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Thunderboltz Band Member Bios

Scott (Klicker) Kassal (Chicago)

Scott was raised in Chicago's Western 'burbs where he started playing bass in high school garage bands. His quest for musical knowledge took him to the world-renowned Berklee College of Music in Boston ('79-'80), and later to Chicago's American Conservatory of Music ('82-'83). In between, he went out on the road with the Country Rock band, Wyld Oates, traveling through the Western U.S.

Klicker (he got that moniker from an old band-mate, who said his playing made everything "click"), continued to pursue progressive and Rock-based, Country music upon joining The Phlagg Williams Band in '82. Phlagg, a veteran singer, songwriter, and roadhouse warrior of the time, always seemed to attract the best players in the circuit- one being Doug Mazique, who referred Klicker to Mark Zeus in the fall of '85.

In the formative stages of A2Z, Bob Apollo and Curtis Bachman were filling in on bass for various jobbing situations. A2Z landed a regular Thursday night gig at O'Sullivan's Public House on the outskirts of downtown Chicago. Curtis signed on as the bassist, but eventually couldn't do the early set. Zeus, already on the lookout for a permanent bassist, called Dougie for referrals. He gave Zeus several numbers before saying, "How about that Klicker!". Scott, who had been jobbing around with wedding bands since leaving Phlagg in '84, began filling in for the first set at O'Sullivan's and within a month became a regular member of A2Z.

Scott was approached by old high school friend, Jeff Weiss, and Jeff's wife, Mindy (Mindy Weiss sang and played on several Zeus recordings) to begin jobbing part-time with their new band, The Excuses, in 1988. Soon thereafter, both Klicker and Zeus joined the band. The Excuses eventually began expanding their schedule playing every kind of gig from roadhouses to city festivals to weddings.

With both bands going strong in the late '80s, Zeus returned to the studio in '89 and Klicker was right there with him, laying down the backbone of the rhythm for the completion of Now and Then. Earlier, in '88, A2Z released the EP, Fresh Cuts, featuring the rhythm section of Klicker and Mike Carney. Since then, Scott has been the bass player on the majority of Mark Zeus recordings (the only exceptions being tunes Zeus played bass on and the Houston project).

In '96, about the time the Excuses were winding down, Scott became an original member of Thunderboltz. He also continued to work with Mike Carney and Danny Lee, Excuses guitarist, on a side project, Tree. Tree was short-lived, but his work with Zeus and drummer, Ron Barnes, in Thunderboltz continued. The 11 tracks they recorded together for the album exhibit a cohesive rhythmic approach. Klicker's superb bass tone and consistently solid playing energize the live shows as well.

Klicker continues to perform with MZ at all Chicago T-Boltz shows and jobbing gigs. He lives in LaGrange, IL with his wife, Roni. Scott is the longest-standing member of the Thunderboltz project.

Debe Welch (Chicago)

A Chicago native, Debe received her first guitar at 8 years old and has been playing ever since. Although impatient with formal lessons at a young age, she taught herself to play by ear. Much like MZ, the first songs she learned were her own works. As she puts it, "It was easier than learning 'Three Blind Mice' on two strings. Writing came naturally."

Debe has had a long career as a singer and songwriter. Though mostly performing solo, she has been in and out of band projects in varied roles for the better part of twenty years. Along with pursuing a companion career as a studio singer, she released her first solo album, Not Like I Planned It, in '00.

In 1997, Debe began attending the popular open mike at The Abbey Pub in Chicago. It was there that she caught the ear of host, Mark Zeus, who had been searching for a harmony singer for Thunderboltz. He became impressed by her natural style and abilities, and her professional, yet easy-going, attitude. "We'd been through a few other singers, all of whom couldn't seem to get the concept of ensemble work. Deb stepped in, found her role, and has become a big part of who we are. Her work on the album is stellar. I just hope that her association with us has contributed to her development as a solo artist as well."

In '01 Deb began work on her second solo, completing and releasing it in the Spring of '02. She now works regularly with the band she had assembled for the new album entitled, Crazy. Deb lives in Northbrook, IL, not far from Dr. Caw's Recording Studios, where most of the T-Boltz album work was done, and where she tracked and mixed her new stuff.

