Players
Gary – Gary started it all in the basement of his house with David one evening in the early 1990’s. They didn’t have a name and they couldn’t do much without more players, but if it wasn’t for Gary, our founding father, none of this would exist today (prompting many people to say “Why Gary, Why?”).
David – David co-founded the band along with Gary in the early 90’s. In those days the band played in Gary’s basement in a room just large enough to fit Gary’s drum set. David’s rich history and amazing knowledge of The Grateful Dead led the band to perform many Dead songs in the early days and well beyond tomorrow. He has brought in tons of songs for the band to try including many Dylan tunes as well as songs from Elvis Costello and The Talking Heads amongst others. When it comes to obscure, David knows it and can play it. He’s as eclectic as can be. You can hear his unique style on songs including; “Adir Hu” (with friend Ira on Trumpet), “Motherless Child”, “Kiss”, “Police and Thieves”, “Viola Lee Blues”, “Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues”, “2000 Light Years from Home”, “Cold Rain and Snow”, “Bird Song”, “Mr. Spaceman”, and more. A YouTube video of David performing Tom Thumb’s Blues can be seen from a link on this web site.
Uncle Dicky – Uncle Dicky set up the amazing Pleasure Palace Studio in his basement in 1995. It’s the home of the band and the land of the free. And, it’s the place to be on Thursday nights, and sometimes Friday, Sunday afternoon, and even Tuesday or Wednesday. When it comes to the band, Dicky does it all. Besides playing the keyboard and singing many a tune, he sets up every session, records every song, sends out every set list, makes the CD’s, provides the food and beverages, and even soothes the neighbors. You can hear Uncle Dicky’s mellow “Sinatra” styled voice on many tunes including; “Knocking on Heaven’s Door”, “Cocaine”, “Badge”, “Up On Cripple Creek/Franklin’s Tower”, “Black Magic Woman”, “Tangled Up In Blue”, “All Along the Watchtower”, “Deal”, “Loser”, “The Weight”, “I Know You Rider”, “Locomotive Breath”, “Fire on the Mountain”, “I’m on Fire”, “Come Together II”, “Little Wing”, “Gotta Serve Somebody”, and many more. If it weren’t for Uncle Dicky there would be no Pleasure Palace and no Pleasure Palace Band. The band is named in his honor and he is one helluva generous guy. Thank God for Uncle Dicky!
“Slow Hand” Mark - When Mark joined the band, just after it’s inception, it started to take shape as a band rather than three guys in a basement. Mark is a true self-taught musician with some great guitars. He plays a mean lead guitar which is hooked up to a powerful amp that allows the band to be heard live in Wisconsin from New York each week. In addition to his amp, Mark is an electronics guru and has every device know to man to get the perfect sound out of his awesome guitars. You can hear Mark rock it out on many many tunes including some fantastic guitar work on “All Along the Watchtower”, “Fly Away”, “Badge”, “Cocaine”, “Johnny B. Goode”, “Never In My Life”, “One Way Out”, “You Don’t Love Me”, “Green River”, “Rock & Roll Hoochie Koo”, “Won’t Get Fooled Again”, “Sultans of Swing”, “Running Down a Dream”, “Locomotive Breath”, “Little Wing”, “Jumpin’ Jack Flash”, “You Better Be True”, “Amnesia”, “Bertha”, “Black Magic Woman”, Red House/Hungry Blues, and many more. He also has a beautiful soft side to him. Listen to “Stolen Car”, “Loser”, “Bird Song”, “Can’t Find My Way Home”, “Can’t You See”, and “Mustang”.
