The E-Ticket Team
Mike Claire
keys
Mike is a versatile multi-instrumentalist whose musical journey began on the drums, where he honed his skills playing in various jazz combos. For the past 20 years, Mike has been active in the Bay Area music scene, bringing his keyboard talents to a diverse array of bands with genres ranging from classic rock to soul/R&B, alt-rock, and pop. In addition to E-Ticket, he plays keyboards for the Smokin Slice of Mojo, a local soul/R&B band, and Wild Child, a band that plays multiple genres. Mike is also called on to record keyboard tracks for local artists producing original music.
Alex Esteverena
vocals/guitar
Alex Esteverena, aka the “E-Train”, joined E-Ticket in 2022 and is one of our most captivating artists sharing lead vocals and rhythm guitar. A versatile musician with diverse tastes, Alex brings a diverse musical background from playing in some great bands over the years. After attending UCLA, Alex attended the Dick Grove School of Music in the Songwriting program and formed Mad Tea Party playing zany rock music all over the LA area including the Sunset Strip. On any given night the Tea Party rocked LA with sold out shows at the Whiskey A-Go-Go, The Roxy, Troubadour, and China Club to name a few. Once back at home in NorCal, Alex started Jokers & Thieves, also a creative rock group that cut its debut CD in the mid 90’s and went on to play shows throughout California. With an unquenchable thirst to play, Alex still plays with local Bay Area bands Jokers & Thieves and Wild Child.
Cliff Fields (C2)
Lead Guitar / Vocals
Cliff Fields has spent much of his life playing music. Throughout his musical career, he's been in numerous Bay Area bands, and he’s also played with noteworthy artists such as Neil Young, Lindsey Buckingham and Alice Cooper.
Typically a soft-spoken guy, Cliff comes alive on stage as an energetic performer with expressive vocals and exciting lead guitar work. Cliff says “The many talents of the The E-Ticket Band players is what gives the band a unique and POWERFUL sound”.
Glenn Bolich
Bass
One of the original founding members of the band since 1983, Glenn began playing bass in his early teens. He was inspired by the "British Invasion" of the sixties with bands like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and Herman's Hermits, along with many other popular bands of the time. He's a vintage gear aficionado and it's not unusual for Glenn to show up at rehearsal with one of the beautiful rare classic bass or amplifiers from his collection.
His solid sound and attention to details provides a stable foundation for the band.
Franklin Davis
Trumpet / Horn Section Leader
Franklin Beau Davis (Trumpet, Trombone, Flugelhorn, Arranger) is well versed in a multitude of musical styles, with over 30 years of freelance trumpeting, teaching, arranging and bandleading experience in the San Francisco Bay Area. A native San Franciscan, Franklin graduated from Lowell High and San Francisco State University, and now lives with his wife Tammy in Belmont. He has performed with the San Francisco Opera, Berkeley Symphony, Symphony Parnassus, Royal Society Jazz Orchestra, San Francisco Starlight Orchestra, Devil Mountain Jazz Band, Brass Horizon, Kickback, various Musical Theater groups around the Bay Area, Golden Gate Park, Oakland and Hayward Municipal Bands, and Cesar's Latin All-Stars, to name a few. And he leads his own groups: The Brassworks Quintet and Band, Gabriel's Trumpets, The Musical Toy Soldiers and The Memorial Brass.
Franklin’s groups have played regularly for vintage dance events such as the Dickens Christmas Fair, Civil War Ball and Ye Gaskells Victorian Balls; for high-profile events such as the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance; for concerts, parties, conventions, civic events and charitable functions; and for weddings and receptions year round. Now, in the E-Ticket Band, he demonstrates another aspect of his powerful brass sound.
Suzie Slade-LeClair
Vocals
Suzie LeClair's love for singing began at a young age, inspired by the Beatles and her English parents. She made her singing debut at nine in a school musical and continued to develop her vocal skills in choirs, musicals, various bands and performing with an "a cappella" group. Suzie has performed across Bay Area venues with Jokers & Thieves since 2014 and co-founded Wild Child in 2018, where she is a co-lead and backup singer. Her artistic influences have evolved over the years, initially drawn to pop and folk artists like Carole King, The Beatles, and Linda Ronstadt. In the 1980s and 1990s, her favorites included Sheryl Crow, Tom Petty, Bonnie Raitt, The Pretenders, Foo Fighters, and Melissa Etheridge. Although her heart belongs to rock 'n' roll, she has also become a fan of country music, admiring bands like Sugarland, Lady A, and Little Big Town, as well as female legends such as Shania Twain and Carrie Underwood.
Steve DeAmbrosio
Sax
Steve is an exceptional practitioner of the saxophone and a prolific music composer. As a Bay Area native, he has performed with numerous bands throughout the Nor-Cal region beginning as far back as the funky music of the late 1970's. Equally adept at jazz and pop styles, he draws from the best of each to create a unique and captivating sound. Audiences dig his inventive and soulful sax, and a solo by Steve is guaranteed inspire your dancin' feet to yank you onto the dance floor! In addition to performing, Steve has published two books of poetry for cat lovers and a collection of piano pieces for intermediate level students.
Paul Newman
Drums / Vocals
Paul Newman — the drummer, not the actor — began his musical journey over 50 years ago. From his early days in junior high and high school marching band to exploring genres like Rock, Latin, R&B, Jazz/Fusion, Funk, Americana, Blues, Country, and Big Band, Paul has always embraced musical diversity.
Known for his contagious passion and joyful energy, Paul brings both rhythm and vocals to the stage. He takes pride in his versatility and his love for performing all styles of music.
Paul’s professional career launched in the late 1970s and 1980s, performing with popular San Francisco Bay Area dance bands such as Savory, Motor City, and the jazz fusion group Prime Suspect. By the 2000s, he found modest commercial success recording and performing with The Big Earl Blues Band.
Since then, Paul has continued to groove with a variety of Blues and Americana groups, including Mojo Hanna, Marshall Law and Pel and the Pelicans.
Paul describes joining the E-Ticket Band as “feeling like part of the family,” and he’s thrilled to help carry on the band’s rich legacy.
Daven Tjaarda-Hernandez
Trombone
Daven Tjaarda-Hernandez is a recent transplant to the Nor-Cal region. Arriving in winter 2023, he has been busy making a name for himself in musical groups across the SF Bay Area. In addition to playing trombone in the E-Ticket band, he is a regular performer with the Brassworks Brass Quintet, Korsa Musical Theater Company, the Redwood Symphony, and the historic Golden Gate Park Band. You may also find him subbing in one of the many regional orchestras in the area, including Merced, Vallejo, and the San Fransisco Philharmonic. His proficiency in all forms of music has kept him busy; keep your eyes peeled for his name on programs and Marquee's in the future!