About UJ

ED FRY

Lead Vocals & Guitar

Ed joined the band in 2007 and is an enigma wrapped in a riddle wrapped in a Twinkie. Though Ed was born in Ohio and for some reason enjoys the football team of a certain Ohio college of which he has no discernible affiliation, he currently and proudly proclaims Madison county Indiana as his home. The list of Ed’s many careers and educational achievements are too numerous to list here (plus, in many cases he is proscribed from doing so by gag orders associated with some very contentious legal proceedings). It suffices to say that Ed has had his finger in more pies than Bill Clinton. Based on that breadth (depth? width? height?) of experience, Ed’s arrival to Uncle Juju brought an eclectic and unique style that resonates with the easily impressed.

Ed is currently seeking opportunities in the traveling carnival circuit, and if you have connections in that field he’d be much obliged if you would set him up. When he is not fighting restraining orders or stealing hood ornaments, Ed spends his free time reflecting on the cosmos, pondering critical moral questions of the day, or just wishing he was “cool like dat” (a sentiment shared by his beloved wife).

TONY GORBALL

Drums & Vocals

Tony has been with the band since its beginnings in 1994. He started out playing bass guitar for the band until early 1999 until he switched to drumming, because standing sucks. After graduating from Lowell High School (seriously, it’s a real town) he moved to Indianapolis to attend Marian College where he formed Too Few Tricks, Uncle Juju's ancestor (I guess Tony is his own grandpa in the lineup lineage?). His grip on the drumming job being persistently tenuous, he has also played with several other bands including Free Will, Celtic Fire, Al Sharpton's Hair (not made up), and The Snooze Brothers, which opened for acts such as Kathy Troccoli, Rich Mullins, and The Newsboys (but not, much to Tony’s eternal regret, Cameo).

In 1996, Tony graduated from Marian after earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Education (as well as the hand of his wonderful, if troublesomely reluctant, wife). From fall 1996 until spring 1999, he taught band, choir, music appreciation and general music at various schools. Realizing that teaching required more patience and less tantrums then Tony could muster, Tony went on to earn a Master of Science in Music Technology from Indiana University in August 1999. And then realizing, finally, that there is no career with the word “music” attached to it that actually earns income, he went into the web development industry, spent some time as a Product Manager for a software company and is now a Director at an IT Consulting firm. In his free time, Tony writes Haiku and is a pro-am wrestler under the name Lord Loquacious (his signature move is a punishing verbal diatribe that reduces his opponents to tears).

KEN PACK

Lead Guitar & Back-up Vocals

Ken joined Uncle Juju in the summer of 1999, since no one else wanted the job. His first attempt at music was as a drummer (yes, a contradiction), and he played percussion through most of his formative school years. After receiving a guitar from his brother for Christmas at age 15, the time he spent drumming decreased, as he had found an instrument he could actually play (actually, not so much, but he thought chicks would dig it more; they didn’t). Thanks to intermittent practice his skills as a guitarist began to overshadow his "skills" as a drummer, which revealed the deplorable state of his drumming. Eventually Ken gave up drums altogether and immediately gained 15 I.Q. points as a result - an effect he would gladly point out to Tony if his attention could be diverted from that bright shiny object. He consequently began studying guitar in earnest (or at least in his room). His musical journey lead him to jazz band at Indiana State University, much to the displeasure of the jazz instructor, who told him “jazz band is no way to get chicks.” Reportedly, Ken left skid marks.

Ken then received a degree in education, but rather than ruin the youth of America, he instead enrolled in and, to the surprise of anyone who knows him, graduated from law school (which put him nicely on the path to ruin everything else in America).

Ken has a beautiful wife and two three four kids that he strongly suspects are his, and spends much of days cleaning up disgusting, ungodly messes (some of which are made by his kids). When he's not directing Uncle Juju in its ground-breaking musical exploration (referred to on the street as "noise"), he works as a lawyer in a labor relations department, and plans on remaining there until he wins the lottery (which he has tentatively scheduled for next summer, though he’s been known to procrastinate). As for personal interests, when he is not wrestling alligators for charity or practicing medicine for free in third-world countries, he spends his free time traveling around the country in a lime green van solving spooky mysteries.

CHRIS RAMSEY

Bass & Back-up Vocals

Chris joined Uncle Juju in 2003. Chris’ passion for playing music began at the early age of 6 when he got his first guitar for Christmas. He then subsequently lost his passion for music his freshman year of high school when he played trombone in his high school jazz band. However, thanks to providence, kismet, karma, or just the fact he was no good at trombone (or possibly as a result of the “Incident” in which a clarinetist in the row in front of him was horribly maimed, of which we will say no more), his director told him he was going to be playing bass guitar (it also didn’t hurt that the prior bassist quit, like bassists are want to do). Thanks to his director’s admonition to stop using a guitar pick (and to start actually practicing) it wasn't long before Chris earned awards for musicianship and jazz bass solos at the many competitions the group attended. And he’ll have you know that despite the rumors (and video evidence) he claims no family members served on the judges panels.

Chris later attended Anderson University where he received his BA in business management from the Falls School of Business. Although Chris did not pursue a music degree (Jeez, what a flippin’ waste of time that would have been! er— sorry, Tony), he still remained very involved in music. He studied bass from local session player, Randy Melson, and he had the opportunity to back up some of the top names in the Christian music business. When not in class (which was most days), Chris was performing and touring with the AU Jazz band, Anderson Symphony Orchestra, and various strangely named rock bands (though nothing as gawd-awful as “Al Sharpton’s Hair”). Summers, Chris performed with the Surfin’ Summertime Band at Cedar Point amusement park in Sandusky Ohio (um, that's the joke; seriously, we're not making this up. Surfin' ... Sumertime ... Band ... yup).

For the past 10+ years to keep the bills paid, his children fed, and his wife tolerant of his hobbies, Chris has worked his day job as a stock broker. On that note, Chris would like to say, regarding the 2008 financial meltdown, “Oops.”