Tony Vee
Lead guitar and vocalist, Tony Vee enjoys an illustrious musical career spanning three decades. He cut his blues chops playing up and down the Northern and Central coast of California in the early 1990s following musical studies (classical guitar and sound engineering) at Sarah Lawrence College. Tony played the blues for several years with Hammond B3 organ monster and Jimmy Smith acolyte, Danny “Mongo” Abrams. He has performed with several members of Furthur, Zigaboo Modeliste (king of the funky drums), Steve Miller and Brian May during the twelve years he lived in the Monterey/Carmel/San Francisco Bay Area before returning to New York where he founded Uncle Shoehorn in 2003. He also currently performs with the TeeVee Allstars with Mike Merritt and James “Worm” Wormworth of the Basic Cable Band.
Max Aronov
Bassist, Max Aronov is an aficionado of bass styles and provides a rock solid, lyrical underpinning to the jams. He is especially proficient at taking the improvisational portions of songs through meandering musical planes while never losing the central pulse of the song. Max performs with the Ryan Marks Band and the TeeVee Allstars when he’s not gigging with Uncle Shoehorn’s Big Easy.
Warren Congdon
Drummer and vocals, Warren Congdon is a founding member of the Hudson Valley’s legendary jam band, Unexplained Bacon. His tireless groove and energy propel the band’s momentum all night long. Warren is also the owner and musical director of the Trail’s End Taphouse in Greenwood Lake, NY where he hosts and performs live music of all varieties.
Todd Lapenna
Rhythm guitar and vocals, Todd Lapenna holds a Master’s degree in music and brings an encyclopedic knowledge of chord inversions and other theory that he applies to playing the amazing textures and rhythmic variations, driving the band’s dance-ability. Todd’s clarion vocals, especially in the upper register, add sweetness and soul to the band’s four part harmonies. He’s also earned a reputation as the “King of the Spicy Chord”.
Rave Tesar
Rave Tesar is a New York area keyboardist, composer, producer and recording engineer, perhaps best known as a longtime member of the prog rock band, Renaissance. Over the course of a storied career, Rave has toured all over the world, including tours with the Shirelles, performances with Jerry Vivino, Jonny Rosch, and many others. Rave is also a veteran of the NY jazz scene and a prolific composer for film and television. He owns and operates Studio X Recording, offering professional audio recording, mixing and mastering services in Ridgewood, NJ.
The New Yorleans Horns
Wayne Tice
Section leader Wayne Tice has performed around the world showcasing the saxophone performance repertoire. Performing and sharing saxophone pedagogy in Bejing, Sweden and Canada, Wayne been a featured concerto performer at the World Saxophone Congress, at Frederick Fennel’s 50th Anniversary of the Wind Ensemble, at three North American Saxophone Alliance Biennial Conferences, and at the World Association of Symphonic Bands and Ensembles. Wayne covers Bari, Tenor and Soprano parts with Uncle Shoehorn’s Big Easy as well as clarinet!
Barton Schindler
Barton Schindler, Tenor Saxophonist, was the very first brass player added to the band. Barton studied studio music and jazz instrumental performance at the University of Miami as well as the Hartt School of Music. Barton plays with the New York Swing Exchange, George Harrison Tribute “Dark Horses” and numerous other well-known groups around the Hudson Valley. His blistering solos and rich tone add fire to the grooves.
Billy Losier
Billy Losier is a Second Line master and marches with several drum & bugle corps, including the “World Famous Hawthorne Caballeros” of Hawthorne, NJ. Since 1998, he’s founder and director of The Tappan Zee Bridgemen parade/event bands. In 1994, Billy joined up with Billy & The Showmen from Greenwich, CT and continues with them to date. Billy is originally from Sleepy Hollow, NY and has been in Orange County since 2021.
Steve Wands
Trombonist Steve Wands has been an active performer and educator for over 30 years. After completing musical studies at West Chester University (PA), Steve began his teaching career teaching music on Long Island and New Jersey. Steve settled down in the Hudson Valley in 2000. Since then, Steve has been an in-demand player with many groups including In the Pocket and Tru Vinyl Grooves.
Rick Savage
Trumpet master, Rick Savage has lived and worked in & around New York City for the past 30 years. His brilliant trumpet playing keeps him in demand as a performing & recording artist, making guest solo appearances on the CD projects of many NY area artists and doing studio work with notable groups like the Temptations, the O’Jays, Blood Sweat & Tears, Paul Anka, Tony Bennett and many others.
Ron Knittle
A plastic toy sax given to a young Ron Knittle launched a prominent musical career. Early forays into jazz standards led to SUNY and a degree in music performance & education. Touring with Chris O’Leary Band and Broadway stints in pit orchestras for productions of Fiddler on the Roof, Urine Town and Risky Business, Ron’s diverse musical career has run the gamut. He’s performed with renowned artists Slam Allen, Pete Seeger, Dave Holland, Bill Perry – recorded with Dave Davies, Chris O’Leary – and too many blues, rock, pop and jazz groups to list.
Our Sound Engineer
Will Orosz
An exceptional engineer and sound reinforcement expert, Will Orosz serves a number of Orange County bands and venues. He is the dedicated engineer that brings pro audio gear and deep professionalism to all Uncle Shoehorn’s live performances. Truly an integral member of the organization, Shoehorn wouldn’t sound as great as they do without him.
