Listen for yourself.

Blues Torch explores a wide range of contemporary rock and classical blues influences and makes these tunes their own. From "covers" of great blues and blues-rock songs to original Blues Torch compositions, the result is always energetic, powerful and sure to get your feet stompin'.  Their sound is characterized by powerful, soulful female vocals backed by a tight rhythm section, expressive guitars, virtuoso keys and saxophone.

Members:

Monique Weldon: Lead Vocals
Monique joined Blues Torch as lead vocalist in July 2008, bringing great energy and excitement. Her presence has helped expand the band's repertoire, thanks to the power and range of her soulful voice. The band’s shows and rehearsals are also continually punctuated by her infectious laughter.

Monique has been singing since she was two years old. She ate, drank, and slept thinking about music growing up and came of age in the days when Madonna, hip hop and R&B dominated the airwaves. Unmoved by the `80s musical environment, the “material” this girl prefers covering spans Blues, Cajun, and Rock to create a sound all her own.

A Denver native, she discovered that she attended the same high school as Blues Torch’s drummer – although enough years afterward to make him feel really decrepit. Monique revels in performing in front of live audience and enjoys an easy rapport with crowds large and small.


Steve Ciancio: Drums
Steve’s earliest recollection of his percussionist bent was his father’s admonishment “if you don’t stop that pound, pound, pounding, I’m gonna tie your hands up.” These threats failed to materialize, even though such tactics weren’t considered child abuse in the sixties. Then Ciancio’s first band, Electric Storm, started pounding out Clapton, Blind Faith, and Traffic tunes in his parent’s basement.

By high school, Steve was pulling “respectable” duty anchoring the jazz-rock ensemble, and for the Latin-jazz Gala Lewis Trio. In his twenties, Ciancio discovered that promoting auto racing offered far greater potential for hearing damage, and a musical hiatus ensued.

But the skins continued to beckon. Before long, stints as a “stunt drummer” for Toasterheads, BPS All Stars and other bands enabled Ciancio an outlet apart from pounding on his steering wheel. He's one of three Blues Torch founders, not that the streets are any safer for it.


David Johnson: Guitar/Vocals
Dave has had a long, sordid musical career. Once a member of stellar cover groups such as Equinox (high school headbangers) and Rhythm Method (snotty punk meets the Beach Boys), Dave has most lately been in Toasterheads, a merry band of three eye doctors plus a law professor who play originals and have a lot more fun than it sounds. Their vibe has been described as “Early Rolling Stones meet Elvis Costello in a dark alley, steal his thesaurus, then go drinking with Steely Dan”, whatever that means.

Dave enjoys playing his own “special” version of venerable blues songs and appreciates the fact that he hasn’t yet been asked to leave. On any given day he can fool most blues fans with mutated Chuck Berry riffs; he has no plans to quit his day job.


Eddie Salcido: Keyboards/Saxophone
It was the late 70’s and disco was all the rage. In Woodland Hills, California, a 3-year-old was bouncing to the beat of his dad’s music. It was then that he began formal piano lessons. At the age of 5, Eddie won a $3,000 scholarship from the California governor’s committee for an original composition.

Throughout his childhood and early adolescence, he continued to grow musically, studying under Gary Bell, a noted Los Angeles area musician and teacher who worked with the likes of Ray Charles and Sam Cook. Eddie applied his saxophone knowledge to what he had previously learned on the piano. The blues has always influenced him and has positive affect on his song writing.

Eddie has perfect pitch, which means that he can hear a note or a chord and tell you what it is. This knowledge also extends to any noise that has musical value. He claims that this really isn’t a mental disorder and that it does serve him well in his work with other band mates. Eddie makes his living specializing in many genres including blues, jazz, classic rock, and country.


Steve Rippe: Bass Guitar/Vocals
Steve started his musical odyssey playing trombone in the high school marching band, then started playing bass for the group "Exit and the Wayouts", gigging at local venues in southeastern Nebraska and Kansas. He attended the University of Nebraska as a voice major, continuing to play in the marching band at Husker games. Steve’s musical highlight in college was singing and dancing the lead role of “Tommy” in a campus production of the Who’s rock opera before a combined audience of 16,000.

Steve continued his affiliation with music after college, managing a retail record store in Lincoln, Nebraska and later working for PolyGram Records in sales and sales management (experience that enables him to consistently identify the most unique versions of tunes to cover). After a 20 year musical hiatus to raise a family, Steve picked up the bass again and co-founded Blues Torch.