RUSS FEHR
(Luke or sometimes "Lucky" Peaches)
Guitarist Russ Fehr was a precocious child and while in high school won a "battle of the bands contest" with the prize being the opportunity to open for Creedence Clearwater Revival at Cal Expo! Russ was also at the genesis of the Rutabaga Boogie Band and other popular Sacramento area bands throughout the years. Reports of his pedigree vary, with some placing him at an Ivy League school for college and others saying he got Poison Ivy but never was an Ivy Leaguer. We believe the former to be true, but as he just plays loud guitar in the band we never bothered to follow up on that. Russ is currently the City of Sacramento Treasurer and does something with stocks, bonds and probably something else that sounds complicated.

JIM BERG
(Jethro)
Jim started his rock & roll career in the early 80's and has played in 7 Sacramento-area rock bands over the past 25 years. Highlights include his first stint as the lead singer for Mugshot. This group evolved into the Receders who mostly wrote and played original music along with some covers. Jim was again the lead vocalist but also took on additional duties as keyboardist and rhythm guitarist. In the early 90's, Jim co-founded Section 8 as a bassist and singer. After a few personnel changes, the band changed it's name to Run For Cover which had a highly successful 6 year run in the region. After a 4 year hiatus as a doting new father, Jim dusted off his bass and joined fellow City of Sacramento employees in co-founding The Newz Makers. Jim is currently a supervisor in the IT department at the City and does something with servers. Some of us think he may secretly be in the restaurant business as we have never seen these "servers."

JOE VALENZUELA
(Havana Joe)
Joe Valenzuela played drums in the High School Concert and Jazz bands. Joe played mostly at home but picked up tips from some of rocks best drummers via the magic of videotape. Joe always took time to practice his drums even while his career at the City was taking off. Joe's big break came when Russ called to enlist his help to keep time in The Newz Makers. Joe also shares duties as a lead vocalist. Joe can do something rare among drummers, he can sing great while keeping a steady beat! Rumor has it that Joe is some kind of dedicated crime fighter and has risen rapidly in the ranks of the City of Sacramento Police force. These things are hard to verify due to the secrecy in the band, but Joe may actually be the training captain for the whole police force!

TOM MOORE
(Slim Pickins)
Tom Moore started playing guitar at age nine and primarily played acoustic until forming "The Edsels" rockabilly group after college. As a solo artist, he has opened for T-Bone Burnett, Jonathan Richman, Michael Hedges and Jesse Colin Young. He was also at the genesis of the "The Hucklebucks" swing blues outfit and played with them at quite a few of their early shows. In the mid-nineties, he went "off-line" after the birth of his second daughter. In the last few years he has spent most of his musical time doing an Elvis tribute show. He has the following advice for young people considering a career in music. "Don't let the music get into your blood, don't practice, don't learn to read and don't join a band. And if you do, don't come cryin' to me!" Tom is currently coordinating much of the training for the City's employees and doing all kinds of mysterious other things as well.

VERONICA YADAO
(Roni)
Roni Yadao is the lead vocalist for the Newz Makers and also plays keyboards. She is an accomplished musician and has other projects like "Roni & The Flight" and "Vinman & The Sisters". You can click on her name above to find out more about her. She is a Hawaiian soul sista that can "take you there" and sounds like a combination of Ann and Nancy Wilson from Heart, Aretha Franklin and lots of funky places in between. She also has a CD of her originals available through CD Baby. The other members of The Newz Makers are honored to have Roni in the band! Roni is currently working in the Procurement Division of the City.

VINCE HERNANDEZ
(Vinny)
Vince Hernandez is the newest memeber of the group. He is in two other bands with Roni; Roni and the Flight and Vinman and the Sisters. Vince is the most accomplished guitarist in the band and plays all the really hard stuff. We are very lucky to have Vince! He has been working at the City of Sacramento since 1981 and playing guitar even longer. Vince enjoys Snowboarding, Golfing, Biking, Traveling, Oceans, playing in church and of course playing in bands.