MEET THE BAND

                                                   Mayday! Bios

Trevor Bunce (Lead Vocals)

Trevor has come a long way to get here, literally. Born in Seattle, raised in Minneapolis, and schooled in New York, Trevor has been singing since he could breathe. His parents met doing theatrical touring productions, and singing in an a capella group with two of their friends before time and distance "broke up the band." Trevor and his sister were enlisted to revitalize the group as a family four-piece as soon they were old enough to harmonize. Trevor then dabbled in rock, but always as a drummer and backing vocalist. He came to New York to study music theater at NYU, but realized somewhere along the way that the "theater" part isn't always as important to him as the "music" part, and he had to find some way to make some noise with no script. He sometimes wishes he could've been born in the 70s, so don't hold his youth against him!
 
 
Kevin Pfeiffer (Bass Guitar, Vocals and Founding Member)

One heavily air-conditioned suburban Maryland summer night back in 1984, Kevin was struck by the idea that he ought to help make the world a better place by learning to play the bass guitar, because he was finding that the world felt like a better place when he listened to records with great bass lines. When Kevin came to and bandaged the impact wound, he found himself the cool kid on the block for about a year as he was not only in possession of the only 5-string bass guitar in Harford County -- a pearly-white Ibanez -- but could actually play it pretty good, having consulted the firm of Squire, Entwistle, Bruce and Lee LLP (Loud Low-frequency Players). Flash forward about three decades and scores of thousands of miles of worn-out strings, magnetic tape, and asphalt later, with stops along the way in academic jazz and classical studies, Lollapalooza-era cover-bandom, original-singer-songwriterdom, 4-strings, 6-strings, 8-strings, the other-end-of-the-spectrum-strings of guitar and mandola, Guitar Craft courses and Jammy Awards, and you'll find on perhaps a heavily air-conditioned urban New York City summer night, Kevin Pfeiffer still getting to feel once again like that cool kid with the 5-string bass -- albeit now a jet-black Rickenbacker -- with Mayday!
 

Eric Gonchar (Guitar, Vocals and Founding Member)

Eric’s musical studies started at a time when America was involved in the Vietnam War, Woodstock and some of the best classic rock was being produced by the likes of Cream, the Who, Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix. However, his parents had a different vision, so they enrolled Eric and his brother in classical and Flamenco guitar lessons. At 13, Eric discovered the Beatles and The Rolling Stones and never looked back. Eric and his brother played in bands throughout high school and in college. While in college, Eric help form Streetwise which played at campuses all over New York and even opened for national acts. For years thereafter, Eric continued to play in cover bands until one day he decided he wanted a more creative outlet. In 2008, Eric started Mayday! when he got fed up playing covers and was introduced to Glenn Fleischman who felt the same. Kevin joined shortly thereafter and Mayday! was formed. The rest they say is history. Mayday! has performed at a dozen or so venues in NYC and has released three studio recordings. Ten years later, Mayday! still continues to evolve and new music is continuously introduced.


Rob Cohn (Lead Guitar)

Back in the sleepy NJ suburbs of the early 70s, Rob’s musical (and other) awakenings drew him to the guitar at the awkward age of 14, and it became an instant companion that led to playing in various bands throughout his teenage years, into college and throughout much of his adult life.  Syracuse University was where Rob first befriended and played with Eric, who was to become a Founding Father of Mayday! many years later. Playing original music has always occupied a large role in Rob’s musical experience.  One of the highlights was playing and recording with singer-songwriter Richard Julian’s band in the early 90s. Richard’s career took off shortly thereafter, while for Rob, guitar playing faded into the background for nearly two decades while he focused on building his career, a company and raising two kids. Over the years, Rob has always savored the ‘art of the jam,’ which eventually included playing with Eric and members of Mayday! - ultimately leading to the golden opportunity of joining the band in 2018, learning much of its substantial catalogue, and contributing to new musical creations.  


Elise Cohn (Vocals and Flute)

It all began in the hallowed and sallowed halls of Burns Avenue School in the 1970s, when Elise and her fellow third graders were handed putty-colored plastic recorders and instructed to blow some air into them, move their fingers, and make what was loosely referred to as "music." Fueled by her youthful naiveté and her sister's enviable record collection, Elise picked up the guitar and flute and began her lifelong musical journey - listening to classical, rock, and jazz records in her local library (remember libraries?), taking classical flute lessons, trying her hand at some Jethro Tull, and composing and performing songs with her friends at every opportunity. Elise went on to play the flute and sing with several bands throughout her college years and for a short time thereafter. Life took her many places, but she never lost her passion for playing and creating music. And then came that joyous day in 2018 when Mayday! asked her if she would bring her flute and voice to the rehearsal studio and relive a piece of her youth. How could she refuse? And there you have it: from plastic recorder to original-song-recorder. Ain't life grand?!


John Pizzuto (Drums) 
 

John came of age listening to Motown and Classic Rock, especially the Beatles.  He made several short-lived attempts to learn drums between the Beatles’ arrival in the US and his immediate post-college years before shelving the idea altogether.  He resumed playing at the turn of the century, studied with some great professional drummers and has since played in numerous blues and rock bands, as well as with an amateur big band for ten years.  As soon as he heard a recording of Mayday performing live, he knew he wanted in.  When his offer of a bribe was politely declined, he resigned himself to learning their repertoire and submitted to an audition.  Luckily, it worked out.