Foolish U - Band Bios

Jaco- bass/lead vocals | Mike- guitar/vocals | Wayne- drums | Carl- lead vocals | Randy- guitar/vocals

Jacques Wood Bass and Lead vocals	From an early age, Jacques (Jaco) Wood has been gigging on the Northeast music scene. Over the last thirty years Jaco has played Keyboards and Bass Guitar for a myriad of bands from Punk to Metal to Funk/Jazz. In the late 70's and early 80's Jaco's fans found him fronting for the metal band Real Steal, a staple on the rock scene in New England lasting over 10 years. Changing with the times, the mid 80's saw Jaco leading the diverse funk/rock band Shy. This new band and thier unique shows attracted large crowds and included a wide variety of music from Black Sabbath to Michael Jackson. Coming from a family with a long list of veteran musicians, Jaco was heavily influenced by his idol, jazz/fusion pioneer Stanley Clarke. Also influential were rock legends Rush and Yes. Jaco expanded his style as an accomplished Bass player throughout the years. In the mid 70's, Jaco played on the Punk scene with Tuna Factory with the likes of Daxe Rexford guitarist formerly, of The Pajama Slave Dancers. Moving to another level in the late 80's, Jaco performed with the original R & B band Real Music, a group of allstars that included the likes of drummer Kenny Johnson (formerly of the Steve Miller Band and the James Cotton Band) and CBS recording Keybordist Luke Funicelli. Jaco's style of funk and driving metal gives Foolish U a unique dynamic guaranteed to make you want to get up and Boogie!
Mike Carlyle Guitar	Born and raised a New Jersey kid, Mike became captivated by the sound of guitar on the New York AM radio airwaves in the early 70's. Busting out of formal lessons at age 11, Mike began to absorb and assimilate the styles of musicians like David Gilmour, Jimmy Page, and all of the great, lesser-known studio musicians that gave his formative years their trademark sound. While attending college in Pennsylvania, Mike spent time as guitarist for Williamsport-based Falconbridge. In the early 90's, he was a founding member of Dead Reckoning, a local Springfield area original band that included Carl Flagg. Mike's time with the band was short, but it awakened in him a passion for writing and recording music. While performing took a back seat to home studio sessions in the years that followed, Mike's quest for guitar tone and technique never wavered. In recent years, Mike has collaborated with Enfield based singer/songwriter Kevin Crane, lead vocalist for area cover band The River Rats. Mike produced and engineered the resulting material, sometimes providing all instrumental accompanyment, including bass, drums, guitar, and vocals.
Wayne Blanchard Drums	Wayne’s interest in drums was fueled by all the great rock bands of the early seventies, and with his first rock concert circa 1974, watching wide-eyed as Emerson, Lake and Palmer performed. Wayne was enchanted by Carl Palmer’s great drum work and elaborate signature drum solo. He’s also been inspired by all the greats from Bill Bruford (Yes) and Russ Kunkle (Jackson Browne, et. al.) to Neil Peart (Rush) and Simon Phillips (The Who, Toto, et. al.). Wayne started taking drum lessons in junior high school and played with a group of friends at parties a few years later. After high school he hooked up with a few local musicians and formed the band Roxx, a power trio that played in the local Springfield area for several years. Roxx played the obligatory trio bands like ZZ Top and George Thorogood and the Destroyers, among others. They also ventured into some Rolling Stones, The Doors and even obscure Elvis songs thrown in for good measure. Because he never used hearing protection (few did in those days) he devolped tinnitus, a constant ringing in the ears brought on by years of playing loud music. This temporarily curtailed his music career and his drums have been quietly waiting in their hard cases for the right time to come alive. Randy and Wayne already knew each other but Randy didn't know that Wayne was a drummer. When the subject of a band came up, Wayne signed on board, earplugs firmly in place.
Carl Flagg Lead Vocals	A native of Springfield, MA, Carl first learned to strum a few chords on the guitar at age 15. Not long after, he was playing Frat parties with his brother at the Univeristy of Massachusetts and experiencing things that a 15 year old shouldn't be seeing! After getting a taste of the stage, (and backstage) Carl was recruited into the local high school band Sabotage as singer and frontman. After graduation Carl hooked up with Eddie Cole and Allied Forces , playing at some now-defunct area land marks like the I-90, Shaker Park, and Davids (where you and live music –bump-de-bump– come first) Carl got his first taste of writing, recording and performing original music with the band Intrepid, which lasted throughout the 80's. He met Mike Carlyle when he joined Dead Reckoning where he continued his love for writing and recording original material. Years later, Mike once again contacted Carl to coax him into the Foolish U lineup. Recently, Carl has had the opportunity to play a supporting role in the Eric Haydocy Band, singing back-up and playing percussion. When he's not gigging with Foolish U, look for him sharing the stage with the EHB!
Randy Bozenhard	Randy started playing music in the mid-seventies. He says: "There I was, minding my own business at a keg party in the woods, when I was abducted by aliens. They exposed me to the music of Aerosmith, Thin Lizzy, Eric Clapton and other blues-based rock bands. After cruising the galaxy for an indeterminate amount of time I was returned to earth with sore nether-regions and the ability to play keyboards, bass and guitar. Following this experience, I searched for similarly affected musicians and founded the local band Real Steal. We rocked at parties and area clubs for almost eight years until my second abduction. Now I’m back and ready to rock with Foolish U."