PLAYERS
Our rotating cast of players can make it hard to know who's in the band. Here's the roster of current active and semi-active members and composers:
JOSH ROBINS
Guitar, Bass Guitar, Etc.
Josh has led the band through all its eras, dynasties and iterations since late 2002. He has a massive knowledge of 1970s - 1990s comic books but may never fully complete the video game Hollow Knight. His 20 lb. catis named is Buster Kitten (aka BK.)
He wants you and everyone else to stop buying and using plastic.
PHIL DAVIDSON
Violin, Glockenspiel, Keyboards, etc.
Phil joined in the action in 2006. He's a go-to for anyone that needs violin in Austin. He likes cats and baseball.
CHUCK FISCHER
Drums, Percussion, Keyboards, Vocals, etc.
Chuck began drumming for The Invincible Czars in April 2014. He's an assistant middle school band director and though he's not in our touring ensemble, he's a major asset to the group playing on most of our recordings and local/regional shows.
WES HAYNES
Keyboards
Gregg is a real-deal Hollywood foley artist with over 600 credits including Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, Dumb and Dumber, etc . His IMDB page is impressive. Gregg came to one our shows in Santa Fe, NM in 2023. He performed live with us for the first in April 2024.
STEFAN CASTRO-DEL BOSQUE
Drums
Stefan is powerful drummer and is no slouch behind the mixing board at a live show. Always studying, practicing and improving, his influences are wide and varied. He plays in marching bands, heavy metal acts and soundtracks with us!
He has the lowest voice of anyone who's ever been in the band.
LAURYN GOULD
Woodwinds, Vocals
Lauryn is our only current true native Austinite! She is a performer, educator, composer/arranger, and community music facilitator/instigator. She makes music in a wide variety of contexts, both locally and internationally, and has had the great privilege of collaborating with many of the bright lights in the central Texas community.
GREGG BARBANELL
Foley (Sound Effects)
Gregg is a real-deal Hollywood foley artist with over 600 credits including Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, Dumb and Dumber, etc . His IMDB page is impressive. Gregg came to one our shows in Santa Fe, NM in 2023. He performed live with us for the first in April 2024.
SKUNK MANHATTAN
Keyboards, Bass Guitar, Guitar, Vocals, etc.
Skunk came aboard for our 2019 Dr. Caligari tour and has become an essential part of the band's composition team. Skunk also leads his own hard rock band A Good Rogering and loves the Seattle Seahawks for reasons he hasn't disclosed. Skunk wrote and orchestrated a lot of our Phantom of the Opera scoundtrack.
LOUIS LANDRY
Drums, Percussion, Keyboards, etc.
Louie was our primary drummer from 2008-2010 until he moved to North Carolina. He came back aboard for our 2022 Nosferatu Centennial Tour. In 2023, he recorded drums and helped write our updated soundtrack for The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and toured all over the US and Canada on the Drum Throne of The Czars! Louie's a big part of our live show and advocates for lamplighter rights in all the movies.
KATIE O'NEIL
Flute, Vocals
Katie collaborated with us during the shutdown years playing flute and singing on our 2020 latin-prog version of "Christmas Time Is Here." She joined us again in 2021 for our Van Halen tribute EP Ain't Talkin' Bout Love. She performed a few shows with us in 2021 while helping develop flute parts for our 2022 Nosferatu Centennial DVD. She also played flute on both our Nosferatu and Dr. Caligari DVDs plus our 2023 single "Return of the Pink Elephants."
ZELDA YOUNGER
Woodwinds, etc.
Zelda helped save our 2017 Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde tour in one of our greatest moments of need. She drove from her home in Minneapolis to Austin without knowing a single one of us and spent a month on the road without even killing anyone. Zelda played all the clarinets on our 2022 Nosferatu DVD and an early draft of our score for Dr. Caligari. Zelda makes excellent Hollandaise sauce and has an unparalleled bird call.
HAMPTON RATTAN
Woodwinds, Keyboards, etc.
Hampton was in the audience at a 2022 show in San Antonio. In 2023, he was in our woodwinds chair on the road all over the US and Canada! He helped us revise our Phantom of the Opera score before going into reserve status in spring 2024. His dog's name is Frisco. Hampton can eat a LOT of pasta if allowed to. He wrote and orchestrated several themes from our Phantom of the Opera score.