The Crimestoppers Rockin' the DC metro area since 1981!
	(and friends!) As we embark on the New Year in 2024, we welcome two new players to the starting lineup, Steve Heissner on bass and George Lane on keys.   We have  been privileged to have played with some of the most skilled players in the DMV over the years.  As we say, once a Crimestopper, always a Crimestopper.  So when you come to a Crimestoppers show, you never know who will join in on the fun.  But you get a guarantee of some heart throbbing, foot stomping, groove inducing, get up and dance rock'n'roll! The Crimestoppers have been around for - this is hard to believe - 43 years! - since January of 1981.  2022 saw the emergence of a new band - GABE -  the Grateful Allman Band Experience, and crowds are begging for more.   Mostly the same players, different tunes.  GABE is Kennedy Wright, Manny Sanchez, Lenny Stamm, Eric Nelson, Eric Goldberg, and Will Layman (who is retiring from this band in 2024 to concentrate on his other projects - his spot filled by Mike Wathen).  You guessed it, all GABE tunes are by the Dead, the Allman Bros., and the Band.  Check for GABE gigs on our Upcoming Shows page.  And also check out our GABE website! Last year the Crimestoppers welcomed a new member, Tim Justice, keyboardist extraordinaire!  Tim has moved on, and George Lane is now 1st string keyboard player.  Mike Wathen continues as keyboard player in GABE.  The saga continues . . . . Check out our latest compilation video from Jammin' Java - recorded July 1, 2023.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puXmxY6maqA&t=7s On a sad note, in 2021 we lost our friend, founder, original lead singer and keyboard player, Dave Rinebolt.  This band was Dave's idea as a third year law student at Catholic Law School, in January 1981.  RIP Dave.  We miss you.  Take a trip through the history link and read about and listen to Dave. We were honored to be part of two Halloween Howl shows at the Hamilton in 2013 and 2014.  Thanks to Ronnie Newmyer!  We can be seen here at 30:11 I Put a Spell on You with Liz Springer and James Bazen; 35:09 Love Potion # 9 with Brandon Ehrgood; 40:41 The Brain that Wouldn't Die and 50:38 Purple People Eater with Mark Noone; 53:03 Voodoo Woman with Liz Springer and James Bazen; 1:00:06 Werewolves of London with Ed O'Connell. You can check out Set 1 of our February, 2020 gig at Hershey's here and our livestream on Facebook March 2020 here. The Crimestoppers have been playing rock n' roll and blues in the Washington, D.C. area since January 1981 (yikes - over 43 YEARS!)  Originally known as "Dick Tracy and the Crimestoppers," the band shortened its name at the urging of an unnamed lawyer-member of the ensemble, who experienced angst about potential copyright infringement litigation in anticipation of the release of the Madonna-Warren Beatty 'Dick Tracy' film.  The band played such fabled D.C. venues as The Gentry, Club Saba, The Roxy, the Wax Museum, Bosco's, the Psychedelly, Friendship Station, The Bayou, and Chaplin's. The Crimestoppers are now a 6 (sometimes 5 or 7) piece band playing lots of blues and rock 'n roll.  We cover such diverse groups and artists as Stevie Ray Vaughan, B.B. King, Los Lobos, the Allman Brothers, Eric Clapton, the Blasters, Neil Young, and Jimi Hendrix.  The band currently features , Eric Nelson (drums, vocals), Lenny Stamm (guitar, vocals), Manny Sanchez (vocals), Steve Heissner (bass and vocals), and George Lane (keys and vocals). Occasionally the band is joined by Eric Goldberg (guitar, bass, vocals), Kennedy Wright  (bass, vocals),  Tim Justice (keyboards), Barnaby Bristol (keyboards, vocals), (Ed O'Connell - keyboards, guitar, vocals), James Bazen (sax), Jamie MacKinnon (sax), Bob Garofalo (keyboards, harp), or Scott Ramminger (sax, vocals), Danny Jones (vocals), or Big John (vocals, harp, guitar).  Sometimes the band is joined on vocals by Liz Springer.  Check out our videos playing Feelin' Alright at Hershey's on 6/4/16, Waiting For The Bus/Jesus Just Left Chicago, Walking the Dog, Tenth Avenue Freeze Out and Crossroads, at the Bethesda Blues and Jazz Club on 1/3/14, the Brain that Refused to Die with Mark Noone of the Slickee Boys at Newmyer Flyer's Halloween Howl at the Hamilton on 10/25/13, a Canned Heat medley in the Woodstock tribute at Strathmore on 8/13/09 and Rockin' in the Free World, Cold Shot, and One More Saturday Night, at the Reston Town Center on 6/12/09 (with Jamie MacKinnon on sax)!  And here are some hot mp3s from that gig - I'm Goin' Down, If I, Confidence Man, Marie Marie, Caldonia, Sweet Home Chicago, and Don't Worry Baby (they will stream with quicktime), The Thrill is Gone from Bangkok Blues on 6/26/09 (thanks to Evan Gangler) and My Baby's Gone from the Firehouse on 4/24/09.  (Above pictured at the Public House 7 in Falls Church, Va.).  Here are our latest videos, from 8/26/17 at Smokehouse Live in Leesburg, Va - Dim by Dada, the end of Jessica and Gimme Three Steps on 3/10/18 at the DC Rock'n'Roll Marathon  and Touch of Grey at Crossroads on 3/7/18. Check out our Facebook page and like us please! Check out our own Edward O'Connell's CD Our Little Secret released summer 2010 on Amazon or iTunes.  Here's what one reviewer said: "Imagine Tom Petty, Warren Zevon, Pat Dinizio and Matthew Sweet locking themselves in a cabin with nothing but some recording equipment and a stack of old Elvis Costello and Nick Lowe albums. The result would be Edward O'Connell's 'Our Little Secret,' a hook-laden, finger-snapping, drive-around-and-sing-along-with-the-windows-open power pop gem. In fact, if any of the artists mentioned above had released this album, critics and fans would rank it among their best. If you think I'm being hyperbolic, listen to the sound clips. Hear the crisp, timeless production? Hear the smart lyrics? The warm vocals? The catchy melodies? Buy this now, and recommend it to your friends. O'Connell's music is too good to remain a secret." Also check out Ed's 2nd CD Vanishing Act released in August 2014.  This one will blow you away.  And now Ed's latest - Feel Some Love.  This is available on Apple Music and Spotify.  Don't miss it! Check out our friends playing in our favorite other local bands: the Built 4 Comfort Band; the Bobby Lewis Blues Band; the Rhythm Bandits; the Marsh Brothers Band; Daryl Davis; Well Played; Dangerous Curves; and others! And of course, you don't want to miss Danger Bird, long time Crimestopper and GABE member Kennedy Wright's Neil Young tribute band! HISTORY  UPCOMING SHOWS TAKE A LISTEN! CONTACTS/BOOKING SOME PAST SHOWS VENUES AND FESTIVALS PLAYED some photos courtesy of Terry Brennan http://lifescenesphotography.smugmug.com/ Hard Rock photo courtesy of Matt Cwikiel, Driven to Clarity, http://www.facebook.com/driventoclarity