What do you get when eight seasoned professionals come together to celebrate the soundtrack of an ageless era of music?  MONSTER ROAD!! They truly love performing their music together on stage and the retrosound they strive for is authentic and organic.  Live performance all the way.

Please allow them to introduce themselves….

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Roosevelt McQuarter, Jr

Lead Vocals and Percussion.

Roosevelt’s roots are apparent as soon as he starts to sing.  Raised in the church by his vocalist/vocal coach parents, his professional career began in Germany with the US Army which took him from coast to coast where he enjoyed successful years as lead vocalist for two very esteemed bands “Brown Shoes” and “Upper Level” in the 80’s.  Soon after, he joined “Old School Fellas”, a R&B cover band that played the casino circuits for 11 years until he met Susan Apple and moved on to new opportunities with Monster Road. Roosevelt is ‘the real deal’ and is responsible for the authentic soul in Monster Road’s sound.   

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Susan Apple

Lead Vocals and Percussion.

Born into a professional musical family, Susan was catapulted directly onto casino stages in Las Vegas, Reno and Tahoe as one half of the “Apple Sisters” duo straight out of high school.  Here she honed her entertainment skills and ability to reach her crowd.  After moving to Seattle in the mid-80’s she enjoyed years singing behind Grammy-nominated singer, Merrilee Rush and enjoyed singing backup for The Fabulous Wailers while raising her own family. 
During the 90’s, Susan owned and operated her own company which created singing competitions nationwide with comedian Sinbad as Host at Orlando’s American Gladiator Arena. 
She went on to write/produce/direct several sold-out production shows in Seattle until Monster Road came calling. Susan’s love of harmonic blends is alive and thriving in Monster Road. 

John Hanford

Musical Director/Guitar and Vocals.

John is the only original member of Monster Road and his expertise had him performing in every genre of music since the 60’s.  Most notably, John was lead guitar for “The Wailers” (aka The Fabulous Wailers) credited as being ‘one of the very first, if not the first, of the American garage bands’.  He did all this while teaching musicology at the University of Washington as well.  During his illustrious career, John backed Monster Road’s original founder, Kathi McDonald (Capitol Recording artist/Rolling Stones/Joe Cocker/Leon Russel) until Kathi deputized Patti Allen to take over the leader’s role.  Patti also boasts an impressive resume and upon her retirement, passed the Monster Road baton over to Susan Apple.  According to Susan, “John always nails the tone required for each song…He knows how to elicit goosebumps”.

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Don Wilhelm

Bass and Lead Vocals.

Don is the consummate bassist, vocalist and all-around musician.  He’s especially known for his melodic bass style and exceptional vocal range. His extensive resume begins as a founding member of “Heart” in 1967, and goes on to holding the bass chair position in “Paul Allen’s Band” for multiple world tours which he also did with PNW favorites, “The Sonics”, and also played with the legendary NW band “The Daily Flash” for eighteen years.  Other notable entries are shows with “Moby Grape” and multiple albums with “Jim Valley”.  Don joined Monster Road in 2021 and has truly helped define their unique sound ever since.  Playing bass and singing like he does should be illegal.

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John Douglas

Keyboards.

This award-winning, multi-instrumentalist is an extremely accomplished songwriter, musician and producer.  John has played guitar, keyboards and/or drums with BB King, Roy Orbison, Jerry Garcia, etc…  He’s toured with and/or opened shows for The Temptations, Earth, Wind and Fire, Van Morrison, The Doobie Brothers, and the list goes on and on.  After many years in Los Angeles and Nashville as a signed songwriter (with over 300 songs placed) and performer, Monster Road is thrilled to welcome the multi-talented Johnny Douglas to our band as he makes his home in Seattle.

Jakob Yansen

Saxophone and Wind Synth.

Jakob’s energy and showmanship, coupled with his immense talent wow audiences nightly. Even at his young age, Jakob’s experience is already impressive.  After attending the award-winning Mount Vernon High School band program, he was a part of a world-renowned jazz program at the University of Nevada in Las Vegas where he played on the Las Vegas strip with headliner acts such as Clint Holmes, Marlena Shaw, Ben Vereen, Pete Barbutti etc.  You can find him strolling through the crowd wailing on his sax on any given night with Monster Road.  The crowd just loves Jakob and so does his band.

Pete Kirkman

Trumpet and Flugelhorn.

Pete has been performing as a freelance trumpet player in the PNW for over 41 years.  His education at Western Washington University as a Performance/Music Ed Major led to his performing with every genre.  You name them, Pete’s played with them…Including Frankie Valli, Mary Wilson and the Supremes, The Platters, The Coasters, Toni Tenille, Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra, Artie Shaw Orchestra, Steve Miller, Temptations, 4 Tops and every local act you can name.
Pete’s specialty is ‘getting it right’.  Monster Road depends on his expertise and he always delivers. 

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Eric Manegold

Drums.
Playing drums in live music clubs since the age of fourteen, Eric is known as a ‘singer’s drummer’ and that focus has successfully taken him from Montana to Las Vegas and throughout Europe.  In the PNW, he backed Merrilee Rush (Angel of the Morning), and countless Soul, Country, Blues, Rock artists and various Show bands.  Eric’s sound is solid as a rock and Monster Road is grateful for his foundation.