"My Old School", a Steely Dan tribute band

We work hard with our clients to make their event or show a success, communicating well ahead of time about schedules, appropriate dress, set lists, timing, pricing, venue specifics, and special requests. We love special events like birthday and anniversary parties, celebrations of life, and club dates where people just want to dance and have fun. All ages are welcome and comfortable at our shows as we keep it clean and sober!

Steve Campbell, Tenor and Baritone Sax:
While in college, Steve really developed a love for the music of Steely Dan. Every day after class, Steve would go back to the dorms and play a Steely Dan album to unwind. Since then, Steve has played in various rock, jazz, soul, funk and big band groups all over Los Angeles. Steve moved to Colorado in 2006 and has played in various musical projects in the Denver Metro area. Steve started My Old School, a tribute to the music of Steely Dan in 2011. Steve took his time finding the right personnel for the band. The band members needed to possess the right combination of talent, personality and a commitment to play the music. We found them! My Old School will provide a journey back to the 1970’s and 1980’s and share the incredible music of Steely Dan. Come join us and have some fun!
Tom Bartling, Guitar:
Mastered the Kazoo at an early age and decided to switch to guitar (“How hard could it be?”) Played with tons of crappy bands for several years. Graduated from Musician’s Institute in ’93 and started playing with some good bands. Favorite guitar players: Scott Henderson, Larry Carlton, Robben Ford, Brad Paisley, Brent Mason, Albert Lee,Steve Wariner, Vince Gill, and Sonny Landreth. Favorite color: Clear
Sexual Orientation: Like oriental sex, but it usually costs a little more.
Strange but true: Front yard contains no grass! It consists entirely of weeds.
Pet peeve: People who pad their bios with irrelevant fluff.
Scott Unruh, Saxophones:
Over the past 30 years my musical experiences include playing with The Denver Kicks Band, The Joe Peterson Dance Orchestra, and The Ringling Bros. & Barnum & Bailey Circus band when they were performing in Denver. I have also played in back-up bands for Maynard Ferguson, Trumpeter Alan Wise, Bassist Lou Fischer, Saxophonist Vince Gnojeck, and Trumpeter Bobby Shew. I began playing Tenor & Alto Sax with My Old School in October of 2011. The music of Steely Dan is an incredible mix of all of the styles of music that I enjoy playing and to be able to perform it with such an amazing group of musicians is truly a privilege.
Zachary Nover, Keyboards:
Zach grew up in Valparaiso, Indiana listening to the music of Steely Dan. By the time he was in high school, he was playing his favorite Steely Dan tunes on the piano. Zach rolled into Colorado in 1998 with the album “Countdown to Ecstasy” blaring from the tape deck. Zach resurfaced into the music scene several years ago, playing various open stages and one-offs with some very talented players. He is now a member of My Old School because he’d love to tour the Southland in a trav’ling minstrel show…
Jim Bartley, Bass:
After being pulled from the trumpet section in HS jazz band to sub for the missing bass player, I played with a 5 piece rocknroll cover band, a 6 piece variety night club gig, and a 7 piece pop/funk/horn band through HS and college in SW Missouri. In 2002, I picked up the bass again and started playing contemporary Christian music in several churches on the west side of Denver…..I met some amazing musicians that led to playing bass with the classic rock cover band The Jagtones for several years. I also play with the Don Elwood Big Band, and several other projects that keep me busy playing many styles of music. My influences on bass include Jaco and Rocco – Jazz, R&B, Funk – Soul with a Capital S, baby!! My Old School is an amazing group of musicians that have an affinity for what Donald and Walter created with Steely Dan – no one applied jazz sensibilities to pop music the way they did. Serious chopsmanship, edgy lyrics – scarcely imitated. I’m proud to say I’m the bass player for this awesome conglomeration of talent to pay tribute to our cult heroes Donald and Walter!
Tom McMillen, Lead Vocals, Percussion:
Tom began his checkered musical career in junior high by choosing to be the only oboe player in the school orchestra. He never did master that instrument, and moved on to not mastering trumpet, guitar, piano, drums and vocals. Tom played drums and sang lead in several unforgettable frat-party- type bands in high school, college and beyond, including Bernese Mountain Dog, Full House, Cookies, and the mighty mighty Jagtones, where he met master bass player Jim Bartley. Tom has also been part of worship teams in a number of local churches, attempting to atone for past musical mistakes. Most recently, Tom was recruited into My Old School, where Tom tries to channel Donald Fagan’s reedy and odd voice, doing lead vocals and percussion. Tom is glad to finally get to sing Steely Dan songs somewhere other than in his car!
Doug Wardlow, Trombone:
Hailing from Whippany, New Jersey thirty miles outside of NYC I was exposed to a wealth of music emanating from The Big Apple. I did my first Music Video conducting The Lawrence Welk Orchestra when I was four. Yes I still have the 8mm film. No you can’t see it! Formally trained as a trombonist from age 9 and also playing any keyboard instrument I could get my hands on, I went on to study jazz performance with Thad Jones at William Paterson College in New Jersey. I have performed with many bands (concert bands, rock bands, big bands, little bands, one man bands), including the U.S. Army Band in Europe, and the USA and in the New York Metro area and right here in Denver Colorado. I currently teach piano and trombone out of my private studio as well as play and substitute for several area bands. I am always looking for the groove. Oh lookie here! these guys got that steely dan groove goin’ on! I’m really pleased to be playing with MOS, because it is so well organized and has real grown up human beings functioning as if they were actual adults. Wait is this a real rock band?
Kent Verbal, Drums:
Kent Verbal, a Denver native, came from a musical family. His mother played eight musical instruments, his father played the flute and was the musical director for a local Denver church. At age seven, Kent became interested in playing the drums. Kent was listening to the local radio stations where he heard the popular music from Kansas and Electric Light Orchestra in the 1970’s. It wasn't until he was age ten, when he was enrolled in the school music program where he had the opportunity to play the drums. Kent attended Colorado Christian University as a drum performance major, where he met his future wife, Laurie Verbal. Kent played with many musical groups and orchestras, experiencing numerous musical styles and genres.
Kent did quite a bit of studio recording work for television commercials, radio ads and was a session drummer for many local Denver rock bands. All summed up, Kent has about 45 years of musical performance in the greater Denver Metro area. Since 2014, when Kent joined My Old School, he has enjoyed the challenge of playing Steely Dan music and performing with the talented musicians of the My Old School band.
Laurie Verbal, Vocals:
Laurie Verbal grew up in a musical family. Her father sang and played piano and her brother and sisters played both the guitar and piano. Laurie began singing and performing at age 7 along with her two sisters. At age 16, when she was in high school, she began taking vocal performance lessons. Laurie later earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in vocal performance from Colorado Christian University. While at Colorado Christian, she met and married a drum performance major, Kent Verbal who also performs with My Old School. Laurie has been performing and directing choirs, ensembles, and children’s choirs for the past 30 years for West Bowles Community church. She has performed and done session recording for opera, classical, pop and country music throughout the Denver Metro area. Says Laurie, “Since 2015, it has been an absolute privilege of mine to perform with the tremendous talent and musicianship of My Old School."
Mike Schreiber, Trumpet:
Growing up in Denver, I was inspired by my amazing Junior High band director, Willie Hill. He got me interested in jazz and demonstrated what a musical group can achieve when you put in the work. In my 20s, I played with the R&B/Fusion bands Mixed Company and Syntax. We played some great clubs in the Denver – Boulder area, including The Bibliotheque, The Walrus, JJ McCabes, Basins Up, and Regas Café. After setting the horn down for several years when my kids were little, I picked it back up to play in a combo with the Colorado Jazz Workshop. Members of the combo started our own jam sessions - that’s how I met “Guitar Tom” and “TBone Doug”. It’s a blast to play in a big horn section and I’m grateful to be a part of My Old School!
Jennifer Beatty, Vocals:
Jennifer Beatty is a native of Kansas City, KS where she grew up singing with her older sister and twin sister, Laurie Verbal, harmonizing together since the first grade all the way through high school. She and her sister sang mostly contemporary Christian and pop music and growing up in the late 60’s and 70’s both were certainly attracted to the music of Steely Dan. Jennifer continued singing classical music and received her Bachelor of Arts and Master’s in Music degrees with an emphasis on vocal performance from the University of Houston. She continued her vocal study abroad in Austria, Germany, and in New York. After moving to Colorado to be closer to family, she continues to perform as a soloist in Denver and has sung for over 10 years with the Colorado Symphony Chorus, performed roles with Opera Steamboat, and has sung with the Opera Colorado chorus for almost 9 years. She has enjoyed being able to perform in such places as Wortham Center, Carnegie Hall, Boettcher Concert Hall and Ellie Caulkins Opera House. Singing in My Old School with Laurie and brother-in-law, Kent Verbal, has been an absolute joy and she looks forward to many more performances with this talented band, singing the great music of Steely Dan.

We can bring all our own sound equipment and lighting. We only need several power outlets on several different circuits. We can provide a tech sheet if requested for venues providing sound and lights.