Moe Joe – Moe Joe, who goes by many other names including Dennis, Vak, Eddie Vakington, and NostraDennis, was the 5th man in. He played rhythm guitar in Gary’s basement, but couldn’t fit into the crowded room so he played in the hallway which is just where Mark, David, and Gary wanted him. His inclusion into the band prompted Uncle Dicky to set up the Pleasure Palace Studio. There’s only one way to describe Moe Joe; He’s a wild and crazy guy and entertainer. He’s also the webmaster for this site. Moe Joe plays rhythm guitar, sings, and is the only composer the band has ever had. You can hear his original tunes; “Amnesia”, which includes S-Bone’s incredible drum solo, “Girl Don’t Give No Lovin”, “The Hungry Blues and the classic “Hasidim Blues” (under Red House/Hungry Blues), a much faster version of it as well under “The Hungry Blues” with J.L. Jack “The Blues Man, Williams Jr. on guitar and harp and Craig Heitzner on drums, “The Palace Blues”, also with Jack and Craig, and his latest tunes “Mustang”, and “You Better Be True”. Moe Joe performs Springsteen (“Cadillac Trio”, “Stolen Car”, “Darkness on the Edge of Town”) Fogerty (“Born on the Bayou”, “Green River”), Pig Pen (Easy Wind), “Can’t You See”, “I Shot the Sheriff”, “One Way Out”, “You Don’t Love Me”, and more, and makes up his own funny unique set of words on the once very popular Lenny Kravitz tune; “Fly Away”. Moe Joe moved out of town in 2005, but comes back often. He’s got a voice made for rock and roll that sometimes forgets to roll, but his heart is always in it even though, as Mark would tell you, his mind always isn’t. It’s always a fun night when he’s around.
“Discount” Al – Al was the first new member of the PPB after Uncle Dicky’s studio gave the band a new permanent home. As a long time percussion artist Al’s unique talent adds some soulful sounds to the music. He even plays a mean harp. Al is well known in the tri-state area these days as “Alan Gold” the famous band promoter who books fantastic Jazz, Blues, and Dance bands all over New York and NJ; http://www.reverbnation.com/alangoldsjazzseries. And, he’s the only one in the band who can say he’s played with Bernie Williams, even though Al didn’t quite understand the magnitude of Bernie’s fame as a Yankees hero and their Centerfielder. Al is also responsible for bringing in many new members into the band, particularly both of our bass players, Howard and Mitch, as well as backup bass player, Santi. He has been in the promotional products business for many years http://www.worldwidespecialty.com/ and designed the PPB Logo and made up some fantastic shirts for everyone as well as their friends and families. You can really hear Al let it go on “Sympathy for the Devil” and “Black Magic Woman”. Carlos had to have Al on his mind when he wrote that one.
“Buddy Rich” Steve – Also known as S-Bone, Steve’s entry into the band is legendary. It also happened on a legendary night; 9/9/99, the day the band changed forever. All we can say is that on that famous night, Gary quit the band in a huff, the police showed up at the door because people were complaining the music was so loud, and a “good friend” ended up with his head in the toilet. But, it was the dawn of a new era for the PPB. No one to this day can even believe just how great Stevie, S-Bone, is and what he means to the band. One of the greatest guys you will ever know, Stevie can play any type of music and his drumming is the heart of the sound. He also has a pretty good voice, singing lead on many songs, and does some great backup along with some very funny interjections. When Steve is “in the groove” he just makes the band run. You can listen to some of his hard charging drumming on “Amnesia” and “Amnesia II” (both of which contain Steve’s awesome drum solos), “Won’t Get Fooled Again I & II”, “Never In My Life” (vocals and drums), “White Room” (vocals and drums), “Running Down a Dream” (vocals and drums), and “Locomotive Breath”. He also sings a mean “Key to the Highway’, “Jumpin’ Jack Flash”, “Disorder in the House”, “Why Does Love Have To Be So Sad”, “Sultans of Swing”, “Stand By Me”, “Rock and Roll Hoochie Koo”, “Everything is Broken”, and more. Steve is a well known funnyman who created a new title called “Secret Asian Man”, and can be heard yelling Moe Joe, Moe Joe, in the background throughout “Born On The Bayou”, “Green River”, and other Moe Joe songs. His backup with Uncle Dicky on Moe Joe’s “Hasidim Blues” which is played just after “Red House” is hysterical as are his unique interjections on many other songs including “Gotta Serve Somebody”.
