What’s in a name?
Love it or hate it, the name Hunkajunk was meant to be tongue-in-cheek. The band started out as a trio in Late 2015, both as supplemental income and as an opportunity to explore original music with a revolving cast of musicians who never practiced, adding to their ever-growing repertoire directly on the stage.
Although this “badge of honor” had it’s shortcomings, it set the stage for what would become a diverse show performed by a well-oiled machine which includes a lively cast of extremely talented performers.
Brett Andrew
Team Leader. Guitar, Vocal.
Brett’s musical journey began at the age of 8 on piano and with a tape recorder, casting aside his lesson books to explore songcraft and production by ear. A yard sale electric guitar & reel to reel tape machine further solidified his passion to create & capture. Bringing a drummer to his first piano recital paved the way to his first live performance with a band at 13. Several makeshift recording studios and a few hundred gigs later, Brett partnered with friend and collaborator Daniel Marino to build a recording & production facility (Studio901/FuzztoneRecords) in the suburbs of West Philadelphia. Together they began guiding aspiring artists and recording veterans alike, producing the first 2 releases by Free Range Folk, & the Mighty Manatees’ “Medicine Show” album, to name a few. During this time, a connection made at the studio landed Brett a position touring with Robert Randolph & the Family Band, spending 5 years traveling internationally, hitting renowned performance venues, late-night shows & festivals, & sharing the stage with some of music’s most legendary artists. Weary of the road and anxious to get back to creative pursuits, he left the band in 2015 and returned to the stomping ground of his youth; the Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania, where he began to assemble a band of his own to pursue his aspirations and re-establish himself in the area.
In Depth
Justine Williams
Vocals, melodica, & Percussion.
Joining the band full time in 2019, Justine Williams brings an energy to the stage which encapsulates feminine power. Her mother Carolyn taught high school music & drama, setting the stage for creative expression through adolescence, including piano performance and both lead and supporting roles in Musical Theater. After a lengthy hiatus to raise her family, she sought to renew a creative outlet and began performing as a vocalist with regional bands “Ain’t Dead Yet”, & “Smith Compound Band”. Her path crossed with Brett’s in 2018 and the two began performing as “Honey & Nutz”, later rounding out the current line-up that is Hunkajunk.
Kyle O’Brien
Alto Saxophone, Flute, Harmony Vocals & Percussion.
A west coast transplant, Kyle O’Brien is a writer by trade & totally slacking on creating a bio.
Matt Truscott
Alto, Tenor & Baritone Saxophone.
A Moravian University graduate, Matt has been playing saxophone since the age of 10. After college he played in multiple Lehigh Valley groups such as “The Frequency Collage”, & “Charlie Brown’s Notorious Groove”. Joining Hunkajunk on Tenor Sax in 2016, and later branching out to alto and baritone saxophone, Matt has embraced the role of musical director for the Hunkajunk horns. His animated character and energy has been a defining trait of the band’s performances. Off-stage, he can be found repairing instruments at Nazareth Music Center, and giving private lessons on saxophone and piano.
Devin Marshall
Keyboards & Vocals
Multi-Instrumentalist, Studio owner-operator and producer,
Egan Miller
Drums, Bass.
Egan began playing the drums at 7 years old, a musical obsession that led him to picking up the Bass & Guitar, and later recording & production. His natural talent led him through multiple regional bands to touring the U.S.A. by 18. He joined Hunkajunk on the Bass a few months shy of his 21st Birthday, eventually settling on the drums. He still grabs the Bass as schedules require. In addition to regional performances with various local artists, he teaches drums, guitar, & bass, while pursuing his solo projects “Cosmic Mud” and the surf band “Sun Bus”.
