about us

Science Groove is based in Seattle, Washington.

In 2002, University Week published a nice article about the band's origins.

Contributing personnel as of 2005 included the following....

Do Peterson (Artistic Director) was born and raised in the Bronx of New York. His training is in Electrical Engineering at MIT, Math and Music at Oberlin College, and Biostatistics at the University of Washington. He plays anything that will make a sound. He has worked extensively as an artist in residence in Michigan and was the founding music director of the Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit. His current day job involves biostatistics work at Children's Hospital.

Jennifer Altman (Roadie, Violin) has a lot of shlepping experience, having shlepped stuff across oceans and continents. Currently she is shlepping at the University of Washington for the English Language Programs. Although she shleps a lot of crap, she doesn't take it. Her fiddling experience is as varied as her shlepping, including having fiddled on the Seine and the roof.

Danstan Bagenda (Samples, DJ Devices) collects and has an interest in a wide range of music from different parts of the world resulting from his travels around the globe. Before coming to the US, in addition to working in a mother-child HIV clinic, Danstan hosted the award-winning jazz program "The Jazz Affair" on a leading radio station in his native Uganda. He is a graduate student in International Health/Infectious Diseases at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. His previous education was in Uganda and England and the University of Washington.

Craig Chin works for the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, and in his spare time his guitar plays him.

Greg Crowther (Keyboard, Vocals, Website) is a researcher/lecturer in the University of Washington's Department of Chemical Engineering. Prior to joining Science Groove, Greg was co-director of the UW a cappella group Unleashed. Greg's academic website is faculty.washington.edu/crowther.

Lori DeGloria (Vocals, Percussion) is a native New Yorker who has lived in Seattle since 1991. She teaches English as a Second Language at the University of Washington.

Karen Hayes (Vocals, Percussion) is a transplant from Chicago and teaches English language at the University of Washington. She loves grooving with her friends as part of this band -- and as an added bonus, has not only learned what a "myofibril" is, but is pretty sure she's identified "the nucleus she likes best."

Tim Hedlund (Sound) has 57 years of sound experience, including installing acoustic tile in a basement and adjusting the fader on his car's cassette player. Tim can also stop a fan with his tongue and train cats to jump through hoops.

Adam Ludwig is a white male, aged 35. He sings and plays trombone for free, as no one in their right mind would pay for it. He's a structural engineer in his day job, which he intends to keep.

The beautiful and talented Gretchen Ludwig (Vocals, Percussion) is Director of Education at 911 Media Arts Center in Seattle. In her plentiful spare time, she writes screenplays, reads comic books, is a member of Seattle Kokon Taiko, snuggles her two cats, and somehow survives life with a banjo player.

Diane Mapes (Piano, Accordion) lives and works in Seattle, not far from the strawberry farm where she grew up. Her first professional gig was as a church organist; since that time, she's gone on to play music in basements and bars and even at the bottom of the world during a 1999 trip to Antarctica. Diane is a writer and composer, and also works as the marketing director for Book-It Repertory Theatre.

Michelle Merklin (Visuals) was born and raised in New York. She began playing the slide projector in June of 2002.

Chris Pesce (Bass) is a composer, performer, and high school math and music teacher in Seattle, where he has lived for the past 13 years.

Kirk L. Van Scoyoc (Banjo, Vocals, Percussion) lives in Seattle with a talented beauty and their cats Edgar and Martin. When not serenading them with his banjo or playing in Science Groove, Kirk teaches in the English Language Programs at the University of Washington. Despite his busy schedule, he still finds time to obsess over Mariners baseball.

New York Personnel

Steve Espinola (Piano, Vocals) plays piano with the Moldy Peaches, Steve Wynn, and the Dan Emery Mystery Band. His primary project is a singer-songwriter act featuring piano, two-stringed long-necked dotar, and 19-string punk electric tennis racket (the latter two intruments are homemade). He calls his music "punk-stride" -- others say he sounds like a cross between Brian Wilson and Thelonious Monk. He is very happy to have the opportunity to play again with Do Peterson, who was Steve's primary performing partner for the first 7 years of his songwriting journey. Steve's website: members.aol.com/spespinola/stevemusic.htm.

Keith "Bxman" Peterson (DJ Devices, Electronics) is an all-around cool guy.

Jessi Roemer (Vocals, Percussion, Wisecracks) can't ever remember how to spell "knowledgeable" correctly. This keeps her up nights.

Comments and questions about this website may be sent to Greg Crowther (greg@science-groove.org).