Fog City Stompers
Traditional Dixieland Jazz Band
Tom Belmessieri - Cornet (Leader)
Tom began playing trumpet when he was 9 years old and has been involved with music ever since. He grew up with an appreciation
for the music of the '20s, '30s, & '40s because his dad was always playing those records, particularly Bing Crosby, the early jazz of Bix
Beiderbecke and Paul Whiteman, and the big swing bands. In high school Tom sang in the music department's barbershop quartet.
In 1985 he organized a group of musicians to play dixieland and that was the birth of the Fog City Stompers. He has composed a
number of the band's original songs and transcribed all the band's tunes done by Bix Beiderbecke from original recordings. Tom also
plays with the Devil Mountain Jazz Band. (link)
Mike Young - Clarinet & Sax
Mike has been performing on clarinet and saxophone since 1977. He was a member of the Aptos High Jazz Ensemble, an award-winning band that performed at the Monterey, Montreux (Switzerland) and Northsea (The Hague Holland) Jazz Festivals. Since graduating from UC Berkeley he has kept busy in a variety of musical settings. Mike was a member of “Beach Blanket Babylon” pit orchestra for five years. He leads and performs with the Moodswing Jazz Trio and Orchestra, and also plays regularly with the Royal Society Jazz Orchestra, the Continental Breakfast Club, Ray Brown’s Great Big Band, and the Jambalaya Swing Band. His main musical influences are Fletcher Henderson, Zoot Sims, Benny Goodman, and Duke Ellington.
Rich Newcomb - Trombone
Rich has been playing music since he was 6. His mother was a piano teacher and started him on that instrument but he switched
to the trombone at age 9 because he "liked the slidey thing". A plethora of trombonists in his junior high school caused his
transition to baritone and he began doubling on tuba in high school. He acquired his interest in traditional jazz after discovering
the Firehouse Five Plus Two, and he had the honor of opening for Turk Murphy during Murphy's 1986 performance on the California
Maritime Academy campus. He has been performing traditional jazz since 1987 when he began playing with the Dew Drop Inn Jazz
Band in Fresno. After some years playing overseas, where he performed mainly big band swing and bop, and where he also taught
himself to play trumpet, he returned to his first love of traditional jazz and has performed with many jazz ensembles in the Bay Area.
His primary instrument is trombone but he also plays cornet, euphonium, and tuba, as well as occasionally inflicting vocals on his
audiences.
Mike Hart - Tuba
A native San Francisco boy, Mike grew up to all the musical sounds of the City. He enjoys hearing and playing all kinds of music.
He has played regularly with Vintage Music Theatre, the San Francisco Banjo Band, Deutscher Musikverein, and Half Moon Bay
Community Orchestra. For over 30 years he has played tuba with the Pacific Coast Ragtime Orchestra. He plays occasionally with
popular bay area traditional jazz bands and still wants to be a rock star.
Gary Neuman - Piano
Gary has a classical background from Pease Conservatory in Sacramento, studying under the master, Dilworth Simmons. He entered into the world of commercial performance in 1980 in Saratoga CA, playing 5 nights a week at Shakey's Pizza Parlor on Hwy 9. A partnership was forged with Banjo Bill, and they moved on to Clancy's in Jack London Square. After many years of saloon entertaining in this smoky environment, Gary played at the Overland House and, later, the Fat Lady. The early 80s ushered in a 15-year run of Sunday afternoon entertainment in Tiburon and Corte Madera at 39 Main, the Dock and Marin Joe's, where Gary and several other musicians played for loyal fans. San Francisco piano bars stole Gary away from Oakland clubs and he drew fans to the Gold Dust and Lefty O'Douls on Union Square. Other San Francisco venues included Hornblower Yachts, Cityscape, and the Holiday Inn at the Wharf. During this same timeframe Gary was the piano player for Don Neely's Royal Society Jazz Orchestra. When Gary moved to Contra Costa in the late 90s he began developing a local presence, accompanying singers and playing at the San Franciscan, Slates, Marcello's, and Bing Crosby's. Currently, Gary appears at the Faz restaurant in Danville, as well as various Rossmoor venues. He also accompanies the John Muir Health System Chorale in Walnut Creek and The Role Players Ensemble in Danville.
Ron Galen - Banjo & Guitar
Ron has been playing music all his life except for the first five years which he just wasted. Starting on the piano, on which he majored at Northern Illinois University for two years, he picked up the electric guitar during Beatlemania and played in rock 'n' roll bands throughout HS and college. After migrating to California in 1970 to play western swing, he returned to school at CSU Hayward, earning BA and MA degrees in classical guitar. He has performed as classical guitar soloist and ensemble member, and in musical theater productions on electric guitar and banjo. These days he is pursuing his longtime love of Brazilian music playing cavaquinho, and 7-string guitar in his Brazilian choro band, Choro Sem Nome. He teaches music at Laney College in Oakland, and Solano College in Fairfield.
Scott Wild - Drums & Percussion
Scott has been playing drums and percussion since the age of 7. Originally from NJ, his father played Dixieland music in the house as long as he can remember. He began studying the drums in 1st grade and eventually studied classical and jazz with Tom Sicola. He co-founded Marblehead Records, a small independent record label, with his long-term musical partner, Ken Barsky, and has co-produced other artists as well as his own groups, "Ton of Bricks" and "The Agave Ensemble". Besides his work with the Fog City Stompers, he can also be heard recording and performing in the San Francisco Bay Area with The Lovelight Blues Band, The Jazz Mavericks, The Barrelhouse Jazz Band, Music Masters Jazz Quartet, and Al Lazard & the World Street Players.
