Hip Pockit Member Bios

JOE FANELLI - BASS & VOCALS: Joe took up the bass guitar at the age of 24. He played guitar for eight years prior to that and was lead vocalist for three years. Having earned an Associate in Arts degree in music from Triton College, he has played with various local bands throughout the Chicagoland area. His main influences are funk, rock and jazz. In Hip Pockit, one of Joe's primary interests is vocal arranging.

'PHUNKY' PHIL GANKA - VOCALS: Phil joined the band in 2003. His background includes 8 years of live performances and 2 years of vocal study at the American Conservatory of Music. Previously the lead singer in 2 other Chicagoland groups, Phil's 'blue eyed soul' adds dimension to the tight vocals that make Hip Pockit so unique.

VAHE GHAZARIAN - KEYBOARDS, VOCALS & GUITAR: As an established musician since the 1980s, Vahe joined Hip Pockit October 2001 and has brought his vast expertise to refresh the band's 'funky groove'. His talents also include sax, guitar and arranging/writing original music. Over the years, he has played all styles of music in various bands, most recently, The Extenders Blues Band (a local act). Vahe's influences are jazz, rock, blues and Latin music. He is self-employed as a piano tuner/technician.

TOM LUCIA - BARITONE , TENOR, SOPRANO SAXES & VOCALS: Tom is one of the newer members of Hip Pockit, but he started playing sax at the age of 10 and has been fascinated with it ever since. His primary musical style and expertise has been playing and singing big band jazz. Tom also had many years of experience performing with area bands playing rock, R&B and country swing. Tom gives lessons and writes some of the Hip Pockit horn arrangements.

RICK "STICKS" NIED - DRUMS: A distant relative of the late great drummer, Gene Kruppa. Rick's whole family is, or was musicians & singer song writers. His love for drumming started at the early age of 2 banging on his mom's pots and pans, got his first (3pc) drum set at the age of 4, and then his father got him his first professional kit at age 7. He played his first gig in fourth grade for the entire school with his childhood friends. During that show, he put his stick thru the tom tom while soloing on "Wipe Out". Immediately, he turned the drum over and finished the solo. The whole auditorium was on their feet cheering with applause. By the age of 12, he would sit in as a guest drummer for his fathers Country and Western band, The Good Ole' Boys, long before The Blues Brothers movie. Since that time he has been playing in numerous cover bands, playing a variety of music. Rick's musical influences and drum heroes include"Tower of Power", "Chicago", Buddy Rich, Gene Kruppa and most importantly, his father. Just recently before joining Hip Pockit, he was the drummer for Blind Eye Willy.

RALPH (RICO) RUSSELL - FLUTE, ALTO AND TENOR SAXES: Although not a native to Chicago, Ralph has found a home here playing in many local bands such as Jump in the Saddle, Bob Young Orchestra, Mickey and the Memories, and Rick Salsito to name a few. With his command of solos and his blending with the other horns, Ralph is a valuable addition to the Hip Pockit sound.

TOM SKAWSKI - GUITAR & VOCALS: Not long after Tom graduated from the Chicago School of Music, he toured the United States with Ronnie Ross and the Super Cirkus, a six-piece rock/show band. Later he played with various groups at Marriott Hotels in almost every state. He spent a year solidly working, writing and recording his original songs and playing guitar for several commercial jingles. Today, Tom is preparing 'choice' originals to fit the 'funk and soul' style of Chicago's own Hip Pockit.

LOU THOMS - TRUMPET & TROMBONE: Lou has played trumpet and trombone since the age of 17, beginning with R&B/Funk band "Even Steven", in which he shared the stage with Bob Hope. In the early 1990's, Lou co-formed "Street Cents", a 10-piece band with 5 horns. Lou later studied trumpet with Mark Olen and Mark Eichner. Lou teaches private students and earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in music at U.W. Parkside, where he performed with the Jazz ensemble, Wind ensemble, and Brass ensembles. While at Parkside, Lou also played in the pit orchestra for the musical My Fair Lady. Lou co-wrote and arranged horns for the debut disc by Browns Bag entitled "Labor of Love", on which he also performed. Lou arranges horns and plays trumpet and trombone with Hip Pockit .

MICHAEL TOMASELLI - TRUMPET & VOCALS: Michael toured the country with a 12-piece Chicago-based show band called Cabaret. For 10 years, he played with The Charles Brothers, a five-piece variety band. He also recorded a 12" single for WGCI radio's 'Hot Mix' segment. In addition to these projects, Mike has performed The National Anthem on television for the Chicago Cubs and White Sox which aired nationwide. Recently, he recorded a tribute song (written by Chicago songwriter Lawrence Michaels) honoring the late Walter Payton. The song has aired countless times on Payton's weekly radio show.