“Bass” Howard – It’s really hard to fathom now, but the PPB played without a Bass player for many years. The band was missing a piece so Moe Joe picked up a bass Mark had lying around one day and started fiddling with it surprising everyone and becoming the first bass player the band ever had. That’s when the band realized they needed a “Real Bass Player” and Al found Howard. Howard became an instant hit both musically and socially. Once Howard joined the band both the band and the music became complete. You can hear Howard’s great bass on such songs as “Badge”, “Watchtower”, “Cocaine”, “Green Onions”, “Jam”, “One Way Out”, “Secret Asian Man”, “Won’t Get Fooled Again”, “Born To Be Wild”, “Sympathy For The Devil”, and “Sultans of Swing” among many others. Howard enjoyed his boys night out at the Pleasure Palace and took his fun so seriously that he is famously known for telling an anonymous band member “Hey, don’t fuck with my playtime”. That put everything into perspective. Unfortunately, Howard moved down south after only a few years, but he formed his own band in his own studio and continues to play away. He makes the trek up from Florida at least once a year for a very special reunion session that always includes his favorite song “China Grove”.
“Brunkhorst” Mitch – When Howard moved away Al went shopping again and found Mitch. The best way to describe Mitch is he’s a “Walking Encyclopedia” of music and music history, and an absolutely great musician. He plays many instruments including the drums on “Mustang”. The man just knows everything about every rock and roll song and band ever written. In fact, we’re certain he could stomp Baba Booey’s ass and everyone else’s in Musical Jeopardy! Mitch usually brings his acoustic guitar with him along with his bass and plays a few acoustic songs to start off a session. Since he knows every song ever written he brings in some unique tunes such as “Lady Wants to Know”, and is the first guy to go to when the band needs to play a tribute to some famous and not so famous artists who recently died. And, Mitch came into the band with some serious music and a much more serious music attitude than we had ever known. He’s not very inclined to be interested in simple songs. He tries to teach the band more complicated music and loves Cream and Mountain. Mitch sings a few songs including the fun Dave Mason tune on this site called “You Can All Join In”, but is best known for his classic version of “Outside Woman Blues” (song of the week 7/1/10), and plays a very mean bass on that one and many others. You can hear his biting bass sound on songs such as “Never In My Life” (performed by the trio of Mitch, Mark, and Steve), “Won’t Get Fooled Again II”, “White Room”, “Tell the Truth”, “Little Wing II”, “Jumpin’ Jack Flash”, “Let it Rain”, “Kansas City”. “Amnesia II”, “Darkness on the Edge of Town”, and “Disorder in the House II”. Mitch is such a perfectionist that the only reason “Never In My Life II” was put up was because he thought the first one (which has much better sound quality) didn’t start from “The Exact Beginning”. Mitch can play with the best and his son Zak is one of them. Zak, who plays a great lead guitar, has sat in on a number of sessions over the years (“Amnesia II”, “Disorder in the House II”, “White Room”) while Mitch’s lovely wife Marcia loves to cheer everyone on. They are the ultimate musical family.
Bob – Bob is an old friend of Steve’s and has played on and off in the PPB for many years now. He doesn’t come too often, but when he does it is one very special night. Bob, who originally played in a band called the “Mnemonic’s ”, is one of the best guitar pickers around. He’s also one helluva nice guy. Unlike many others (who we won’t mention) Bob just comes to play and will play whatever anyone wants to play. He’s so easy going that we practically have to force him to do some songs he’s into like “Willing” , “Bob’s Country Rag”, and “Jam”. He once started playing a great instrumental tune until Moe Joe almost ruined it by making up the words to the song “Girl Don’t Give No Lovin”, but Moe Joe made a nice recovery and turned it into a great and funny song. In addition to these songs, you can hear Bob pick away on “Friend of the Devil”, “Glendale Train”, “Disorder in the House”, “Key to the Highway”, “Secret Asian Man”, “Mr. Spaceman”, and “You Ain’t Goin Nowhere”. Be prepared; you’re gonna hear some great guitar pickin’.
