Albie Monterrosa Music Director - Guitar/Bass/Keyboards/Vocals Instructor
Singer/Songwriter, Recording Artist, and Multi-instrumentalist Albie Monterrosa is the founder of deSoL, the Asbury Park, New Jersey based rock band with a latino soul. deSoL has gained national touring and radio acclaim in their 8 years together.
Albie was born and raised in Hollis Queens N.Y. His parents, immigrants from El Salvador, were the reason Albie feels he gravitated towards music. "My parents would constantly have the music on in the house; not only in Spanish, they also loved American rock and pop too. The radio would wake us up in the morning, my mom would cook, sing and dance in the kitchen, and the parties on the weekends would often end in the A.M hours with my Father and my Uncles singing their hearts out to some old spanish tune".
As Albie got older, like most american kids, he discovered Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Elton John, Jackson Brown, Run-DMC, U2, Metallica, Pink Floyd, Bob Marley and all the greats. Albie never looked back, running towards the end zone, vowing always to chase down his Rock and Roll dream.
In 2000 Albie founded the band deSoL with the intention of mixing two worlds together, his latino heritage and Rock and Roll. Since then deSoL has toured nationally sharing marquees with bands like R.E.M., Blues Traveler, Widespread Panic, The Legendary Wailers, Los Lonely Boys, Los Lobos, Suzanne Vega, Joan Osbourne, Dirty Dozen Brass Band. In, addition, deSoL has appeared at a number of music festivals including Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, Langerado, The All Good Festival, SXSW, and Austin City Limits. In late 2006, deSoL was asked to spend a month in the Middle East performing for the U.S troops in 5 different countries.
A deSoL live show has been described as "high energy", "spiritually uplifting", "dance and sweat your ass off revivals".
Four of deSoL's radio singles have charted nationally at the Triple A (Adult Album Alternative) radio format, and their 2006 Christmas single "Little Drummer Boy" was the highest debuting Adult Contemporary radio single in billboard history! Albie says "Hearing your songs on the radio and touching people you don't know with your lyrics, melody and groove is like nothing else in this world. It's giving the world a piece of who you are, forever".
You can read more on Albie and deSoL when you visit their website www.desolmusic.com.
Jon Braun Drum Instructor
Jon Braun loves rock and roll. In addition to being the Easton School of Rock master of percussion, Jon also teaches at the Downingtown, PA School of Rock, where he has been teaching drums and directing several shows since 2004.
Jon's various music projects have been active in the local Lehigh Valley music scene, as well as nationally. John has toured nationally with the band he helped co-found, The Insidious Rays, and has shared the stage with G Love, Lake Trout and Project Object. The band has performed at some of the nicest venues in the country, including BB King's, The Electric Factory, Higher Ground and the Fox Theatre, and released four studio albums, one of which was produced by Andrew Weiss (Ween, Rollins Band, Butthole Surfers.) Jon has studied sax and drums privately for more than 15 years.
Other acts that Jon has performed with include: Ike Willis and Napoleon Murphy Brock (Frank Zappa), Bernie Worrell (P-Funk, The Talking Heads), Project Object and members of Ween.
Jon Fadem Guitar/Bass Instructor
Jon Fadem has been playing guitar since he was 13, and went on to study music at Oberlin College and Conservatory in Oberlin, OH. His primary musical inspirations are Miles Davis, Jerry Garcia, Sly and the Family Stone, Parliament/Funkadelic, John Coltrane, Frank Zappa, and Jimi Hendrix. His band Post Junction is a funk/rock/soul/jam band who has received a great amount of praise in the Lehigh Valley. Jon was nominated for Best Electric Guitarist in the Lehigh Valley Music Awards for the past four years.
He has played guitar with George Clinton & Parliament/Funkadelic, Buddy Miles, Bernie Worrell from P-Funk and Talking Heads, Ike Wills and Napoleon Murphy Brock from Frank Zappa's band, Steve Kimock, George Porter, Jr. of The Meters, Juma Sultan and Jerry Velez from Jimi Hendrix's Woodstock band, Robert Randolph & The Family Band, Robert Walter from The Greyboy All Stars, David Gans, The Insidious Rays, and Project Object, among others.
