Thought is: TIM ALLEN: electric guitar PJ BOECKEL: electric bass LYNN LIGAMMARI: voice, altosax JARED SCHONIG: drums, sticks MICHAEL WILLIAMS: voice, bass trumpet "They are bringing the street credibility back to pop music" One thing that is obvious the first time you see this group of people together, onstage and off, is that this is a BAND. The members of this band are constantly feeding off of each other. They live together, work together, and play together. The most striking quality this young group possesses, is how the five distinct personalities shine through at all times, tempering and balancing each other. As bassist PJ says, " You can't make that s@#* up!" Their draw comes from their provocative male/female intertwined vocals, and the unique combination of bass trumpet and alto sax fronting the band. The rhythm section is no joke either. The members of Thought don't want their music pigeon-holed into genres or catagories (who does). They just want you to listen to it, and enjoy it.... and dance a lot. After seven years of sharpening their skills playing together as a band , Thought has played to thousands of people throughout the USA, Canada, and in the last two years focused heavily on the New York City scene. The members of Thought have both collectively and individually shared the stage with such notables as; Mike Gordon (Phish), Medeski, Martin and Wood, Dresden Dolls, Eliott Sharp, El-P, Butch Morris, Antibalas, Kenny Wollesen, John Ellis, Ulu, Zozo Afrobeat, Jerseyband, Beyondo, Rhubarb, Pela, Lazlo Holyfield, Jon Nelson's Genkin Philharmonic, and many, many more. Aside from their numerous live shows Thought has recorded two studio EPs, including their latest self titled effort recorded in Downtown Brooklyn December 2005. PJ - Electric Bass Guitar My full name is Peter James Boeckel (the “o” is silent). I hail from Buffalo N.Y. and was born on April 6, 1981. Fostering my musical growth, whom I have to thank for their encouragement, energy and patience, are such great teachers like Dr. Joseph Baudo, Rodney Appleby, Jack Kulp, John Currey and Miwi 3000. My social beliefs consist of being anti-war, against corporate colonialism, its subsequent destruction to the environment, and fully believe in the power of creative force as a device to combat those converging on the tip of the triangle. My inspirations are the folks in Thought (all full of luv and passion), Meshell, Bklyn, winter, spring, summer, fall and all those self-proclaimed artists out there staying true to their guns. Of course I have to mention the peeps on our links page MiWi La Lupa - voice/ bass trumpet Mike plays and does: bass trumpet, trombone, voice, coreography, shong writing, bass guitar and percussion. He is an Eastman graduate (’03), and he loves wolves. That's because he is a wolf. Mike also plays/has played/recorded with: Butch Morris' Orchestra Slang, Kenny Wollesen's Wollesonic/Himalayas, El-P, Ike Sturm Ensemble, Bat For Lashes, Pela, Danan Healy Band, Mr. Shy, Amun Ra, Beyondo, Mike Gordon, Slide Hampton, Joey Barron, Bat For Lashes, MMW, Assylum Street Spankers, Yah Supreme, Slavic Soul Party, Donny McCaslin, Fire of Space, Eternal Buzz Brass Band, Antibalas, John Ellis, Zox, Lazlo Hollyfeld, Ulu, Uncle Sammy, Kino Prevda, Rhubarb, Beyondo, Joe Bagale, Rez Abassi, Sunny Jain Collective, and the Eastman Trombone Choir. This person also played a very cold roll in a film called Living Wake which will Premier June 8th 2007 at the Cinevegas film festival. Mike has studied with: Mark Kellogg, Clay Jenkins, Slide Hampton, Joe “the kid” Baudo, Bill Weikert, Hagar and Dr. Bauch. Current favorite music is; the various ice cream truck songs in Bushwick. Mike now lives in Brooklyn (Bushwick) and loves the beautiful struggle. Current inspiration (besides 5:30pm): http://www.sparwasserhq.de/Index/HTMLjan5/spech.htm Jared Schonig - Drums and back-up vox Drummer and composer Jared Schonig was born in Los Angeles on August 12, 1983. His parents, both professional musicians, encouraged him at an early age to take up the piano. After studying classical piano for 11 years he decided to switch to the drums (his fathers instrument) during his first year of high school. Jared attended the prestigious Hamilton Academy of Music in Los Angeles, CA, where he was surrounded by some of the best student musicians in the country. Studying with Jerry Kalaf, Jared soon became the schools "A" band drummer and was performing with George Duke, Eric Marienthal, Bobby Rodriguez, and a number of All-County and City honor groups. During his