Rio Neon: Bio
Rio Neon
Folkjazz and more!
Featuring members with diverse music backgrounds, Rio Neon is fast becoming noticed for complex and unique vocal harmonies, as well as original compositions, and instrumental diversity.
With repertoire influences from Lambert, Hendrix, and Ross, Celtic traditions, old jazz and swing, oldtime music, tin pan alley, blues, and other styles, Rio Neon's shows are tight and full of fun! Come see us today !!
Rio Neon is:
Red Michel Vocal, guitar
Sally Kandel Vocal, percussion
Roger Phillips Vocal, guitar, mandolin
John Reynolds Violin, mandolin
Bob Smith Bass guitar
Bob Smith - Bass Guitar
I started writing music at the age of seven, and haven’t yet given it up. In a progression not unlike serial monogamy, I’ve performed on flute (my only formal training), banjo, guitar, bass guitar (Good Company, country rock), dobro (local cult band I Am A Tattoo), acoustic 12-string steel guitar (Mortimer Post, solo) and now once again bass guitar. Best of all has been and always will be composing and arranging. That way I get to play the whole band at once. Sweet.
My musical influences are too many to list – I’ve tried to keep my ears open at all times. More accessible are some of my musical epiphanies – those rare moments when music not only pierces the heart, but opens up in an instant a new and somehow different view of music and the ways music works on perception. I think this happens more frequently in youth than later in life. Some of my personal epiphanies happened the first time I heard
• Wanda Landowska performing Bach’s two- and three- part inventions on the harpsichord (recording)
• “The Best of Muddy Waters” (recording)
• The New Lost City Ramblers (recording)
• The Grateful Dead (in concert, attended live at Winterland)
• The Bulgarian Women’s Chorus (recording)
I hope you enjoy the music of Rio Neon, and that you always find music that’s sweet to your ear.
Roger Phillips - Guitar, Mandolin, and Vocals
I credit my mother, who studied at Julliard, as my first musical influence, and I swear I remember the family piano being delivered to the house when I was just 18 months old! My father had violin lessons when he was young and still played occasionally when I was young. Although I didn't begin piano lessons until the age of five, I continued with them until I was 18, ignoring most top forty music in favor of classical. From fifth grade through ninth, I played baritone in the school band, and also sang in neighborhood, school, and church groups. When I went off to college, I took up guitar. While at college, I had the wonderful good fortune to be part of the amateur chorus in several musical productions where the leads were true professionals. Imagine being on stage with singers whose voices can fill a 4,000-seat auditorium without amplification! Awe-inspiring and truly inspirational! Attending college coffeehouses led me into folk and traditional music, and I eventually joined the staff of Boulder Junction, a popular coffeehouse and music store in Uniontown, Ohio. At Boulder Junction, I built and repaired dulcimers, guitars and folk harps. During the same period, I played guitar and mandolin in South Forty, an old-time band. While I was still working at Boulder Junction, I started playing with four other musicians in a band that would become The North Fork Rounders. A very popular band, The Rounders played old-time, ragtime, tin pan alley and novelty tunes for the next twenty five years, becoming one of the biggest influences in my musical career. I have played in pit bands for local musical theater productions, and even been known to play some rock and roll. Besides playing guitar and mandolin, I add to the vocal harmonies. Once in a while, they even let me sing lead! I feel I have had a very rich musical life for almost fifty years, and I would like to thank the other menbers of Rio Neon for making this such a wonderful addition to my musical life!
