Nevada Parsons - drums, 2004-2005: Most people called her "Sierra", but her stage name was "Nevada Parsons"... either way, Sierra Nevada Parsons was the first (and, so far, only) female member of Sin Embargo in its 13+ year history. Nevada served as Sin Embargo's drummer from January 2004 to August 2005, playing only 9 gigs with the band during that time. From December 2003 to August 2005, Nevada also played drums in Kyle's other band "Las Drogas" a.k.a. "KK Dirty Money & Las Drogas", and performed at about 35 live appearances during that time. Throughout the summer of 2005, various issues (both in the band and out) arose such that she and Kyle decided it was best to part ways after she played her last Sin Embargo & Las Drogas gigs at the Elbow Room in Ypsilanti in late August 2005. Although she was in Sin Embargo for over one-and-a-half years, Nevada's drumming never made it onto any official Sin Embargo releases aside from a couple of demo recordings that were posted as MP3's on the Sin Embargo & Las Drogas websites. Her drumming with Las Drogas did appear on several live and demo recordings (some of which were released as Las Drogas MP3's & CD-R's) from 2004 and 2005. Nevada resided in Ypsilanti, Michigan and worked at Bombadill's Coffeehouse & the Ugly Mug coffee shop in Ypsilanti throughout the time she was with Sin Embargo. Despite Nevada's ideas of moving to Nashville, Tennessee in the fall of 2005 to try to get into the music scene down there, she ended up becoming the drummer for the Ann Arbor-area band "Eat the Evidence" in October 2005. Sierra also performed with "Monkey Rampant", an Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti-based sketch comedy troupe on and off in 2004-2005. After leaving "Eat the Evidence" in mid-2006, Sierra has gone on to play drums for a couple of other Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti-based bands since then, such as "Red Light Chamber Orchestra".Ed Stark - drums, 1997 & 1999-2003: Ed was the only person to be a member of Sin Embargo TWO times. Ed served as Sin Embargo's drummer from January 1997 to December 1997 and then returned from March 1999 to August 2003 after Chad Calton (see below) quit, playing a total of about 75 gigs with the band. In August 1998 and January 1999, Ed even filled in for then-drummer Chad Calton at a couple gigs. In June 2002, Ed was one of the groomsmen in Eric's wedding. Ed graduated from Central Michigan University in December 2002 and began teaching middle & high school foreign language classes in the Walled Lake School District in August 2003. He is expected to complete a masters degree in Spanish from Eastern Michigan University in 2008 or 2009. Despite Ed's 5+ years with the group (only Kyle & Eric exceed his), his sole studio recording was the Sin Embargo portion of the Blowin' Mud CD that was released in October 2002. Ed moved to Pontiac, Michigan in March 2004. Although he has moved on musically, Kyle & Eric still maintain fairly regular contact with Ed via e-mail and hang out with him every so often.
Chad Calton - drums, 1998-1999: Chad was Sin Embargo's fourth official drummer (6th overall) and played 17 gigs with the band from February 1998 to March 16, 1999, when he abruptly quit the band. (Ed Stark subbed for Chad at two Sin Embargo gigs: August 8, 1998 at Columbiaville Days, and January 15, 1999 at New Moon Records in Mt. Pleasant. Chad could not make two other Sin Embargo gigs due to weather-related difficulties: February 12, 1999 at the Hamtramck Pub in Hamtramck, and March 6, 1999 at the I-Rock in Detroit.) Chad's predecessor Ed Stark was quickly tapped to replace Chad in mid-March 1999 and keep Sin Embargo on track. No official recording sessions occurred with Chad during his tenure as Sin Embargo was busy promoting the Super Fugue CD, which was released in late June 1998. Before Chad's departure, he was scheduled to attend the Recording Workshop in Chillicothe, Ohio from April - June 1999, like former Sin Embargo drummer Jason Hofer did in June & July 1996. Kyle briefly ran into Chad at a Mr. Bungle concert at Clutch Cargo's in Pontiac on October 31, 1999 (and again at another Detroit area rock concert in late 2000), but was unable to find out what he was up to musically at that point. Most recently, Chad has been playing with the Fowlerville-based band "I'minya".
