When he was seven, John took his first piano lesson. Despite
quitting less than a year later, he retained a love for the
instrument. For years his father deluged him with marathons
of Mozart, Beethoven and DeBussy, while John began trying to
pick out the melodies of bands like Genesis, Pink Floyd, and Led
Zeppelin. It was diverse influences such as these that later gave
him his ear for complex, sometimes classical-sounding compositions
with catchy rock phrasings. In college, a strong interest in
Tangerine Dream led him to rediscover keyboards, and he rapidly
found that electronic music related closely to his field of study
(computers). Always the self-motivated perfectionist, John taught
himself theory and gained remarkable ground in very little time.
Though the Grateful Dead's Brent Mydland is his primary influence,
Bruce Hornsby and Phish's Page McConnell have also had a significant
effect on his style. Like Jack and Shawn, John has been with yeP!
since the start.
Fred Hazelton (drums/cymbals)
Well-rounded and occasionally clean-cut drummer Fred Hazelton
is another story. Playing drums since the third grade, he has
a broad musical history and has been the rhythmic impetus behind
many bands. Fred's meteoric rise to relative stardom began when
he became captain of his high school drum line, while
simultaneously playing in his high school's award winning jazz
band. He went on to become the principal percussionist with the
High Field Theater orchestra, performing in a multitude of shows
including Sugar Babies, The King and I, and Jesus Christ Superstar.
His influences include his dad and just about any drummer he's ever
laid his ears on, as well as certain Muppets who shall remain nameless.
Fred joined yeP! in September of 1992.
Shawn Gundersen (vocals/guitar)
Shawn's affinity for music began early on: he recalls hanging
around with his hippie aunt, who surrounded him with the music
of Crosby, Stills, and Nash and Joan Baez instead of nursery rhymes
or lullabies. This seemingly incongruous beginning set him on the
road to becoming a professional musician. His grandparents helped
pave that road by giving him his first guitar at age 14, and he
himself painted the jolly yellow line down the middle by beginning the
arduous task of teaching himself how to play and sing. Shawn's major
influences include the neo-meta-artistic music of Frank Zappa, David
Gilmour of Pink Floyd and blues artists Howlin' Wolf and Leapin' Dog
Sly. Shawn has been wailing and strumming with yeP! since its inception
in February, 1992.
Matt Laurence (bass/vocals)
A.K.A. Matty Nabib, Matty Dread, and "The New Kid", Matt started
out as a pianist in spite of himself at the age of 9, when his
parents strongly suggested lessons. He lasted about six months
before swearing he would never touch an instrument again. It took
the dazzling high-tech wizardry of a Casio VL-Tone to lure him
back to music, and as a techno-junkie he rapidly escalated to
full-fledged synthesizers. After playing in two horrendous bands
and one mediocre one, he found himself with a crappy bass, discarded
by some guy who could only play "Down On The Corner" by CCR. He
found the two-dimensional world of fretted instruments much more
to his liking, and has played bass and keyboards in three completely
non-horrendous bands since then. After a year of badgering, yeP! took
him on as their bassist in September of 1993. He owes musical debts
of gratitude to such influences as Genesis, Phish, Weather Report,
Defunkt, Ray Brown, the Dead and the Flecktones.
Jackson Carson (sax/guitar/etc./vocals)
In the seventh grade, Jack started playing the saxophone,
honking on a bari in his Jr. High School marching band. After
four years of lessons, he sold his sax for a keyboard.
Listening to new age and electronic music inspired him to
create volumes of Tangerine Dream-tinged compositions right
through his graduation from UMass Amherst. While in college,
he picked up another sax and began playing the blues harp when,
without warning, his musical direction did yet another double-take.
He suddenly focused madly on guitar, playing as much as twenty
hours a week. "Bob," his guitar, became his primary instrument.
Jack has been a funky yeP!ster since the cacophonous beginnings
in early '92. He cites Jr. Walker, Phish, the Grateful Dead, and
Ed McMahon as a few of his musical soul-guides.
