Clean Slate Band Members
Mark Noriega, Bassist and leader of the band, has
been playing for over 30 years. He began playing
at the age of ten and has been influenced by
bassists Stanley Clarke, Chuck Rainy, Rocco
Prestia, and Larry Graham. Favorite artists
include Tower of Power, Bobby Caldwell, Earth
Wind and Fire, and the Average White Band. As
band leader Mark believes that a cover band
needs to make a commitment to the songs that
they play and attempt to sound as close to the
original as possible. Clean Slate is the best at
doing that. Mark has played with many local area
bands in Sacramento as well as the Bay Area.
Collings Aki, Lead Vocalist, has been wowing
crowds with his vocal versatility for over 20 years.
Growing up a native of the Hawaiian Islands,
Collings was influenced by many great Hawaiian
vocalists with pure sweet vocals. In 1969 Collings
moved to Jacksonville, Florida where he was
introduced to Motown and the sound that changed
his life. A new world of great vocalist such as;
Smokey Robinson, The Temptations, The Four
Tops, Marvin Gaye and Al Green which are the
main influences and reasons Collings is where he
is today. Collings has been the lead vocalist for
local bands that included the Boomers, Straight
Up, Step-N-Out, and now Clean Slate for the past
9 years. Collings feels a need to pay tribute to the
original artist that influenced him, so the Clean
Slate band is the perfect band to do that. The
Clean Slate band makes it a point to play as close
to the original version of each song as possible. "If
I make one person smile, or take them back to a
happy place or memory that they can remember
when they first heard a particular song, then I've
done my job".
Sarah Sandoval, has been singing with R&B/Funk
sensation Clean Slate for 3 years. Her soulful
sound and energetic charisma is a great addition
to the show. Influences include Mary J. Blige,
Rihanna, Janet Jackson, and Aretha Franklin.
Sarah performed in many productions with Ana G
Vocal Center & Saga Productions, graced the
cover of the Sacramento Bee’s Ticket, and has
performed at venues such as the Crest Theatre,
California State Fair and Cache Creek Casino.
LaToya Bynum, has performed professionally for
the past 10 years in the music industry. Born and
raised in Oakland, CA, LaToya brings a soulful
alto voice to the music of today’s culture. She has
been singing since she was a child, getting her
start in none other than the church. She has
traveled across the country singing gospel, jazz, R
& B, and pop. LaToya is a member of a gospel
acapella trio that has been singing together for
over 15 years. She sang with Sacramento-based
cover band, Hip Service for 4 years, later joining
the Hyperactive Band of San Jose before taking a
short break and joining the Clean State Band.
Tom Pimienta, Guitar, is the funkiest cat in town.
With powerful leads and rhythms that will bring
excitement to any performance. Tom has been
playing for over 15 years and has been in the
Sacramento music scene for the past decade
performing with many local acts.
Eric Tillman - After years of touring and/or
recording with many of the greats in the Jazz Blues
and Pop music genres, vocalist/keyboardist Eric
Tillman takes center stage with Clean Slate. A
veteran of many major jazz festivals and clubs,
Eric is a dynamic performer who is at home in any
venue and any size and type of audience, always
ready to 'take it to the stage,' and always giving
150%. His experiences include performing and/or
recording with such diverse acts as: NORMAN
CONNORS, LINDA HOPKINS, WILLIE BOBO,
JUSTO ALMARIO, O.C.SMITH, CHARLES
OWENS, BILLY PAUL, JEAN CARN, MICHAEL
HENDERSON, THE GAP BAND, THE
TEMPTATIONS, just to name a few.
Brooks Gregory, Baritone Sax, part of the musician
for life club. He started his first band, Transit, in
1971. In the late 70’s, he then formed a disco,
R&B band called Dash Of White, capitalizing on
the music of the time. Starting a family took
precedence during the 80’s and then in 1989, he
formed the popular San Jose group The Hitmen.
After a successful 12 years with The Hitmen,
Brooks made the decision to move to Granite Bay.