Dylan Walker
Bass
Dylan joined Hunkajunk in 2019 by sheer happenstance, after his talkative mother bought a bicycle from Brett off of Facebook Marketplace. His love for music started in his formative years with a karaoke machine and an ever present FM radio in the kitchen, He began playing the snare drum at 10, and upgraded to the full drum kit at 12. After conquering the Guitar Hero video game franchise, naturally, he picked up the guitar at 13. At 17, he picked up his favorite instrument, the bass guitar, which he feels is the perfect middle ground between drums and guitar. In addition to live music, Dylan is a professional DJ with Wesley Works, performing at countless weddings, Sweet 16’s, and other various events since 2013.
Dylan also plays around the Lehigh Valley with acts such as “Highest Bidder,” “Swamp Guard” & “Park Secret” on bass, drums, guitar & vocals.
Dave Stein
Tenor Saxophone
Dave’s musical journey took flight with two years of intensive study at Duquesne University and soared to new heights during his tenure as a senior instrumentalist with the 249th Army Band. In Hunkajunk, Dave’s tenor saxophone prowess takes the stage, weaving a melodic tapestry alongside the baritone and alto saxophonists, Matt and Kyle. Together, they create a sonic experience that’s both soulful and electrifying, infusing each Hunkajunk performance with an irresistible energy that captivates audiences. Dave’s unique blend of rigorous training, military precision, and creative spark defines the heart of Hunkajunk’s sound, making him an indispensable part of the band’s saxophone magic. This bio was created using Chat Gpt.
Leo “Pookie” Kline
Drums
One of the hardest working drummers in the area, Leo is a regular fill – in & honorary member of Hunkajunk as schedules allow. Justine & Leo performed together in “Ain’t Dead Yet”. You can see him performing all over the Lehigh Valley with many diverse regional acts.
Patrick Kerssen
Keyboards.
Originally from West Milford, NJ, and now located in Bethlehem, PA, Patrick Kerssen started piano lessons around age ten and began playing professionally with his younger brother Alex by the time they were teenagers.
His first teacher was jazz pianist Mitch Schechter, who taught him both classical and jazz. While attending Moravian College (now University) as a jazz piano major, he studied primarily with Skip Wilkins, Tony Gairo, and Neil Wetzel. He graduated in 2018 with a dual degree in music performance and music education.
Since graduating, Patrick has become extremely busy as a freelance pianist and educator. He has performed throughout the mid-Atlantic region, appearing at most of the major jazz festivals and venues in and around the Lehigh Valley.
In addition to his live performance, Patrick has appeared on several recordings ranging from jazz and blues to metal and pop, and has had his big band compositions performed by the Moravian College BIG Band, the 4 O’ Clock Big Band at the Karel Velebny Summer Jazz Workshop in Frydlant, Czech Republic, and by the Steel Stacks High School All Star Big Band at Musikfest.
Patrick began filling in with Hunkajunk in 2019 and continues to perform with the band on a regular basis.
Visit: www.patrickkerssenpiano.com
Adam Ahuja
keyboards.
NYC-based Adam Ahuja is a live-looping artist, keyboardist/multi-instrumentalist, and label founder/consultant. Ahuja’s music melds jazz, rock, funk, soul and electronic music into a fluid style, having drawn international recognition touring independently as an artist and as a past member of acts such as Robert Randolph & Family Band and the Ana Popovic Band. In 2017, Ahuja released “Ubiquity,” an EP on which he composed and performed all music, including keyboards, guitar, bass, drums, and voice, and wrote the lyrics. The album was recorded at Brett’s Studio 901 in Philadelphia, & released on the Infinity Gritty label, started by Ahuja. When Adam plays live, he offers what he calls a #neolivelooping experience: one in which he performs and loop-records various instruments on stage, including keyboards, key-bass, drumpads and vocals, often inviting interactive participation from audience members. Ahuja’s adept performances, charisma, and novel approach to the “one man band” paradigm have made him a widely viewed media presence, landing features in outlets such as Relix, Apple Music, Goldmine Magazine, and university workshops at NYU and Musicians Institute. Adam has & continues to perform on select shows with Hunkajunk since 2018.