Jason Hofer - drums, 1993-1997: Jay was definitely Sin Embargo's most prolific and constructive ex-member to date. As Sin Embargo's second official drummer (4th overall), he played some 70-odd gigs with the band from November 1993 to January 1997, plus re-engineered and drummed on Nevertheless (Fixed & Remixed), drummed on Underneath, and drummed and co-engineered on the Super Fugue CD. Jason also wrote the song "Library" from Nevertheless (Fixed & Remixed), plus co-wrote the songs "[sic]" (originally on Underneath) and "Power Me" off of Super Fugue. From January to April 1997, Jason also assisted with the Sin Embargo website and the completion of Super Fugue, and played some live rhythm guitar as a guest performer at Sin Embargo's January 29, 1997 show in Mt. Pleasant, while then-new drummer Ed Stark took over. Jason also had a few opportunities to play live with Sin Embargo as a guest performer between late January and late May 1997, but was unable to do so because his schedule was filled with work and wedding preparation duties. Jason originally planned to relocate to the Chicago area after marrying Sandra Pilly on June 6, 1997, but they decided to reside in the suburb of Canton Township (near Detroit) for a period of time, instead. Kyle and Eric missed Jason's input, but realized that he wanted to move on. In early November 1997, Jason became an assistant engineer at the legendary Studio A recording studio in Dearborn Heights, Michigan. As a side note, Jason popped in for a Sin Embargo show at Churchill's in Flint on October 11, 1997, and sat in on drums for a cover of the Violent Femmes' "Blister In The Sun" while Ed Stark took a break - just for the hell of it. Jason also filled in for the departed Ed Stark at Kyle's and Eric's request for a Sin Embargo show on January 14, 1998 at Rubble's in Mt. Pleasant. Jason was also going to drum at a Sin Embargo gig at Mt. Pleasant's Cactus Club on February 21, 1998, because then-new drummer Chad Calton was not yet ready to play a full live Sin Embargo set, but the incompetent promoter of that night's show canceled it at the last minute. Jason last saw Sin Embargo live at the Blind Pig in Ann Arbor on May 18, 1999. In June 1999, Jason and his wife Sandy moved to Provo, Utah. During the summer of 2000, Jason hooked up with three other guys from the Provo area to form an underground emo-rock band named "Gift Anon", which featured Jason on guitar and vocals. In the spring of 2001, Gift Anon released a 5-song CD-R that was engineered and recorded by Jason. In March 2002, Jason started up his own little recording engineering company called 5x5 Sound. Jason left Gift Anon in June 2002. Jason & Sandy had a baby girl named Elizabeth Kate on August 18, 2003, and then ended up leaving Utah and returned to Clarkston, Michigan later that year. Kyle & Eric did not hear from Jason at all until late July 2006, when he called up Kyle and mentioned that his 9-year marriage with Sandy had just ended, and that he wanted to get together and catch up. Kyle & Eric hung out with Jason a couple times since August 2006, and left the door open to get together and potentially work on music-related things in the future....
Mike Boyd - drums, 1993: Kyle and Eric knew Mike (who was a year older than Kyle) from his days with the Lapeer-based band "Beatnik Mecca" (and later "Lapeer County Rockers"), where he played guitar and sang. Mike helped out Sin Embargo several times by drumming for them at the shows that Derrick Teal wimped out of, and drummed and recorded the original Nevertheless album in the late summer and fall of 1993. Mike's kind assistance was no longer needed after Sin Embargo gained Jason Hofer in mid-November 1993. Though considered as a new drummer (this would be #3) before Hofer joined, Mike was never a member of Sin Embargo - merely a session drummer for gigs and recording. (He is, however, considered Sin Embargo's 2nd unofficial drummer and 3rd drummer overall.) From about 1997-2000, Mike played guitar and/or drums with Bryce Burasinski in the Ann Arbor-based band "Le Triggers", which released a CD in the summer of 2000. Throughout 2001, Mike was playing in the Ann Arbor band "the Rants", and also did some recording and/or engineering on some other local bands' CD's. In late 2002 hooked back up with his old partner-in-crime Bryce Burasinski in the Ann Arbor-based band Showdown at the Equator. In early/mid-2003, Mike parted ways with "the Rants", and also started up a second band called "Mike Boyd & the Genesee Ramblers". Since 1992, Mike has also held the annual Omnium Gatherum local music bash at his parents' home in the Lapeer area every summer. (Sin Embargo played at Omnium Gatherum in August 1993 and July 1994.) As of late 2007, it appears that the Genesee Ramblers are more active than Showdown at the Equator. Kyle still sees Mike out & about on a fairly regular basis around the Ann Arbor & Ypsilanti areas.
Derrick Teal - drums, 1993: This old classmate of Kyle's (and Jason Kilburn's) was Sin Embargo's first official drummer, and second drummer overall, joining in late January 1993. Derrick was technically in the band until Kyle and Eric kicked him out (because of his lack of effort and drumming skills) on October 8, 1993, but - for some pretty lame reasons - only played three out of the six live shows Sin Embargo had during that whole time, and should have drummed on Nevertheless, but did not. Kyle and Eric have not had any form of contact with Derrick since he and Kyle graduated from Lapeer West High School together in June 1995. Eric read a newspaper blurb that stated Teal had graduated from Albion College in May 1999. In 2002, the Lapeer West high school alumni directory reported that Teal was residing in Madison Heights and was a staff writer for Construction Communications, publishers of "Healthcare Construction Review". As of late 2005, Derrick was reportedly living in the Czech Republic with his girlfriend and was "working on a novel" after mucking around with various forms of freelance journalism for the previous few years. It does not appear that drumming is too big of a part (if any) of his life anymore...
