about

“Fantastic! You guys are tough.” – Buckwheat Zydeco

“Those guys are nice, really nice.” – Angelo Moore

“A rocking big band out of Baltimore/ DC, the Players Band can hit all the styles and are a must-see live!” – Alternative Press Magazine

“The Players ooze class and the horns are just damn big. The living vibe of their fun music is what really helps you hear why you need to go see them. A must listen, clearly an accomplished organization with a tight sense of groove that makes such music so damn good!” – Music Monthly

“The Players Band exhibits a near-encyclopedic knowledge of classic soul that mixes nicely with a rocking take on reggae and ska. They do the ska thing, and do it well, with horn-heavy choruses and chicken-scratch guitar on exuberant tunes – Ain’t no hatin’ these Players.” – Baltimore Magazine

“This could be the hottest act in the area. The music has p-a-r-t-y written all over it! I knew from the first notes I heard that these guys are the real deal. This is the stuff that good times are made of!” – 103.1 WRNR

“The Players just lock into grooves and rock them for all their worth, an unstoppable live experience!” – Washington City Paper

“Near-virtuoso level instrumentation!” – Rude Roots Magazine

WJZ TV Baltimore
“Players Band” Performs At New Year’s Spectacular

In just a few days, Eyewitness News will be at the Inner Harbor to welcome 2008 to Charm City. This New Year’s Eve Channel 13 will be joined by some new friends. Peggy Lee has more on the band performing at the New Year’s Eve Spectacular for the first time. As the clock winds its way to midnight this New Year’s Eve, it will march to the beat of a different drummer, saxophonist and bass guitarist. It’s “The Players Band,” a Baltimore-based eight-member band. “We play ska, reggae, some rock-influenced music. Music is really characterized by the horns and the upbeat guitar, so it’s dance-able upbeat music,” said band member Andy Schneider. “The Players” made an appearance this summer at Artscape, but they plan to ring in the new year with more of a bang. The band will be taking the main stage for the New Year’s Eve Spectacular, joining thousands of folks at the Inner Harbor. “This is our first time doing the New Year’s Eve down at the Inner Harbor and we’re proud to be from the Baltimore area and promote music we like,” said band member Nick Rider. “Cherish any opportunity to play for the city of Baltimore and any opportunity that our family and friends can come out in a public setting,” said Pablo Fiasco, band member. They’ve opened for some pretty serious bands and performed more than 350 live shows in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Washington, D.C., New York, Delaware, New Jersey, Rhode Island and Virginia. “The Players Band” has a CD out titled “Half-Time.”

The Catonsville Times
Community banded together to make concert a success
Thanks to The Players Band for making Friday night’s benefit concert for Lazarus Caucus such an outstanding success. If you missed the concert, you missed one great band. This was the first time I had heard them play, but it won’t be the last. I was so impressed I had to have the band’s CD and T-shirt. A special thanks to Tom Schneider, who coordinated the event. Without him, none of this would have been possible. Even with the rain on Thursday night, we had a wonderful turnout and over $2,700 in donations. This money will be used to help the homeless men, women and children who reside at the Westside Cold Weather Shelter in Catonsville. Again, none of this would have been possible without The Players Band, Tom Schneider and, of course, our generous community. Thank you so much. ~Gloria Powell, treasurer Lazarus Caucus Inc.
Other notable press
Lynn Strader, T. (2019). “Summer fun with Jamaican Ska music.” The Journal.
Conlin, B. (2012). “Frederick Road Fridays adds sounds of Appalachia and Caribbean.” The Baltimore Sun
Associated Press (2008). “Performers announced for Phelps celebration.” The Associated Press
Campbell, E. (2008). “The Players Band goes live.” The Baltimore Examiner
Lee, P. (2007). “Players Band Performs At New Year’s Spectacular.” WJZ-TV, CBS Broadcasting
Baylor, A. (2007). “Soundcheck, The Players.” The Baltimore Sun
Campbell, E. (2006). “Group plays benefit for homeless in Catonsville.” The Examiner
Sattler, D. (2006). “Hungry for help.” The View
Sattler, D. (2006). “The Players are playing for big money. But not their own.” The View
Ames, M. (2006). “Brothers play for homeless.” The Catonsville Times
Lewis, J. (2006). “The Players Band, Halftime.” Baltimore Magazine
Unknown. (2006). “The Players Band will rock Alive @ Five event.” Gazette
Schaffer, S. (2004). “The Players.” The Baltimore Sun
Wollan, L. (2003). “The Players Band.” Music Monthly
Lewis, J. (2003). “The Players Band, Hate the Game.” Baltimore Magazine
Buckley, M. (2003). “The Players Band.” Chesapeake Music Guide
Unknown. (2003). “The Players.” Viking Remedy Magazine (France)
Trawinski, J. (2003). “Hate the Game’ is a jam driven album.” Towson University Towerlight
Scruggs, S. (2003). “The Players, Hate The Game.” Music Monthly
Wollan, L. (2001). “The Players, Instrumental.” Music Monthly
Jones, D. (2001). “The Players, Instrumental.” Rude Roots Magazine
In retrospect…..In the summer of 1999, TPB formed when drummer Andy Schneider created a new ska band to replace his previous group, The Mobtown Beat. The original lineup included Andy, his brother Dan, Mike Gorman, Joe Ross, and Colin Leech. The band solidified with the addition of Bob Thorp and Tim Bosworth. Struggling to find a vocalist, they played instrumentals until Joe switched to keys and Dan took over guitar. After brief stints from Jorge Banales and Keith Jackson, TPB expanded with David Blackstone, Paul Weiss, and Jason Booze. In 2000, they began recording their first album, Instrumental, released in 2001. Following lineup changes, including Joe’s brief departure and Jason’s experimentation with vocals, they released their second album, Hate the Game, in 2003. Dan and Bob shifted roles, with Nick Reider and Joe rejoining. TPB’s third album, Halftime, came in 2005, followed by Live & Direct in 2008. New members like Mark Leary and Kristin Forbes joined, and the band celebrated their 500th show in 2018. Their fifth album, Skamörgåsbord, dropped in 2020, and they were featured at the 2021 Supernova International Ska Festival. Recently, Kristin took over bass, and Craig Considine joined on trombone. TPB is currently working on their sixth album SKAZILLA! set for release in spring 2025.