Contributing Artists
Cancer Can Rock is grateful for the efforts of all the artists that have given of their time so generously by performing at our benefit concerts, allowing us to have a presence at their own concerts, or supporting the recording process directly.
The following is a list of the studio professionals who have contributed their time in support of the Cancer Can Rock featured artist recording sessions.
| Artist / Band | Small Bio | Music Type | Links |
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| Justin Trawick | DC area musician, longboarder, eater of fried chicken, founder of @wearethe9, and host and co-creator of @thecircuslifedc podcast on iTunes. | Bluegrass infused rock/rap | Website YouTube |
| Mary Ann Redmond | Mary Ann Redmond is an American singer known for her soulful and wide-ranging vocal style in popular and jazz music. She is based in the greater metropolitan Washington, D.C. area, but has performed in many locations across the United States and other countries. Both her live performances and her five CDs to date have earned her acclaim from audiences and recognition from the music industry, although she has never achieved national fame on a par with many of the performers she has worked with, such as Mary Chapin Carpenter. She is primarily a regional artist and has won an astounding 24 Washington Area Music Awards (Wammies). | Rock / Folk / Soul | Website YouTube |
| Eric Scott | Eric does many of the bass parts for Cancer Can Rock featured artists, as well as doing studio and performance work for others and fronting his own band. | R&B / Soul | Web Site YouTube |
| Justin Donnelly | More than 25 years since his first album release, Justin Donnelly decided to do something a bit different. After years of songwriting for bands he decided to test new waters. He returns to the stage as a striped down singer/songwriter, a boy and his guitar. A staple of the alt rock scene during the late 80's 90’s and early 2000's the former singer for bands Too Vacant, The Spiffy Jones, Brain Cactus and Cherry Flavored Suicide has found a different muse. While running his production company and writing for film and video he felt like something was missing. “I decided to take the singer/songwriter path and craft songs that would translate on stage with just my voice and guitar.” Songs that have been brewing for years started coming together. Passionate, melodic and naked, describe this new set of original material. “I wanted a different view of the music, a different way of entertaining the audience and myself. Songs that speak of my darkest lows and the perpetual search for happiness and love are the themes. The songs make sense to me now and I want to share them.” | Website |
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| Goodnite Neverland | "Two dreamers came together not knowing quite what would happen. They came together with a shared love for music that moved them, music that helped them through the dark times, and celebrated life and all of its mysteries. From the beginning, the music has been accessible and powerful. Their voices blended together like they had been singing with each other forever. After a few open mics in a dark lit bar, a commitment was made to their friendship, and to the music. The duo would call themselves Goodnite Neverland, and chase the dream as far as it led them. And so, Jesse Baskin and Sarah Marks started just like Peter Pan and Wendy heading off to a place between “sleep and awake, the place where you can still remember dreaming.” Sarah didn’t know how it could possibly fit into the life she had built with her family and a successful career, but Jesse helped show her how the music could actually lead her to form deeper connections with family, clients, and friends. All Jesse knew was that he needed Sarah and the music to help battle his own demons. The songs started coming, and they required both Jesse and Sarah to be fully realized. The dream started becoming a reality and they remembered the promise–they held tight to each other every step of the way. They found friends and fellow dreamers, whose passion for the music equaled their own. Like the rag tag lost boys from the story, they played together and poured their passion into every note. " | Website YouTube SoundCloud |
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| Sub Radio | Washington, DC's Sub-Radio makes smart, danceable pop rock that's always expanding its boundaries. The sextet's high-energy live performances and variety of outstanding vocalists have put them on the map up and down the East Coast. The band’s clean guitars, dancefloor rhythms, and powerful vocals have garnered comparisons to established pop-rock acts like Walk The Moon and Two Door Cinema Club. Multiple songs have been recognized in national songwriting competitions, and Sub-Radio has gigged heavily across the region, playing at the Cherry Blossom Festival, LAUNCH, Celebrate Fairfax, Dewey Beach Music Conference, and Firefly 2017. Following the success of their 2016 debut Same Train//Different Station, the band embarked on an ongoing series of monthly singles in April 2017. Sub-Radio is composed of Adam Bradley (vocals), Matt Prodanovich (guitar), Mike Chinen (guitar/keyboards), John Fengya (guitar/keyboards), Michael Pereira (drums), and Barry Siford (bass). | Pop / Rock | Website YouTube |
