Change of the Guard

Change of the Guard Radio

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Blinding Light

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Released: Sep 20, 2010

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Blinding Light
0:32
171 plays
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The Flock
0:38
140 plays
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We Cant Wait
0:40
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Apropos
0:36
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Got Love
0:31
126 plays

Total Plays: 7,378 / Plays Today: 1See All Featured ►

General Info

Genre: Progressive / R&B / Rock
Location Chicago, Illinois, Un
Profile Views: 16555
Last Login: 5/16/2011
Member Since 4/6/2008
Website www.changeoftheguard.com
Record Label RAMM Records
Type of Label Indie
Bio
Change of the Guard is a nine-piece horn-rock band based in Chicago. Its sound has been called a fusion of progressive rock and rhythm & blues. The band performs a high-energy mix of covers, as well as originals from its latest album. Change of the Guard is currently accepting bookings for mid-sized to large clubs, festivals, corporate parties, and concert halls.
Members
Mark Ryan (Vocals), Charity Benevelli (Vocals), Bob Hanerhoff (Trumpet), Kenny Rudzynski (Trumpet), Jon Kaiser (Saxophone), Kelly Beaman (Trombone), John Geary (Guitar), Joseph James (Keyboards, Vocals), James Miller (Bass), Adam Hill (Drums)
Influences
Chicago, Tower of Power, Blood Sweat & Tears, The Buckinghams, and The Blues Brothers just to name a few.
Sounds Like
Progressive rock, funk, rhythm & blues, classic rock, and contemporary.

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Change of the Guard is the Midwest's premier progressive horn-rock band. Composed of members belonging to the Grammy Awards Academy and the American Federation of Musicians, COTG is pushing the envelope when it comes to its music, blending traditional rhythm and blues, funk, and modern rock.

You're listening to samples from Change of the Guard's debut album, "We Can't Wait!" The tracks are now available for download on sites that include iTunes, CDBaby, and Amazon MP3.

Click here to download songs from Change of the Guard's new album!

Now that the recording process has come to an end, Change of the Guard is back on the road with a live show that's better than ever! Stay tuned for more news on COTG bookings. You can also e-mail guardgab@changeoftheguard.com to join the mailing list for updates.

For BOOKING inquiries, please contact band manager Joseph James at
(773) 598-JIVE or email booking@changeoftheguard.com

Album Credits

Blinding Light *#
Words and Music by Joseph James
Arranged by Joseph James and Brian Crane

The Flock **#
Words and Music by Joseph James
Arranged by Michael Glenn

We Can't Wait #
Written and Arranged by Joseph James

Apropos #
Written and Arranged by Joseph James

Got Love #
Words and Music by John Geary
Arranged by Joseph James

* Guitar solo on Blinding Light performed by Dave Ryder
** Guitar solo on The Flock performed by Joseph James
# Bass parts performed by Stacy McMichael

Produced and Engineered by Joseph James
Republic Access Music & Media: Naperville, Illinois

Post-production and Mixing by Caleb Willitz
Rattlesnake Studios: Chicago, Illinois

Mastering by Al Ursini
Studio Chicago

Click to view vintage videos from the early days of Change of the Guard!

Band Repertoire

Aerosmith

Argent

Autograph

Boz Scaggs

Change of the Guard

Chicago

Earth Wind & Fire

Edgar Winter

Edwin Starr

Free

Grand Funk Railroad

Guns 'n' Roses

Huey Lewis & the News

J. Geils Band

Joe Cocker

John Lee Hooker

Junior Wells

Lynyrd Skynyrd

Ray Charles

Sam & Dave

Sly and the Family Stone

Steely Dan

Steve Cropper & Eddie Floyd

Steve Winwood

Stevie Ray Vaughan

Stevie Wonder

Taj Mahal

The Black Crowes

The Blues Brothers

The Buckinghams

The Commitments

The Commodores

The Electric Flag

The Grass Roots

The Ides of March

The Outsiders

The Rolling Stones

The Spencer Davis Group

Tom Petty

Tommy James & the Shondells

Tower of Power

Van Halen

Van Morrison

Wild Cherry

Wilson Pickett

Dude Looks Like a Lady

Rag Doll

Hold Your Head Up

Turn Up the Radio

Lido Shuffle

Apropos

Blinding Light

Destination Destiny

Got Love

Idle Minds

The Flock

Too Many Tears

We Can't Wait

25 or 6 to 4

Does Anybody Really Know What Time it Is?