Ben Miosi Drum Instructor
Ben Miosi began playing drums when he was twenty two years old. His first live performance was a mere two months after that, well before he was technically ready. It didn’t matter, though, because what he lacked in technical precision he made up for with passion and focus. Ben played on borrowed gear for six months until he had enough money saved for his first kit, a Taye 5 piece. It immediately became apparent that his relationship with the drums would be a long one.
After his first band broke up, he began to experiment and play with as many other musicians as he could. He has worked with dozens of local players and have played well over 400 live shows all over the north east. He has played with acts in almost every conceivable style including reggae, rock, rockabilly, hip hop, blues, show tune, techno, and more. He established myself very early on as a quick study, and frequently receive phone calls to fill in for various bands when they need a drummer in a hurry.
Currently he performs with The Family Circus Trio, which includes Jon Fadem on guitar, and Dave Johnson on Bass. Ben has in the past performed live with the Unpronouncable, KEF, Stereo Agency, Start Making Sense (Talking Heads Tribute), Post Junction, Quisqueya, and others. He has worked with Touchstone Theatre, Lehigh University, Zoellner Arts Center, and now the School of Rock!
Ben have a very personal and almost spiritual connection to the drum set. He believes it to be one of the greatest musical tools ever created, and feel it can be a tremendous benefit to students of any age or skill level. It brings Ben incredible joy to be able to share what he has learned thus far with younger students, and to teach them elements of the instrument that he wishes someone had taught me (instead of learning the hard way!). Ben is proud to be a part of the School of Rock, and look forward to each and every snare smack and cymbal crash to come.
Joe Wagner Guitar Instructor
Joe Wagner was given a guitar at age five. Raised in the coal regions of Pennsylvania, Joe originally taught himself how to play along with everything he heard from classic rock albums, television and radio, and by age eight he had learned to read music through private instruction. At fourteen, Joe's band, which included his high school music teacher, was playing in downtown venues. After high school, Joe moved to Philadelphia to study and was greatly influenced by the Philly musicians he met there.
Since then, Joe has toured and recorded with groups along the Mid-Atlantic, and has accumulated over twenty years experience in varying venues and genres playing most styles of rock, fusion and electronic music. He recently moved back to Pennsylvania after living in Asheville, where he juggled several bands, won critical recognition by Star 104.3 FM, and was featured on local radio stations and television. Joe pushes the limits of his music technically and creatively, using vintage, modern, and custom modified gear. He also maintains a busy teaching practice where he is sought as both a guitar and mandolin instructor when he is not performing live.
Duane Beller Guitar/Keys Instructor
Duane's musical life started right here in the Lehigh Valley. Beginning with the guitar at age 6, and later adding bass, then drums and keyboard, his earliest influences ranged from classic rock like Hendrix and Pink Floyd to the grunge radio of the 90s. As he grew, his musical taste expanded in all directions. In Miles Davis and Bill Evans' jazz improvisations and the works Beethoven, and Shostakovich, he found that what he loved about music wasn't contained in a particular style or group of instruments, but what was behind it.
The thirst to understand what was behind all this music took him to Boston. There he enrolled in the Berklee College of Music, where he earned a degree in Classical Composition. His studies ranged from Bartok's string quartets to the recording techniques developed by George Martin and the Beatles; the music of Charles Mingus to the symphonies of Jean Sibelius.
In the years since, Duane's found new inspiration in the craft of songwriting. In long time greats like Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, and The Band, and contemporaries like Son Volt, John Prine, and Ryan Adams these is a great depth of feeling expressed in the short span of a 3 minute song.
Duane continues to write in whatever style strikes him: with working with traditional orchestral instruments and forms, or folk and rock songs the goal is always the same: to create something honest, meaningful, and good.
He brings the same philosophy to teaching. Regardless of the style, the most important thing is to work hard towards creating the music you hear inside yourself. His aim is to help each student achieve their goals by helping them learn the approaches and discipline necessary to grow as a musician. Although he's only been with the School of Rock a short time, Duane is already impressed by the commitment, enthusiasm and musicianship of these young artists, and looks forward to helping them continue to grow.
Nick Levinos Guitar/Bass/Keys/Vocals Instructor
Nick Levinos has been a musician at heart for as long as he can remember. He started to take it seriously with high school chorus and music. After college, and many years of strumming old folk songs, Nick decided to advance his guitar playing skills to a level commensurate with his overall knowledge of music by studying jazz guitar for about seven years. Nick now lives in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania where he has spent his years since 2003 playing with local bands of the Lehigh Valley such as The Sconnsyltucky Ooftah Boys, Joe Pro, The Rabies and, most notably, as the keyboardist for The Insidious Rays. Recently, Nick took his place in the driver's seat as the composer and front man for Sleepy Dickens.
