BAND BIOS

Jackson Gillies (JAX) is a singer/songwriter/guitarist/producer living in the foothills of Santa Barbara. Jackson was born on Long Island, NY, raised by Deadheads and moved to Santa Barbara, CA in 2015. Since moving to Santa Barbara he has been completely immersed into the music world. Most recently he was one of seven artists to record an original and a cover tune for a Kenny Loggins Tribute album entitled CaliAmericana II. He has had the honor of performing with many amazing SB locals such as Kenny Loggins, Michael McDonald, Tariqh Akoni, Randy Tico and more. Jackson released his debut album "High and Low" he recorded himself with one takes and self-produced. He is an advocate for Type 1 diabetes and a skin condition called HS.  Jax is a TEDx speaker and won the Youth Philanthropist Award in 2023 giving back to the community whenever he can. 

Chris Ulep, keyboards from Santa Barbara, CA is a member of the Grateful Dead tribute band No Simple Highway, JGB tribute JGB Mystery Band, and is the founder of Heads All Happy Hour, a series of organized Dead & Jerry jams and gatherings around the Santa Barbara area. He is also a regular collaborator with Shakey Zimmerman, a longtime SF Bay Area tribute to Neil Young and Bob Dylan, as well as Petty Set Go who explores the music of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. On the original music front, he is the founding member of The Adobe and Claude Hopper and longtime member of Tao Jonz and Ace Gonzalez & the Surfilm Sound.

Sky Ulep, keyboards from the band Ladyfinger, hails from Santa Barbara, where he was raised listening to the Grateful Dead and seeing his dad play keys on stage. He now joins his dad as a keyboard duo in Jax Plays Dead to play the music they both love.

David McInnes is a multifaceted drummer with a strong sensibility for sounds rooted in jam bands, rock n roll, and jazz. Residing in Los Angeles, David has accumulated notable credits on drums, including but not limited to: Grammy nominated album Candy Drip by Lucky Daye, Reflection feat. Jaden Lehman, Oteil Burbridge, and David McInnes, Can't Handle Hollywood by Lily Forte and Stained Glass by Andrea Bejar.

Jaden Lehman is a Los Angeles based guitarist/singer/songwriter. Originally from South Florida, Jaden has performed and recorded with the likes of Oteil Burbridge, Eric Krasno, Steve Kimock, Melvin Seals, Jennifer Hartswick, and more. With influences randing from funk, to folk, to West African music, Jaden's playing will touch your heart and get you groovin!

Sasha Cohen was born and raised in the Northern California foothills and has lived in Santa Barbara since 2015. He has been playing the drums for 18 years. Cohen attributes his musical style to his multicultural upbringing which exposed him to a wide variety of musical influences from an early age. Cohen received his B.S. in physics from UC Santa Barbara and is currently a staff researcher in the Department of Physics.

Toby Still is a bass player and singer. Toby is a big fan of the Grateful Dead along with Motown, 70's Funk with favorites like Sly and the Family Stone, Stevie Wonder and Parliament. Toby is currently studying Environmental Science and once a graduate will continue to explore music and believes "playing music is the epitome of freedom in human expression."