Just incase you were wondering about the backgrounds of our employees, below is a brief bio on each one:
Tom Hartman:
Tom has been playing music as a solo artist and also in various bands since he was 14 years old. These bands have ranged from pop punk to old school punk to a nationally touring Indie Folk Rock band and just about everything inbetween. He can play guitar, bass, drums, and also sing. Tom started hosting the Fat Bean open mic in 2005 and since then Screaming Beaver Records has just kept growing from there.
Tom listens to pretty much every kind of music (except for techno, and pretty much all country music). Some of his favorite bands are; Alkaline Trio, Bright Eyes, The Blood Brothers, Saves The Day, The Beastie Boys, Brand New, Gatsby's American Dream, The Spill Canvas, Local H, and Weezer
In addition to owning and running SBR Tom is also a full-time student at Waubonsee Community College, working towards a Comprehensive Photography Certificate and an Associates in the Arts. He is planning on having both of those at the end of Summer 2008.
Alex Welsch:
"My name is Alex Welsch, and I am primarily a guitar player. However I have been picking up the drums every now and again and have gotten pretty comfortable on the bass. I enjoy playing all of the instruments about the same, and I am also about the same on each of the instruments. I've been pluckin' away at the guitar for a little over 4 years, the bass for 3, and the drums for 2, and have a small background in music theory, which is a good topic for discussion with me. I enjoy working for Tom, he's a pretty easy going boss, and I enjoy hosting the open mics and doing the recording that I get to in the studio. I'm into all different kinds of music, mainly classic rock for my guitar influence, such as, The Beatles, Pink Floyd, G&R, Cream, Eric Clapton, Led Zeppelin, etc. I also enjoy a lot of new music too, pretty much anything that is played on the radio, minus B96. I am currently studying at the University of Sugar-Grove, to complete my associates in psychology, then I will be off to Northern Illinois University to go all the way through and get my masters in psychology, yay for a lot of school still ahead of me. So everybody that got this far should really come in and record, that would be awesome helping me pay for my school. Enjoy and I hope that everybody is happy and can appreciate all the time and money Tom has put into this business which gives back so much to the community."
Sophie Hall:
Music has always been a gigantic part of Sophie's life. She has been singing as early as three years old and has never let go of that passion. Currently she sings in a blues band, Patty D and the Mystery, and performs regularly around the Chicagoland area. Sophie has been playing the guitar since her freshman year of high school and that has aided her in writing original music since then. Her first song was written when she was eight years old. Sophie currently attends Elmhurst College, majoring in Communications, and is involved in the college radio program. she will be starting her own radio show in the Spring of '08. She has received extensive training in vocal performance from Dr. Sonja Mihelcic and Amy Pickering, and will begin jazz vocal studies with Jeff Deutsch this Spring. She currently works for Screaming Beaver Records, helping with office work and filling in for any open mic nights hosted by SBR. In her free time, you can find Sophie exploring the local music scene, spending time with her friends and boyfriend, and catching up on homework!