About Us
Steve Piper
Steve sings with an undeniable passion, he says some lyrics are like stories and others like conversations, whether they are expressions of thought or presented like a poem, it is the enthusiasm and tonality that makes the difference in the way a listener hears it. Inspired by B.B. King, Greg Allman, Delbert McClinton, Bonnie Raitt and Etta James, you can hear the way they have influenced the heartfelt soul that Steve sings with.
Steve was the band leader & vocalist for The Roadhouse Band in Fl & MA for 15yrs, his love of music spans many different styles from Blues to Bluegrass and his interpretations are always interesting and entertaining.
Carl Hopkins
Carl Hopkins is an accomplished and versatile guitarist with the seasoned chops of a true artist. He is well known in the Pioneer Valley and regarded as one of the area’s finest guitarists. His guitar playing is unique, he adapts this signature sound to the song he is working in, whether it’s rhythmic support or soloing with melodic and soulful intensity, Carl plays with a passion that always provides good listening.
Carl has performed and recorded with many local artists and bands; Driving Wheel, The Bullriders; Into the Blue; Blues Unlimited, The Terraplanes, the Tom Petty tribute band Good To Be King and The Roadhouse Band have all utilized his guitar skills. He is the session guitarist on many albums recorded at PNC Studios including the soundtrack instrumentals for NESN’s fishing show “On The Water”.
When he isn’t performing with Piper~Hopkins, you can find Carl performing as lead guitarist with singer-songwriters Lisa Martin and Eva Capelli; the swing & jump blues band Blueshead w/Johnny Marino.
When Steve & Carl move out of their Duo persona and into Trios or full band gigs you will find the same approach to music with the amazing grooves of their rhythm section;
Jason Arnold – Drums
Jason has played with numerous artists locally and nationally. He is the son of local jazz legend Billy Arnold. He is a versatile musician who can play jazz, r&b, blues, funk and rock. He is on the staff of the Community Music School of Springfield, where he has been a drum instructor for 18 yrs. He is an absolute joy to watch and listen to, he sums it up best with this comment;
“I love to play because it makes me feel good and I like that energy to flow into the audience. If I’m having fun, then they will too and that just keeps me going. I love to see people having a good time listening and dancing to the groove that we provide.”
Joe Elliot – Keyboards
Our keyboardist extraordinaire has been playing with many bands for many years, from Canada to Florida and all points in between. He’s recorded and played in Texas, he performs his keyboard mastery on both piano and organ, his B3 chops are renowned here in The Valley. He juggles his schedule to play with The Piper-Hopkins Band, Blue Devil Blues (recent winners of the CT Blues Challenge) and The Janet Ryan Band. Having started his musical career on drums it’s not surprising to hear how he can weave those chops and percussive improvisations into the band’s Groove with perfect timing.
Jeff Lynch – Bass
Our newest band member Jeff is a multi instrumentalist who has been playing music with Steve & Carl since 2003. Jeff brings his musicianship to the band with a solid groove locking in with our drummer Jason elevating our music in many ways. He was a member of the Roadhouse Band that preceded The Piper-Hopkins Band. He is lead engineer at Mainline Studios in Westfield has a Masters Degree from Berkley in Music Production and teaches recording and sound engineering at Westfield State University. As a founding member of Woodford Way with Kyle Mangini, his musical talents and guitar prowess are on full display.