After five years of roughing it in the North Carolina indie rock scene, Dan Zapruder moved to Chicago in the Spring of 1999 and grew a beard. When not avoiding performing under the name Zapruder Point, Dan enjoys collecting rejection slips from fiction-publishing magazines and writing about himself in the third person. Sometimes Dan thinks about forming a full-band version of ZP, but for the time being he's limiting himself to four-track solo recording--which he's gotten pretty good at, if he may say so himself. CDs bearing the fruit of his lo-fi labors (1999's The Limitations of the Source Tape and 2001's double-set, Low Resolution) can be had at his rare bar-n-coffeeshop appearances--and, of course, at Hoot Nights. For a far more amusing biography, Dan recommends you check out Dag Juhlin's area of this webpage.
Illustration by Joe Cassidy

After five years of roughing it in the North Carolina indie rock scene, Dan Phillips moved to Chicago in the Spring of 1999 and grew a beard. He also gave himself a fake surname in the hopes that he'd one day be able to use it to label a band of his own. While waiting, Dan got pretty good at recording 4-track stuff (1999's The Limitations of the Source Tape and 2001's double-set, Low Resolution). He also played solo at a few Hoot Nights. Finally, at the Cure vs. Diana Ross Hoot, Dan introduced everyone to Zapruder Point, which was himself along with Tom and Casey Millard on drums and violin, respectively (and respectably). Since then the trio has spent every night locked in a marathon cocaine bender, typically illuminated by piles of burning money.

Tommi Zender is a multi-instrumentalist from Evanston Illinois. Primarily known for all manner of guitar-playing, he also sings, plays drums, percussion, piano, bass, and more. He has been playing 'utility man' at the Hoot Nights for about 3 years now. He teaches music privately for a living. An alumnus of Columbia College in Chicago, Zender writes, produces, arranges, and performs his own pop rock music under the moniker Trinkets of Joy (Hear Diagonally Records). He is also a guitarist/pianist in the pop soul group Ruben Waters Loves You, as well as performing with Matt Tiegler Group, Dag Juhlin, and others. "I love getting to play with all the different musicians at Hoot Night. It's probably the most fun I get to have in the music community. I enjoy helping others to sound better (as a side man). My favorite thing is when I am invited to contribute creatively as a featured artist...getting to pick the song(s) and interpret them, choosing the instrumentation, the players, rehearsing if possible--hah-hah! It means a lot to share THAT part of my musicianship with my peers."