Stacey McCann - Songwriter, bassist, lead vocalist. From Beale St to Bleeker St to Bourbon St, she’s played them all! Born in a family of musicians in NJ, Stacey began her life in the performing arts playing violin and studying dance. She knew she wanted to play the bass when she heard John Paul Jones’ bass line in Led Zep’s The Lemon Song. She immersed herself in the NY/NJ blues scene and became one of the founding members of the Soul Food blues band, recorded two albums and performed all over the tri-state area and beyond. They had a ten year steady gig at the legendary Great Notch Inn which as been featured in magazines (including Blues Revue) as one of the top 10 authentic juke joints in the USA. They also headlined at Canada’s Maximum Blues Festival.
Highlight: Being joined by James Brown’s tenor saxophonist Jeff Watkins at the blues jam at Scotland Yard Bar in Hoboken, NJ. What a funky thrill!!
She worked in several other projects over the years until moving to Austin TX in 2007. Stacey has performed at countless venues, from 6th Street bars to Antone’s and the Continental Club with various projects including LZ Love (with Carl and Stephen), Luke Daniel (with Abel and Stephen), and American Roulette. According to Stacey, SOB & The Dangs is her dream band!!!!!! ”Carl, Abel, and Stephen are not just phenomenal musicians, they are great humans. This is a true honor to share the stage with them!” —-Stacey
Being a rock solid rhythm player, her style is passionately funky. She says, “The best part is feeling the rhythm in my bones and more satisfying to see the audience feeling it too!”
Her love of all genres runs deep. Some of her idols include James Jamerson, John Paul Jones, Flea, Bootsy Collins and Dr. John.
Stephen Beasley - Saxophonist and backup vocals. Stephen grew up in the church, literally. His family lived in the parsonage where his Dad was the minister. They had a full organ in their house, and church is where he learned to sing harmonies. He got his first sax when he was 9 years old, fourth grade band. All these decades later, he’s still singing and playing. He started playing in his own project in college along with two friends. They later added upright bass and a standup drummer and called themselves the Raves… that was in the 80’s. Since then, Stephen has played in numerous projects highlighted here: His blues band the Bonediggers, the Telefunkin 47’s, Rick Daddy (director for a Tom Wait’s tribute), Graham Reynolds orchestra for Trees of Govalle performances, Dr. Zog Band, T-Bird and the Breaks, Galactic, Moonage Daydream, and SOB & The Dangs.
Stephen says, “What I’ve always loved about the saxophone is that it’s a lot like a human voice - aire driven, one note at a time, and the saxes are even arranged in the same way as voices. That is soprano, alto, tenor, baritone. So, any kind of music that works with human voice also works with sax, the way I hear it”.
Abel James - Lead Guitar, Vocals. Born and raised in the middle of nowhere in New Hampshire, Abel James started busking on the streets with his sax at 9 years old. During the holidays, he awkwardly dressed up like an elf to play Christmas tunes wherever they would let him.
After learning how to sing and play guitar, bass, drums, and keys, Abel released his first album in 1999 at the age of 15. His life changed when several of his songs hit the top of the Blues/Rock charts on mp3.com! He went on to tour internationally with several award-winning groups.
Highlights: In 2024, Abel became one of the top artists on WavLake and Fountain FM, with multiple songs from his original album, Swamp Thing, hitting #1 on the Top 40 Charts. Recorded in Nashville and produced by Denny Hemingson, bandleader and guitarist for the Tim McGraw Band, 8 songs have charted on the WavLake Top 40.
Lowlight: Just months after moving to Austin in 2008, Abel came home one night to see his apartment building engulfed in a 30 foot wall of flames. Incredibly, everyone made it out alive, but the fire destroyed all of his guitars, saxophones, recording gear, and possessions. With the help of friends, he found a cheap, beat-up guitar and amp at a local pawn shop and was back on his feet playing gigs two weeks later.
Since then, Abel has played hundreds of shows at beloved Austin venues on guitar, vocals, sax, and keys. He’s shared the stage with Zeale, Donavan Keith, Luke Daniel, the Contrabandits, the Incidents (with bandmate Stacey McCann), and many more.
Abel is also a New York Times Bestselling author and host of a top podcast, hitting #1 in Health on the Apple Charts in 8 countries with 100+ million downloads. He’s starred as a coach on ABC TV, appeared in documentaries, and has created more than 1000 immersive Virtual Reality nature, wildlife, meditation, and music experiences. Visit AbelJames.com to see the latest!
Carl Ryals - Drummer extraordinaire, this man knows how to lay it down!!
Carl fell in love with music in the back seat of his parent’s car. It was gospel on the way to church on Sundays, and at home it was American Top 40 and as much soul music as possible. He held a pair of drum sticks for the first time at age 10 and knew what he wanted to do…… play drums!!
He has enjoyed playing in Austin for many years, starting at open jams wherever possible and all different styles of music. There were open country music jams at the Little Longhorn, then rock at the Saxon Pub, and reggae at the Steamboat and Antone’s.
Carl says, “I really enjoyed gigs with the Greyhounds at the Continental Club, especially because a lot of great musicians would wander on to the stage with us!”
Another favorite gig was Sunday Brunch at Maria’s Taco Express with Ms. LZ Love singing gospel music. Carl says, “It was the perfect gig… great music, great food and margaritas. An overall great vibe! The spirit was definitely present. Music is spiritual to me.”