The Band
Who We Are
Dawn Weber
Lead Vocals
Dawn, a talented vocalist from Whiting, Indiana, has spent the last six years performing with Storm Empress, a hard rock/metal band. Her musical journey began with classical and symphonic rock, which helped her develop an impressive vocal range and later evolved to encompass the energetic spirit of country rock.
Drawing on inspiration from iconic artists the Pretenders, Blondie and Pat Benatar, as well as Gretchen Wilson, Faith Hill and Sheryl Crow, Dawn's performances arew a testament to her versatility and passion. With a voice that can effortlessly shift from heartfelt sincerity to gritty, high-energy rock, Dawn has the power to captivate audiences and inspire positive change through her music.
Chris "Showtime" Bielefeld
Rhythm, Lead Guitar & Vocals
Chris has been playing in bands for 15 years. He is one of the founding members of Wildeye along with Tom and John. He’s also played with Fatal Error, Acoustic Highway and Audio Playground. Chris is a high-energy performer, and he always gives 100% on and off-stage! His music background is classic country and rock, but he also loves 50’s rock & roll. His joy is performing and entertaining the crowd!
Tommy "Gunz" Mclaughlin
Lead Guitar
Tom has spent the past fifteen years playing with both classic rock, top 40 and the very successful Matchbox 20/Goo Goo Dolls tribute band 3AM. Tom was consistently nominated for “Best Guitarist” in the Suburban Nitelife’s “Best of the Burbs” and made it’s Top 10 list numerous times. His skills also lifted one of his bands to the “Best New Cover Band” of 2009. Tom has played many of the area’s best venues/festivals including the Taste of Chicago, Naperville’s Ribfest& Last Fling, Navy Pier, White Sox Park, Harrah’s and Blue Chip cassinos, numerous Concerts in the Park as well as some of the best clubs in the area such as 115 Bourbon St., and Tailgaters. Tom’s fluid playing style fits in perfectly with the band’s sound, resulting in a complete package that is fresh and new.
Rich Newland
Lead Vocals and Bass Guitar
Rich has always been in tune with music, even at an early age. He grew up listening to oldies, 60s and 70s rock as well as other genres. He wanted to play guitar and sing just like the musicians he listened to. Rich spent time in several good and successful bands, entertaining crowds in a variety of venues. He now finds a home with Wildeye!
John Gallion
Drums
John has been behind a drum set since 1970.
His strongest rhythmic and stylistic influences are John Bonham (Led Zeppelin) and Neil Peart (Rush) and Roger Taylor (Queen) and Carl Palmer (Emerson Lake & Palmer & Asia) as well as other great drummers of the classic rock period.
While able to play any style music, he prefers the nuance, creativity, power and variety that only classic rock provides. His style is heavily groove-oriented and plays what he feels when given the freedom to do so. His favorite music is classic rock, classic pop and but he also loves 1940’s swing jazz and classical music. His drumming career includes school bands, garage bands, as well as a variety of performance bands in the Chicago scene, his favorites being Rushing Wind (1983-87) and the first incarnation of Wildeye (2005-2008) as one of the founding members. John especially loves playing with this group of talented and fun musicians in Wildeye!