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.

     Louis Lewey (Guitar): The VRB picked up Louis while on tour
          in Manchester, Connecticut.  He was teaching guitar to
          child prodigies at Lincoln Elementary School, but
          wanted to do some performing of his own.  His first
          appearance in a VRB song was for release 2, "The Two
          Become One".

     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".
