Presenting the Virtual Reality Band - "Computer music that even my sister
likes"!  (Membership is subject to change without notice.  Void where
prohibited.)  E-mail at doug@muscle.net or visit the Official VRB Web site
at "http://www.muscle.net/~doug/vrb"!

Brass:
     The incredible trio of Dewey, Blaire and Howe!

     Thomas E. Dewey (no, you New-Yorkers, not -that- Thomas E. Dewey):
          Tom Dewey is a versatile brass instrument player, a talent he
          attributes to his years in the Camillus (New York) Bagpipe &
          Brass Brigade.

     Linda Blaire (no, you horror-flick-watchers, not -that- Linda Blaire):
          Linda got her start in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania blowing a loud
          plastic noisemaker horn at every Steeler game in the late 1970's.

     Andy Howe (yes, you lobster fisherman, -that- Andy Howe):
          Andy made a name for himself off the shores of Portland, Maine.
          Instead of lobster traps, he'd don scuba gear and grab them
          himself.  This exertion built up his lung capacity, and now he
          can hold those high notes loud and long.

Woodwinds:

     Kenneth Glockenbachersteinamonsky ("Kenneth W."):
          His last name is a bear to spell and pronounce, but he can't go
          by "Kenny G.", since that's taken (and he -hates- being called
          "Kenny").  So our principal reed-man goes by the stage name
          "Kenneth W."  (His middle name is Wienerschnitzamennemer, which
          is what friends called his great-great-grandfather.for short.)

Rhythm:

     Gronk (Drums):
          We don't know Gronk's real name.  Whenever we ask him his name,
          that's the noise he makes.  Most communication with Gronk is like
          that.  As best we can tell (based on hand signals and crude
          drawings), he used to play drums for numerous acid rock bands
          back in the 60's.  The continuous loud volumes he was subjected
          to seem to have affected his speaking ability.  However, he does
          seem to be able to hear just well enough to follow the music.
     
     E. Bonnie Avery (Piano):
          Enid (hence she uses her first initial) hails from Floral Park,
          Long Island, New York, where she played piano in Carnegie Hall.
          (She occasionally forgets to add that the hall was empty except
          for the cleaning crew.)  She also did a stint with the "Floral
          Park 5, 6 or 7" (depending on who showed up for the gig) jazz
          ensemble.  Her favorite song is "Ebony and Ivory" since it's
          about pianos.

     Liz Velazquez (various):
          Liz's primary area of expertise is with melodic rhythm
          instruments (vibes, xylophone, etc.), but she can bang a bongo
          with the best of them.  She learned to love rhythm at Jessamine
          Co. High School, near her home town of Wilmore, Kentucky.

     LeGrand Bass (Bass):
          ("LeGrand Bass" is a stage name, and he won't let me divulge his
          real name, and it's "bass" like the guitar, not "bass" like the
          fish.)  LeGrand comes to us from Danby, New York.  He played bass
          for years with the Danby Federated Church's youth group until he
          got a music scholarship to Ithaca College, just down the road.

Strings:

     The Hiney Family Orchestra (Thor, Red, and Ophelia):
          The Cleveland Symphony will just have to do without this trio
          (though we're not sure if the Symphony knows they're missing).
          Heirs to the Hiney Wine fortune, they had everything they could
          possibly need.  But instead of becoming part of the "idle rich"
          and sitting around on their hineys, they took up music and add a
          rich sound to the VRB.

Other:

     Doug Payton (P.R., song writing and arranging, manager):
          Doug's a mix of principal arranger and public relations manager
          that you don't come by often.  Hailing from Atlanta, Georgia, his
          first arranging feat was getting all these players together.
          While he writes music only as a sideline, his day job (which he
          isn't giving up just yet) is with a software consulting firm.  He
          can be reached by E-mail at "doug@muscle.net".