In 2004, Brooks joined Clean Slate as the Baritone
Sax player and horn arranger. Brooks has played
with groups that have shared the stage with WAR,
Tierra, James Brown, Mary Wells, Harold Melvin
and The Blue Notes, Natalie Cole, Greg Adams (of
Tower of Power) and The Stylistics. You can catch
Brooks on the latest CD’s by Sage – “Some
Assembly Required” and “Funksway”.
Tom Schneider, Saxophone, started playing
clarinet at the age of twelve. After deciding a year
later that clarinet was not his bag Tom switched to
saxophone. He went through college as music
major in the early 1980’s but changed to
engineering, as a double major, after the first year.
Over the next eight years Tom played in local jazz
groups, musicals, and three years at the
Sacramento Jazz Festival. Tom’s background is
jazz based with his greatest influences being
Michael Brecker, Bob Berg, Bob Mintzer, and John
Coltrane. After a 10+ year layoff Tom joined back
into the music scene playing R&B/Funk/Soul with
Clean Slate and other local bands around the
Sacramento area.
Jeff Minnieweather - a professional drummer for
over 30 years recently joined Clean Slate. He has
backed numerous artists and bands worldwide,
from Grammy winners to members of the Rock and
Roll Hall of Fame. Jeff has a passion for groove-
minded music, but also enjoys the spontaneity of
free form. He's currently working on his first solo
CD project, having previously played on the
recordings of many other artists.
Chuck Bond, Graduate of the Peabody
Conservatory in Baltimore, Maryland, a veteran of
stage, studio, and orchestra pit, Chuck has just
relocated from Nashville, Tennessee to
Sacramento, California.
An exceptionally versatile player, he has a sweet
full sound and clean technique from years of
classical training, and a firm command of all styles
from years of performing in the most varied of
environments. With an ability to deliver precise
classical stylings, soft yet high energy jazz, and a
fat sound that can drive a band, Chuck provides a
strong, fresh voice to Clean Slate.
Mark Noriega, Bassist and leader of the band, has
been playing for over 30 years. He began playing
at the age of ten and has been influenced by
bassists Stanley Clarke, Chuck Rainy, Rocco
Prestia, and Larry Graham. Favorite artists
include Tower of Power, Bobby Caldwell, Earth
Wind and Fire, and the Average White Band. As
band leader Mark believes that a cover band
needs to make a commitment to the songs that
they play and attempt to sound as close to the
original as possible. Clean Slate is the best at
doing that. Mark has played with many local area
bands in Sacramento as well as the Bay Area.
Collings Aki, Lead Vocalist, has been wowing
crowds with his vocal versatility for over 20 years.
Growing up a native of the Hawaiian Islands,
Collings was influenced by many great Hawaiian
vocalists with pure sweet vocals. In 1969 Collings
moved to Jacksonville, Florida where he was
introduced to Motown and the sound that changed
his life. A new world of great vocalist such as;
Smokey Robinson, The Temptations, The Four
Tops, Marvin Gaye and Al Green which are the
main influences and reasons Collings is where he
is today. Collings has been the lead vocalist for
local bands that included the Boomers, Straight
Up, Step-N-Out, and now Clean Slate for the past
9 years. Collings feels a need to pay tribute to the
original artist that influenced him, so the Clean
Slate band is the perfect band to do that. The
Clean Slate band makes it a point to play as close
to the original version of each song as possible. "If
I make one person smile, or take them back to a
happy place or memory that they can remember
when they first heard a particular song, then I've
done my job".
Sarah Sandoval, has been singing with R&B/Funk
sensation Clean Slate for 3 years. Her soulful
sound and energetic charisma is a great addition
to the show. Influences include Mary J. Blige,
Rihanna, Janet Jackson, and Aretha Franklin.
Sarah performed in many productions with Ana G
Vocal Center & Saga Productions, graced the
cover of the Sacramento Bee’s Ticket, and has
performed at venues such as the Crest Theatre,
California State Fair and Cache Creek Casino.
