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Carol • Curtis • Willie • Sam • Mark • David |
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Carol Nesbitt has been entertaining crowds for more than twenty-five years. As a former Miss South Dakota, she traveled the state and around the world singing from Mt. Rushmore to the Berlin Wall. Carol was invited to be part of the Miss America USO Tour in 1981 and traveled throughout Germany and Italy entertaining American troops. She has sung and played keyboards in a number of popular bands over the years, including "Kicks" and "Madison Avenue." She has been a featured entertainer at the Miss South Dakota Pageant for many years and was the first female co-host of the pageant. In addition, Carol frequently sings on area jingles—from Sturdevant's Auto Parts to Royal River Casino, Bank West, and Party America. She sang all three parts of a Casino Omaha jingle that won a local and regional Addy Award. Carol does frequent voiceover work for area advertising agencies.
Carol and her husband of twenty-three years, Curtis, have four children. Carol is a frequent vocalist at her church and enjoys singing with the Sioux Falls Municipal Band in her spare time. Top |
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Curtis Nesbitt has an impressive resume of musical experience. He started playing guitar as a sophomore in high school and says, "Traveling around to Wyoming and Montana, and South Dakota—just seemed like a good way to get out of class on a Friday afternoon… I was kind of kicked out of school band for having a weekend rock and roll band, mostly because I took the first-chair trombone player with me."
Curtis started the band Ivory and later joined the Johnny Holm Band, backing up artists such as the Beach Boys, Franki Valli, BJ Thomas, and others. He grew up on Eric Clapton and Deep Purple which he now enjoys as "Classic Rock"—go figure? Playing jazz standards has become a great way for Curtis to slow down and concentrate not on the quantity of notes but on the quality of the notes he plays. Curtis and his wife, Carol, have been married for twenty-three years and have played in bands together for many of those years. Their harmonies in song cannot be matched. Together they have four children, including a talented young drummer…. Can a family band be far away??? Top |
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Willie Bertsch is a very talented stage performer with thirty-five years of experience as a lead singer. He has fronted groups that played Rock & Roll, Rhythm & Blues, Soul, Classic Rock, Funk, and Jazz standards. Willie has been around the music scene since his college days at the University of Sioux Falls. There he teamed up with students from Augustana College as the original lead singer for the seven-piece show band, "The Fabulous Apostles." This Rhythm & Blues band played extensively throughout the Midwest. Willie has been a resident of of Sioux Falls for the last thirty-five years, and finally has found the group he has been waiting for—a very experienced group, musically and vocally, that knows what it takes to entertain on any occasion. Their knowledge in stage appearance, musical equipment, lighting, and of course song selection will give you a very professional group for your event.
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Sam Hasegawa got his start in music in Sioux Falls. At Washington High, he was the first-chair clarinetist in the band and orchestra and was first-chair in the all-state band and orchestra his senior year. As a mere high school student, Sam also played in the Sioux Falls Municipal Band and in orchestras for musicals put on by community groups. It was then that he also picked up the sax, which was his original first choice of instrument, and joined the Hursemen, a Sioux Falls band that played rock and soul. After high school, he joined Sad Lad and the Mourners, the Sioux Falls band which later became The Apostles. By that time, Sam was also playing flute. With The Apostles, Sam played all over the Midwest. He remembers those years as some of the best times of his life.
During the 1970s and the '80s, Sam pursued a career as a freelance writer in San Francisco and gave up performing. He never lost his love of music, however. For five years, he studied flute with Esther Landau, the flutist in City Winds, one of the Bay Area's leading woodwind quintets. He also started learning piano, taking occasional lessons from local rock and jazz pianists. A reunion of the original Apostles in 1997 reawakened Sam's desire in performing. As the reunions turned into an annual event, Sam bought a digital piano and became the primary keyboard player for the reunion concerts. Several years ago, after not playing sax for decades, he bought an alto sax. Meanwhile, in 2000, he and his wife, Gail, bought a house in Sioux Falls and began to split their time between California and South Dakota. In 2003, they moved to Sioux Falls permanently. For Sam, playing in the new Apostles group is a miracle. "These are the best musicians I've ever played with, and I'm having the time of my life," he says. "For me, being able to perform in a group like this one is something I never expected. It just doesn't get any better than this." Top |
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Mark Law has been surrounded by music his whole life. At an early age, he was exposed to Classical and Jazz music. In 1972, after seven years of piano lessons and three years of violin lessons, Mark picked up an electric bass guitar and has never put it down. His first public performances were at high school band concerts in a five piece group named "Electrophorus". Mark helped to introduce the parents to Buffalo Springfield, Neil Young, Eric Clapton and Jethro Tull.
His first professional gig was the 1975 Senior Prom in Beresford, SD. The following year he joined a blues band while in college in Illinois. For Mark, country, folk, bluegrass, and classic rock were followed by jazz and contemporary Christian. Starting in 1993, many late nights at Skelly's sitting in with his future wife, Connie, and Dan Larson gave him the confidence to dive into the wonderful world of jazz. A host of gifted mentors from SDSU and the Brookings jazz scene later helped him learn many of the best jazz standards. It has kept him busy ever since. "The Apostles are a great group of gifted musicians. It is always fun to make music with them." The Apostles are happy to have someone of Mark's skill in their midst. "It's not often you can throw a lead to a bass player," says Apostles singer Carol Nesbitt, "but Mark Law has extraordinary skills and it's a joy to listen to him." Top |
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David Hofstad
David is a drummer, singer and songwriter. After moving to S.D. in the 60's he began drumming with the popular horn band 'The Talismen', playing extensively throughout the region. In the 70's, he joined with other local musicians to form the original music group 'Blueberry Buckle'. The group played from Denver to Chicago and everywhere in between, and included members Boyd Bristow on guitar, and singer Susan Osborn, who later received a Grammy from her work with Sony records. The 80's brought a couple fun little opportunities for David, playing with Nashville's 'Stan Gunn Show', 'Myron Lee & the Cadies', and 'Rocket 88', an R&B group featuring guitarist Dave Wood. In the 90's, David had the privilege of recording two SD Public Radio programs featuring his original music. It was also in the 90's that he ran into a group of 70's horn band mates from the Talismen and Pilgrims, and reinvented a spin-off group 'Special Delivery'. In the new century, David has released a CD of original music sponsored by the SD Arts Council featuring long time friend, Grammy guitarist Mike Miller (Chick Corea, Bette Midler, Gino Vannelli). David continues to play with multiple regional musicians, and is the regular drummer for the Fox Network's 'Celebrate' band from Our Savior's Lutheran in Sioux Falls. David is also the drummer for the compelling indigenous artist Vince Two Eagles. Vince's group 'Otakahe' reunites David, Boyd, and bassist Terry Pospisil to round out a group that shouldn't be missed. Visit his website here! David is excited to be playing now with the other 'seasoned' musicians from the Apostles, and adds great vocals and his own skilled drumming talents. The other Apostles are thrilled to have him on board! Top |
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Willie Bertsch 832 N. Columbia Circle, Sioux Falls, SD 57103 | phone: 605.334.6524 | |
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