Saturday in the Park

September

Free Ride

25 Miles

All Right Now

Flight of the Phoenix

Live and Let Die

Heart of Rock & Roll

I Want a New Drug

The Power of Love

Centerfold

Freeze Frame

The Letter

You Can Leave Your Hat On

Boom Boom

Messin' With the Kid

Call Me the Breeze

Shake a Tail Feather

Soul Man

Dance to the Music

My Old School

Knock On Wood

Roll With It

Crossfire

The House Is Rockin'

Superstition

She Caught the Katy

Hard to Handle

Sweet Home Chicago

Don't You Care

Mercy, Mercy, Mercy

Take Me to the River

Brick House

Sunny

Midnight Confessions

Vehicle

Time Won't Let Me

Bitch

Gimme Some Lovin'

Refugee

Draggin' the Line

Down to the Nightclub

Jump

You Really Got Me

Domino

Wild Night

Play That Funky Music

Mustang Sally

The Change of the Guard Story

After taking a break from his career in broadcasting in 2005, keyboardist Joseph James decided to start a band that could play the original music he had been writing on the side. A year later, James had assembled a pick-up group of musicians off Craigslist and began writing arrangements for the band with the help of his college friend and trumpet player, Brian Crane. In addition to originals, the material included covers from 70s era horn-rock bands.

Word soon began to spread about this new project, a band that would later become Change of the Guard. It wasn't long before Grammy-nominated trombonist Michael Glenn joined the group upon the recommendation of second trumpet player, Kenny Rudzynski. Glenn would stick with the project more than two years before leaving the band for personal reasons. Rudzynski continues to play with the band to this day. As the band gained momentum, it continued to gain the attention of high quality musicians.

When the drummer position opened in 2007, James conducted a regional search for a qualified player. The search turned out to be unnecessary, as James had been working with percussionist Tony Pellegrini in the Naperville Municipal Band (NMB). Not only did Pellegrini eagerly assume the role, he also recommended the rhythm section of former rock band Catch 22 to round out the project. It was at this time alto saxophone player Jen Scarborough, also from the NMB, jumped on the bandwagon. With Pellegrini on drums, Greg Andreas on guitar, Bruce Churches on bass, and Mark Ryan on vocals, Change of the Guard was born.

2008 brought many exciting opportunities to Change of the Guard. In June, the band produced a half-hour music special on local cable, which piqued the interest of the multi-talented Ryan Veitch. Soon after the broadcast, Veitch convinced James to grant him a position in the band. For a limited time, Veitch played rhythm guitar for Change of the Guard. He later moved to bass guitar when Churches left the group. From New Year's Eve in Lincoln Park to Valentine's Day in the burbs, Change of the Guard enjoyed a string of successful performances with this talented group of players.

In 2009, a creative dispute led to the temporary dissolution of the band. As future obligations demanded the project continue to run, it would have been a gamble for James to weather the storm and bring back his dissenting players down the road. Through the Grammy Awards Academy, James located a team of elite musicians eager to re-build the band and record an original album with him and vocalist Mark Ryan. James later invited theatre veteran Charity Benevelli to be featured on the recordings.

After spending nearly a year in the studio perfecting the new release, Change of the Guard set out to produce a live show that would be bigger and better than ever before. Following months of intensive rehearsal, Change of the Guard has the goal within reach and is happy to announce the show is back on the road!

Previous Contributors

Vocals: Gina Panozzo, Tony Boccacelli

Trumpet: Courtney Harris, Brian Crane

Saxophone: Frankie Andrade, Jen Scarborough

Trombone: Michael Glenn, Dan Close, Sean Murphy

Guitar: Paul Kogut, Steve Cunningham, Greg Andreas

Bass: Rick Hill, Bruce Churches, Ryan Veitch

Drums: Michael Marotta, Tony Pellegrini

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Band Member Bios

Bob Hanerhoff: Trumpet

Bob joins Change of the Guard after having performed with internationally-acclaimed pop vocal group, The Manhattan Transfer. He studied music at Western Illinois where he played trumpet with the university’s jazz ensemble. Currently, Bob is director of bands at Bolingbrook High School.

Kenny Rudzinski: Trumpet

As one of the band's founding members, Kenny is excited to reunite with Change of the Guard following an international tour in the Caribbean, Mexico, Canada, and the Mediterranean. After his Undergraduate work at Indiana State University in Music, Electronics, and Computer Science, Kenny embarked on a five-year journey that included performances on various Trans-Atlantic ocean liners. His credits include lead trumpet with Elliot Finkel, second trumpet with The Drifters, and performances with Latin-pop sensation, Charo, most notably known for her recordings with Ricky Martin. Besides his work with Change of the Guard, Kenny is an avid history buff, and enjoys the study of philosophy, metaphyics, and politics in his spare time.

