Meet Our Band
A Band With No Name is a group of fun-loving musicians who pay tribute to the group "America," playing their hits and some of their deeper cuts along with popular classic rock favorites. Hope to see you at an upcoming event!
Dave Berenhaus
6 & 12 String Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Keys, Harmonica, Percussion and Vocals
Julius "Julie" Knapp
Keyboards, Lead Electric Guitar and Vocals
Chris Brush
12 String Acoustic Guitar and Vocals
Doug Church
Vocals and Percussion
John Baker
Bass Guitar, Saxophone, Vocals
Joe Sheehi
Drums
Dave Berenhaus has been playing a six-string guitar since he was 17, and picked up a twelve-string at the young age of 40. Most of Dave’s musical adventures have been as a solo and duo performer who got his start as a songleader for camps and schools. Don’t be surprised if Dave asks audiences to sing along! His musical influences are “Oldies,” Classic Rock, Disco, R&B, Broadway musicals, and Jazz. Professionally, Dave has a CMP designation (Certified Meeting Professional) –helping meeting and conference clients with a wide range of services including meeting planning, site selection and hotel contracting/negotiation. Dave and his wife of 33 years are residents of Ellicott City, Maryland, and is the proud father of two sons, and a terrier mix pooch, Mojo!
Juliius "Julie" Knapp has been playing in bands for more than 50 years, most recently in the band Stevie V and the Heartattackers - - a group of largely medical professionals who performed annually for more than a dozen years at the Maryland Heartfest. The band played a wide variety of music including "oldies", classic rock, disco, R&B, country, contemporary, etc. Prior to that he played for 15 years in a religious folk-rock group and before that in rock bands throughout high school and college. He recently retired from the Federal Communications Commission after more than 45 years of service, the last 13+ years serving as the agency's Chief Engineer. He and is wife Debi of 42 years live in Ellicott City, Maryland.
John Baker started playing saxophone in a dance band while in high school and loves to play music that gets people moving. After a long hiatus raising two wonderful kids with his lovely wife, Connie, he's back out making great music. While playing sax in a few groups including ABWNN, he also picked up guitar and bass. As luck would have it, the bass position in ABWNN opened up and now he's holding down the bass line. 'Ya never know ... he might still pick up the sax on a few tunes!
Marshall Madow began playing the drums at age 11, shortly after realizing (through multiple private lessons) his brain was not “wired” for the piano. Since then, he has played in various local bands since junior high school, including (as a member of the band “Vibration”), winning the Pikesville Junior High School talent show (“Council Capers”) an unprecedented three years in a row – and has the trophies to prove it! Though his musical tastes can be described as “all over the place,” Marshall discovered the band America as a student in junior High, and has remained a fan of the band ever since, having seen them live more times than he can remember.. Marshall recently moved down to Florida and will make guest appearances on occasion when he visits.
Marshall Madow
Co-Founder, Guest Drummer
Sam Cerrato - In Memorium
Vocals and Percussion
Doug Church sang lead vocals and played drums in a hard rock band during his college years near Detroit, MI. Jumping forward 30 years Doug honed his tenor vocal skills singing in the car during long commutes to/from his Washington, D.C., jobs and his home in Ellicott City. For fun, as one of Dave's neighbors, he rehearsed with ABWNN after Sam's passing. It didn't take long for Doug and the band to gel. As the cowbell/woodblock player in the group, he loves to hear fans' requests for "more cowbell," in homage to the legendary Saturday Night Live skit with Will Ferrell and Christopher Walken. Doug has a fever - and the only prescription is more cowbell! He resides with his wife, Jenny, two kids, and their English Bulldog, Winston.
Chris Brush has played with a variety of musical projects over the years. He has been playing guitar since 1980, non-stop, (you’d think he’d be better at it). When he heard A Band with No Name was looking for another guitar player, he jumped at the opportunity. We're glad that he did!
Joe Sheehi started playing drums at age 14 when he got into a Soul/Motown band called "The Condors". That band eventually evolved into a top-40 horn band called "Springfield" that went on the road in the late 70s wearing jump suits and platform shoes. In the 80s, Joe and a Catholic grade school friend started a punk band called "The Catholics" that had original songs like "Guilt, Guilt, Guilt" and "One More Sin". Finally, as most musicians do at some point, Joe got into the wedding band called "Floating Opera" that really rocked with songs like "Mr. Sandman" and the "Hokey Pokey". Evidently this material was good enough to get them a few White House gigs and weddings for the rich and famous (Rockefellers, Duponts and Myerhoffs). Joe lives in Howard County and works as a Spacecraft RF Engineer.
We regret that our band's tenor vocalist, Sam Cerrato passed due to AML (acute myeloid leukemia) on April 23, 2021. Some of Sam (or Sammy)'s influences include Freddie Mercury, Steve Miller, Joe Jackson, Phillip Bailey, Bobby Darin, Dion and Frankie Valli. Influential bands include Queen, CSN, The Temptations, Boz Scaggs, and obviously the sweet harmonies of America. He has a great vocal range which allows him to sing songs from Springsteen and Wilson Pickett to Frankie Valli and Barry Gibb. Sam has played with several local bands including Dancing Room Only, The Classic Hitmen, Little Richie & The Allstars, I'm The Man (Joe Jackson Tribute Band), Shiftwork, The Voodoo Yahoos and Flashback Syndicate.