| Jimi Davies | Jimi Haha (born James Robert Davies, Jr., December 2 in Maryland) is a singer, songwriter, guitar player, and founding member of the alternative rock band Jimmie's Chicken Shack. He has appeared on The Jerry Springer Show numerous times, both as himself (performing the song "Don't Fit In") and as a paid actor. His previous band was called 10 Times Big. He has also performed in the band Jarflys under the name Jimi Davies, and had a short lived stint as lead singer of metal band, Burn the Fields. | Website |
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| Yellow Tie Guy | YellowTieGuy is a nationally touring band from Waldorf, Maryland. We are proud to be a part of the amazing music scene in the greater Washington DC area, and our fans are the best in the world. So there. YellowTieGuy is currently recording their second album slated to be called, “Play on Words” YellowTieGuy consists of: Daniel W. Hill: Writer, Vocals, Guitar Jason McKinney: Writer, Vocals, Guitar Jamie Rasmussen: Bassist, Vocals Cole Deiner: Drums | Website YouTube |
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| The Last Year |
In June 2013 Niki Barr and band mate Scott Ensign formed "The Last Year". The duo was signed to a contract with Shanachie Entertainment, home to such artists as Rusted Root, Leela James, and the Flobots. A five-song EP was released on August 13, 2013. The first single from the EP, "Sugar", was released in July 2013. The band made its public debut on July 12, 2013, at The Ottobar in Baltimore, Maryland
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Alt Rock | Website YouTube SoundCloud |
| Todd Wright | Todd Wright is an American music composer, songwriter and producer from the Washington D.C. area. Todd has collaborated with artists such as Butch Walker, Toby Lightman, Lucy Woodward, Audra Mae, Cazzette and numerous Korean Pop Stars VIXX and Luna. In addition to Todd's domestic and international chart success, he is credited with many songs placements in TV and Film. Todd started out as a drummer before getting the itch to move from behind the kit to the front of the stage to allow his story telling abilities to really shine. After having success with GetawayCar and having their song 'Superstar' featured in the national ad campaign for Pontiac Vibe, Todd appeared alongside Butch Walker on his album Cover Me Badd, the two performed a duet of Elvis Costello's hit "Alison". Later, Todd toured with Lucy Woodward in support of her record While You Can. Todd also toured with Pat McGee Band and played shows with Better Than Ezra. Todd has moved into full on songwriting and producing mode, trading in the touring lifestyle for traveling to write in Nashville, Los Angeles, NYC as well as International writing trips to the Netherlands, Germany and France. Todd, developed Chelsea Lee who went on to sign a record deal with Atlantic records and currently Todd is writing and producing for Cassidy Ford who has already signed a publishing deal with Young Guns Publishing out of Nashville and released and EP, Skin & Bones. Several of those songs ended up on Nick at Nites 'Hollywood Heights' Todd took on an ambitious project, 40x40, to write, record and produce 1 song a week for 40 weeks. This 40-week project generated money and awareness for Juvenile Diabetes as well as produced four complete albums. While working on this project Todd signed a publishing deal with PEN Music and alongside PEN, Todd is continuing to build a career as a songwriter and producer. Alongside Mary Ann Redmond, Todd has penned a duet, "L'amour peut prendre froid", for French superstar, Johnny Hallyday and International superstar Celine Dion released late 2012. For this song, Todd and Mary Ann received the Washington Area Music Award for songwriters of the year and song of the year (2012) Most recently Todd co-wrote a song that was released by Avicii label mates Cazzette. The Swedish duo released the single, Blind Heart, written by Cazzette, Ash Pournouri, Ivo Moring, Todd Wright and Terri B! aka Terri Bjerre. | Wikipedia |
