Sounds Clever & the Valley Horns hails from the White Mountains of New Hampshire near North Conway. We play a great blend of pop and funky music that gets people moving and keeps them entertained. In addition to our always eclectic mix of cover tunes and uniquely arranged covers of instantly recognizable tunes, we have several original songs that audiences have come to enjoy.
The core band features Al Hospers on bass and vocals, Mike Sakash on saxophones and Jared Steer on drums. We'll often add Scott Solsky on guitar, Randy Ouellette on trumpet, Mike "Milwaukee Slim"Rocheleau on harmonica, Rusty Wiltjer on percussion and/or one of several female vocalists depending on the venue. We play dance & rock music, with a heavy emphasis on R&B and and the groove. However we'll often start out with some funky jazz and uptempo swing music if the gig allows for it. |
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Al Hospers - bass and vocal: Al started playing music while studying art at the University of Florida far too many years ago. He has toured as an opening act for Tower Of Power, Argent, Canned Heat, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Elvin Bishop and more. While attending the University of Miami he performed with jazz greats such as Ira Sullivan, Louis Bellson, Stan Getz and had a rock/pop band with Bruce Hornsby.
Moving to New York in 1980 he joined a reunion group of Blood Sweat and Tears, touring the US and Europe, later joining the Buddy Rich band and touring with them as well.
Al moved to the Mount Washington Valley in December 1997. Currently he stays very busy playing with SoundsClever & the Valley Horns, the original funky/fusion band In House, Tony Sarno blues band, The Jazz Meisters jazz quartet, and Bear and the Honeydrippers. |
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Mike Sakash - sax: Jazz, blues, funk, rock...Mike plays it all. His sax adds another dimension to the funky Sounds Clever sounds and allows us to play pretty much whatever strikes our fancy. Hard to believe that this guy lives over in Chatham! Mike writes the horn charts for the band and does many of the arrangements. |
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Jared Steer - drums: Bringing a jazzy flavor and sensibility into this funky environment, Jared is the perfect foil to Al's bass. Jared's energy and taste makes him an invaluable member of Sounds Clever. On top of that he's a great guy to hang with... |
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Mike "Milwaukee Slim"Rocheleau - harmonica: Slim is an absolutely killer harmonica player from North Conway, NH. When not sitting in with Sounds Clever, Tony Sarno and other area blues aficionados, he sits in with anyone who comes through the area. More versatile than most blues harp players, Slim can play in funk or rock settings with ease. He adds a great energy to the band whenever he's on board. |
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