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Alisa - keyboards (Hammond girl, so funky! Uh-huh!)

Eric Naslund - bass (that's a Ken Lawrence bass, oh yah!)

Phil Vanilla - drums (Yamaha studio recording set, mmmm...posh)

Bob Smith - percussion (more cowbell please! We just can't get enough cowbell!)

Kristine and Alisa are virtuosos on their instruments and blow people's minds, dispelling the myth that chicks can't play as good or even better than most guys. They hold their own throughout a battle of the riffs together, guitar and keys respectively, and send people to the dance floor quicker than you can say "yo!"

When you come to hear Calamity Jane, be ready to be surprised by women who have truly mastered their instruments, songs that will make your heart go boom, and beats that will make your feet dance! We up to 80 covers and we have about 30 originals all worked out, but hundreds between us all! You'll get a mix of covers and originals, and ALL of them rock! And we like to pick lots of the happy ones!

Bonnie Raitt, Allman Brothers, String Cheese Incident, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, Cheryl Crow, BB King, Leadbelly, Eric Clapton, Cream, Fleetwood Mac, Steely Dan, Bruce Cockburn, Jimmy Cliff, Bob Marley, Crosby Stills Nash & Young, Grateful Dead, and too many more to list!

Calamity Jane Band Biographies

Kristine (guitar)

Kristine started playing piano at a very young age and became proficient at classical music. The first songs she ever wrote were classical instrumentals. At 19 years old, she felt drawn to rock and roll guitar and that was her next frontier. She wanted to play lead guitar so she practiced all day for about three years straight. Her background in classical music made it possible for her to learn quickly and she embraced many styles. It wasn’t long until she was playing in her first band and singing all her own original songs, of which she had written over 200. However, she took a break from music and traveled the world, quested for adventure, and then went to college for audio engineering and film making. She worked in the entertainment industry for a while and created some of her own projects. Now she is back to writing music again, ripping it up on guitar, and playin’ in the band!

Alisa (keyboards)

Alisa started playing music as a child and was trained in classical music on the piano. She wanted to expand musically so she began to play jazz music and learned improvisation. She also wanted to learn instruments that were more easily portable so she picked up the guitar, bass, and banjo. The different sounds and feelings of the instruments made her more interested in exploring other styles like blues, bluegrass, rock, and funk. She likes to play most styles as long as they express feeling and make her want to wiggle and groove. She has written many songs and enjoys playing in Calamity Jane. She plays the Hammond most often with the band. She loves to play on those keys, but at times picks up the strings as well.

Eric Naslund (bass)

Eric started listening to his Kiss records and would impersonate Paul and Gene with his step moms vacuum as the mic and mic stand. He then fell in love with the synergy of music and realized he needed to be a part of it. Though his roots are embedded in classic rock, he became a fan of progressive rock, jam and jazz/crossover fusion. He enjoys playing any style of music. "That’s what is so attractive about the band Calamity Jane. It has flavors of funk, rock, jazz, blues and country which opens up the playing field for freedom of expression people me". He feels that Kristine and Alisa are good technical players, and he enjoys being part of the supporting rhythm with Phil Vanilla and Bob.

Phil Vanilla (drums)

Drummer Phil Vanilla grew up in a musical household listening to jazz, blues, big band, pop and country music. His mother was an accomplished singer and pianist. Phil took piano lessons for several years before switching to guitar and then discovered his true passion: drums. After extensive performing and recording in a variety of Santa Cruz-based touring bands, including The Meltdowns, Sundance, Cottonmouth and The Dharma Band and shows with national acts, Lacy J. Dalton and William Strickland, Phil moved to Humboldt where he joyfully discovered the thriving music scene with its abundance of creative and skillful players. Phil has kept busy playing clubs and festivals and recording with The Terrapin Tony Band, 707's, Field Trip and, of course, Calamity Jane.

Bob Smith (percussion)

His parents were fans of the big band sound of the 40’s and the crooners of the 50’s, which influenced his choice in instruments in his early years. Bob Smith, percussionist for Calamity Jane, began playing trumpet at the age of 8. He then switched to clarinet two years later and attained front row clarinet position in the marching band. He took up guitar at 13, but realized there are just too many guitar players in the world so he switched to drums and started a surf band. He has since played in many styles with many bands, including the likes of Steven Stills and Jerry Garcia. Unable to support himself financially with music, he moved to Humboldt County to attend Humboldt State University. He has since opened a thriving business, plays with several bands in the area, and continues to grow as a musician, putting in up to 30 hours per week in practice and shows in the Humboldt area clubs and venues.