Tom began playing trumpet when he was 9 years old and has been involved with music ever since. He grew up with an appreciation
for the music of the '20s, '30s, & '40s because his dad was always playing those records, particularly Bing Crosby, the early jazz of Bix
Beiderbecke and Paul Whiteman, and the big swing bands. In high school Tom sang in the music department's barbershop quartet.
In 1985 he organized a group of musicians to play dixieland and that was the birth of the Fog City Stompers. He has composed a
number of the band's original songs and transcribed all the band's tunes done by Bix Beiderbecke from original recordings. Tom also
plays with the Devil Mountain Jazz Band. (link)
Mike Young - Clarinet & Sax
Mike has been performing on clarinet and saxophone since 1977. He was a member of the Aptos High Jazz Ensemble, an award-winning band that performed at the Monterey, Montreux (Switzerland) and Northsea (The Hague Holland) Jazz Festivals. Since graduating from UC Berkeley he has kept busy in a variety of musical settings. Mike was a member of “Beach Blanket Babylon” pit orchestra for five years. He leads and performs with the Moodswing Jazz Trio and Orchestra, and also plays regularly with the Royal Society Jazz Orchestra, the Continental Breakfast Club, Ray Brown’s Great Big Band, and the Jambalaya Swing Band. His main musical influences are Fletcher Henderson, Zoot Sims, Benny Goodman, and Duke Ellington.
Rich Newcomb - Trombone
Rich has been playing music since he was 6. His mother was a piano teacher and started him on that instrument but he switched
to the trombone at age 9 because he "liked the slidey thing". A plethora of trombonists in his junior high school caused his
transition to baritone and he began doubling on tuba in high school. He acquired his interest in traditional jazz after discovering
the Firehouse Five Plus Two, and he had the honor of opening for Turk Murphy during Murphy's 1986 performance on the California
Maritime Academy campus. He has been performing traditional jazz since 1987 when he began playing with the Dew Drop Inn Jazz
Band in Fresno. After some years playing overseas, where he performed mainly big band swing and bop, and where he also taught
himself to play trumpet, he returned to his first love of traditional jazz and has performed with many jazz ensembles in the Bay Area.
His primary instrument is trombone but he also plays cornet, euphonium, and tuba, as well as occasionally inflicting vocals on his
audiences.
Mike Hart - Tuba
A native San Francisco boy, Mike grew up to all the musical sounds of the City. He enjoys hearing and playing all kinds of music.
He has played regularly with Vintage Music Theatre, the San Francisco Banjo Band, Deutscher Musikverein, and Half Moon Bay
Community Orchestra. For over 30 years he has played tuba with the Pacific Coast Ragtime Orchestra. He plays occasionally with
popular bay area traditional jazz bands and still wants to be a rock star.
Gary Neuman - Piano
Gary has a classical background from Pease Conservatory in Sacramento, studying under the master, Dilworth Simmons. He entered into the world of commercial performance in 1980 in Saratoga CA, playing 5 nights a week at Shakey's Pizza Parlor on Hwy 9. A partnership was forged with Banjo Bill, and they moved on to Clancy's in Jack London Square. After many years of saloon entertaining in this smoky environment, Gary played at the Overland House and, later, the Fat Lady. The early 80s ushered in a 15-year run of Sunday afternoon entertainment in Tiburon and Corte Madera at 39 Main, the Dock and Marin Joe's, where Gary and several other musicians played for loyal fans. San Francisco piano bars stole Gary away from Oakland clubs and he drew fans to the Gold Dust and Lefty O'Douls on Union Square. Other San Francisco venues included Hornblower Yachts, Cityscape, and the Holiday Inn at the Wharf. During this same timeframe Gary was the piano player for Don Neely's Royal Society Jazz Orchestra. When Gary moved to Contra Costa in the late 90s he began developing a local presence, accompanying singers and playing at the San Franciscan, Slates, Marcello's, and Bing Crosby's. Currently, Gary appears at the Faz restaurant in Danville, as well as various Rossmoor venues. He also accompanies the John Muir Health System Chorale in Walnut Creek and The Role Players Ensemble in Danville.
Ron Galen - Banjo & Guitar
Ron has been playing music all his life except for the first five years which he just wasted. Starting on the piano, on which he majored at Northern Illinois University for two years, he picked up the electric guitar during Beatlemania and played in rock 'n' roll bands throughout HS and college. After migrating to California in 1970 to play western swing, he returned to school at CSU Hayward, earning BA and MA degrees in classical guitar. He has performed as classical guitar soloist and ensemble member, and in musical theater productions on electric guitar and banjo. These days he is pursuing his longtime love of Brazilian music playing cavaquinho, and 7-string guitar in his Brazilian choro band, Choro Sem Nome. He teaches music at Laney College in Oakland, and Solano College in Fairfield.
Scott Wild - Drums & Percussion
Scott has been playing drums and percussion since the age of 7. Originally from NJ, his father played Dixieland music in the house as long as he can remember. He began studying the drums in 1st grade and eventually studied classical and jazz with Tom Sicola. He co-founded Marblehead Records, a small independent record label, with his long-term musical partner, Ken Barsky, and has co-produced other artists as well as his own groups, "Ton of Bricks" and "The Agave Ensemble". Besides his work with the Fog City Stompers, he can also be heard recording and performing in the San Francisco Bay Area with The Lovelight Blues Band, The Jazz Mavericks, The Barrelhouse Jazz Band, Music Masters Jazz Quartet, and Al Lazard & the World Street Players.