When he was seven, John took his first piano lesson. Despite
quitting less than a year later, he retained a love for the
instrument. For years his father deluged him with marathons
of Mozart, Beethoven and DeBussy, while John began trying to
pick out the melodies of bands like Genesis, Pink Floyd, and Led
Zeppelin. It was diverse influences such as these that later gave
him his ear for complex, sometimes classical-sounding compositions
with catchy rock phrasings. In college, a strong interest in
Tangerine Dream led him to rediscover keyboards, and he rapidly
found that electronic music related closely to his field of study
(computers). Always the self-motivated perfectionist, John taught
himself theory and gained remarkable ground in very little time.
Though the Grateful Dead's Brent Mydland is his primary influence,
Bruce Hornsby and Phish's Page McConnell have also had a significant
effect on his style. Like Jack and Shawn, John has been with yeP!
since the start.
Well-rounded and occasionally clean-cut drummer Fred Hazelton
is another story. Playing drums since the third grade, he has
a broad musical history and has been the rhythmic impetus behind
many bands. Fred's meteoric rise to relative stardom began when
he became captain of his high school drum line, while
simultaneously playing in his high school's award winning jazz
band. He went on to become the principal percussionist with the
High Field Theater orchestra, performing in a multitude of shows
including Sugar Babies, The King and I, and Jesus Christ Superstar.
His influences include his dad and just about any drummer he's ever
laid his ears on, as well as certain Muppets who shall remain nameless.
Fred joined yeP! in September of 1992.
Shawn's affinity for music began early on: he recalls hanging
around with his hippie aunt, who surrounded him with the music
of Crosby, Stills, and Nash and Joan Baez instead of nursery rhymes
or lullabies. This seemingly incongruous beginning set him on the
road to becoming a professional musician. His grandparents helped
pave that road by giving him his first guitar at age 14, and he
himself painted the jolly yellow line down the middle by beginning the
arduous task of teaching himself how to play and sing. Shawn's major
influences include the neo-meta-artistic music of Frank Zappa, David
Gilmour of Pink Floyd and blues artists Howlin' Wolf and Leapin' Dog
Sly. Shawn has been wailing and strumming with yeP! since its inception
in February, 1992.
A.K.A. Matty Nabib, Matty Dread, and "The New Kid", Matt started
out as a pianist in spite of himself at the age of 9, when his
parents strongly suggested lessons. He lasted about six months
before swearing he would never touch an instrument again. It took
the dazzling high-tech wizardry of a Casio VL-Tone to lure him
back to music, and as a techno-junkie he rapidly escalated to
full-fledged synthesizers. After playing in two horrendous bands
and one mediocre one, he found himself with a crappy bass, discarded
by some guy who could only play "Down On The Corner" by CCR. He
found the two-dimensional world of fretted instruments much more
to his liking, and has played bass and keyboards in three completely
non-horrendous bands since then. After a year of badgering, yeP! took
him on as their bassist in September of 1993. He owes musical debts
of gratitude to such influences as Genesis, Phish, Weather Report,
Defunkt, Ray Brown, the Dead and the Flecktones.
In the seventh grade, Jack started playing the saxophone,
honking on a bari in his Jr. High School marching band. After
four years of lessons, he sold his sax for a keyboard.
Listening to new age and electronic music inspired him to
create volumes of Tangerine Dream-tinged compositions right
through his graduation from UMass Amherst. While in college,
he picked up another sax and began playing the blues harp when,
without warning, his musical direction did yet another double-take.
He suddenly focused madly on guitar, playing as much as twenty
hours a week. "Bob," his guitar, became his primary instrument.
Jack has been a funky yeP!ster since the cacophonous beginnings
in early '92. He cites Jr. Walker, Phish, the Grateful Dead, and
Ed McMahon as a few of his musical soul-guides.