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| Michael Sheppard | In early 1996, after growing increasingly frustrated with focusing on projects showcasing the music of other talented musicians, an outlet for Michaels high-energy, no-holds-barred originals was needed. The resulting critically acclaimed team drives home his unique brand of original rock. Blending styles and influences from Richie Havens to King's X, and Dave Matthews to Seal!! I love mixing rock, funk, and pop influences with acoustic and electric guitars, strong vocals, and a kick ass rhythm section. In 1997 they released their first album, Beneath It All. This gutsy Milesh Records debut attracted national product endorsements and garnered impressive reviews and airplay on a variety of regional radio as they played the Mid-Atlantic extensively to support the release. In the spring of 2002, Milesh Records released the much anticipated second album, Ghost Of A Chance. Michael followed that with two solo records, Joyfully: A Christmas Wish in 2003, and Private Stock Vol. 1 hitting the streets in 2004! They continue a steady schedule throughout their territory as CD sales and venue attendance grows at consistent rates. Taking his music to new levels, while earning rave reviews from fans and critics is nothing new to Michael and his group of seasoned professionals. As a member of Milkshake, a touring rock band for kids, Michael shares a GRAMMY NOMINATION for their 2009 release, Great Day! He has also earned several prestigious industry awards including 6 WAMMIE AWARDS (21 Nominations) for Best Male Vocalist and Best Artist/Group in the Rock/Pop, and Alternative Categories from the Washington Area Music Association; several Mid-Atlantic Readers Poll Awards, and 4 Mid-Atlantic Songwriters Awards. Shared stage credits include Johnny A, Journey, The Tubes, Fishbone, Tony Levin, Tina Turner, Pat McGee Band, Steve Morse Band, Hootie & the Blowfish, Salt-N-Pepa, Seven Mary Three, King's X, Todd Rundgren, Creed, Summer Camp, Primus, and Rick Ocasek. | Website |
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| Crooked Crow / Bruce Parker | Crooked Crow formed in 2001, upon the ashes of their previous incarnation, Acoustic Reign. Building themselves a strong following in the Washington DC area as a... band with a large repertoire of cover hits—plus a strong pool of original songs—Crooked Crow became a familiar name around town for parties and a rockin' good time. During the cover years, the band continued writing original songs and releasing CDs. In 2007, Crooked Crow began to focus primarily on playing their own music at “proper” live music venues. Their original music is best described as high energy, straight-up rock and roll, featuring obvious classic and Southern rock influences coupled with modern lyric and rhythm stylings. The band's sound has been compared to bands like R.E.M., Tonic, and Vertical Horizon. As a popular headlining act at many venues around the Washington DC metro area, Crooked Crow is now playing support and headlining at DC’s larger venues, including the State Theatre, the Fillmore, and the 9:30 Club. Building a following throughout the Northeast Corridor, the band plays often in Baltimore, Philadelphia, New Jersey, New York City and Boston, plus have headed south to Fredericksburg and Richmond, VA. Crooked Crow is also turning their attention further south, with shows in Raleigh and Asheville, NC in the works. Crooked Crow has opened for and supported many regional and national headliners, including Cowboy Mouth, Sponge, Authority Zero, and Zebrahead. | Facebook YouTube |
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| Little Minutes | The Indie Pop duo, based in Washington D.C., has two members named Lena Esposito and Chris Brownelle. The two artists not only work with the indie pop sound, but infuse different musical genres into the songs they produce. With songs such as “Rubberband”, the two artists have played at the Epicure Café and the Jammin Java, and have released new music in 2017. | Indie Pop | Website YouTube |
| Pat McGee | McGee wrote his self-titled album in 2014, and was influenced by the 1970s classic albums that were from his childhood home. He included artists such as Leland Sklar, Waddy Wachtel, Danny Kortchmar, Russ Kunkel, Jeff Pevar, and other notable musicians in the making of this album. McGee started his music career in 1995 with the Pat McGee Band, touring for ten years across the United States. They shared stages with The Who, Allman Brothers, Fleetwood Mac, and more amazing artists with sold out shows. Also, McGee performed for the USO in Greenland, the Middle East, and Africa. | Website YouTube |
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| Osama Malik | Malik began his musical journey when he fell in love with his first Vinyl record (Michael Jackson's Thriller). He first picked up strings on guitar while attending college at James Madison University as the frontman of the Evergreen Terrace Band and Slightly Something where he performed regularly in the Northern Virginia area and local college scene. He has shared the stage with national touring acts including Sister Hazel, Pat McGee Band, Spin Doctors, Dave Barnes, Fighting Gravity and Virginia Coalition. Over the years, he has been supported by a cadre of friends and talented musicians who he has assembled into his band for records and live performances. Malik himself often switches instruments guitar, ukulele, mandolin, piano, sax, and drums - sometimes during the same song. This approach has allowed Malik to bring an infinite combination of styles and configurations to suit his mood or the venue from solo guitar performances, to mandolin/sax duos, to hand percussion for smaller venues, or full rock configurations for clubs and big stages. | Website SoundCloud |
