Rich Leone has been playing the piano and making music since the age of six. He studied at the Grove School of Music in Los Angeles performing, composing, and arranging under the direction of Bill Conti (Rocky, Academy Awards), Joel DiBartolo (Tonight Show, Windham Hill), Thom Sharp (Disney), and Russell Ferrante (Yellowjackets). Rich returned to the Twin Cities in the early 90's and since has been playing piano and keyboards with numerous groups as well as gigging and jamming with local jazz musicians. He was the music and media director for a local church for four years and has served on many worship teams. Rich started FS Productions in 2001 which currently handles in-house production for FS Studios and distributes instrumental CDs to the alternative music market. He has recently begun scoring music for independent films. Rich and his wife Deanne have six children and reside in Lake Elmo, Minnesota.
Stephanie Devine came to us after a long career as a paralegal. She had been involved in the music business for several years and has now finally made it a full time job. She got her start in high school dancing in musicals at the Ordway and opeing for Keith Sweat at First Avenue. After meeting Sanford Moore, she was inspired to pursue singing as well. Stephanie got her first experience with the local rock band Maricopa Haze. She has also sung with Erica West at a regular house gig at Jazzmine's as well as writing and performing original music with Willona and Trackstar. Stephanie began to act as the co-manager of The New Congress earlier this year and occasionally performs with them. They have performed at many local venues including Bunkers, The Fine Line and First Avenue and opened for national R&B acts Mint Condition and Faith Evans at the Quest. Stephanie also recently started working at Mint Condition's independent record label, Caged Bird Records.
Matt Beckstrom graduated Cum Laude from The Institute of Production and Recording with an Audio Production and Engineering Associate of Applied Science Degree as well as a certification in Pro Tools. His musical background has allowed him to work in many genres of music from folk to rock and acoustic to pop. During school he started freelance engineering and has since worked with such acts as Arsenal of Venice, Bruce Williams and Heidi Holt as well as Run with Scissors Productions and Urban Grooves Production. He recently engineered and mixed a radio single for local Twin Cities artist Nikki Frizzell. Matt is also involved in the live music scene, playing bass with local artist Heidi Holt and working as a monitor engineer at Club 3Degrees. Since starting at Fuzzy Slippers he has had the opportunity to engineer music of all styles, including working as assistant tracking engineer for Mint Condition. Another responsibility he has is in gear maintenance and making sure everything is in working order. Matt tries to approach every session with an "outside of the box" mindset" to give each artist their own sound.
Kyle Hopson tried college as a Composition major and then as a Computer Science major led to his decision to combine the best of both worlds and pursue Music Technology. After graduating from Rochester Community and Technical College he got married and focused his energy on his band Runway 36. The band is currently on the Fuzzy Slippers label and gigs part-time. A fresh open mind, on the road experience as a keyboard/vocalist, and a trained ear all accent Kyle's engineering skills. He continues to passionately perform with Runway 36 and looks forward to what God has planned for his future in the recording industry.
Angie Stenzel is doing a six-month internship here at Fuzzy Slippers. She graduated from MusicTech (now McNally Smith College of Music) with a degree in Music Production. She came to FS looking for experience with the business side of music, and has learned a lot about how a record label works, but the internship has also made her realize that her real passion is producing, and plans to pursue that as a career.
Carly Zuckweiler graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh with a Bachelor of Music degree in Recording Technology and ventured out to New York City. After her internship at Quad Recording Studios she moved back to the Midwest where she was the engineer for Ripon Public Schools. She also freelanced as an engineer, editing and recording music and dialog for Paradime Media, Inc. Other groups she recorded include the Oshkosh Symphony Orchestra, the Wisconsin Symphonic Winds, and Subdivider. She also assisted Copperbox at live shows. She brings to Fuzzy Slippers a mix of experience, education, and a great ear. In the future she hopes to bring her engineering skills to the world of film and television.
Brian Ricke (available on a contract basis) has recorded and mixed over three hundred CD projects in the last twelve years. He previously ran Holy Cow Productions, a recording studio in St Paul MN, for six of those years. He has taught a self-written curriculum at a local university for four years and has served as Media Director for several local churches. Brian has also traveled as Tour Manager and Engineer for Mint Condition for the last ten years. Past projects and clients include Nachito Herrera, Mint Condition, Joe Rogness, Tom Hunter, Down Low, Debbie Duncan, Excelsior Choir, Remnant, James Grear & Co., Jazz is Now, Just Live, Anika, Robert Robinson, Runway 36, Celebration Church, Sara Renner, Tim Lemmens, Greg Wollan and Ace Troubleshooter. He has also engineered in venues such as Radio City Music Hall, Target Center, The Exell Energy Center, Brixton Academy in London, the Essence Festival at the Superdome in New Orleans and The Blitz Night Club in Tokyo, Japan. Brian's extensive experience in the music industry has given him a unique insight into the recording process and his passion for recording is only exceeded by his love for music and the art of capturing "The Moment". Presently he is working full time with Hope Lutheran in North Minneapolis and is available for projects on a limited basis. For more information, contact Rich Leone.
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