mentors, staff, board

 Composer / Producer / Multi-Instrumentalist

Melody...it’s all about Melody.  Being born in the1960’s, means growing up with some of the best pop music ever produced. The Beatles, Beach Boys, Motown, and endless amounts of other great pop music from the time, means being imbedded with some amazing melodies. As a child with an older brother and sister, Jim was constantly surrounded by melody, whether it was from the piano in the living room, or the record player in his brother or sister’s room, there was melody everywhere in the house as soon as he arrived home from the hospital as a newborn infant to his home in Long Island, NY
          This kind of thing is very difficult to avoid in a situation like this. Luckily, all this great, albeit, involuntary ear training didn’t go to waste. Jim wasted no time diving into to his brother’s sand sister’s record collection, or hammering away at the family piano looking for some musical bliss of his own. 
         He then started music in school, first on Saxophone, then baritone horn, playing in the school band. Then it was Rock n Roll’. We’re talkin’ the 1970’s....It was all about guitar. Jim dove head first into guitar, and never looked back. His long and winding Rock an’ Roll path, led him through many styles...classic rock, metal, funk, pop, punk, surf...you name it. Absorbing the best facets of each like a sponge...bringing a new dimension and originality to his playing. He also learned other instruments to broaden his musical scope.
        All the while, the band he played in always needed songs, so there was song writing to be done, which he jumped into with the same vigor. Taking all those great influences with him, he brought melody to all of it....catchy,,memorable melody. 
His first band Hittman, a traditional 80’s metal outfit  formed in 1985, released 2 records in 1988 and 1993, before moving on, only to reunite in 2018 for Germany’s finest Underground metal festival, Keep It true, co-headlining, and playing to a very enthusiastic audience, many of whom have waited over 25 years to see the band. In 2020, the band release the crucially acclaimed “Destroy All Humans” and that album topped many of the year end best album lists.

       Jim also, took and active interest in studio production, going to school for audio engineering at  Audio Recording Technology Institute, graduating at the top of his class in 1994. Shortly after, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue music more seriously as a career.  He wasted no time and landed work the Sandbox Studio and the Swinghouse Studios in Hollywood, engineering many of the established, and up and coming artists in Hollywood, working with artists such as mega-producer Jon Brion, Charlotte Caffey of the Go-Go’s, Sugar Ray, Rickie Lee Jones, Macy Gray, and Rage Against the Machine to name a few.
      All great preparation for bigger things to come...namely FUZZBUBBLE

           Amongst all the various bands Jim wrote and performed for,  the most notable was Fuzzbubble, a Beatlesque four-piece he originally started in New York, as a recording project he worked on while in Recording school.  He managed to convince 3 other Long Islanders to move out to LA and join Fuzzbubble in pursuit of rock stardom. Ironically, they did find a deal, but the major label they ended up signing with was not a rock label at all. The rapidly ascending Rapper/producer Sean “Puff Daddy” Combs discovered Fuzzbubble and signed them to Bad Boy/Arista Records, the hip-hop label most notably home to the late Notorious B.I.G.

          Under Combs guidance Fuzzbubble recorded and toured America, appearing on MTV and VH1. The band’s accolades include an MTV Viewers Choice Award and a platinum album for their contribution to the soundtrack of the 1998 summer blockbuster Godzilla. a personal highlight,  Tragically, while recording their brilliant debut album with Guns & Roses producer Mike Clink, Puff Daddy’s own career began to skyrocket and Fuzzbubble was lost in the shuffle. Knowing that the album would never see the light of day, the band asked to leave Bad Boy/Arista and have since recorded and released numerous albums independently. 
        After, Fuzzbubble left Bad Boy in 2000 , Jim wrote ,performed and recorded with a local Hollywood group Teen Machine, whose line-up included actress Amanda Foreman (Happy Endings, Felicity), and cult Film Maker Cody Jarrett (Frog-g-g, Sugarboxx) Teen Machine’s  “After School Special” is now regarding as a powerpop classic, amongst the “pop geek” contingent.