Chad VanBrocklin - drums, 1993: Kyle managed to talk this respected high school percussionist (who was a year younger than Eric) into drumming for Sin Embargo at that January 22, 1993 gig in Lapeer that Josh Lloyd was not allowed to play at. At the time, Chad's band "Anytime Lisa" was on the rocks, and he was open for playing the show. A few years later, Chad was the drummer for the moderately large and locally well-known Flint, Michigan-based funk-rock ensemble The Rev. Right-Time & the 1st Cuzins of Funk (which got involved with Atlantic Records in May 1999) from its formation in late 1995 until he left the group in November 1998. Kyle had press-related contact with Chad via Rev. Right-Time on and off in 1997-98, but nothing more. Sin Embargo found out in May 1999 that Chad was doing session drumming out in Las Vegas and Los Angeles... On August 3, 2001, Chad sat in on drums for the Flint-based band "10 Inch Skillet" during their gig at Mo' Doggies in Fenton (which Sin Embargo & Chad's former band "Rev. Right-Time" also played at...) Over the past few years, it appears that Chad has remained quite active drumming for various rock bands in the greater Flint area music scene.
Josh Lloyd - drums, 1993: Kyle, Eric and Jason Kilburn jammed with this high school-aged kid (who was a year younger than Kyle and Kilburn) once in mid-January 1993 as a prospective new drummer to take over for Bryce Burasinski for Sin Embargo's January 22, 1993 gig in Lapeer. However, after about four days, his mommy prevented him from playing the show - or with the band - for good. Kyle and Eric have not had any contact with Josh since March 1995 when they saw him playing in Lapeer with a different band, but found out in early December 1998 that he had given up drums and had become a cheerleader for Eastern Michigan University! No one from the Sin Embargo camp has heard anything about Josh Lloyd since then...
Jason Kilburn - rhythm guitar, 1992-1993: An old high school classmate of Kyle's, Jason Kilburn replaced Justin Pasquale and became Sin Embargo's second rhythm guitarist on November 13, 1992. He also co-wrote the old Sin Embargo tune "Maternal Kernal", which later appeared on Nevertheless. Jason played four gigs with Sin Embargo before he was kicked out on April 12, 1993 because he was not growing as a player or contributing to songwriting in any way. The last time Kyle and Eric saw Kilburn was at Lapeer West High School's senior lock-in on June 7, 1995. However, in late August 1998, it was found out via a mutual friend that Kilburn was living in Davison and was a part-time radio deejay on Z-93.3 FM in Saginaw, but was not really playing guitar that much anymore... No one from the Sin Embargo camp has heard anything about Jason since 1998...
Bryce Burasinski - drums, 1992-1993: An old high school associate of Eric's and Kyle's (who was a year younger than Eric), Bryce played guitar and sang in the old Lapeer band "Beatnik Mecca" (later "Lapeer County Rockers"), but was gracious enough to drum for Sin Embargo from mid-October 1992 to early January 1993 since it was difficult to find a permanent percussionist at the time. Though never a full member of the band, Bryce was part of the initial live incarnation of Sin Embargo during their first three gigs in November & December of 1992, and is considered to be the band's unofficial first drummer. From about 1997 to 2000, Bryce was a member of the Ann Arbor-based band "Le Triggers", which released a CD in the summer of 2000. In late 2000, Kyle found out that Bryce quit Le Triggers (as well as a couple of other side projects he was involved in) and headed to Japan for an open-ended trip. In early 2002, Bryce returned to the Ann Arbor area and by the end of that year had formed a new band with Mike Boyd named Showdown at the Equator. Kyle occasionally sees Bryce at shows, etc. around the greater Ann Arbor & Ypsilanti areas.
Justin Pasquale - guitar, 1992: An old high school classmate of Kyle's, Justin co-founded Sin Embargo with him and Eric in late July 1992. Justin played rhythm and lead guitar and co-wrote the old Sin Embargo number "Goes Down/Killing Babies", which later appeared on Nevertheless. Justin quit Sin Embargo on October 25, 1992 due to "creative differences" before the band ever played live. After being in and out of a few different unsuccessful small-time Lapeer-based bands between late 1992 and mid-1995 (including "Scarpone", "Electric Sunrize" and "Tin Kitten"), Justin bounced back and forth between Lapeer and Los Angeles, California for a couple of years. Kyle and Eric ran into Justin on August 22, 1998 at Lapeer Days and chatted for over a half-hour about music-related stuff for the first time in over three years. In May 2000, Kyle heard that Justin was out in Las Vegas "waiting for a record deal". Sure enough, in September 2001, Justin joined the Las Vegas-based band Clockwise, which had just been signed to RCA. Clockwise toured with the likes of Alice Cooper, Kittie, the Murderdolls, and parts of the infamous Sammy Hagar/David Lee Roth tour throughout 2002. However, Justin quit "Clockwise" in the fall of 2002, shortly after their RCA debut Healthy Manipulation was released. In early 2003, Justin co-founded a new band in the Las Vegas area called "Drawing Boxes" around the same time as "Clockwise" ended up getting dropped from RCA Records. Kyle received an e-mail from Justin in July 2004 "just to say hello".
LINKS TO ON-LINE ARTICLES ABOUT "CLOCKWISE" WITH JUSTIN PASQUALE:
Midwest Beat Magazine
Rocknworld.com
Newbeats.com
NC SceneBack to the Sin Embargo Home Page.
Last modified on February 3, 2008.
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