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Ted Neeley Beard came about during the summer of 2001 when- with the graduation of 'Jesse and the Rippers'
drummer Mark McArdle- Jesse, Pete, and Olivier were looking for someone to play with. Jesse and Pete came across that someone-
Shane Bannister- at Acadia Jazz Camp, and immediately got to jammin'. With their tight jams and even tighter facial hair,
they've been impressing people every since. But who are they, really?...
Shane Bannister, a Grade 12 student at Moncton High School, bangs those skins harder than just
about anyone. Some say he has gotten his acute technique and quick reflexes from his years as a minor hockey goaltender. Shanedogg
draws from a variety of styles and influences, from Tower of Power to the Flecktones, Denis Chambers to Billy Martin.
Peter Gorman, moving on from Moncton High to King's next year, is known as TNB's Chairman
of the Boards. Gorman has played the piano since the age of 5 and is plenty comfortable behind his keys (and is known to pull
out some ill rhymes every now and then). Pete is a huge Beatles fan, but stylistically, takes after Thelonious Monk, Page
McConnell, John Medeski, and even Debussy. He also has the most consistent beard in the group.
Jesse Griffith, now an MHS grad continuing on in Music at St. F.X., hails from the remote
village of Grande Digue. And it is in this isolation that Jessmo has honed his guitar skills for many years. He also takes
on the roles of singer and chief songwriter for TNB. Jesse is known to play in one style, and be able to turn things around
completely in a matter of seconds. Whether riding smooth jazz scales, funkin' things up with his wah pedal, or crankin' up
the reverb for a rock out, he takes after John Scofield, Trey Anastasio, Chris Colepaugh, and Miles Davis.
Olivier Jarda , a graduate of Moncton High School soon attending St. Mary's, has become a
chameleon in terms of his instrument of choice- from sax, to drums, to guitar, to ukulele, Oli's finally settled on bass (despite
the bluegrass jam he started on harmonica at the Sinkin Dory Festival). His ever-slapping style, taken from Vic Wooten and
Mike MacDougall (and maybe even Dave Merks), is what drives the Beard's funk train.
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