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 Band, Cool Riddims & Sista Teedy, Eva Cassidy (duo and trio), Meg Murray (duo, trio and band), Angie Miller (duo), Radio City, Dirty City Band, Cyril Neville & Cool Riddims, Zambezi, Karl Straub Combo, Gary Wright & Leah Weiss Band, The Grandsons, Lou Jerome Band, Awesome Incorporated, Dirty Bomb, The Basement Band, Coryn Brady (duo and band), Tricia Boutte Band, John Bagnato Trio, Matt Hampsey Trio, Dub Mission, Junel Profet Band, Ray Reed Band, 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 (duo), Jenn Reichwein (duo + friends), The Johnsons, Stephanie Hemmer (duo), Zambezi Express, Experience Wheeler, Don Fairbanks Band, Penney File Band, Early Brooks & Jah Posse, Sista Teedy’s Afro Caribbean Brass Party, Larry Hamilton Band, Keith Claiborne Band, James Andrews Band, Mardi Gras All Stars, The Persuaders, Pan American Rhythm Project, Janet Griffin Band, Naked People, August West, Christian Boyd (duo and band), Steve Lowe Band, Tommy Lepson Band, Cathy Jean Band, Sahara, Riti Vuti, Jello Boys, Dana B (Brian, Dana & Mickey) Band, Chuck Beattie & Blues by Design, Big Cam & the Lifters, Dean Rosenthal's 4-Piece Racket, 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, Tim Eyermann, Guitar Slim, Jr., Keter Betts, Big Joe Maher, Charlie Miller, Kim Carson, John Previti, Brooks Tegler, Jon Carrol, Clarence Johnson III, Jonathan Lefcofski, Irene Sage, Bunchy Johnson, Kid Merv, Daryl Davis, 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):