Bill Kessel

Guitars, Vocals

Bill began playing piano at 8 years old, and has been playing guitar since he was 11. He began playing surf music with his cousin at an early age, and rock and roll in bands and duos such as "Cobblestone" and "The Greedy Handful" in California at age 14. He also plays in the praise band at Prairie Oak Church and works at Mercy and Fairview-Riverside Hospitals as a Respiratory Therapist. He is known by his fellow band members as the "Human Jukebox" for his ability to recall and perform a vast repertoire of rock and country songs. He also enjoys fishing with his wife and dog, hiking and gardening.

Influences:

James Taylor, Ricky Skaggs, Garth Brooks, Alan Jackson, every Rock band he's ever listened to, a lot of musicians that he has played with

Jennifer Urbach

Vocals

Jen was born a music lover. She was three years old when her parents took her to her first concert (Neil Sedaka) and she sang the words to every song at the top of her lungs. She's played piano, oboe, and tenor sax but has really always considered herself primarily a vocalist and closet rock star. She lives in Coon Rapids with her husband and dog and works as a respiratory therapist with fellow band mate Bill at Mercy Hospital. On her days off she enjoys soaking up the local music scene, going to movies, and hanging out at the lake with family and friends. She is very excited to be part of such an incredibly talented group of musicians.
 

Influences:
Range from John Denver to Def Leppard and are too many to list.

Paul Bagley

Bass Guitar, Vocals

Paul has played in a number of bands over the years, including "WallCloud", "Technical Difficulties", "Box of Rocks", and "Stuffed Tiger". Primarily playing covers of great Rock & Roll and Country songs, Paul always tries to put a touch of originality into the music to keep things fresh. Paul has also worked on some originals projects with "Stuffed Tiger" and "The Duke Resonant Orchestra". When not playing the electric bass Paul can be found at BlueGrass jam sessions playing an old Kay doghouse bass or dabbling on guitar, banjo or dobro. Paul also helps out his local church music team when ever possible.

Influences:
Noel Reading and Billy Cox (Jimi Hendrix), Jack Bruce (Cream), Glenn Cornick and Jeffery Hammond-Hammond (Jethro Tull), and J.S.Bach.

Nate Bangs

Terry Stille

Terry began playing drums in high school after his parents bought a set of drums for the sons in the family in the mid-70s. He joined his first rock band "Aura" in 1979, and was playing in bars before he was old enough to legally drink in them.   While in college, he jammed with a few groups, and even practiced in an old meat locker for awhile in Rusk, Wisconsin. He insists he lost some hearing playing Black Sabbath tunes in that metal-lined room. After college, he was hired to play with "Crosswind". A short time later, Crosswind dropped a few members, added new female lead vocalist, and became "Jagged Edge". Terry left the group in 1998, which soon after became "Frenzy".

During this time he discovered the timeless talents of Led Zeppelin, The Who, The Doors, Van Halen and the Rolling Stones. Terry took a break from bands as a new father in the 90's. He would jam with a group of guys over the years, where he played with Steve Harlan-Marks. Through more connections he joined "Classix" with Bill Kessel in 2002, and met Paul Bagley performing in a 50's musical review. At that time he switched from his 80's double-bass acoustic kit to Roland electronic drums, igniting a new excitement with performing once again. Flight Risk evolved from a fusion of the best of these musicians. He also played the drum tracks on "Beat of Life" and "House of Cards", CDs by local singer/songwriter Steve Harlan-Marks. Terry currently works at Connexus Energy in Information Systems. He enjoys cycling, golf, and volleyball. He has been married for 20 years to his wife Jen, and they are very busy with raising their 3 daughters and supporting the family business "Busy Kids".