kalafka
The Band
Tom Jenkins has been playing bass in the Houston, Texas area since 1969. A self-deemed “old prog-rocker,” Tom cut his teeth on seminal bands such as early Genesis, Strawbs, Yes, Jethro Tull, and Renaissance, although has played in lineups ranging from disco to country to Celtic. A chameleon, one would have to say! A sought-after session musician, he has appeared on the CDs of the Houston rock group Buddhacrush, the Celtic releases of Paisley Close and Hugh Morrison, and Beth Patterson and Kalafka. After one rehearsal with Kalafka, the band immediately abducted him to be shamelessly used for his innovative low-end interpretations. Since then, he has played with Beth across the United States, Canada, and France, most notably for the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, Les Fêtes de la Nouvelle France (Canada), the Louisiana Crossroads series, Planet Bluegrass’ Mabon Festival (Colorado), the Zèbre de Belleville (France), and the television show Louisiana Jukebox. Tom now resides in Los Angeles, where he runs his own bass dealership, BassPacific, while continuing to commute to work with Beth.
Ron Keller has many irons in the fire in the music world, but they all have been delivered with nothing less than his usual hundred and ten percent. Born of a musical father and an artistic mother, this Reserve, Louisiana native made his first appearance on national television at age seventeen with his band Image on the L.A.-based show “Happening,” where he got to work with Paul Revere and the Raiders with Marvin Gaye, Goldie Hawn, and other stars. An accomplished keyboardist, vocalist, and songwriter, he has been a professional musician for over thirty years as a member of the bands Image, Aura, The Topcats, Exit 209, and True Story (featuring his original material), as well as a brief stint as a sideman for Percy Sledge. His bands have shared billing with numerous national acts, including Oingo Boingo, The Guess Who, Black Oak Arkansas, Iron Butterfly, Joe Cocker, Foghat, Steppenwolf, and The Producers. Ron has also engineered in Ireland, and performed in Canada and France.
A co-founder of Rockit Studio, he has been working there since 1991, yielding literally hundreds of recordings. He soon delved into record production, and formed his own label, Little Blue Men Records, which carries award-winning releases by Joy Buzzer and Beth Patterson, as well as Tornaod and the Consortium of Genius. He often contributes to the playing, singing, artwork, and photography for numerous CD projects he records, and occasionally lends his talents to live sound. He now takes great pleasure in sharing his knowledge with his son Zak, who shows great promise as an artist, musical inventor, and budding superhero.