LaToya Bynum, has performed professionally for
the past 10 years in the music industry. Born and
raised in Oakland, CA, LaToya brings a soulful
alto voice to the music of today’s culture. She has
been singing since she was a child, getting her
start in none other than the church. She has
traveled across the country singing gospel, jazz, R
& B, and pop. LaToya is a member of a gospel
acapella trio that has been singing together for
over 15 years. She sang with Sacramento-based
cover band, Hip Service for 4 years, later joining
the Hyperactive Band of San Jose before taking a
short break and joining the Clean State Band.
Tom Pimienta, Guitar, is the funkiest cat in town.
With powerful leads and rhythms that will bring
excitement to any performance. Tom has been
playing for over 15 years and has been in the
Sacramento music scene for the past decade
performing with many local acts.
Eric Tillman - After years of touring and/or
recording with many of the greats in the Jazz Blues
and Pop music genres, vocalist/keyboardist Eric
Tillman takes center stage with Clean Slate. A
veteran of many major jazz festivals and clubs,
Eric is a dynamic performer who is at home in any
venue and any size and type of audience, always
ready to 'take it to the stage,' and always giving
150%. His experiences include performing and/or
recording with such diverse acts as: NORMAN
CONNORS, LINDA HOPKINS, WILLIE BOBO,
JUSTO ALMARIO, O.C.SMITH, CHARLES
OWENS, BILLY PAUL, JEAN CARN, MICHAEL
HENDERSON, THE GAP BAND, THE
TEMPTATIONS, just to name a few.
Brooks Gregory, Baritone Sax, part of the musician
for life club. He started his first band, Transit, in
1971. In the late 70’s, he then formed a disco,
R&B band called Dash Of White, capitalizing on
the music of the time. Starting a family took
precedence during the 80’s and then in 1989, he
formed the popular San Jose group The Hitmen.
After a successful 12 years with The Hitmen,
Brooks made the decision to move to Granite Bay.
In 2004, Brooks joined Clean Slate as the Baritone
Sax player and horn arranger. Brooks has played
with groups that have shared the stage with WAR,
Tierra, James Brown, Mary Wells, Harold Melvin
and The Blue Notes, Natalie Cole, Greg Adams (of
Tower of Power) and The Stylistics. You can catch
Brooks on the latest CD’s by Sage – “Some
Assembly Required” and “Funksway”.
Tom Schneider, Saxophone, started playing
clarinet at the age of twelve. After deciding a year
later that clarinet was not his bag Tom switched to
saxophone. He went through college as music
major in the early 1980’s but changed to
engineering, as a double major, after the first year.
Over the next eight years Tom played in local jazz
groups, musicals, and three years at the
Sacramento Jazz Festival. Tom’s background is
jazz based with his greatest influences being
Michael Brecker, Bob Berg, Bob Mintzer, and John
Coltrane. After a 10+ year layoff Tom joined back
into the music scene playing R&B/Funk/Soul with
Clean Slate and other local bands around the
Sacramento area.
Jeff Minnieweather - a professional drummer for
over 30 years recently joined Clean Slate. He has
backed numerous artists and bands worldwide,
from Grammy winners to members of the Rock and
Roll Hall of Fame. Jeff has a passion for groove-
minded music, but also enjoys the spontaneity of
free form. He's currently working on his first solo
CD project, having previously played on the
recordings of many other artists.
Chuck Bond, Graduate of the Peabody
Conservatory in Baltimore, Maryland, a veteran of
stage, studio, and orchestra pit, Chuck has just
relocated from Nashville, Tennessee to
Sacramento, California.
An exceptionally versatile player, he has a sweet
full sound and clean technique from years of
classical training, and a firm command of all styles
from years of performing in the most varied of
environments. With an ability to deliver precise
classical stylings, soft yet high energy jazz, and a
fat sound that can drive a band, Chuck provides a
strong, fresh voice to Clean Slate.
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
