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Celebrating 32 years of music, ideas, & community on the radio

The eTones

(L to R  Christian Teele,  Nick Forster, Helen Forster,  Ron Jolly, Chris Engleman)

Chris Engleman

Chris has been the eTones bass player since the very first eTown show all the way back in 1991. He is a decorated studio musician that has played on numerous recordings including recordings by Tim O’ Brien and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, and on top of playing at eTown he plays locally in Colorado with various artists and groups.

Christian Teele

Christian is best known for his work as the house drummer eTown, where he has backed up artists such as James Taylor, Rickie Lee Jones, David Crosby, Ben Harper, Moby, Joan Osborne and many others. In addition to playing on eTown, Christian is also an accomplished session drummer, lending his talents to hundreds of records as well as music for film and TV. Most recently, he has launched his own online service, www.yoursessiondrummer.com , where, recording in his own home studio, he adds drum and percussion tracks to projects from all over the world.

Ron Jolly

Ron is a Denver native who received his Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from the University of Denver, where he studied with Gene Rush and Steve Lee. Ron has been a Denver Public Schools teacher since 1987, teaching Music, Digital Film Production and Audio Engineering. Ron is one of the busiest pianists in the Denver area, performing with a number of local bands including What’s Cookin’, The Buddy Project Big Band, Metropolitan Jazz Orchestra, Lost Soul and Diamond Orchestra. He has performed with Moment’s Notice at corporate events and private parties since 1981. He has been a proud member of the eTones, the house band for the nationally broadcast eTown radio program, since 1993. Ron has performed with many well-known musicians and groups including James Taylor, Michael McDonald, David Crosby, Tim & Mollie O’Brien, Sarah McLachlan, Joan Osborne, Rosanne Cash, David Sanford and The Pittsburgh Collective, Hugh Ragin, Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson, Gatemouth Brown, Pete Olstadt and Eddie Harris.

Helen Forster

As eTown’s co-host, Helen lends her golden-toned voice to both the spoken word and the musical portions of the show. As the harmony singer in the eTones, she has provided harmony back-up for hundreds of guest artists including Sarah McLachlan, James Taylor, Mavis Staples, Dallas Green (City & Colour), Indigo Girls, Shawn Colvin, Brett Dennen, Aoife O’Donovan, Gregory Alan Isakov, Bruce Cockburn, Judy Collins, Martin Sexton, Wanda Jackson, Rodney Crowell and many more.

Nick Forster

As eTown’s host, Nick leads the radio program with his warm on-air wit, stellar guitar playing and strong vocals that are hallmarks of the show. Nick is a member of Hot Rize, one of the most influential bands in bluegrass history, which began in 1978 (and features Nick on bass, vocals, mandolin and acoustic guitar; he also serves as the band’s articulate and eloquent M.C.).  Nick  is also an accomplished composer, earning praise early on from Rolling Stone Magazine as “an exceptional songwriter.” In addition to eTown, Nick remains an active player in the music world, performing at major festivals and playing recording sessions for various artists like Big Head Todd and the Monsters and Kathy Mattea. He is also an accomplished record producer whose most recent project was nominated for a Grammy.