Hudson Valley Wedding Band

Meet the Band

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Emily McAeesejergins - Lead Vocals
Sergeant First Class MJ has been a vocalist for the United States Military for 13 years. She enlisted in the Army Noational Guard as a vocalist 2003 and has performed on two U.S. Army Soldier Show tours and has been the lead vocalist with 3 National Guard Bands. In 2015 Sergeant First Class MJ joined the West Point Band as a vocalist where she also serves on the production and social media teams. When she is not singing for The Bill's Toupee Band or for West Point, you can find her doing Zumba in her kitchen, covered in powdered sugar while baking something delicious.

Sandra Lamanna - Lead Vocalist
With over 30 years of band experience, Sandra has played extensively throughout Southern New England in various high end wedding bands, cover bands, duos and trios.  Sandra has consistently been a sought after vocalist because of her very diversified voice and her ability to deliver superb vocals. When not on stage, Sandra is busy with her real estate career where she has won numerous awards for her hard work and record sales.
Michael Andrews - Guitar, Bass, Vocals
Michael holds a Bachelor's of Music Degree and has played guitar for over 35 years. His vast on-stage experience includes rock bands, Top 40, soul band and jazz bands. He has played on stages from Toronto Sky Dome to Aloha Stadium in Hawaii. Mike is an instructor at his own studio and a retired member of Wooster School Music Dept.
RICKY WOODARD - Bass guitar, Lead Vocals, Saxophone
Ricky was most recently with one of The Hudson Valley's most popular dance bands, CloudNYne. He has also played with Boystown, NY Funk Alliance, as well as a number of other area acts. In addition to his role as a lead-singing bass player in the band, Ricky also plays saxophone and guitar.
Bob Jones - Drums
Bob spent 20 years in the US Army as a professional musician culminating in winning the position as the Jazz Knights drummer for the West Point Band. He has performed with and alongside some of the greats like Nell Carter, Billy Cobham, Randy Brecker and Jon Faddis. Bob has also been a featured soloist with the world renowned New York Staff Band of the Salvation Army with performances around the world highlighted by soloing at famous venues such as Carnegie Hall, Royal Albert Hall, and the O2 Arena in London.
John Steffens - Lead Vocals, MC, Acoustic guitar, Keyboards
In addition to the many area bands he has worked with, John has also collabrated with such luminaries as Barry Manilow, Levon Helm, Garth Hudson, Leon Russell, “Skinny” Regan (Peter Frampton), and Steve Burgh (Billy Joel).   He has also toured internationally and entertained for the NYC Marathon since 2003.
Jon Blanck - Saxophonist, Keyboardist
Jon is a composer/arranger, recording artist, and educator. Jon graduated from Western Connecticut State University with a Bachelor of Music degree in Jazz Studies. His career as a performer has spanned many genres, from recording jazz with artists like Peter Bernstein and the Verve Jazz Ensemble to funking it up on stage with Jen Durkin, P-Funk All Stars, Rico Lewis and S.O.N.S. of Funk. From classical music with the New Haven Symphony Orchestra to pop and dance music with wedding band like New York Edge Orchestra,  Jon's arrangements have been played by artists and organizations such as the Apollo Theater, Joan Jett, Stevie Wonder, PBS, Joe Perry, Tye Tribbet, and Michael J. Fox. His arrangements have also appeared on networks such as ABC, NBC, PBS, ESPN2 and FOX.  He has over 20 years of private and group instruction experience, teaching lessons in saxophone, piano, music theory and arranging, music technology, improvisation, and studio composition. He has taught clinics and masterclasses in schools such as Western CT State University and K-12 schools across CT, MA, and NY.  Jon has appeared on over 50 albums. The albums he has produced, recorded and composed/arranged with the Verve Jazz Ensemble have reached #1, #5, #6 and #8 on the jazz radio play charts for the USA.
Mike Mindel - Founder, Event Booking, Former keyboard player
Mike started Bill's Toupee in 1993 as a 3 piece band with a silly pun of a name (bills to pay). In spite of that marketing mishap and over 1,000 weddings later, the band has grown to the current 6 piece line-up as the Hudson Valley's most recommended wedding band with an incredible lineup of talent. In mid 2020 Mike stepped aside as the keyboard player but continues to proudly book and market the band for weddings and other private events.
What's New?
August 16, 2023

Yay! We won both TheKnot,  Weddingwire, & Best of The Bash 2022 awards!

Here's a link to our favorite  5 star review so far this year. The brides dad is a professional musician so it means a lot to us.

Testimonials

Bill's Toupee is hands down the best choice we made for our wedding. They were incredible in every aspect of the event. They took so much care with all of my requests and made the day so special. Everyone was talking about them and was on the dance floor (literally to the last minute). Worth every penny and so many more! Can't wait to hire them for my next event!!”
Emilie, January 2023
Bill's Toupee is hands down the best choice we made for our wedding. They were incredible in every aspect of the event. They took so much care with all of my requests and made the day so special. Everyone was talking about them and was on the dance floor (literally to the last minute). Worth every penny and so many more! Can't wait to hire them for my next event!!”
Emilie, January 2023
Bill's Toupee brought the party!!
Bill's Toupee totally blew us away at our reception. We can't say enough about all the talented musicians in the band - their skill, groove, versatility, and stage presence. We are still hearing compliments about the band. You will not be disappointed by Bill's Toupee!”
Katrina, May 2022
Amazing all the way around
Bill's Toupee band is nothing short of awesome!!! So easy to work with, professional yet fun, and just generally lovely people. I've never seen so many of my friends & family boogying down so hard and my husband and I had the best time at our wedding thanks to them. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!!! 15/10 stars.”
Lindsey S. 09/04/21
Brought the party!! And great to work with.
We are SO glad we went with Bill's Toupee for our wedding. All of our guests raved about how much energy they brought to the dance floor. Mike and everyone was also great to work with. The band was super flexible about when we postponed our wedding due to COVID, and they were really responsive.”
Ian S. 08/21/21
“There is a reason this band was voted #1 in the Hudson valley. They were absolutely incredible!! The music was incredible, they really know how to work a crowed. All of our guests kept commenting on their performance. We all really enjoyed ourselves! Aside from their performance, the members were so personable and kind throughout the night. Would not change a single thing and would recommend them to everyone I know!.”
from The Knot 08/30/21
“This band is absolutely AMAZING!!!!! Seriously, stop what you're doing and look no further if you are looking for a wedding band (or just a band for any reason, really) - they are PHENOMENAL!!!! Every single member so is incredibly talented. The band members were so engaging and fun with the crowd- even coming out and dancing with the guests. It really got the crowd going and was an absolute hit!!!! Best wedding band ever!!!”
from The Knot 09/01/21
“It's been a month since our wedding and we are still getting messages from family and friends about how much fun they had on the dance floor! Mike was super easy to work with right from the beginning. The whole band played so well together, giving the whole night an amazing energy and vibe. They played a great mix of songs that got every single table up and dancing.”
Roksana & Jesse 10/19/19
“I couldn't have asked for a better band. Their sound is amazing and have a great set list. Our guests were up on the dance floor all night and I've gotten tons of compliments from our guests for the band. Beyond their awesome music, Mike was a pleasure to work with. He is a complete professional and was willing to do whatever it took to make our day great.”
Angie & Veeshal 6/16/18
See more Testimonials
Got a Question?
845-485-4226