Meet the Band

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Gary Gallagher, MD has been involved in music since childhood. A native of Central Oregon, he was trained in classical piano and trumpet. He served as Drum Major for the Bend Senior High School marching band and attended Lewis and Clark College School of Music in Portland.    

Throughout his career as a plastic surgeon, Dr G continued to play, performing occasionally with various local acts and artists. After retiring from medicine in 2020, he followed his dream of starting a Steely Dan cover band!   

“As a young keyboard player, Fagen and Becker’s jazz-fusion stylings and luminous harmonies were immediately seductive. I have been a fan ever since, even proposing to my wife at a Steely Dan concert! Reeling in the years, baby!”

Rob's first unpaid professional gig was on his 12th birthday when he acted and sang the boy soprano role in the Christmas opera, "Amahl and the Night Visitors" by Gian Carlo Menotti.   

As a high school freshmen and first chair cellist in the school orchestra, Rob was recruited by the band director to play upright bass in the newly forming Jazz Band.  The rhythm section of that band became the first rock band for Rob.  

Rob’s diverse background of music style experience ranges from “A cappella” to “Zydeco”.  Rob has years of experience with Steely Dan music from his many years of performing and recording.    

Grooving with the drummer and holding down the bottom end with the bass, while providing emotively moving lead and harmony vocals, are Rob’s passions.

Rob, aka Doc Z acquired his first drum set in 1980, probably because his parents made him learn violin.  Besides college parties (which too often involved tickets for noise violations), his first gig was at a 50’s style bar in Michigan in 1987 and included primarily new wave music and a couple of Steely Dan tunes.  

While medical training and career sometimes got in the way, he never stopped playing and practicing.  He continues to study music and percussion and is having a great time playing these timeless songs that find a perfect balance between technical complexity, incredible lyrics, and wonderful melodies and harmonies.  It’s an honor to play with these great guys,  who are also excellent musicians.  

 Travis grew up near Philadelphia PA, being immersed in music from a very young age.  With a rock guitarist father, music was always being played around the house, with Steely Dan a regular feature on the home stereo.

Although he began with classical piano lessons, once he received a Fender Stratocaster on his 11th birthday he never turned back! 

Later, Travis worked as a mechanical engineering in Atlanta GA for a time, but decided to re-focus his career on his love for music.  He studied jazz and improvisation techniques under Vision Music Live in the Atlanta, then packed up and moved to Bend OR and founded  Music Flow, a music education program providing private & group lessons for a variety of instruments, along with a student rock band program. 

Travis currently enjoys growing his role in serving the local music community, while also passing along the joy of learning music to his son Mateo. He is honored to be called a Major Dude, and is excited for the journey into the complex music of Steely Dan with some of the most talented and professional musicians Central Oregon has to offer! 

 Chris started his musical journey in 4th grade, inspired by James Pankow from the band Chicago. Despite initially struggling to fully extend the trombone slide, his teacher fabricated an accessory to help him reach 6th position. Growing up in the '60s and '70s, Chris listened, and played along to many horn bands to build his chops and his acuity. Steely Dan was one such band that defined a space in time but still remains relevant today.

Over the years, Chris has accumulated numerous awards and played with many bands in the Pacific Northwest at just about every major venue around Portland. As an industrial designer, his attention to detail and focus on creating impactful products also influences his music. He approaches music as a collaborative effort between musicians and the audience, oftentimes seen playing on the dance floor among the crowd.

In the summer of 2024, Chris saw the Major Dudes perform in Sisters, Oregon, and proposed adding horns to their group. The horn section came together quickly, and Chris now proudly plays with the band, lucky to call himself a "Luckless Pedestrian."
 

  Trumpeter, Bassist, and Music Educator, Marc Saccoman became interested in music at 8 or 9 years old when he heard a neighbor friend playing the trumpet and instantly loved the sound. 

In middle school, Marc’s band teacher agreed to give him bass lessons after school so he could join a local rock band. Marc continued playing both trumpet and bass, eventually studying electric bass at the prestigious Berklee College of Music. 

Marc played bass in several east coast bands and soon after, moved west, earned a master’s degree in music, and was teaching music by day and playing bass by night, around the Bend area.

After a trip to The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival in 2014, Marc was inspired to get back to the trumpet (because we all need more brass in our lives) and started a local Brass Band that played many shows around Bend including the Sisters Folk Festival and the Les Schwab amphitheater. 

A longtime Steely Dan fanatic, Marc feels right at home with this timeless music and is thrilled to be a part of this group.