Jeff Tillinghast

    Jeff started playing music as soon as he could crawl up on a piano bench (and probably started on sippy-cup percussion before that). A classical pianist for years, Jeff found himself in an 8th Grade Orchestra class after getting kicked out of Art for a complete lack of talent. While the group had little use for a pianist, they did need a bassist, and in one fateful moment, he was handed his first String Bass.
    Jeff started gigging as a jazz bassist at the age of 16 in Juneau, Alaska with Fleet Street Quintet and the Thunder Mountain Big Band. In college, Jeff played lead guitar, keyboards and sax with the Walla Walla Rhythm Train blues band, as well as fronting Everybody Loves Parfait, a three-piece acoustic rock trio. An avid jazz vocalist, he gained notice at the prestigious Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival in 2003 by finishing in the top 10 in both Instrumental (Bari Sax) and Vocal competition. He graduated from Whitman College with a degree in Music Theory and a teacher's certificate in 2004.
    Between songwriting, guitar, bass, vocals, keyboards and the saxophone, Jeff has too many influences to count, but offers U2, Dave Matthews, Phish, BB King, Lyle Lovett, the Police, Cannonball Adderly and Bruce Springsteen. He also believes that Baseball's Opening Day should be a national holiday, the Beatles and SCUBA Diving should be required subjects in school and his wife, Erica, is the still the best fan an over-ambitious rock star could ever have.