I’ve been blessed. Not only did I receive the gift of music, I have had the chance to play with some incredible musicians and incredible people. To this day I am thankful for all that I have been given.
If you don’t know me, I play guitar and bass (more bass than guitar these days) and I sing a little. I also am a songwriter and producer, and general journeyman musician.
A little history…
I began playing guitar in high school, although my musical interests started much earlier (beginning with an early love of 50s rock & roll: Elvis, Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis, plus Tennessee Ernie Ford and Roger Miller). After high school I worked for a while at Paul Reed Smith Guitars, where my musical eyes were widened by some of my co-workers – I discovered the Mahavishnu Orchestra, for one. In college I got into jazz, and performed in combos and the university’s jazz ensemble.
Since then, I have had the privilege to work with some of the finest musicians to have roamed the musical landscape. Back in the 90s, when I was performing in a regular duo with Meg Murray, we also did some trio work with Eva Cassidy. There were also times that Eva and I performed as a duo, when Meg needed a night off.
Around that same time I was commissioned to write the music for the play “Tipton”, which was produced by the Flying Pig Theater in Pittsburgh. I also wrote, arranged, produced, and performed on my own album, “Jeff Muller presents Jes Grew”, which featured many of my musical friends, including Meg & Eva, Tommy Lepson, Mary Ann Redmond, Scott Carter, Dean Rosenthal, Michael McHenry, Grammy nominee Tim Eyermann, Timm Biery & John Previti (the Danny Gatton rhythm section), and many others. As well, I played on a few other albums and co-produced August West’s “Bishop Street.”
Soon thereafter we (my soon to be wife and I) headed to New Orleans, where I was fortunate to get to perform with some of my musical heroes, including Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Allen Toussaint, Grammy winner Cyril Neville, R&B legend Ernie K-Doe, drummers Johnny Vidacovich and Russell Batiste, and long-time Professor Longhair/Dr. John percussionist Alfred “Uganda” Roberts. In fact, one of my musical highlights came after a gig with Allen at Tipitina’s French Quarter, when he said “now that was a musical evening!” Besides the already renowned musicians I just named, I was very fortunate to perform in a number of units with singer Tricia Boutte, including in the award-winning band Cool Riddims & Sista Teedy.
After a while we left New Orleans for the mountains of Asheville, North Carolina, where I took a bit of a musical break (but did do quite a bit of hiking and backpacking), finally returning to performing. Then, we returned to Maryland, which is covered in the band bios below. Over the years I have performed in every conceivable kind of venue (with the possible exception of the circus) and throughout much of the U.S. and in Europe. I have performed on a number of recordings, and have performed on television on a number of occasions. Like I said in the beginning, I have been blessed!
I would be remiss to not mention everybody I have played with, because each and every individual and band has had something unique to say. So here’s my (complete?) past:
Acts I have performed with on-stage and in the studio:
Allen Toussaint, Cool Riddims & Sista Teedy, Eva Cassidy, Meg Murray, Angie Miller, Radio City, Dirty City Band, Cyril Neville, Zambezi, Karl Straub Combo, Gary Wright & Leah Weiss Band, Coryn Brady (duo and band), Tricia Boutte, John Bagnato Trio, Matt Hampsey Trio, Dub Mission, Junel Profet, Ray Reed, Rickie Castrillo & Dreamland, American Song, Nadine Rae & the All Stars, Rich Chorne Band, Danny Bierne, Linwood Taylor, Linwood Battle, Carter Brothers Band, Scott Carter, Bill Mott Band, Ron Coleman Band, Junior Cline & the Recliners, Grace Darling Band, underfoot, Katie Gosnell, Jenn Reichwein, The Johnsons, Stephanie Hemmer, Zambezi Express, Experience Wheeler, Don Fairbanks, Penney File, Dean Rosenthal, Early Brooks & Jah Posse, Sista Teedy’s Afro Caribbean Brass Party, Larry Hamilton, Keith Claiborne, James Andrews Band, Mardi Gras All Stars, The Persuaders, Pan American Rhythm Project, Janet Griffin, Naked People, August West, Christian Boyd, Steve Lowe, Tommy Lepson, Cathy Jean, Sahara, Riti Vuti, Jello Boys, Dana B, Chuck Beattie & Blues by Design, Big Cam & the Lifters, Mary Lou & the Untouchables
Musicians I have performed with as a member of a band:
Ron Holloway, Timm Biery, Johnny Vidacovich, Jumpin’ Johnny Sansone, Russ Broussard, Robert Mache, Mookie Siegel, Alfred “Uganda” Roberts, Dave Easley, Smoky Greenwell, Russell Batiste, Irene Sage, Molly Thomas, Ernie K-Doe, Guitar Slim, Jr., Keter Betts, Big Joe Maher, Charlie Miller, Kim Carson, John Previti, Brooks Tegler, Clarence Johnson III, Jonathan Lefcofski, Irene Sage, Bunchy Johnson, Kid Merv, and many, many more.