Marlon St. John (Chicago)

A native of Muncie, Indiana (according to prominent sociological studies, the most statistically average town in the U.S.), Marlon spent most of his early days in music playing in an array of bands, from Jazz to Rock to Country. A diverse talent , he has played drums, percussion and/or guitar, as well as providing lead and harmony vocals, within his varied projects. His bands have opened for a number of notable artists from Delbert McClinton to Leon Redbone. Two of those bands released albums: Blue Mondays by the Jazz band, Cries and Whispers; and Standing In The Light by Borrowed Time.

Also a fine songwriter, Marlon has been establishing himself on the Chicago circuit since his move there in '93. While doing so, he also happened upon Mark Zeus at The Abbey Pub in '96. The Abbey open mike, in addition to providing a quality stage and audience for non-mainstream Chicago and traveling professional, and aspiring, songwriters, offered a good opportunity for exchange between players, as well as writers. Marlon often found himself in the middle of the traditional "barside" jams, and onstage with many who desired his ability to back-up and fit into any musical situation.

When Zeus found himself searching for a percussionist and harmony vocalist to complete the Thunderboltz line-up, Marlon immediately came to mind. He became a member in the fall of '97. His companion guitar to MZ's became an added bonus to the live shows as well.

Marlon and Zeus also have performed as a duet over the past 5 years, helping to develop each other's material. Marlon's first album, Lots of Love, is currently in the works, recording with Doug McBride at Gravity Studios on Chicago's Northside. He has put together a strong solo act and is performing regularly in the Chicago area.

In addition to his association with Thunderboltz and his solo music endeavors, Marlon has recently been scoring original music for local theatre productions including: Shakespeare's Twelfth Night; and Beth Henley's The Wake of Jamie Foster. He has also previously appeared in the musical comedy, Pump Boys and Dinettes.

Marlon has been, and continues to be, an active and leading member of The Chicago Songwriters Collective. He organizes showcases and writes a regular article, "Holler and Talk", for The Collective Ear, the organization's quarterly newsletter.

Marlon, his wife, Laura Sollman St. John, and their daughter, Abigail, live on Chicago's Northwest Side. Laura, a stage and voice actress, has worked with Marlon in conjunction with The Labor History Theatre, which provides educational performances that focus on individuals, events, and movements important to America's Labor History.

Kristen Jensen (Houston)

A Native of upstate New York, Kristen began studying violin at the age of 4. While continuing to receive instruction under the Suzuki method, she eventually began participating in public school string programs and entered the Music Education program at Ithica College in 1991. Having graduated with degrees in both education and performance, she set out to begin a teaching career. In 1995 she moved to Houston, TX to open a private Suzuki violin studio. That objective was soon reached. Kristen continues to maintain a full teaching schedule while she vigorously pursues her performance career.

Although most of her past performance experiences had been in the Classical arena ( Fredonia Chamber Players- '93-'95; Southeast Texas Symphony- '00- '01; several church orchestras throughout the '90s), she has become increasingly more involved with improvisational styles. In the early '90s she became extremely interested in Celtic music and the work of virtuoso violinist/fiddler, Mark O'Connor- attending his Fiddle Camp in '00. In '96 her Celtic background led her to join an Irish influenced Rock band, Scarecrow Orchestra. That association was short-lived, but it was the first in a long string of collaborative efforts with various Houston bands and singer/songwriters, in both studio and live situations. Those would include: James Pizzitola, The Greg Garcia Band, Michael Selph, The Tequila Cowboys, Emily Eschenback Lisa Novak, and, of course, Mark Zeus/Thunderboltz.

Kristen and Mark met through their association with The Tequila Cowboys in June of '00. Soon thereafter Zeus asked Jensen to join him, in impromptu fashion, at one of his solo gigs at The Vintage Bar in Houston. Their styles, although very different in nature, seemed to join together naturally. "Kristen has an ability to feel a melody, the knowledge to understand and embellish it, and the creativity to offer a fresh interpretation.", MZ.

In didn't take long for Zeus and Jensen to begin appearing regularly as a duet. Kristen also became a regular member of Thunderboltz. She performed with Zeus and the Chicago T-boltz during his Summer '01 tour around the"Windy City", and also as a duet in Nov, '01 at The Kerry Pub in New Orleans, LA. They are planning to soon begin recording some of their collaborative material and extend their touring and local schedule.

