Monique Chalk Ensemble

The Monique Chalk Ensemble is most often booked as a trio, but often adds other pieces at the request of their customers.

The Trio:

Monique Chalk has been studying voice and keyboards since childhood. She was the youngest student of the famous broadway voice teacher, Ora Witte. Later, while attending Juilliard School of Music, Monique studied vocals and piano under the also famous instructors, Oren Brown and Elena Wolkonsky. Although Monique enjoyed the classical training, she quickly found herself immersed in the NY club scene. During it's heyday, she was a regular house singer at the premier NY comedy/music club, "Catch A Rising Star.” Those days, Monique could also be found rocking out to her original songs in various NYC night clubs with her six piece band "Monique Chalk and the Erasers.” During that time and later in DC, Monique had regular work as a session vocalist recording jingles and song demos. After moving to the Washington DC area, Monique performed in piano bars, lounges, and at Capitol Hill parties. She also showcased more of her original songs on the DC Folk Music circuit. Currently Monique can be found performing with several bands throughout South Florida, working on her next album, and teaching private voice lessons.

Drew Golden started playing alto saxophone when he was twelve years old on Long Island. He studied in school and privately with various excellent teachers including Joe Gudice, who put Brian Seltzer on the map. Drew was a student in Boston, at the internationally famous Berklee College of Music, when a family tragedy forced him to withdraw and move to Florida. Without much opportunity for work as a musician, Drew looked elsewhere, ending up with a very successful long term career as a farrier. Despite his success in the international horse world, Drew never ended his love affair with his sax. He practiced his craft in private and played out at open mic's and in jam sessions until landing in South Florida's premier funk band "B-Side Jones" and in "The Monique Chalk Ensemble."

Greg Sawyer is an accomplished drummer, with many years of experience in various genres including classic rock, blues, funk, soul, jazz, and swing. He started out in Cleveland and drummed his way to South Florida, playing blues for bands like, "Jay and the Cobras," the "Joe Smith Band," and "Moxie" where he opened for Koko Taylor. His extensive musical resume includes performances at weddings and private events with "Melanie and the JamBoyz" and a stint as a Texas swing and rockabilly drummer, playing for "Calfee Jones & the 8 beats." He played cajun zydeco and New Orleans funk for "Big Easy." He has rocked out to 50's and 60's classics with "Boys Night Out" and supplied the backbone beat for a swing & horn band called "Eddie and the Boilermakers." These are just a few of the highlights from his two decade long career as a professional drummer. Although he currently plays out for several South Florida bands, his commitment and passion are for "The Monique Chalk Ensemble," which is lucky to have him!

Additional Pieces:

Lewis Robertson is a guitarist, teacher, and audio engineer with a Bachelors degree in Music Production and Engineering and a minor in Acoustics and Electronics from the famed Berklee College of Music. Lewis has extensive experience within the music industry. His credits as a guitarist include performances with George Clinton and P-Funk, Jefferson Starship, Steve Vai, Paul Taylor, Bernie Worrell, as well as touring the historical Mississippi blues scene, headlining the Beantown Jazz Festival, and more. As a former staff member of the legendary Avatar Studios in NYC, and now as the owner of Owl Cove Productions, Lewis has worked with some of the biggest names in the industry including; Paul McCartney, Jim Anderson, Tony Bennett, Josh Groban, Roy Hendrickson, David Kahne, Franz Ferdinand, the Ting Tings, and many more. Along with running his own production company, Lewis currently tours with Jefferson Starship and Quicksilver Messenger Service as their Production Manager, teaches the Music Mixing course at San Francisco State University, and hires out as a freelance guitarist.

Gary Kroman has been playing, studying and teaching guitar for over 40 years. He has toured and recorded as the lead guitarist for Buddy Cage (pedal steel player from the New Riders of the Purple Sage) and The Toni Brown Band. He has shared the stage and worked with the likes of Jorma Kaukonen, Rick Danko, Richard Manuel, Levon Helm, Jerry Jeff Walker, Jaco Pastorius, members of The Grateful Dead, Vassar Clements, New Riders of The Purple Sage and many others. Currently he resides in South Florida and plays with multiple bands and tours locally.

For over 20 years, Mike Anglin was one of the most in demand stage and studio musicians on the New York and Nashville scenes. His rock-solid, hard driving, and melodic bass has graced recordings and thrilled audiences with numerous artists across many genres. Mike has worked as a recording artist with Virgin and Sire Records, as well as some smaller labels. Mike's live performances as both headliner and support act have included shows with The Instigators, Vince Gill, The Ravers, Ricky Van Shelton, Mirinda James, Kool and the Gang, Ernie Williams, The Outfield, Little Jimmy Dickens, Restless Heart, John Kay (Steppenwolf), Annie Jackson, War, Paula Frasier, The dBs, Mike Pinera (Blues Image, Iron Butterfly), JR Montrose, and many, many others. Mike has written, performed on, and produced background and incidental music for scores of video productions including nationally-aired TV commercials, PBS specials, work for WGBH and WRGB television studios as well as corporate and government clients. Mike's songwriting credits include, among others, The Instigators' "The Best In A Man", Mickey T. Guild's "That Same Old Moon", and Annie Jackson's "All Over Again", each a critical and commercial success. Mike has conducted songwriting workshops for the Northeast Country Music Association, and has written articles on applied theory in songwriting. In addition to producing music for video, Mike has produced recordings for The Instigators, The dBs, Tulio, Annie Jackson, Skin & Bones, and others. Mike studied Theory and Composition, and Jazz Composition at the College of St. Rose School of Music and the Berklee College of Music.

More bios coming soon...