If I missed your name, I’m sorry – just let me know and I’ll add it in!
Here’s a brief bio for each of my current bands (some are more active than others):
Jeff Muller: Bio
Nadine Rae & the All Stars
Fronted by former gospel diva Nadine Rae – called “a guaranteed show stopper” by the Chesapeake Music Guide - the All Stars is a musical party. Rooted in the blues, this band covers a lot of other musical territory including rock and roll, rhythm & blues, soul, funk, gospel, and reggae. The band, which can consist of as few as three and as many players as you could imagine, regularly features: Sam Miller, John Bell or David Glaser (guitar & vocals), me (bass & vocals), and Bob Hill, Andy Hamberger or Kevin Whisman (drums).
http://www.nadinerae.com
Karl Straub Combo
Karl has been called "D.C.'s best songwriter" by Pete Kennedy (of the Kennedys) and “one of the area’s strongest songwriters” by Buzz McClain of the Washington Post. His material has been covered by a who’s who of D.C. roots music artists. The Combo mainly performs Karl’s original material, which throws country, rock-n-roll and jazz together in one big basket – sort of an Americana salad. Karl and I enjoy a mutual fondness for Roger Miller (an influence you can hear in some of his songs) and we all are big jazz geeks. The current lineup includes Karl (vocals & guitar), Andy Sullivan (vocals & guitar), me (bass), and Matt Tebo (drums).
http://www.karlstraubmusic.com
Gary Wright & Leah Weiss Band
Gary & Leah play roots-Americana music. Drawing from the traditions of Appalachian old-time and country music, their repertoire is a blend of originals, reinvented traditional songs and tunes, and innovative contemporary covers. Driving fiddle lines and tight harmony singing are trademarks of their sound. Sometimes I perform with Gary and Leah as a trio (either on upright or electric), although mostly we perform in an “electric” band setting with: Gary (guitars & vocals), Leah (fiddle, guitar & vocals), me (bass & vocals), and Tom Fridrich (drums & vocals). The band also has two alter egos: Cadillac Mule (with Pete Reichwein on dobro & lap steel) performs 50s country, and the Basement Band (with Dean Rosenthal on guitar & vocals) performs the music of Bob Dylan and the Band.
http://www.garyandleah.com
The Persuaders
The Persuaders is a Baltimore-based band headed up by keyboardist Jimmy Orr (a veteran of the Root Boy Slim band). We perform all kinds of music, although it’s fair to say that we specialize in New Orleans R&B and Sambas/Bossa Novas – of course, on top of this we also perform jazz, blues, soul, reggae and more. The band’s core is Jimmy (keyboards & vocals), me (bass & vocals), and Rastabla (drums & vocals). Depending upon the gig we add other musicians, including: Sam Miller or Jim Seechuk (guitar & vocals), Dave Smith (sax & vocals), Eric Heavner (trumpet), and Rose Moraes or Nadine Rae (vocals).
Pan American Rhythm Project
This band performs "the music of the Americas", which means a wide variety of spicy sounds. Covering a wide musical territory, including Afro-Cuban (the sounds of salsa), Brazilian (bossas and sambas), Argentine (tangos), and Jamaican (reggae), plus the occasional r&b number, this band can entertain just about any audience. Band members include: Mark Tamulonis (EWI), Jim Orr (keyboards), Dick Rausch (guitar & vocals), me (bass), Roland Dorsey (percussion), and Rastabla (drums & vocals).
Zambezi
Zambezi is a band comprised of old friends, performing funky folky rock-n-roll. Although we don’t play much, it’s always a blast. The line-up includes: Katie Gosnell or Nadine Rae (vocals), Lakin Ducker (vocals, guitar, sax & harmonica), Tom Bodor (guitar), Claudia Ducker (keyboards), me (bass & vocals), Bruce Carter (percussion & vocals), and Rich King, Matt Tebo or Kevin Whisman (drums).
http://zambezimusic.com
August West
August West is an acoustic folk-rock-Americana band fronted by Steve Lowe and Meg Murray that doesn't perform very often these days. Although we play a few covers, the shows are dedicated to Steve and Meg’s original material, which is influenced by everything from the Byrds to the blues. The lineup includes: Steve (guitar & vocals), Meg (guitar & vocals), Jenn Reichwein (mandolin, bass & vocals), Rob Reboso (guitar), Pete Reichwein (dobro), me (bass & guitars), and John Duley or Ken Crawn (drums).
Bass/Guitar for Hire
I occasionally sub for bands needing a guitar or a bass. Over the past couple years this list has included: Angie Miller, Big Cam & the Lifters, Junior Cline & the Recliners, Mary Lou & the Untouchables, Ron Coleman Band, Dana B, Bill Mott Band, the Johnsons, Coryn Brady Band, Katie Gosnell, Janet Griffin, Radio City, and American Song. If you need someone to fill in, contact me.