In addition to her continuing work with MZ and Thunderboltz, Kristen has studied Jazz improvisation with pianist, Ted Wenglinski, and has aspirations to record her own solo album. She continues to work as a studio musician and still occasionally performs in the Classical arena. She also had a stint conducting The Preparatory Symphony of Southeast Texas, the youth orchestra for the symphony.

Kristen relocated to New Orleans in May of '02, but has just returned to permanently rejoin the band. While in N.O., she conducted yet another youth orchestra for The New Orleans Symphony, and was gigged with several eclectic bands and ensambles. She and MZ connected often during that period both here and in New Orleans.

John Haddad (Houston)

-(Bass guitar and backing vocals) John was born and raised in Manhattan, New York City. His first performing experiences were at high school dances in the early 70's, playing rock and roll covers. While attending college at Duke University in Durham, N.C., he studied upright bass, classical guitar and music theory, as well as becoming a staple of that college town's music scene. Upon returning to New York, he entered medical school (John's day gig is as a radiologist), and eventually began bouncing between bands that frequently performed at CBGB's, The Bitter End, and several other clubs on the Bleeker St. Scene and beyond.
John moved to Houston in '93, taking a position at the Medical Center. He briefly appeared with several other area physicians as The Scrubs, performing at Mucky Duck and other local venues. In '99, he joined Big Holiday, a popular local acoustic-pop band led by singer-songwriter, Lisa Novak. Through that association, he met Mark Zeus, who had joined on as mandolinist. John became a member of Thunderboltz in '02. He also plays bass with Melinda Mones and performs with Lisa, Melinda and Mark as an acoustic quartet.

Anthony Klonaris (Houston)

- (lead guitar and backing vocals) Anthony grew up around music. His father was concertmaster for the New York Philharmonic. At a very young age he learned piano and violin, settling in on guitar in high school. He moved from his native Brooklyn to Houston in '76, immediately finding a home on the local scene. In the '80's and 90's, Anthony often found himself on the road, playing guitar with several national and regional acts including Johnny Lee, B.J. Thomas and Charlie Pride. Some popular local bands he has worked with include: Michael Marcoulier, The Corona Beach Band, The Guilty Party, and most recently, the hot R&B band, Infinite Groove.

With an extremely diverse background in music, having played everything from classical to rock and country, he has recently been studying jazz with local guitar virtuoso, Danny McNight. It was another local guitar wiz, Wayne Wilkerson, who referred Anthony to Mark Zeus. He joined Thunderboltz early in '03. He continues to job with several other acts and is well-known on the studio circuit, but has recently been dedicating his energies toward the Thunderboltz project.

Johnny Cavazos (Houston)

- (drums) Johnny is a native Houstonian, growing up and living most his life in the Heights (Waltrip High, class of '84.) He also picked up this instrument at a young age. Right out of high school, Johnny along with his brother, Mo on bass, started The Gents, an all original rock and blues band. They gigged around the Houston rock circuit for a few years, and were together in several other bands. They still play together as rhythm section for Benny Q. And The Nite Crew. In the early 90's, Johnny signed on for a stint with Flies in Paradise (later to become Moscas). That assignment took him on the road throughout the U.S. and Mexico. He also had a road experience in the Sheila Marshall Band, touring the Far East in '00. In '98, Johnny began performing with an eclectic singer-songwriter, Eduardo Fajardo. Along with Johnny's nephew, Trey Cavazos, on bass and guitar, they formed The Pheobe Effect , which later became Quinto Voltio. Johnny and Trey recently revived a former project , Love Gravy. Mark Zeus approached Johhny at a Pheobe gig at the Mausoleum, after hearing the mix of styles and how well he handled them. Johhny signed on with Thunderboltz in the fall of'00, and has been the drummer on all of Zeus' Houston band recordings, as well live performances. Johnny also teaches drums, and is available for studio work. If anyone is interested contact him at johnny2sticks@hotmail.com

( MORE TO COME AS IT BECOMES AVAILABLE AND WE CAN GET TO IT )