The John Lennon Education Tour Bus
Other places The John Lennon Songwriting Contest
The Staff
Staff Bios
Jeff Sobel Chief Engineer
Jeff Sobel has been a professional sound engineer since 1998. He produced several albums for indie artists and was both a house and touring live sound engineer before joining the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus in 2002 as an on-board engineer. Jeff spent 3 years on the road with the Bus during which time he oversaw the 2004 re-build of the first Lennon Bus. In 2007, Jeff was responsible for the conceptualization and design of the current Lennon Bus for which he created a floor plan and system design ideally suited to the Bus’ unique mission.
Jeff is currently a freelance engineer, consultant, and educator living in Los Angeles, CA.
Hometown – Missouri
Nickname – Jeffro
Fav Food – Vegan
Fav Band/Artist – Elliott Smith, Neutral Milk Hotel, Uncle Tupelo, Brian Jonestown Massacre
Jaime Walden Associate Director / Tour Mama
Jaime Walden graduated from Baruch College with a BA in Music. She began singing, playing guitar, and writing songs at the young age of six years old in Florida. Her passion for live music led her to New York City, where she began working in production and talent booking for several music venues. Going on her third year overseeing the touring logistics of the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus, Jaime is currently pursuing her MBA and hopes to help launch an international fleet of busses in the near future.
Hometown - Deerfield Beach, FL
Nickname - Mama
Fav Food - sans glutons/dairytrons
Fav Band/Artist - Jeff Buckley, The Beatles, Radiohead, Kings of Leon, hipster “The” bands
Tyler Winick Creative Coordinator
Tyler started his musical career at the age of 17 recording friends’ bands and dabbling with computer sequencers. He also enjoys knocking heads with a pair of drumsticks. (He’s a drummer.) With a new, untraditional approach to music, he began creating tracks using computers and technology, and pursued his passion to become a recording producer and sound engineer. Tyler attended Ex’pression College in Emeryville, CA. where he received his BAS (Bachelor of Applied Science) in Sound Arts. His creative energy finally had an outlet. He began collaborating with many different artists and found his niche working with others. Shortly after graduation, Tyler met up with the Lennon Bus at a local Apple store and began working on board. He’s been around ever since.
Hometown – Fresno, California
Nickname – T-Win
Fav Food – Thai
Fav Band/Artist - Bob Marley
Seamus Harte Senior Producer
Seamus is a self-taught singer/songwriter who attended Ex’pression College of Digital Media in California to sharpen his production skills. After trading in the Great Lakes for the Golden Gate he has been on a non-stop journey of polishing his skills in the realm of multi-media. Joining the Lennon Bus a year ago, he has been able to get his hands into every pot of the industry and now spends his days wishing he were an octopus.
Hometown – Hell, Michigan
Nickname – Sugar-Free Shamrock
Fav Food – Sushi
Fav Band/Artist - The Beatles, John Lennon, Bob Dylan
Ryan L’Esperance Engineer
Ryan L’Esperance is from Pismo Beach, California and has been playing in bands since he was 12. He loves music and has been either performing or recording it since he was in a Onesie. After working as an assistant engineer at his community college, he decided to hone his skills at Ex’pression College in Emeryville, where he received his Bachelors Degree. While in school, Ryan worked with a very diverse group of artists and musicians and spent a lot of his time doing freelance live sound work. Ryan loves to surf, is always down for a good time, and is known as the “Grill Master” to some of his friends.
Hometown - Pismo Beach, CA
Nickname - Ry
Fav Food - Mexican
Fav Band/Artist - The Used, Death Cab for Cutie, Bullets Can’t Kill Danny, Lennon, Dylan, The Mars Volta
Kevin Hoy Engineer
Kevin has been obsessed with music ever since the tender age of 16, when a good friend helped him discover the musical universe that lay beyond the Top 40 hits being played on the radio. At 18, Kevin moved to San Diego and began producing music with his midi-keyboard and computer, mostly for his friends’ various hip-hop projects. However, soon Kevin was inevitably drawn back towards his pop-minded inclinations and that is where he has stayed ever since. After graduating from San Diego State University in 2008, Kevin worked as an ocean lifeguard, traveled the world, and continued making music before joining the Lennon Bus in 2009. He is also an optimist.
Hometown - San Clemente, CA
Nickname - Hoyboy
Fav Food - Mexican
Fav Artists - Radiohead, Animal Collective, Doseone
Anthony Spencer Chief Driver
Anthony is the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus Driver and has been driving buses since 1995. He has driven for Loretta Lynn, Davy Jones and Alice Cooper to name a few before coming on board the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus in 1999, and becomes more indispensable each year.
Hometown – Winter Springs, FL
Nickname – Tony
Fav Food – Steak
Fav Band/Artist – James Taylor
Brian Rothschild Executive Director
Brian grew up listening to the great harpsichord and piano music of the 18th and 19th century. His mother was a concert pianist who started giving him lessons at the age of 4. By 15 he was accompanying choral groups and at age 16 played the celeste with the Hartford Symphony for the Hartford Ballet’s production of the Nutcracker. After that, he began writing music and songs, and eventually was signed as an artist with Columbia Records under the name Iam Siam. In 1998, along with music manager David Sonenberg, Brian created the first version of the Lennon Bus and has since devoted his time to expanding the project around the world.
Hometown - New York, New York
Nickname - Bchild
Fav Food - Katz’s Delicatessen
Fav/Band Artist - John Lennon, Elvis Costello, Ann Margret