John Reynolds - Violin and Mandolin
My first memory of music was singing Davy Crockett at the piano with my mother, who, like Roger's mother, was a Julliard graduate in piano. I began to play trombone in 5th grade and managed to win the John Phillip Sousa award as a senior in high school. I then put that away (except for a brief reprise in another band) in favor the guitar, and finally the violin and mandolin. I began to sit in with bands in the early seventies on the fiddle and mandolin, took a few lessons from a retired nun, and then in 1975 joined my first band, Gopher Broke, based in the Warren Ohio area. In 1977 I moved to Kent to attend music school, joined the band I am a Tattoo with Bob Smith, where I played, violin, mandolin, tenor banjo, and trombone. Attending the KSU music school, I studied ethnomusicology, ran the Kent State Folk Festival and began working the Folk Festival Circuit, including the Smithsonian Festival of American Folklife in various guises, finally in 1985 taking a job as the Director of Folklife Center of International House in Philadelphia, and in 1987 as Cultural Arts Director for the Cuyahoga National Park. During the next 10 years a lot of my musical development was tied to being a professional arts administrator , festival director, audio and recording engineer, and the meeting and working with many many musical artists. Some of my favorites were the late Howard Armstrong, the late Jethro Burns, Johnny Gimble, Stephan Grappelli, Mick Moloney, and the Sons of San Waquim. Other influences are old jazz masters, like Fats Waller, Louis Armstong, Joe Venuti, and Stuff Smith. I played locally in a number of small groups and duos until Roger asked me to join Rio Neon. Having great respect for Roger's musical ability, and having played with Red and Bob in the later seventies, I was glad to accept. These days I am working on expanding my musical palette with lots of self study and some composing; I also act as the bands technical director and produced, with help from Bob, our first CD, due out in July. I like this band a lot and people who come to our shows, so far have agreed! Take a listen.
Sally Kandel - Vocal, Percussion, Ukelele
My path is very different from the other ‘Rio Neoners.’ My background is theatre. I was continually in community theatre productions from a very early age—including a brief professional run—up through my mid-twenties. My initial connection with the music scene came in college when Red Michel and I “jammed” during a rehearsal break in a show that we were both in. Later on, Red and some friends were the musicians in another show. I hung out and sang with them and that group eventually became my first band. The band was the Twelfth Night Band because it was during that production that we came together. Going from a kabuki version of Shakespeare to a folk rock band was a bit of a leap…but that’s a story for another time.
I first met Roger when he was a musician in a production of Spoon River Anthology. We became fast friends. I was also a frequent visitor of Boulder Junction, mentioned in Roger’s bio, and it was there that Red, Roger and I realized that we all knew each other. When the Twelfth Night Band dissolved, Red and I still wanted to play music together. As fate would have it, Roger expressed interest in playing with us. We added another singer (Judy Drugan Coteff) and formed a band called Sour Mash. Why we chose that name is anyone’s guess because no one had a special affinity for sour mash. Sour Mash eventually dissolved and we all went our separate ways. Between productions and school, I sat in with a few local bands, including a brief stint with a rock band. After graduation, I sat in with a few more bands, but nothing serious. The theatre jobs didn’t pan out and I fell in love and wanted to stay in the area. Doing what most “lost souls” do when faced with occupational angst, I went back to school. I eventually married my wonderful baby and was hired at Kent State.
One dreary day in a windowless room overwhelmed with work, I thought it would be a “hoot” to get the old band back together. This event happened in 2000 and Rio Neon was born. I’ve been having the time-of-my-life with this band. Playing out and connecting with the audience is great fun and yes, I even look forward to our weekly rehearsals despite the @#$& clacker (our affectionate name for a metronome)…but that’s a story for another time.
Red Michel - Vocal, Guitar
I guess I’ve been singing for about as long as I’ve been able to form words. I’ve always loved singing, playing guitar and performing. I’ve been involved in music and theatre since early childhood including shows at the Canton Players Guild, Kent State University, and numerous other schools, clubs and coffee houses in Northeast Ohio. I sang and played rhythm guitar as a solo act, in folk bands, children’s shows (I wrote and performed children’s music and songs with Mrs. B, the librarian in the 90’s) rock and blues bands including a band called Red Rocket which I co-produced the self titled CD in 1998.
Sally, Roger and I have been singing and playing together off and on since the late seventies: Singing tight vocal harmonies and playing a wide selection of musical styles has always been our forte and kept it interesting and fun. My musical influences are all over the board from Rock to Blues to The Big Band Crooners to passionate Gospel singers. I love it all! I really love this band and I hope you enjoy Rio Neon -- “Folkjazz” at its finest!