Erin Cruise

Bandleader/Vocalist

Erin moved to South Central PA from the New York City area where she spent 14 years working as a jingle/demo singer, a solo artist (part of the time with RCA Records) promoting her own hit record in 1992, doing backup vocals on a number of albums, and has spent much of that time as a bandleader. Erin formed the Harrisburg based Cruise Control band six years ago and continues to freelance both in the "live" and studio arenas, two of her most recent album projects being Xatanga and McCalltucker. In addition, Erin is cultivating her past television education and experience working part time for local TV station, Channel 27,

Butch Barber

Drums/Vocals

Butch (James Wildstar, The Butcher) has been performing for 20 years. He has played with Funkadelic & The Parliament Group, George Clinton, Luther Ingram, Isaac Hayes Revue and Recording Angel. Locally, he has performed with Funk, which he coordinated and formed, along with the Five Street Band. Butch has his own recording studio, Backdoor Studios where he produced a CD for the band Full Effect in 1998. He is currently co-promoting and performing in Cruise Control.

Jeff Calvin

Guitar/Vocals

Born in NY, Jeff, at the age of 16, started stealing his brother's acoustic guitar out of his room and soon learned all the songs in the "Eagles Greatest Hits" songbook. His first band, in 1979 was Stygian, while attending York College, York, PA. Other bands include the infamous Ratface Group, which later turned into Ratz. He returned to NY in 1984 and joined blues act, White Hot and Blue. He came back to Harrisburg in 1986 and worked with Trick Bag before forming the uptown blues act, King Bees in 1989, who recorded one album, "Swingin' Hipshake". Jeff then spent time in San Francisco working with his own blues trio, played with soul/funk act, Moe's Kitchen, with whom he recorded a CD that attracted the attention of Thomas Dolby and some major labels. The band broke up before any major success. Also worked with former Grateful Dead saxophonist Martin Fierro in Los Del Mas, a band that also featured Dan Hick's bassist Ed Ivey, and spent two years as bandleader for Bay Area soul diva, Edna Love. Lucky for Cruise Control, Jeff returned to Harrisburg in 2001 upon the birth of his first child.

Chris Novak

Keyboards/Vocals

Thirty years of playing experience set the foundation for Chris's background and experience, most of which include live/on-stage performances, electric keyboard, vocals and guitar. He was fortunate to have received formal classical training from Juilliard graduates Francis Veri and Michael Jamanis. Atlanta, GA became his second home in 1996 where he learned to blend his classical, country and honky-tonk chops with funk and R&B styles. Chris served as chief programmer for Sybersound Records for close to 5 years and his sequencing work has been released on several dance remixes. Live performances include and vary from: Pennsylvania Junior Miss Pageant music director and talent accompanist; small jazz solo venues to the Montreaux Jazz Festival (Atlanta); television performances at the Georgia Music Hall of Fame, supporting venues for acts as varied as R&B artists the Gap Band and William Bell to country artists John Berry and David Allen Coe, as well as competing live on historical Beale Street in Memphis, Tennessee at the 2008 International
Blues Challenge in January. Chris is now the newest member of the Cruise Control band and we welcome his wealth of talent.

Bob Fanus

Bass

Bob Fanus was born and raised in Harrisburg, PA. He started playing the bass guitar locally at 15. He has played with several funk and R&B bands including Main Squeeze, Line Drive, After Glow, Blitz Dinette and local variety band, Night Wind. While with Blitz Dynette, he recorded two CDs on which he was honored to play with Lou Marini, the saxophone player from the "Blues Brothers" and opened for "Tower of Power" when they performed in Harrisburg. Bob has over 30 years experience as a bass guitarist performing from Harrisburg to Philadelphia, New York, Connecticut and Maine. Cruise Control is happy to welcome Bob as our newest member!

Jason Cuddeford

Sound Man

To begin his story, Jason started out in radio, working for wink 104, after graduating from Trinity High School, in 2000. He enrolled at Full Sail, and studied Recording, and Stage Production. While he was living in Orlando, Florida, he had the opportunity to work with Dierks Bentley, and many other country stars, while at K92FM. After 2 years of living in Florida, he moved home. He then started working in Sound Production, and was on the road for 3 years, and has worked With New Found Glory, Finger Eleven, Dierks Bentley, Hanson, Aaron Tippin, and even Rick Springfield just to name a few. After all that he finally found somewhere he was comfortable, with Cruise Control. (Crazy Kid!!!)