OUTTA SCOPE

Band Bios

Outta Scope's lineup is as follows:

Longtime friends Feinberg, Sultan, and Van Gelder had played together for many years as the rhythm section of many D.C. bands. McCloskey met Feinberg through their common day jobs as NASA engineers. The trio invited McCloskey over to play one evening, and the result was that Outta Scope was born in its initial quartet lineup. (The name "Outta Scope" was inspired in large part by the large space telescope project that provides Feinberg's and McCloskey's bread and butter.)

After playing together for about a year, the quartet was invited to play at a benefit concert at which Holdridge was also on the bill. Holdridge and Van Gelder had played together in previous bands, and Holdridge was invited to sit in. The quartet loved the wonderful addition of Holdridge's violin to the group's sound. The timing was perfect; Holdridge was looking for a new project, and Outta Scope became a quintet. As a quartet and then as a quintet, Outta Scope has had a lot of fun playing together in any genre that fits their fancy.

Lee Feinberg

Keyboardist Lee Feinberg has played in several jazz, rock, and blues bands in the New York City and Washington, DC areas for the past twenty years. His compositions appear on 4 CDs and include cable television theme music, a CD of original jazz and classic rock, and songs on the latest CD "Time Machine" by Outta Scope. Lee also recorded a CD of acoustic piano holiday music "Festival of Lights and Sounds" and has appeared as a guest musician on CDs of other artists. Mr. Feinberg plays acoustic piano, electronic keyboards and Hammond organ. He studied jazz piano with pianist Phil Gaberman and has taught pop and jazz piano in the DC area.

Geoff Holdridge

Classically trained musician from age four, with 12 years of formal musical training and thirty years of professional experience, Geoff is versed in many styles, from blues and rock to country, jazz, old timey, and medieval. He has performed and/or recorded with Outta Scope, Wild Man, The Free Radicals, The Deacons, Bay Country, Mike Baker and Blue Smoke, Danny Gatton, Solar Circus, Section Eight (featuring Barry Sless and Mokie Segil, who are now touring with Phil Lesh), Ron Holloway, Sassparilla, Knee-Deep in the Marsh, Joe Glazer, Washington Recorder Society, Guff, Hesitation String Band, and Boplicity. He also studied jazz theory and improvisation with John Mehegan and classical viola at Yale University.

John McCloskey

John has been playing guitar for over 25 years. He has drawn inspiration and influence from a diverse list of guitarists that includes Jimi Hendrix, John McLaughlin, Robert Fripp, Frank Zappa, Joe Pass, Jim Hall, Wes Montgomery, Pat Martino, and Pat Metheny. When he first arrived in D.C. in the late ’80’s, he took a few lessons from Steve Abshire before pursing an extensive period of study with Paul Bollenback. He has played in many jazz and rock bands in the D.C area, including One Color Coalition , Thin Air, On the Rocks, the Dark Aether Project, the Jazz Detour, and 3 Piece Suit (with Todd). John also does his share of writing; Outta Scope's Time Machine CD features one of John's original compositions. John has also developed a passion for recording; Outta Scope's Time Machine CD was recorded and produced at Meep and Myrna Studios, the 24-track studio that he built in his home, and the CD was released on Meep and Myrna Records, John's independent label. By day, John supports his family and his musical habit by working as an electronics engineer at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, where he met Lee. The name "Outta Scope" was inspired by the name of the project that provides bread and butter for both of them, the James Webb Space Telescope.

Alan Sultan

Alan Sultan has been playing bass for over 20 years. He has played in numerous bands in the New York City and Washington, DC metro areas, ranging from jazz to rock to playing with members of the band Anthrax. Alan has recently been playing with Outta Scope and before that played bass with DC's Blue Phase.

Todd Van Gelder

Todd Van Gelder has been playing drums for over 30 years. He began studying drums at age 9. In his mid teens he worked as a studio drummer with composer Les Ledo and his drumming was heard on major radio commercials throughout the New York City metro area. In the 1980's he studied at Berklee College of Music, where he focused on performance and audio engineering. He holds a degrees in TV Production/Engineering and Music from Emerson College. As a composer, he co-wrote the music for "Kidsaid", a collection of music for kids with fellow composer Miche Booz. In addition to playing several instruments and singing on Kidsaid, he also engineered and produced the release. As both a drummer and vocalist, he has performed with: Outta Scope, Speed Limit, Knee-Deep in the Marsh, the Inlaws, Sailin' Shoes, the Deacons, Class Action, the City, Friend of Phil and Mark Stanley. In addition to working with renowned teachers at Berklee, Mr. Van Gelder has studied with jazz great Adam Nussbaum. Versed in jazz, rock, R&B, blues, funk and Latin styles, Mr. Van Gelder is often called to join groups for pick-up gigs at weddings, parties and corporate events. Since his family insists on eating, Mr. Van Gelder also works as a Senior Systems Analyst at the National Institutes of Health.