The greatest irony of Bacchi’s Fuzzbubble experience, though, came in the fact that the band’s most notable achievement was their appearance on a motion picture soundtrack.  This is the next step in a songwriter’s path...composing.
         Jim began recording instrumental music, with the goal of getting into jingle and commercial music. Sharpening his production and instrumental skills even further, and broadening his musical scope, as he was no longer just “writing for the band”. Since then, Jim has had numerous placements in Network  and cable TV, Film, DVD,  commercials for companies like Wendys, BMW,  V-tech and Movie Trailers, and has carved out a successful career composing for the TV and Film medium, as well as producing, recording, and mastering for other artists.
       In 2007, not one to just stick with familiar territory, Jim released The Tikiyaki Orchestra “StereoExotique”, a solo CD of original, but classic-style Exotica/Lounge compositions, and subsequently formed a live band ,who performs regularly around Southern California. The "Orchestra" is currently working on their 5th album, and continues to grow it's fan base internationally.

     So, whether it’s Hard Rock, Pop, Lounge....Jim will bring a great melodic sensibility and sonic quality to the music, whatever that music may be.

Rachel Fannan is a bassist, drummer, pianist, singer and producer living in Portland Oregon. She has toured internationally with acts Pussy Riot, Black Mountain, Entrance and Sleepy Sun. She has over 20 years of stage experience and has been teaching musical performance for 10 years. She comes to the School of Rock Portland by way of South Central Los Angeles where she taught music at View Park High.  Whether its the studio, stage or class room, Rachel prides herself on bringing an openness and judgement free energy to everything she does. 

Michael Feldman is a mixer, pianist, composer, theater sound designer, sound synthesist, and audio engineer. From Saratoga Springs NY, he began improvising on the piano as a little kid, and later delved equally into classical piano, jazz piano, and recording engineering. Now residing in Los Angeles since 2003, Feldman has followed a diverse career in audio post production with his unique knack for shaping superb sonic experiences.

John "MuscleMouth" Lugo is a professional performing trombonist and composer/arranger currently residing in San Antonio, TX. His versatility has taken him from performing for a sold out audience at The Hollywood Bowl while opening for Ziggy Marley’s band (backing Bob Andy and Freddie McGregor), to performing for a sold out Moe’s Alley Blues Club with George Clinton and The Big ‘Ol Nasty Getdown. MuscleMouth has performed and recorded with members of such bands as Parliament/Funkadelic, The Circle Jerks, Bad Brains, the Eels and Fishbone. He is a veteran of the Vans Warped Tour, has appeared on MTV numerous times with Robi Draco Rosa (Menudo) and can be heard on the New York Times website performing behind some of the biggest names in film. Look for his horn arrangements and performances on Trulio Disgracias albums, as well as his recordings with The Bashments, Cousin Junebug, Watts Ensemble, Marcus Very Ordinary, Thelonious Monster, Bucketfunk, Tawali, Soul Turtle and many others. His solo projects are released under the name MuscleMouth. John Lugo is also a composer in the classical medium. Albums and sheet music are available through E-TIP Records and E Tú Productions Ltd.

Renée is an active gigging musician whose music educator parents always encouraged her to have a musical outlet. After growing up singing in choirs and playing the trumpet, Renée taught herself guitar at 13 years old, so she could sing along with her instrument. One year later, she landed the coveted position as the guitarist in her high school jazz choir combo. There, she spent two years learning jazz accompaniment and took lessons to learn improvisation. In college, she studied classical guitar at Southwestern University and transferred to the University of North Texas where she started her first rock band. Since then, Renée has released three albums, including her newest, "Where Trees Once Made a Sound," which can be heard on all streaming platforms. 

After moving to Portland, Renée has spent the last 15 years refining her lead guitar skills by producing all-womxn cover shows tributing Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Michael Hurley, Rolling Stones and more. Currently, she is the lead singer and guitarist for Major Tomboys, her David Bowie cover band and hosts her own musical variety show, "Renée's Queer Cabaret," for which she plays her original music. Renée has taught guitar at Rock 'n' Roll Camp for Girls, Ethos and now Montavilla Guitar Studio.