Dr. J – Dr. J is an old friend of Mark’s and like Bob, he doesn’t come too often. He used to play a lot more years ago, but now when he comes it is also a very special session. Dr. J sings and plays rhythm and lead guitar. He’s quite a Rebel and he’s always Pleading. In fact, those are two of his favorite songs. You can hear his cool sound on “Rebel Rebel” and “Little Wing II”.
Dave D. – Dave is a friend of Mitch’s and joined the band in 2005 after Moe Joe moved out of town. Dave is one talented dude. He can play the guitar like no other and brings a neat rock and roll vocal to the band along with so many new tunes. He’s very into Reggae and plays a wide range of music from The Beatles to Clapton, to some very classic old time rock and roll. We don’t know many people that have the energy Dave has. It might be because he’s a bit younger than the rest of us, but probably not. On a typical night Dave will play for 2 ½ – 3 hours straight in the PPB, then go upstairs and while everyone is hanging out recovering he will pick up Uncle Dicky’s acoustic guitar and play for another hour or more. Then he might even go out to a club and get on stage and perform for a couple more hours. No one knows how he does it, but no one can keep up with this master of all music men. You can hear Dave’s great sound on “Come Together”, “Friend of the Devil II”, “Key to the Highway II”, “Presence of the Lord”, “Tell the Truth”, “I Looked Away”, “It’s Too Late”, “Wild Horses’, “Keep on Rocking in the Free World”, where you’d swear you were listening to Neil Young, “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out”, “Caravan”, “Walk On”, and “Let it Rain”.
John Tutino (Zak in the background) – John Tutino (www. johntutino.com) is a professional Jazz, Blues, Funk, and R&B musician who is well known in the New York music scene. He plays an awesome sax and is an incredibly talented guitarist. Discount Al introduced John to the PPB and he started playing occasionally a couple of years ago. When asked if he was gonna come back he famously said, “How can I not, this place is great”. John composes his own music and recently released a fantastic CD titled “Full Moon Rising”. His brilliant sax adds a totally new dimension to the PPB. You can hear him on “Evil Ways”, “Kansas City”, “Wild Horses”, and “Key to the Highway II”.
Uncle Pete – Uncle Pete has been friends with Moe Joe and Uncle Dicky since childhood, so he’s been part of and around the PPB for a long time. He doesn’t play his guitar too often but he comes over to hang with the band and sing backup a lot. Pete is known for his famous version of Pink Floyd’s “Comfortably Numb”, which is what he shoots for when he visits The Palace.
Killer – Killer was and always will be the greatest groupie the PPB has ever known. He hasn’t been around in years, but he was for so many every single week, always with a big glass in hand. Killer was a local and a friend of Dicky’s so he just popped in one night and never left. He was always funny as hell and a great party guy, but sometimes he had to be stopped if the music was going to be heard. You can hear Killer partying away on “One Way Out”. There never was anyone like him and never will be again. Some of us, at least, are hoping he will return for a reunion one day. We miss you Killer.
JJ – Justine, Jill “JJ” is Uncle Dicky’s lovely wife and the lady of the house. When JJ is hanging with the band there is always fun to be had. She’s invited many friends to hang with the band over the years and has turned many people on to the PPB. “She’s always looking out for us and trying to find new audiences around the world”. She’s our biggest fan and the “Head of Promotions” for the band. So far our fan-dom is limited to a little old lady in Idaho, but our popularity has been growing since she’s been promoting us. We now have at least two fans. JJ uses and markets “Juice Plus” a natural supplement for veggies and fruits. The Juice Plus link can be found on our site. We love you JJ.
Jerry - He may be dead and gone since 1995, but he will always be at The Pleasure Palace looking over us to make sure we represent him well.
Cheech & Chong – What would The Pleasure Palace Studio be without a little humor?
Curly – Need we say any more?