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| Dusty Rose | Website YouTube |
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| Tommy Gann | Based in the Washington, DC metro area, Tommy Gann is a veteran musician with over a decade of professional studio recording and performance experience. A sophisticated vocalist who also commands a virtual arsenal of musical instruments, Tommy has clocked thousands of hours in most of the major club and event venues in the region and he has worked as a session vocalist and musician on countless studio recordings. He most recently teamed up with international songwriter Todd Wright to write and produce his newest EP, “Something Like Surrendering." Tommy's style has great appeal to fans of artists like Ed Sheeran, Gavin DeGraw, and Maroon 5, as well as to anyone who appreciates original songwriting and vocal talent. | Website YouTube |
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| Dave Farah | Dave writes: Songs, Books, Essays, Tweets. Dave loves: Whiskey Neat, His Standing Desk, Hot Sauce, Boating at Night. Dave holds an M.F.A. in Film & Media Arts. | Website YouTube SoundCloud |
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| Andrew Tufano | Andrew Tufano is a songwriter and musician based in Nashville, Tennessee. After spending the last three years living out of his car on a 700-show tour in every major US city, he now stays home and writes songs. | Website YouTube SoundCloud |
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| Honor By August | Honor By August’s blend of atmospherics and anthemic choruses have drawn favorable comparisons to U2, Kings of Leon, Snow Patrol and Bruce Springsteen. The Washington Post has called the quartet “one of the most promising new talents on the East Coast.” Recently, the band won Billboard’s “World Song Contest.” The group has shared stages with such diverse artists as Imagine Dragons, Bon Jovi, Switchfoot, Jonny Lang, Third Eye Blind, Hanson and Parachute. As a main attraction, Honor By August has pulled over 900 into DC’s esteemed 9:30 Club. The group’s music has been broadcast to millions many times over on ESPN, E! and popular MTV shows, and Honor By August has worked with Grammy-winning producers, mixers and engineers including Jack Joseph Puig (U2, Snow Patrol, Rolling Stones), Paul David Hager (Goo Goo Dolls), Jeff Juliano (John Mayer, O.A.R, Lifehouse), Toby Wright (Third Eye Blind) and Jim Ebert (Butch Walker, Meredith Brooks). Honor By August is Michael Pearsall, lead vocals/guitar; Evan Field, guitar/piano/backing vocals; Chris Rafetto bass/piano/backing vocals; and Brian Shanley drums/percussion. The band’s music reflects its commitment to writing honestly about life. “We hope that our music finds a place in people’s lives wherever they may be on the continuum of life’s highs and lows,” Pearsall says. “If you’re going through a tough time, hopefully one of our songs will help you through it. If you’re having a great time, hopefully one of our songs can enhance that experience. Life is what we make of it so why not try to make the most of it?” | Website YouTube SoundCloud |
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| The Morrison Brothers | Splitting the difference between old-fashioned Southern rock and the bright, welcoming snap of contemporary country, the Morrison Brothers Band occupy a distinctive ground in modern country. Not as rough and tumble as Blackberry Smoke, not as pop as the Brothers Osborne, they have a full-bodied sound and an ear for melody, something that's evident on their eponymous 2016 EP. Prior to that EP, the Morrison Brothers Band released a series of indie albums around their home base of Washington, D.C. Brothers Willie (vocals) and Truman Morrison (guitar) formed the group in 2007 when they were attending college in Los Angeles, then joined forced with brothers Kevin (guitar) and Matt Nolan (drums) after meeting the pair at the New Orleans Jazz Fest in 2008 and relocating to Washington, D.C. Bassist Dave Benson played with the group for a while, as did Nashville Star contestant Alyson Gilbert. This is the lineup that gained a strong following in the D.C. area in the early 2010s and can be heard on 2013's indie album State of the Union. After 2014, Gilbert left and Benson was replaced by Derrick Royer, and this streamlined version of the Morrison Brothers Band headed to Nashville. The Morrison Brothers Band gigged constantly, including opening for Maggie Rose, a singer/songwriter who took a shine to the band. Through her, the group secured the opportunity to write a theme song for the Washington Capitals hockey team but, better still, Rose produced the group's self-titled 2016 EP, which was released by Play It Again. | Website YouTube |
