Meet the Band
We’re packing up the gear and coming to your town to melt your hearts with our classic rock! Our set list features astounding harmonies and incredible musicianship that make you want to dance.
Check out our Schedule for when we’ll be playing near you!
Brian Adams
A native of Granby, Ct, Brian began playing guitar as a boy. Early influences were the Beatles, James Taylor, and Steve Howe of the ProgRock group Yes. Many garage and college bands later, Brian relocated to Chicago and began collecting guitars in earnest. By the mid-nineties, Brian began performing again as a solo artist, playing at corporate events and bars alike. “It was good to be performing again, but I missed the fuller sound that you get in a group setting.” Brian then embarked on a successful run with the acoustic trio, JoBreen, composed of three good friends with a common interest in music. By early 2009, the idea of Hoopla was hatched. “Hoopla is the band I’ve been trying to put together for years. We’re all good friends first – but also masters of our craft. We combine great musicianship and sophisticated harmonies to create one heck of a sound. For me, it’s another step in the lifelong musical journey.” Brian lends his crucial vocals and unique guitar stylings to the Hoopla sound, and is also Hoopla’s Musical Director. He lives in Park Ridge, and is President of R.F. Mau Co., a Lincolnwood-based manufacturing firm.
Tom Howland
Southside Chicago native and the youngest of 7 kids, Tom's early influences started after listening to older brothers and sisters' 45 records, vinyl albums, and eight tracks of vintage Beatles, Turtles, Stones, The Who, Led Zep, and many other early rock and pop bands. Tom has been greatly influenced by a generation of live concert albums, favorites include: Foghat, Neil Young, UFO , REO, and Frampton Comes Alive. More recently, Tom has learned to love country, blues, folk music, reggae, and many other genres.
Inspired at an early age, by his rocker brother, acclaimed bassist of Blackstock (Mike Howland), Tom started his musical journey with a department store guitar. In 1980, at the age of 16, Tom began taking lessons in the basement of the Music Box store in the Ford City Shopping Mall on Chicago's Southside.
To his luck and surprise, his first guitar teacher was the late, John “JC” Curulewski (prior lead guitarist to Tommy Shaw of Styx). Although his early guitar lessons began Tom's magical mystery musical journey, it wasn’t until many years later (after all life happens) that he really developed as a guitar player and singer. Encouraged by Hoopla bandmates, Tom was quickly knick-named “Tom Bon Jovi.” As Tom’s love of music and sharing the experience grew, Tom would periodically participate in more music opportunities at the Old Town School of Folk Music and practice vocals on Karaoke nights. Further interests include performing solo and in a duet, as well as songwriting. As a founding member of rock cover band, Hoopla, Tom brings tremendous energy and talent, and truly enjoys being a lead vocalist and critical part of Hoopla’s vocal harmonies and sound machine.
John "The Wizard" Burchard
John began learning music at an early age, when his mother, Sara, began teaching him the piano. As an accomplished, classically-trained pianist herself, Sara was known to use a full range of colorful expletives and knuckle wrapping to keep her eldest son practicing on the keys. As John entered grade school, he joined the band and soon was marching in the front of the parade with his trumpet. John ultimately earned All-State honors on the trumpet in his home state of Vermont. His mom would often say about those formative years, that “John would come home from school, bang on the piano, beat on the drum, strum the guitar, play his trumpet and then run out the door for more action outside, all in the matter of 10 or 15 minutes. I think he might’ve had attention deficit disorder and we didn’t really know much about that stuff back then”. After high school, John attended Middlebury College in Vermont and minored in music, where he studied music theory and music composition. While home from college one day, he learned his sister, Lisa, had decided to abandon her flute, which John grabbed up in no time to add to his arsenal of instruments. John still declines to pick a favorite axe, banging on multiple instruments each day to keep himself tuned up. With Hoopla, John finally joins a rock and roll band and emerges from out of his basement. In addition to classic blues-based rock, John always did like the progressive rock bands from the 60s and 70s, such as Pink Floyd, Genesis, and Jethro Tull. John handles the keyboards, trumpet, flute, congas and lead guitar for Hoopla and is enjoying every bit of it.
Bud Nichols
As a child, living in a school district that allotted one hour of chorus per day in grades 1 through 12 nurtured Bud’s love of singing. In grade school Bud was a drummer in the marching band, but playing an instrument took on a whole new meaning in college when he learned to play Dylan songs on guitar and harmonica. At college in Nashville, the Back Porch Convention bluegrass band was his first band where Bud was lead singer, played harmonic back-ups and slapped the upright bass.
Several rock & roll and blues garage bands later Bud occasionally sat in on harmonica with Brian Adams and also with Brian’s band Jo Breen. Now singing and playing harp with Hoopla puts him in touch with a great group of guys that are “the most talented musicians I’ve ever had the pleasure of playing music with”. Bud and his wife, Peggy, live in Glenview and are the proud owners of the legendary "Bud Van" Hoopla's only honorary vehicular band member.
Morse Shankman
Morse is among the most solid and groovetacular bassists in the history of classic rock. He has recorded on 2 albums,
and has some classic beverage coasters to prove it!
Over his 50 year career, he has toured with and recorded with the Mooncrickets, Greg Walters Band, Eddie Ashe, The How, Smokin’ Pooch, and Groovestation along with many completely unknown and forgotten bands. He frequently appears with the rest of his family in mildly amusing sideshows in the recording basement of his home.
Morse learned to play upright bass in high school from the late Chicago Symphony Orchestra bassist Harold Siegel. His work as a bassist incorporates several musical styles, ranging from aggressive slap to more subdued and melodic techniques. Drawing influences from funk, R&B, classical and hard rock, Morse centers his playing on simplicity and minimalism. He adheres to the Robert Browning maxim – “less is more, Lucrezia”!
Howie Winestock
Following stints with various recording artists in Canada, Howie moved to Chicago in 1993, He continued his musical pursuits playing with the Greg Walters Band where club stops included the St. Regis in Daytona Beach, and a myriad of clubs in Chicago including Biddy Mulligan’s, US Beer, North Beach, Mickey Finns, Chasers, The Glenview House, Whiskey River, Burton Place, and headlining XRT’s Friends of the Park Concert, Live at Buckingham Fountain in 1997. One of Howie’s most interesting opportunities came in 2003, when he had the opportunity to sit in with Trackspotting recording artists, The Funky Blues Messiahs at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Howie continued on with the band, Toast for 6 years in Chicago,and contributed to 2 CD’s including Ekstreemeleeburnt (2006) and Evolution (2010). Toast lit up the clubs in Chicago and area including CJ Arthur’s, Grandpa’s, Potato Creek Johnny’s, Gabe’s Backstage Lounge, The Landmark, Hanson Brothers Tavern, The 1800 Club, Tommy Nevin’s Live, The Elbo Room, and opened for Collective Soul in 2005 at the Rave Club in Milwaukee. Howie has been focused on all things Hoopla for the past 14 years including concerts at Hard Rock Chicago, Park West (with Los Lonely Boys), Space, Navy Pier, Wallace Bowl Amphitheater, Arlington Racetrack, and tours of various cities around the US.