Charlie Allen - Harmonica

Charlie is both the oldest and newest member of the Basement Blues Project which is his first band. He grew up in Colorado listening to classic rock, blues, R&B and jazz with a lot of his favorite songs featuring the harmonica such as Bring It On Home, When The Levee Breaks, Roadhouse Blues, Midnight Rambler, Long Train Runnin’ and Room To Move, among others.

While he tinkered with piano, clarinet and drums in grade school, he never actively took up an instrument until near the end of the pandemic when he decided to buy a harmonica, an instrument that he had always loved to hear but had never seriously tried. The attraction was immediate and Charlie had finally found a vehicle to convey the music that had always been inside him. Charlie usually has a harmonica in his pocket while enjoying his family, ski patrolling at Eldora, or listening to other bands, and often finds the opportunity to use it in any of these occasions!

Chris Durand - Bass

Chris has played guitar and bass for several Front Range bands, including West of the Blues and the Blues Kings. As the bassist, Chris drives both the rhythmic and harmonic content of the song from the shadows, while allowing the guitar players to think they’re in control (let’s keep it our secret).

Growing up in France, Chris was influenced by a diverse range of musical styles, from French pop (sans accordion, s’il vous plait) to classic rock legends like Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd. He’s also a fan of the Grateful Dead, Dire Straits, Nirvana, Metallica, and pretty much everything in between. Although Chris believes that the best music was written before the end of the ’90s, he remains open-minded and always on the lookout for new sounds and styles to explore.

Chris also enjoys building electric guitars and basses as a hobby. His creations sometimes make their way onto the stage.

John Kemp - Drums, Vocals

Bio forthcoming.

Dave Lewis - Lead Guitar, Vocals

Bio forthcoming.

Geoff Spakes - Rhythm/Slide Guitar, Vocals

Geoff has been a music fan ever since his dad gave him a live Three Dog Night album in middle school. Through the years he’s had a few aborted attempts to learn guitar that never stuck, until he discovered the cigar box guitar during the COVID lockdown in 2020. He’s since migrated to playing a four-string tuned to open G with a healthy dose of slide.

Attending high school in the mid-80’s he absorbed all things classic, southern (Lynyrd Skynyrd’s One More From the Road was the first album he bought with his own money) and hard rock. Over the years he has come to love and appreciate many other styles of music…jam-bands, bluegrass and reggae among others. One of his favorite things is to be on stage sharing his love of music with others.