Justin Hellman (bass)

Justin Hellman has a bachelor's degree in music from UC Berkeley, where he studied with Steve Coleman and Henry Threadgill. He has also studied privately with Michael Manring, Kai Eckhardt, and Stephen Tramontozzi for several years. He has performed at countless venues in the Bay Area including the Sweetwater, the Boom Boom Room, and at the High Sierra Music Festival. Over the years, Hellman has performed with Bay Area greats like saxophonist Paul McCandless, bassoonist Paul Hansen, and guitarist Will Bernard. Justin is leader of the POLYVISATIONAL IMPRORHYTHMIC FUNK JAZZ band Monkey Knife Fight for which he composes and plays bass. Justin joined Echo Beach in May 2003.

Blair Helsing (marimbas, vibraphone, electronics, percussion)

Founder of Echo Beach in 1991, Blair has played marimba and (most recently) vibes, composed music for the band, and has led the group through its evolution as a percussion ensemble into the present day with its sound comprising percussion, basses and guitars. In 1977 Blair began his musical career in the Bay Area, playing drumset for San Jose country-rock band Ridin' High. After moving to San Francisco in 1978 he played drumset in such venues as Keystone Berkeley, Mabuhay Gardens, On Broadway, The Palms Cafe, Last Day Saloon, The Rose and Thistle, the Moscone Center and Berkeley Square with bands including Sharp, The Pastels and AKA. In the early '90s after a few years drumming in rock cover bands including The Geotones and Falcon Eddy and The Marauders, Blair acted on several influences (listed below) by founding Echo Beach.

With the lineup of Rob Harris, Paul Elias, Les Perez, and Blair, Echo Beach quickly gained audiences at festivals and concerts in the Bay Area. Later editions of the band with Clyde Campbell and Steve Pompeo added performance venues including PASIC '95 (the annual convention of the Percussive Arts Society), private parties and corporate events. Blair studied drumset with Dave Casini and Hank Jaramillo and continues to study marimba, drumming and composition through the instructional media of Ed Uribe, Anthony Cirone, Airto Moreira, Arthur Hull, Kalani, Rick Latham, Louis Romero, Nancy Zeltsman, and Dave Samuels, and lessons from Ken Crawford. Aside from percussionists, Blair's next biggest instrumental influences are guitarists, including Pat Metheny and Terje Rypdal among many others. Blair currently serves as California Chapter President of the Percussive Arts Society and as an Advisory Board Member and fundraiser for The Pride of Oakland Drum and Bugle Corps. Blair recently (May 2005) completed soundtrack music for the website promoting the screenplay "Modus Operandi". The screenplay was written by Blair's brother James. Blair is interested in more soundtrack projects, and he is currently completing the design and supervising the buildout of his home studio. Blair plays a Deagan marimba, Jenco vibes, Marimba One bass marimba, and Roland XP-60 synth.

Brian Andres (drumset, percussion)

Brian is a drummer/percussionist currently living in the San Francisco Bay Area. On any given night you can catch him on traps, bongo, conga, or timbales, though the trap/timbal combination is his most comfortable. Since relocating to the Bay Area from the midwest in 1999 he has been freelancing with a focus on Latin music. He has played with or is currently playing with Danilo y Orq. Universal, Dr. Loco, Cubanacan, Orq. La Nueva Era, Mario Flores, Orq. D'Soul and more. His love for musica latina aside, he is also well versed in most popular forms of North American music such as Jazz, Funk, R & B, Blues and Rock. He is also a music educator, teaching numerous weekly lessons and after school programs. Click here for Brian's website. Brian joined Echo Beach in May 2003.

John LoGiudici (guitars)

John is an accomplished electric and acoustic guitarist with numerous bands and recordings to his credit beginning in the '70s. In addition to Echo Beach, John currently performs with the Bay Area singer Inka. John teaches guitar at his San Francisco studio, and for Young Performers International. John's website is here. John joined Echo Beach in Summer 2002.

credits

Site Photos

• Teresa Nelson - black and whites on the homepage, plus promotional 8 x 10's, January 2004
• Daniel Lockett - performance shots
• Christopher Waters - performance shots
• Cynde Harris - performance shots
• Cheryl Hale - performance shots
• Blair Helsing - San Francisco shots and gig movies (put down mallets, pick up camera, QUICK)
• Original photographers (credited when possible) for pictures appearing in the blogs. If a photographer sees a picture on our site and has a copyright issue with it, please contact us and we'll remove the picture. We try to feature only the best musician photos. Trust us we're making no money from showing your photos and we usually link back to the site where we found them.

CD sleeve portrait artist: Michael Mikolon

acknowledgements

The band continues in the tradition of and based on the contributions of the musicians who have served it in the past...

• Rob Harris (conga drums and percussion). The band was created when Rob agreed to join forces with Blair in 1990.
• Les Perez (vibraphone, timbales, percussion)
• Phil Williams (vibraphone)
• Linda MacVey (steel drums)
• Nancy Hall (doumbek, percussion)
• Heather McMahon (drumset)
• Steve Pompeo (drumset)
• Scott Mason (drumset)
• Charlie Stockley (drumset)
• Paul Elias (drumset)
• Clyde "Multi Guy" Campbell (multi-percussion)
• Walter Wilson (bass)
• Mark Stephenson (drumset)

Inspiration for the band's formation

• Max Roach and the M'Boom ensemble
• Percussion ensembles appearing at Percussive Arts Society International Conventions
• Steps Ahead and Mike Mainieri
• Peter Gabriel and band on the Plays Live tour (Jerry Marotta in particular)
• The Different Drums (Curt Moore, Jim Munzenrider, Tommy Kesecker, Spencer Chan)
• Airto Moreira (solo, and with the Fourth World group)
• The Martin Denny Group, Les Baxter and Arthur Lyman
• Julius Wechter
• Herb Alpert
• Hal Blaine
• Cal Tjader
• Gloria and Emilio Estefan
• Dave Samuels
• Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers
• Weather Report ca. 1973
• Evelyn Glennie

thanks for their support and assistance

• families and friends
• Cynthia Schreurs
• our past and current bandmates in other bands
• our "band on the bench" including Aaron Germain, Michael Pinkham and others
• our music-loving friends who over the years shared concerts and recordings with us. You know who you are.
• Echo Beach's audiences and fans
• McKee & Strub Electric Motors 415/431-6463, 778 Natoma, San Francisco for vibes motor repair
• booking agents especially Anny Cleven of Borders, Lara Trupelli of Beach Chalet, Lynn Valente of the Market Street Association, Burgin of Cato's
• all the venues we've played from 1991 to the present
• friends and colleagues in the Percussive Arts Society

Echo Beach. Playing the Bay Area and beyond since 1991. This page last updated 8/5/05.