JONATHAN CRIST
(Songwriter, Vocalist, Guitarist and Harp Player)
Born and raised on Long Island, Jonathan is a self-taught musician/songwriter who found a love for playing guitar & harmonica simultaneously when he was 15. At the encouragement of high school friend Ted Demme (who went on to Direct Hollywood movies, The Ref, Blow and more) Crist participated in his high school’s talent show where he won 1st Place for his solo performance of Neil Young's Heart Of Gold. Over the years Jonathan has played with many talented musicians and as a solo artist. Crist co- founded TRI STATE ALEHOUSE with Jeff Schumacher in an effort to write, record & share songs that touch the everyday person. Jonathan continues to play several nights a week in venues on Long Island and New York City. He has received strong reviews, including from the ISLAND EAR MAGAZINE music critic Rob Granger, who wrote "Jonathan Crist is one of those rare musicians… armed with an acoustic guitar and the occasional harmonica, Crist puts on a show that could please anyone, no matter their musical preference. Crist's voice was as rich and powerful as his guitar playing… If you've got a chance to see him… make sure you get there."
Jeff Schumacher "Schu"
(DDrummer, Percussionist, Song Writer, Vocals)
Born and raised on Long Island, NY, Schu has been playing Drums and Percussion since the 2 nd grade, and when not playing drums on stage or in the studio, Schu will often spend time on guitar, bass or piano for song writing purposes or simply just screwing around. Over the decades, Schu has played with such legendary Long Island and New York City bands as The Blue Scoobies, Illusion, Buster, Deep C Revival, Atomic Mary, New Life Crisis, Permission To Launch, and T Minus Ten. His latest writing and recording project, the Country/Southern Rock crossover band "Tri State Alehouse", released its debut album in the Spring of 2019 and was a collaboration with many of the extremely talented musicians/life-long friends that Schu has had the pleasure to play with over the years. When spending time away from his musical in devours, Schu enjoys days spent not catching fish on his boat, maintaining his fairly high golf handicap, and attending hundreds of concerts to cheer on musicians who have become far more successful and talented than himself.
Mark Ambrosino
(Drummer, Bass, Vocals, Recording Engineer, Producer, Song Writer).
Mark started playing the drums professionally at the age of ten. Years of hard work and doing any gig he could find helped him break into the New York session scene where he's played on hundreds of records, films and commercials. Over the years Mark has worked around the world with artists such as Ray Charles, Whitney Houston, Barbara Streisand, Stevie Wonder, Michael Bolton, Michael McDonald, Neil Young, Pink, Perry Farrell, John Popper, Chris Barron and The Trans Siberian Orchestra. In 1995, Mark built his own recording studio, The Madhouse, where he has played on, produced, engineered and mixed hundreds of recordings. In 2007, Mark co- founded Sojourn Records, an indie label based out of the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Sojourn recently released its fifty sixth release, almost all of which Mark produced, played on, engineered and mixed. In 2016, Tri State Alehouse came to The Madhouse to work on their debut album, "Open Here", which was released in 2019. Since one of the band's founders (Schu) played drums, Mark jumped on bass so as not to miss out on the fame and fortune. Besides enjoying playing a different instrument and singing with the band, one of Mark's greatest thrills is not having to load in his drum kit.
Joe Leonard
(Guitar, Vocals)
A native of the Bronx who grew up in Northern New Jersey, Joe took to the Long Island music scene like a fish to a fish tank when he first moved to "Da-Island" back in 1989....or something. A guitar player since age 11 (when he took 6 months of lessons) Joe has been able to get by on wit and guile alone, having played with such criminally underappreciated bands as Liquid Children, Ten Gallon Fat, The Kenn Morr Band, Soul Shack, and most recently The Campfire All-Stars. Joe enjoys being a part of Tri State Alehouse almost as much as he enjoys Gretsch Guitars, Vox Amps, Keith Richards, Fender Telecasters and long walks on the beach....not to mention the color green.
Bill Blais
(keyboards, vocals)
Bill quit high school sports to play in a band at 14. He's since played in almost every arrangement imaginable, including church bands, bar bands, wedding bands, oldies bands, rock bands, acoustic duets, jam bands, and no band at all (just Bill), and thoroughly enjoyed them all. Bill took formal piano lessons for about a year and then taught himself the rest. Music has always been a source of relaxation and fun for Bill, and he rejoined the Long Island band scene after raising his kids on Long Island. He has enjoyed many successful runs with local bands such as Alias, Indulgent Lucie, and The Chosen Few, and Bill currently plays the solo acoustic scene, and has most recently joined Tri State Alehouse in 2019 on keys and backing vocals. Bill's vocal harmonies, keyboard sorcery, and live sound engineering wizardry have helped to bring Tri State Alehouse's studio recordings to life during the band's now legendary live performances.
