BAND MEMBER BIOGRAPHIES
"Steely Matt" Jones
keyboards, guitar, vocals
Hailing from the West Coast's "City of Angels," Matt originally cut his teeth in the mid-to-late 80s playing bass in the classic rock band After Forever, jamming on instrumental riffs by Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin and Rush. After learning keyboards and guitar, he joined the Beatles-influenced band Glass Onion, winner of the Battle-of-the-Bands competition at the Beatlefest convention in Los Angeles four years in a row ('89-'92). The bassist of Glass Onion later went on to become "Paul" in the acclaimed L.A.-based Beatles tribute band The Fab Four.
After moving to Nashville in the mid-90s, Matt played in several southern-influenced bands, including Jam Samich and Rockband.com, whose drummer left to play with (then up-and-coming) country singer Sara Evans..
The touring company SCF Entertainment came a-calling in the early 00s, which put Matt on stage (playing bass) with several era-specific bands under the SCF umbrella, such as Stone Cold Fox (70s disco), Electric Boogaloo (80s pop), White Leppard Crue (80s metal), Dock Martins (90s grunge), Foxxy Cleopatra (70s/80s mix) and Slippery When Wet (Bon Jovi tribute).
Relocating to Upstate South Carolina in the mid-00s provided Matt the opportunity to play with several variety bands, including Mighty McFly, RetroVertigo, and later, Hot as a Pepper and the various incarnations of Randomonium. In the mid-10s, Matt joined 80s arena rock band Spirit Well, whose members also included bassist Edgar Bonet and drummer Scott Whitcomb. A couple year later, the band segmented into two bands: Evolusion (Journey/Styx tribute) and Night Owls (70s/80s). In 2020, Matt left Evolusion to concentrate exclusively on Night Owls, preceded by Edgar and Scott.
Currently, you can find Matt rocking out throughout the Upstate with the Night Owls and occasionally doing fill-in gigs with Randomonium. His ultimate dream would be play in a Steely Dan tribute band (hence the nickname).
Edgar "Spike" Bonet
bass, vocals
Emanating from Ponce, Puerto Rico, Edgar was thrust into the world of music at an early age, learning how to play the acoustic guitar from his father. The mellow sounds of the acoustic guitar were all well and good, but Edgar yearned to rock. At age 16, his opportunity came when the local rock band, the Young Bloods, enlisted his talents, but it required a switch to bass guitar. The more aggressive instrument suited young Edgar just fine, and he took to the instrument quickly by playing at local events and parties with the Young Bloods. However, undoubtedly being influenced by the likes of Steve Harris and Geddy Lee, he longed to play even heavier and more complex music.
After relocating to Jersey City in 1986, Edgar joined an original thrash metal band called Instant Death, and later also played with Misery and Median. His penchant for wearing spikes, chains and bullet belts led to his nickname "Spike." After growing tired of the New Jersey rock scene, he moved to Upstate South Carolina in 2006. Over the next few years, Edgar would play with various other bands, including Paragon and Barbed Wire.
It wasn't until 2013, when he joined Chemistry of 4, that he truly felt he had found the right blend of heaviness and musicality. The band eventually renamed themselves Spirit Well, and played a combination of 80s "arena" rock and originals. In 2017, Spirit Well split into two bands: Evolusion (a Journey/Styx tribute) and Night Owls (70s/80s). In 2020, Edgar left Evolution to focus exclusively on Night Owls, joined by drummer Scott Whitcomb and keyboardist Matt Jones.
Currently, you can find Edgar rocking out all over the Upstate with the Night Owls, playing his unique style of bass and singing his ass off every night. He counts Rush, Iron Maiden, Yes, Marillion, Journey and Styx among his favorite artists. Edgar's ultimate dream would be to find out he was actually Steve Harris's long-lost brother who had been separated at birth.
Scott Whitcomb
drums
Born and raised in Flint, Michigan, Scott started playing drums when he was eight years old. The first song he ever learned how to play on drums was “Let’s Go” by the Cars. During these formative years, his main musical influences were of the hard-rock and heavy-metal variety. Scott's drumming heroes were Scott Rockenfield, Buddy Rich, Neil Peart, Tommy Lee, Rod Morgenstein and Lars Ulrich. Throughout junior high and high school, Scott played in the school band and attended Flint Institute of Music after graduating from high school.
After playing in many local Michigan bands during the 1980s, Scott eventually moved on to the bar circuit and relentlessly toured the Midwestern parts of the country. Eventually, in 2006, he relocated to South Carolina for work and also played professionally with a few bands in his new state.
In 2014, Scott joined Chemistry of 4, whose members also included bassist Edgar Bonet. After changing their name to Spirit Well, the band added keyboardist Matt Jones. In 2017, the band split into two different bands: Evolusion (Journey/Styx tribute), and Night Owls (70s/80s). Two years later, Scott left Evolusion to concentrate exclusively on Night Owls, followed a year later by Edgar and Matt.
Currently, you can find Scott rocking out throughout the Upstate with the Night Owls. His ultimate dream would be getting caught in the rain while drinking a piña colada.
Darren "Dagwood" Sip
guitar, vocals
Darren has the unnerving distinction of having been born in the same hospital as both Mel Gibson and Pee Wee Herman. That explains a lot about this odd individual. Coming out of Westchester, New York, Darren started playing guitar in 1986, being influenced by such diverse artists as George Lynch, David Gilmour, Mr. Bungle, and the Beatles, to name a few.
In high school, Darren gravitated towards head-banging music, and played in numerous "hair-metal" bands. During college, he performed with a variety of interesting-named groups including the Zippers, Get Open Crew, Size Nine Spine, and Chicken Blizzard.
After college, Darren took a job as a bartender at a local spot. As luck would have it, he was able to parlay that opportunity into a very sough-after bartending position at Yankee Stadium. During this time, he also dabbled in acoustic music with a band called Dirty Penny, but mostly took a break from music while he made his home in White Plains, New York.
In 2014, Darren decided to make a big change, and entered into a business opportunity in Greenville, South Carolina. Here he started playing music again, joining WPOS in 2015. He also played with the Angry Llamas and Neon Arcadia. In 2022, he joined the 70s/80s band Night Owls, a perfect fit for Darren's eclectic musical tastes.
Currently, you can find Darren rocking out with the Night Owls all over Upstate South Carolina. A businessman and collector of guitars, he also has a very large capacity for useless knowledge. He also enjoys walks on the beach and back rubs. Darren's ultimate dream would be to travel around the country on the back of a flatbed truck, playing disturbing renditions of Bee Gees' songs on the banjo.