A veteran of the Pittsburgh music scene, Rob has been playing Hair Band tunes since they originally debuted in the '80s. Cutting his teeth over the years in former bands Dymonz Edge, Den of Thieves, Slam, and Mr. Scary.
Rob attempts to faithfully reproduce the vocals of artists from the era. From Steve Perry to AC/DC and everything in between - he uses his years of vocal training to sufficiently contort his vocal cords. Somehow he is still able to talk the following day after a show.
While Voice is his primary instrument, Rob plays keyboards/piano and guitar. Piano influences include early Elton John and Billy Joel. You can see this different side of Rob by checking out his duo Beyond The Ears.
In addition to Beyond The Ears, Rob is a member of Pittsburgh's own Disco, Dance & Funk band, Dancing Queen and formerly a member of Bon Journey (Pittsburgh), a Bon Jovi and Journey Tribute act, where he would belt out a nightly set of Steve Perry vocals.
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Born and raised north of Pittsburgh, Jesse first learned to play guitar by listening to his father's Boston and Rush albums. Having spent countless hours meticulously practicing each nuance of every song he has ever sat down to learn, Jesse strives to reproduce a faithful reproduction of the original recordings when performing live.
He has spent many nights and weekends rocking with several bands in the Pittsburgh area, including Bon Journey, BowieLive, the Tina Daniels Band, and Trevolta. His love of music allows him to play all genres, but his true passion is shredding out to heavy metal tunes. Making some noise with Glitz is the thrill of his life and whether he's thrashing out Skid Row or rocking CC DeVille's guitar solo in Talk Dirty To Me, rest assured, he pours every last ounce of his heart into every note!
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Charlie is a self-proclaimed gig addict and enjoys playing any show, any time, regardless if there are 5 or 5000 people in the audience.
Growing up in a small northern suburb of Pittsburgh, Charlie began playing electric guitar at ten years old but soon discovered he was a 16-year-old kid in a neighborhood full of guitar players with no Bass players. He then took to heart some advice a gigging guitar player had offered: "If you take up playing Bass guitar, I guarantee you'll always have a gig." Charlie picked up a Bass guitar and did not look back.
At 22 years old, he was one of the founding members of the Pittsburgh band TKO in the '80s and went on to play in various other bands - such as Mercenary and Tripshow. Besides thumping out bass lines with Glitz, you can also catch him with Pittsburgh punk rockers Middle Finger.
His big sound and on-stage attitude help drive the high-energy characteristics of Glitz.
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As a young teenager, after several failed attempts to play the guitar, Todd's parents were not about to spend hard-earned money on a drum set that would sit in a corner and not be used. They did, however, buy him a pair of drumsticks. Todd wanted to be just like Peter Criss, the drummer for the band Kiss. Every chance Todd had, he would put on a pair of headphones and play with the sticks on his mattress, imagining he was in concert with Kiss. Soon his parents discovered the springs coming out of the mattress and knew Todd was serious about playing the drums. They purchased a drum set, along with a new mattress.
Todd's parents owned a tavern. Because of all the noise, a soundproof room was constructed to help keep the noise down. He would practice many hours to his favorite records, where he would learn an entire side of an album as perfectly as he could. If he made a mistake, even at the last song on the side, he would put the needle back to the beginning of the record and start over until he played all the songs perfectly from beginning to end. Some early drumming influences were Neil Peart (Rush), Tommy Lee (Motley Crue), Rick Allen (Def Leppard), and, of course, the late great John Bonham (Led Zeppelin).
As a fan of Kiss and Motley Crue, Todd envisioned putting on a great stage show and would go to the nearby football field and practice throwing his sticks as high as he could and catching them along with twirling his sticks while he watched the Flintstones. To hone his musical abilities, Todd, along with childhood friends guitar players John Fox and Scott Drummond, would rehearse in the basement, emulating songs as precisely as they could.
At age 14, Todd started playing with musicians a few years older than himself and was playing at graduation parties, the local carnival, backyard parties, and parks. When Todd got to driving age, he hooked up with a band from the Apollo area named Crusayter that played at the local bars. At this point, he was given the nickname "Todd (the Animal) Watson" for his wild drum playing. From 18 to 22, Todd played in a Top 40 band Xpozure that played many of Pittsburgh's top clubs, the Pittsburgh Regatta, and opened for the likes of Foghat, Donnie Iris, and B.E Taylor.
In the late '80s and early '90s, Todd played in the band Den Of Thieves. They played many local venues - Graffiti, Sunny Jim's, and Moondog's, where it just so happens that Todd's likeness is portrayed on the wall as a dog. In the mid-'90s, Todd played and recorded with the original act S.P.I.T.
In the late '90s and early to mid-2000s, Todd took time off playing in bands to devote time to increase his drumming skills in the progressive rock genre, studying the styles of Neil Peart (Rush) and Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater). He practiced every day devoting the same disciplines he did as a teenager by trying to play the songs as perfectly as he could. Also, around this time, Todd would fill in for John Vento and Friends, The Businessman Band, and The Nied's Hotel Band.
In 2010 Todd, with the help of guitarist John Fox, wrote and recorded the album Watson's Awakening. The lyrics Todd wrote are a testimonial to Todd's struggle with alcoholism and the long-term sobriety he has achieved.
Todd's passion for drumming is never ending as he is constantly studying drummers, learning solos, drum techniques, reading music, rudiments, ambidexterity, and, of course, more stick tricks!
In 2015, Todd received a call from his former bandmate and vocalist from Den of Thieves, Rob Knox. Glitz was looking for a drummer - Todd didn't hesitate. After living through the '80s when Hair Bands were in their heyday, he knew this gig was right up his alley. With Todd's stick throwing and twirling, he gets to emulate his drum heroes from his favorite era, always trying to play the drum parts perfectly with showmanship, discipline, and enthusiasm he had as a teenager.
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