Renée believes learning to play music as a kid was the best thing she could have ever done for herself, because it continues to allow her to connect with others through jamming, take moments out of her day to breathe deeply to sing and creatively express her emotions as a singer-songwriter.

Learn more about Renée's musical adventures at reneemuzquiz.com.

Aran Tanchum is a multiple Emmy and Golden Reel winning foley mixer and recording engineer whose tv and film credits range from Spongebob Squarepants to the Revenant. In 2007, he began working on Avatar: the Last Airbender and met fellow mentor, composer and guitarist Jeremy Zuckerman. Jeremy invited Aran to play saxophone in his funk band Cousin Junebug, where Aran met other fellow mentor keyboardist Mike Feldman, and bassist Brett Rothfeld. Meeting these gentlemen, playing in their band, and becoming their friends, is and will forever be one of the greatest joys of Aran's life.

Jeremy Zuckerman is a musician and Emmy-winning composer. His body of work includes concert music, film and television music, music for modern dance, and experimental music. Notable television and film works include the musical scores to Avatar: the Last Airbender, The Legend of Korra, the Scream TV series, and Horsegirl. Jeremy is a founding member of the new music collective The Echo Society. Based in Los Angeles, Jeremy lives with his wife, his two kids, a mass-murderous cat, and two mostly benevolent dogs. More on Jeremy here: http://www.jeremyzuckerman.com

Kristina, launched Brett's Bass Fund with Brett's friends and family in honor of her late husband in 2023. She has worked in the non-profit sector for over 20 years. She has experience working in every facet of non profit management; she was the COO of the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation and managed the forest protection program for the Environment Now Foundation. She is the Executive Director of Seventh Generation Advisors an organization dedicated to fighting climate change and protecting the environment.  She is also an accomplished actor, writer and acting coach and proud mom to 2 rescue chihuahuas. More on Kristina here: www.kristinahaddad.net 

Donna Camiolo received her Bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education/English before returning to school to earn her certification in Special Education. She has been teaching Special Education with the middle school population for the past 10 years, and is passionate about helping students with varied social, emotional, physical, and academic needs reach their fullest potential, both inside and outside of the classroom. Prior to teaching, Donna worked at a residential treatment center for teenage girls and young women who struggled with emotional disabilities and life-threatening eating disorders. She currently lives in Los Angeles with her husband, Jason, their two sons, Maxwell and Ian, and puggle, Daisy.

Jenna Cittadino has worked for an environmental non-profit for over 15 years.  She also recently completed a two-year tenure leading her kids' school's non-profit and helped them successfully surpass fundraising goals. She is a lifelong performer and lover of music and film. Some of her favorite performances include: Mozart's Requiem in Carnegie Hall; Amerwrecka in the Edinburgh Fringe Festival; A Ceremony of Carols in Thousand Oaks;  Freedom with Awaken Acappella in UCLA's Spring Sing; performing with Common Hours in the Viper Room.  Jenna still loves to sing and play the piano as well as crochet, read, throw endless wiffle balls to her son in her backyard, and learn dances alongside her daughter.

Alicia  met Brett when she was about 3 or 4 years old. Brett was the cool older kid who was sweet and hilarious with his younger cousins and their friends. Alicia has loved audio since she was a kid listening to comedy albums and call-in radio advice shows that weren’t for kids, which partially explains why she and Brett were so close. She is an award-winning journalist and currently a John S. Knight Journalism Fellow at Stanford University, exploring ways to make radio and podcasts more accessible for people who have hearing loss, a project inspired by her partner Mark, one of Brett’s best friends and musical collaborators. Alicia was previously Editorial Director at WLRN in Miami, the NPR member station for South Florida. Before that, she was an arts reporter at WNYC and New York magazine. Her work has aired on NPR, Here & Now, The World, This American Life, and various podcasts. She also serves on the advisory board for the AIR (Association of Independents in Radio) New Voices program for producers, journalists and storytellers from underrepresented backgrounds. Alicia and Brett worked together on Under the Sun, an early podcast and radio series on WLRN, and in 2020, they co-produced this radio piece about making latkes together from opposite corners of the country. He taught her to love cumin and question bay leaves, and she misses him everyday.