S.N.A.F.U. BIO

(Pictured Left to Right) Dean Berry, Boz Bowles, John Leslie, Omar Badwan

BOZ

Born in Nashville, TN. Boz Bowles was surrounded by music. His mother directed church choirs and worked at Triune Music Studio. His father and uncles all played bluegrass. Ironically, Boz showed little interest in music as a child. That would change however, when his family moved to Richmond, Va. His new neighbor introduced him to rock n' roll and the drums. After that, music was his primary interest. In 1985 Boz was accepted to the School of the Arts at Virginia Commonwealth University. There he met fellow student, Omar Badwan. After classes, the two jammed in local bands "BIZARRO" and "WOODEN BOOTY". In 1993 Omar was playing with blues man, "HURRICANE BOB". Omar brought Boz on board as drummer. The trio toured until late 1996. They met Dean Berry in February of 1997.

OMAR

Hailing from Dallas, TX. (by God), Omar Badwan grew up listening to diverse musical styles. He began playing bass along with the radio early in high school. After graduation, he took private lessons from Dallas Symphony Orchestra double bassist, "JOSE FRATINA". A short stint of college in Dallas led Omar to Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond. There he played with popular bands like "BIZARRO" and "BUNZ OF STEEL". After college he found his way into professional bands like "HEADSTONE CIRCUS" and "RANDY BRITT and the HOMEWRECKERS". He spent three years with the "HURRICANE BOB BAND", and can be heard on Erikyl Records release EVACUATION ROUTE. Omar and Boz began looking for a new project in early 1997. They first played with Dean Berry at a Blues Jam in Richmond

Dean

Dean Berry was born in Huntington, WV. He began playing guitar at twelve. A year later he joined his first band, "THE CHANGE", then went on to study classical guitar at Marshall University. The mix of classical instruction and band experience allowed Dean to make the switch from student to teacher. He's taught guitar for ten years at The Pied Piper in Huntington, and currently at The Richmond Music Center in Virginia. Dean has lent his innovative guitar style and soulful vocals to several local bands. He had stints with "HOT TRIGGER", "RUBY JONES", "MAD MARJORIE", and "KYLE DAVIS". In January 1997, a friend told Dean that Boz and Omar were looking for guitar players. He gave them a call, and the three began playing in Dean's basement.

John

A professional saxophonist with national and international performances, John Leslie has been interviewed on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. His career highlights include; "THE MONKEES' WORLD TOUR" (1986-87), The MTV Video Music Awards (1986), PBS World Premier of the SECOND HURRICANE/Aaron Copeland Opera (1986), HBO's "DIRTY DANCING LIVE IN CONCERT" (1988-89). John has performed with "WILSON PHILLIPS", "THE GRASS ROOTS", "HERMAN'S HERMITS", "ERIC CARMEN", "THE RIGHTEOUS BROTHERS", "THE TURTLES", "SOPHIE B. HAWKINS", and the NBC Martin Short Show (1995). He was Assistant Musical Director on the Dirty Dancing Tour, Monkees' World and Twentieth Anniversary Tours. John earned RIAA Multi-Platinum, Platinum, and Gold albums.