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| Andrea Pais | Andrea Pais (as in "pie" and "ease") is songwriter, classically-trained pianist, and a vocal powerhouse based in the Washington, D.C. metro area. Her music blends soul, R&B, blues, and pop. She gained popularity by posting videos on Youtube. Andrea is originally from India, but she calls the Washington, D.C. metro home. | Facebook YouTube |
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| The Monster Band | The Monster Band is by design an all-star band of the best "monster" musicians in the DC area. We have spent the last 10 years performing from coast to coast, all of your favorite funk, rock and pop tunes to keep the party moving. | Website YouTube SoundCloud |
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| Tiffany Thompson | As a songwriter, singer and producer, Tiffany Thompson creates true, beautiful music that finds a fresh way to say: “I love you,” “you can do it,” and “together, we’ll make it through.” Whether a song for a pop record, a track for wedding video or a cleaning company commercial jingle, Tiffany loves collaborating to create music that moves you. After playing piano for 6 years, Tiffany switched over to guitar in middle school and began writing songs. Her junior year of high school, she a kid named Josh Bronleewe, who would go on to write for Word Entertainment, and they recorded her first record, Unblinded. College brought much fodder for the creative fires. Between breakups and dream, Tiffany released her 2nd, Seemingly Fine, record and asked everyone on campus to buy a copy till she sold out (of all 300). After graduating from Wheaton College with a degree in Political Science, Tiffany moved to Washington, D.C. for a job doing international analysis work while she built her independent artist career. In summer 2014, Tiffany moved to Nashville, TN to focus on songwriting and immerse herself in that creative community. She has written with friends like Brooke Waggoner, Jenn Bostic, Seth Philpot, Sarin K., Sarah Conant, Phil Danyew, Seabird, Josiah Rosen, Kipp Williams, Shuree Rivera, Todd Wright, Paul Mabry, Paul Duncan, Quinn Erwin, Kelsey K. and many more. | Website YouTube SoundCloud |
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| Jacqueline Francis | Jacqueline is a Washington D.C. based singer-songwriter, jazz vocalist, and personal chef. Though originally from Gaithersburg, Maryland, she spent many years shuttling between New York City and Boston as an independent musician. She released her first EP, Tales & Songs from Helen Gonne, in 2010, recorded at Mad Oak Studios in Allston, MA. Her cover of "Wonderwall" became a Boston area hit. Her first full length CD, The Sea, was released in 2015. In between cooking and baking, she is currently composing her third album. Though she composes Sara Bareilles/Kate Bush-inspired original music, she performs with her jazz trio Dreamsville, channeling Julie London and Peggy Lee. She also is the vocalist for the Capitol Lab Band. | Facebook SoundCloud |
More to come - still amassing this long list!
Occasionally, Cancer Can Rock is offered a table at an event that is being put on by others, simply because they support our efforts and want us to receive proceeds and donations. Those who support us in that way are referred to as ride-along hosts. We thank every one of them for thinking of us in this way.
| Artist / Band | Small Bio | Music Type | Links |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bruce in the USA | Bruce in the USA has been an active participant in Cancer Can Rock for years and invites its large following to contribute regularly. | Rock | Website |
| Bush | |||
| Butch Walker | |||
| Darby Brothers | |||
| Eddie from Ohio | Website |
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| Carbon Leaf | |||
| Tusk | |||
| Crowded Streets | Recreating the DMB concert experience with an incredible attention to detail, free flowing original jams and a sonic representation that is identical to the original band. | Rock | |
| Cowboy Mouth | |||
| Pat McGee | |||
| Fighting Gravity |
The following is a list of the studio professionals who have contributed their time in support of the Cancer Can Rock featured artist recording sessions.
| Artist Name | Small Bio | Instrument(s) | Links |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andy Hamburger | Andy has played on several of the Featured Artist recordings and currently works in support of multiple bands. | Drums | |
| Buddy Speir | Buddy is a much in-demand guitarist who splits time between DC and Nashville and has played on most of the Cancer Can Rock Featured Artist recordings | Guitar | |
| Eric Scott | Eric does many of the bass parts for Cancer Can Rock featured artists, as well as doing studio and performance work for others and fronting his own band. | Bass | Web Site |
| Sean Russell | Engineer | ||
| Walter Ino | |||
| Holly Montgomery | |||
| Greg Berger | Videography |
