The Sizzle Sticks bios

BAND BIOS

Jeff Yelton (violin) grew up in Gainesville, FL where he began playing classical piano at age 6 and classical violin at age 8. He minored in violin performance at the University of Florida and played violin in the UF Symphony for several years. He has dabbled in jazz piano and klezmer violin on several occasions, but the Sizzle Sticks is his first "hot swing" group.

Hershel Pangborn (clarinet, sax) is a senior at Penn State majoring in Mechanical Engineering and minoring in Music Performance. In 2008, he attended the Pennsylvania Governor’s School for the Arts as a saxophonist. He was a member of the PMEA District 6 Jazz Band on saxophone and a PMEA All-State clarinetist. In 2009, Herschel competed with the SCAHS Jazz Band in the Essentially Ellington Program hosted by Jazz at Lincoln Center and spent several weeks touring European jazz festivals with the same group. Herschel is a member of the Penn State Centre Dimensions Jazz Band and a participant in the Penn State Jazz Combos. He has studied with Steve Bowman and Rick Hirsch, and is currently studying saxophone with David Stambler and clarinet with Smith Toulson. He also holds a third degree black belt and teaches in the World Tang Soo Do Association.

Stacy Glen Tibbetts (vocals, guitar), stacyglen.com, teaches writing at Penn State and has been performing as a singer/songwriter and guitarist since 1985. Original songs from his CDs Alleyways (2000), Back Alleys (2001), and Out On the Town (2010) have aired on radio stations across the country, and his music has been called "melodious" and "nice work" by theatre critic Peter Filichia. Most recently, Stacy has written the scores to two book musicals, Bella Sicilia: The Gourmet Musical and Dialing for Donna, which was presented at the Planet Connections Theatre Fest in NYC in 2011. Stacy has played guitar for Singing Onstage Productions, PA Centre Stage, Nittany Theatre Company, and 4th Wall Music Theatre. His teachers include Dan Yoder, Rick Hirsch, Arthur Goldstein, Dave Klein, and Peter Elbow. He is honored to work with the Sizzle Sticks!!

Andre Lavelle (bass)... BIO TO COME!

Chis Gamble (trombone)...BIO TO COME!