Singer/songwriter/pianist Mike Liguori was born in Anchorage AK and grew up in Morristown NJ playing ice hockey and baseball. After spending time in the jam band scene around Denver and the University of Colorado where he studied jazz with Grammy winner Chip Stephens, he began writing songs and teamed up with Jim Ruberto to create the ML Band.  Highwaters EP is the group’s first release.  Mike’s influences come mostly from the rock and jazz realms, including pianists Bruce Hornsby, Ben Folds, Donny Hathaway, Les McCann, Horace Silver, Chip Stephens and Jacky Terrasson.

Drummer John Nelson has performed at the Montreux Jazz Festival, backed R&B legend Al Wilson, drummed for Bo Diddley on his 75th anniversary tour and done a lot of session work. He plays a lot of styles but most enjoys laying down funk, rock and hip-hop grooves.

Guitarist/singer Matt Beckemeyer was born in Boulder, CO, where he was raised on a steady diet of classical piano lessons, jazz ensembles, and Rolling Stones records. Left to his own devices, he plays guitar, piano, and saxophone, specializing in everything from country to funk to German math rock. Among his biggest musical influences are Prince, The Band, Curtis Mayfield, Ween, and The Cure.

Bassist Jared Banta has no past. He is a man of the moment.

Drummer Tyler Hornby hails from Calgary, Alberta, Canada and is an accomplished player on the international jazz scene.  Tyler has toured North and South America and Europe with various groups and has performed with jazz artists Bob Mintzer and Ingrid Jensen.  His main influences include the legendary Max Roach, Roy Haynes and Bill Stewart, but Tyler also finds inspiration in a number of noted funk and latin drummers.  He’s released two albums as a co-leader and co-composer for the electric quartet Terrain, and in 2005 released “Shadows of a Brighter Day,” his debut acoustic jazz album.

Tyler is a hockey player and devoted fan of the Calgary Flames.

Bassist Gonzalo Teppa is from Venezuela and is working toward a master’s degree in jazz at the University of Colorado.  He’s won two national student music awards for outstanding solos from Down Beat magazine, as well as a number of distinctions for classical performance.  A natural musician, Teppa has been singing, playing bass and violin since his early childhood and has released two complete albums in Venezuela. 

Gonzalo has been known to dance salsa on stage with a lady on his arm while covering a salsa bass groove at the same time. 

Guitarist Jefferson Hamer, from Massachusetts, has earned followers around the country through his high-energy traditional acoustic group, Single Malt Band.  A singer/songwriter who plays acoustic and electric guitars as well as the tenor banjo, Jeff has years of touring and performing experience with traditional acoustic music, and has performed with Vince Herman and Yonder Mountain String Band.  Recently he returned to an amplified sound and released his first full-length original solo effort in 2005, “Left Wing Sweetheart,” with rock, country and modern influences.

Jeff was a member of his college's freestyle skiing team.

Guitarist Derek VanScoten is a western New York native and experienced performer, songwriter and bandleader in the Colorado music scene.  Mike joined Derek’s eclectic and adventurous Element37 band after the two met at the University of Colorado, and the group soon added Jim Ruberto on bass. Derek now performs a busy schedule of gigs with 8Trac, Cabaret Diosa, dvs3 and The Blend, and has logged stage time with members of Leftover Salmon and String Cheese Incident. 

In his spare time, Derek enjoys counting the number of guest appearances made by ultra-prolific guitarist Warren Haynes.

Amelia Earhart makes a cameo appearance on “45 At A Time.” Yes, she’s related to the famous aviatrix who disappeared in 1937.  Present-day Amelia is well known to Denver radio listeners for her live traffic reports on most of the area’s biggest music and talk stations.  You might see her soon on TV, reporting from the deck of an expedition ship searching for the wreckage of her long-lost relative’s plane.

Drummer Sherman Arnold, from Chicago IL, was runner up in the 1999 Guitar Center national drum-off competition.  A self-taught talent who honed his chops playing in gospel churches, Sherman has performed at festivals and venues big and small with the Hazel Miller Band, Dotsero and a long list of Colorado’s best bands. 

As a young man in Chicago, Sherman was a parking attendant at the old United Center and knew Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and other members of the Chicago Bulls championship teams.