibly can. Van plays Yamaha drums, with Paste and Zildjian cymbals. 3 Spectra Stage Plot 4