Nick is a multi-instrumentalist, claiming competency with intermittent flashes of brilliance on the guitar, bass, vocals and keyboard, and has taught previously at the Downingtown branch of the School of Rock as well as a self built clientele of private students. He is looking forward to being able to pass on his knowledge to those who one day might wield it far more effectively than he ever could.
Suavek Zaniesienko Bass Instructor
Suavek Zaniesienko started studying music at the age of 6. He learned how to play bass guitar when he was 14. In his early twenties, Suavek played in bands which varied in styles from rock, jazz to country music. Between the years of 1979-1985, Suavek studied classical music in Olsztyn Music School in Poland, where he graduated from double bass class. During that time he played periodically in the Olsztyn Philharmonic Orchestra. In 1988, Suavek visited the USA, taking lessons from one of the best bass teachers in NYC, Patrick Pfeiffer. He finally moved permanently to US in 1990 and lived in New York, where he played with variety of bands. Since 2001 he has lived in Eastern PA. Suavek received awards for Best Bass Guitar Player in the Lehigh Valley Music Awards, 2006 and 2008.
Sean Brandle Drum Instructor
Sean is a 2008 graduate from Bloomsburg University. He holds a Bachelor's Degree in Music with a concentration in Audio Engineering. Sean has been playing the drums for over 11 years. He studied drums and percussion with Dr. Gifford Howarth of Bloomsburg University and was an active member of the Marching Band's Drumline, Concert Band, Orchestra and the National Honorary Music Fraternity, Kappa Kappa Psi. Sean also studies drums with John SanFilippo of Bethlehem and Chad Szeliga of the internationally known rock band, Breaking Benjamin. He is also the drummer of the Lehigh Valley rock band, Holding Higher. Sean also had the opportunity to open for artists such as: Nazareth, Everclear, Saliva and Pop Evil.
Ben Anderson Keys and Vocal Instructor
After taking the stage to star in an opera at the age of 6, Ben Anderson has been hooked into music. Studying piano and vocals for almost 20 years, he continues to search for more musical outlets, including playing in the popular Boston rock band The Daily Pravda. Ben has been writing and performing his own music since the age of 14, recording on more than 12 albums. He received his B.A. in Music Technology from the University at Albany in 2007 and studied under jazz clarinetist Don Byron as well as the world-renowned jazz electronic composer Robert Gluck. While in college, Ben also had the privilege of performing and opening for some big acts, including Simple Plan, Guster, the Dropkick Murphy's, Hoobastank and Collective Soul, as well as performing at Musikfest in Bethlehem, PA and the 2006 Millennium Music Conference in Harrisburg, PA with Teddy Geiger, Tally Hall and Fools & Horses.
Ben's happy to begin teaching at the School of Rock and hopes to inspire the minds of the students with his methods and knowledge in the art that is rock.
Sue Thierrin Co-owner/Branch Manager
Sue is a co-owner of the Easton School of Rock and is going to be responsible for the day to day operations of the school. ''I am excited to get this program started here in Easton. The School of Rock is set up so children learn the instrument of their choice and then get to jam with others in a show setting. This opens the door for kids to gain self confidence, which can only help in all their future endeavors. It will be great to share the 'Rocker Mom' experience with other parents and hope that the kids decide to come in on their 'off days' to hang out with their fellow SOR students.
Ray Thierrin Co-owner/Executive Roadie
Ray, along with his wife Sue, is the co-owner of the Easton School of Rock. In his role as 'Executive Roadie', he will be assisting with the logistics of running the school.
Ray took up guitar about two years ago - 'one of the things on the list' - so he could play with his son Travis. He is more than happy to keep the music training to 'the professionals' like Albie and the other teachers.
''This is a great program for kids who enjoy listening to and playing rock music. I believe that the performance aspect of this program is what makes it so different. Traditional music lessons are great, but when kids can apply the theory they learn to songs they play in a group setting with other kids, it is truly amazing what they can pull off. The group dynamic here is very similar to sports teams, but not every kid is an athlete, and this gives those kids who have artistic tendencies a way to gain the same personal growth opportunities as sports programs. Music is something they can do for a lifetime.''