Jon Kaiser: Saxophone

Change of the Guard is honored to be working with Jon after conducting a regional search for an experienced reed player. Equally proficient on saxophone, clarinet and flute, Jon brings talent and experience to the band line-up. Jon studied Jazz at Roosevelt University's Chicago College of Performing Arts playing lead alto saxophone in their Jazz Orchestra and in small group combos. Jon also studied reeds privately while attending Roosevelt with Mike Smith - a close friend and protege of the late Cannonball Adderly and former lead alto player with the Buddy Rich Big Band and Frank Sinatra Sr. Jon also studied Jazz composition and arranging with the locally famed trombone player Tom Garling. Jon has won many awards over the years for both his ensemble and solo work. In his spare time, Jon enjoys good wine, fishing, and photography.

Kelly Beaman: Trombone

Kelly is an experienced musician, composer, and arranger who performed as a trombonist and vocalist at Madison Square Garden, Walt Disney World, and along the East coast with the US Air Force Heritage of America Band. He is also an active entrepreneur pursuing opportunities in film composition and record production. A recent studio production has afforded Kelly opportunities to meet and work with his mentor Donald Fraser, composer for Jessye Norman, award-winning singer/songwriter Joan Hammel of Chicago, and Peter Graves, producer of many albums by Barbra Streisand, the Bee Gees, Dionne Warwick and jazz legend Jaco Pastorius. Kelly not only plays and arranges for "Change of the Guard" and "25 or 6 to 4 - The Chicago Experience," but also continues to arrange for the Air Force. He also plans on writing a full-fledged musical in the near future. Kelly's past experiences with Latin music have led to an association with Chino Rodriguez's Latin Music Booking, for which Kelly serves as talent promoter and bandleader. Kelly holds a BM in Music Composition from Illinois Wesleyan University, an MBA in General Management from Rollins College, and a Masters of Music from Northern Illinois University. He is a member of Pi Kappa Lambda musical honor society, the Chicago Federation of Musicians and NARAS (Grammy Awards).

John Geary: Guitar

John is a poet, musician, and entrepreneur. He’s enthused by creation of most varieties, and this usually comes out through making music. According to some credits, John is a producer-- he makes music for commercials and for fun. John began his undergraduate work at Colorado State University where his music was inspired by nature’s beauty, reading, and playing lots of guitar. He finished school at Columbia College Chicago with a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Business. John is also a member of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.

Joseph James: Keyboards, Vocals

JJ is happy to be back home in Chicago after a recent tour with The Crasher’s, a Madison-area rock group featuring drummer Mauro Magellan of The Georgia Satellites. He had previously toured and recorded with Midwest blues musician Roger “The Rooster” Connelly and his backing band, The Blues Merchants. In 2001, JJ played with Connelly at the Chicago Blues Festival. His work with Connelly opened doors to opportunities with such greats as Buddy Guy and Jimmy Lee Robinson. While blues, gospel, and rock remain JJ’s favorite, he has had experience playing piano in area Latin ensembles including Angel Melendez and the 911 Mambo Orchestra. JJ now holds a Master’s Degree in Music Business from Columbia College Chicago and is a substitute piano player for Gary Sinise and The Lieutenant Dan Band. Besides his work with Change of the Guard, he is currently performing with Mike Roman and the Tellstars, a nationally-acclaimed Latin-rock band featuring members of Carlos Santana's percussion section and the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame. JJ is an active member of the Grammy Awards Academy.

James Miller: Bass

The newest addition to Change of the Guard, James comes to us from the successful Chicago tribute band, 25 or 6 to 4. He is a student at Northern Illinois University and an active member of the school’s music program.

Adam Hill: Drums

Adam Hill is a Music Education Graduate with a percussion emphasis from VanderCook College of Music under the instruction of Kevin Lepper. He currently is the Director and music arranger of the Pioneer Independent WGI marching percussion ensemble. Adam is also director of percussion, music technology, music theory, guitar and assistant marching band director at Romeoville High School in Romeoville IL. He is also employed by the Chicago Bears as a member of the Chicago Bears drumline and with the Chicago Bulls as a member of the “Stampede“ Drumline. Adam was also a member and taught on the percussion staff of the Pioneer Drum and Bugle Corps. He Placed with in the top ten for snare solo drum solo contest in Drum Corp International, Drum Corps Midwest, Pasic, and in 2002 he placed 2nd at DCI snare drum solo competition. Adam continues to arrange music, judge, clinic and teach many schools around the Chicagoland. He is also very proud to be a Pro-Mark and Dynasty endorser.

Change of the Guard

Blinding Light

The Flock

We Cant Wait

Apropos

Got Love

Bio

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