three years at Hamilton, Jared was the recipient of 4 Downbeat Student Music Awards, including a "Best Soloist" honor his senior year, in 2001. After receiving scholarships to attend a number of different universities, Jared decided it was best to head out to the East Coast and enroll at the Eastman School of Music. Studying privately with Rich Thompson at the famed university, Jared began to quickly become noted as a new young talent in Rochester. Jared performed with a number of Eastman groups including the Bionic Bones with Fred Wesley and Steve Turre, the Eastman New Jazz Ensemble, Harold Danko's JPW A (Jazz Performance Workshop), and the Eastman Jazz Ensemble under the direction of Bill Dobbins. Jared was also fortunate to work and perform with faculty Jeff Campbell and Clay Jenkins. During his time at Eastman, Jared won three more Downbeat Student Music Awards; in 2002 for his pseudo-funk/jazz band Groove Brewery and in 2004 for his JPW The Verytall Band," which was recognized as the nations top collegiate combo, as well as another "Best Soloist" honor. The Verytall band included some other noteworthy musicians and Downbeat winners including Brian Vanarsdale, saxophone, and Clarence Hines, trombone. The Verytall band went on to play a number of different venues throughout the year including the East Coast Jazz Festival and the Rochester International Jazz Festival. During his time in Rochester, Jared performed with a number of different groups including the Bob DiBaudo trio, the Dave Rivello Ensemble, the Bill Tiberio Group, and Paradigm Shift. He also performed with Dave Liebman, Wycliffe Gordon, Wynton Marsalis, Charles Pillow, and Bob Brookmeyer. He also performed with acclaimed vibraphonist Joe Locke as well as organist Dr. Lonnie Smith. Jared is currently a resident of New York City. He is a member of Dave Guidice's trio which performs at Tavern-on-the-Green, as well the group Thought. He also continues to perform with Joe Locke, the Dan Loomis Quartet and Brian Vanarsdale groups. Jared is featured on the Bill Tiberio Group CD Promise Street on Trier Records and Dan Loomis -Introducing Dan Loomis. A forthcoming Paradigm Shift CD will be released Spring of 2006 on Nagel-Heyer records. tim allen - guitars and other things tim hails from the gorgeous slice of erie county known as buffalo. he now resides in brooklyn. he has been in many different types of bands over the years and shared the stage with many beautiful musicians in the process. to name a few : the genkin philharmonic, butch morris's orchestra slang, zozo afrobeat, fred's slacks, the operatives, anal pudding, the brooklyn strutters, and (obviously) thought. Recently tim has formed his own band, Hylofi, featuring members of his own favorite bands: Jerseyband, Beyondo, Zozo Afrobeat, Naked Brunch, and yes of course Thought. Think industrial/samba/funk with 5 horns and a bunch of random precussion instruments like shekere, cabasa, claves, bells, whistles, and fire extinguishers. tim loves to dance/eat, walk around brooklyn, and doesn't think jokes about his name are funny anymore. lynn ligammari - sax/voice/girl power Lynn was born & raised in the glorious, cataract city of niagara falls, NY (not to be confused with niagara falls, CA). Currently residing in rochester NY, Lynn holds a Bachelor's & Master's degree from the Eastman School of Music, majoring in Music Education and Saxophone Performance. In addition to thought, she has been fortunate enough to share the stage with various wonderful musicians such as: dick oatts, the temptations, the dave rivello ensemble, justin flynn, mike gordon, the half ton horns, the Eastman Wind & Jazz Ensembles, rufus reid, david kane's them jazzbeards, david bixler, harold jones, clay jenkins, rich thompson, the goo-goo dolls and brad lubman. Lynn has studied with: Ramon Ricker, Walt Weiskopf, David Demsey, Chein-kwan Lin, Fred Sturm, Dave Schiavione and Christopher Azzara. Aside from Mike, PJ, Nathan, Timmy & Jared, her inspirations are drawn from such musicians as: Coltrane/Miles, Kenny Garrett, Bjork, Meshell Ndegeocello, Keith Jarrett, Maria Schneider, Lee Konitz, Cannonball Adderly, the roots, Ella/Billie/Nina Simone, dave douglas, brad mehldau, stevie wonder, tosca, kruder&dorfmeister, bill frisell...this could go on forever..you get the idea. from time to time, you may hear lynn referred to as: hellacious, L, LL, and the occassional 'lizzle' every now and again. she is also greatly interested in visual art/graphic design, and feels a bit strange about talking in the 3rd person....