Danny Sorentino
Guitar / harmonica / vocals Danny was born and raised in San Francisco California in the mid 1950’s and came of age during the psychedelic 60’s in a blue collar working class neighborhood where drinking beer, smoking cigarettes and reefer was as normal as playing basketball at the school yard. He found his greatest joy was listening to the music he heard on FM radio stations KMPX and KSAN with their freeform format that went from Howling Wolf to Jefferson Airplane and beyond. He spent all his extra money on records and bus fare to go to Golden Gate Park to see the free concerts at Speedway Meadows. He moved to Petaluma California in 1970 and it was like moving to the moon – the country part of the moon. Danny was on restriction much of the time and continued to listen to records until he started playing guitar at the ripe old age of 17. He wrote his first song in 1975 and it was not very good.... so he has kept trying with varying levels of success to this very day. Turn ons – The Beatles, Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, Neil Young and Garage Rock. Turn offs – music with no soul, Work and Death
Rob Ruiz
4 and 12 string bass/vocals. Rob’s definition of rock and roll has always been “2 guitars, bass, drums, and somebody screaming over it”. He was, and is still inspired by The Beatles, Stones, Creedence Clearwater, Grand Funk Railroad, Brownsville Station, Cheap Trick, AC/DC, ZZ Top, and The Smithereens. He toured nationally in the late 70’s into 1981 with Rolls Rock, a Eureka, California-based rock and roll trio. Rolls Rock opened shows for such acts as Van Halen, Rick Springfield, Pablo Cruise, Journey, and Eddie Money before they disbanded in Houston, Texas (a polite way to say they crashed and burned out!). Rob met Danny when they shared the stage at the infamous Mabuhay Gardens in San Francisco while Dan was singing for The Chills, and he was playing bass for The Bats. He joined forces with The Chills and has been a Sorentino since 1985. Rob is a Park Ranger with Marin County Parks for nearly 30 years, gives public programs about coyotes and mountain lions, collects rock memorabilia, and has rocked thousands of faces with his bass from Juneau, Alaska to Birmingham, England!
Howard Vatcher
Lead guitar/vocals. Inspired by Clapton, Page and Hendrix, Howard began playing guitar as a young student in Northern California, his first paid gig being his own Junior High graduation dance. He played in the rock bands Mister Science and Stereotactics while studying music in college, opening for X, Captain Beefheart and others. In this period he met Rob Ruiz, who played bass for the rival band Rolls Rock. When Howard relocated sometime later to the San Francisco area, Rob asked him to join the Sorentinos, to their lasting regret. Howard currently favors Telecaster guitars through Fender tube amps and an ever-changing assortment of effects pedals, but he will occasionally play Les Pauls and/or Marshall amps on a whim. He and his twin brother Don have released several albums of their own acclaimed music as the Vatcher Brothers.
Rory Judge
Drums. A veteran of the San Francisco Rock scene in the late 1970's and early 80's, Rory played with a wide variety of bands from punk to polka including many shows at the famed Mabuhay Gardens, the punk palace of the west. He can also be seen with the jazz band "On the Air" and the Roots Rock Trio "The GoldDiggers".Rory has performed with many local and national jazz musicians including Howard Alden.His drum arsenal includes modern and vintage drums and cymbals. When it comes to his set up, like his drumming...less is more. "I don't like a lot of drums, cymbals or fills on stage. I do like to roll the rock, and make it swing"
Steve LeeLead
guitar/backing vocalsSteve Lee is a lifelong guitar player ever since picking up a Mickey Mouse guitar as a toddler mimicking to Elvis Presley. Guitar fascination continued from the earliest Ventures hit singles only to be concreted when seeing The Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show.Early success as a "tweenie" winning the grammar school talent show led to gigs at teen Ice Cream Socials and Bar Mitzvahs. Through the years, Steve has always been in bands playing the best of rock music from Creedence Clearwater, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Crazy Horse to Cream, Hendrix, Led Zeppelin to Jeff Beck, early Fleetwood Mac, James Gang while continuing his education attending Fillmore West and Winterland frequently as well as stints with the high school Jazz, Stage, Concert and Pep bands. Original music soon beckoned with Paradox (SF’s Fab Mab favorites), Moscow (shown on MTV Basement Tapes) among others.After years and years of playing somewhat progressive muso rock music, Steve rediscovered his first love playing West Coast rock with The Sorentinos since 1994. Joys included sitting in with JJ Cale and working with John Lee Hooker. Life does indeed go on and is now based in England sadly far away from the band, Steve continues to participate in recording with Danny and playing live when possible and with others. "I have played the Fillmore West same night as Peter Green, that's it....finito."