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Entertainer Biographies



John Hockenberry

John Hockenberry Emmy and Peabody Award-winning journalist John Hockenberry is the host of public radio’s live morning news program The Takeaway. He has written two books, a play, and dozens of magazine and newspaper articles. A former correspondent for ABC News and NBC News, he has traveled the globe reporting on a wide variety of stories. His memoir Moving Violations: War Zones, Wheelchairs, and Declarations of Independence was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. He is also the author of a novel, A River Out of Eden.


Matt Savage

The Matt Savage Trio In 2000, when Matt Savage was just 8 years old, he played piano for Dave Brubeck and jammed at a sound session with Chick Corea and his sidemen, Avishai Cohen and Jeff Ballard. The following year he was invited to a sound check to jam with jazz great McCoy Tyner and his sidemen, Avery Sharpe and Al Foster. In 2003, at the age of 11, Matt debuted at the famed Blue Note in Manhattan and was signed as a Bösendorfer Piano artist. The following year he debuted at Birdland, performing with the legendary Clark Terry on trumpet, Jimmy Heath on sax, Jon Faddis on trumpet, Marcus McLaurine on bass and Kenny Washington on drums. By 2005, Matt had performed twice with Chaka Khan. Matt is now 17 years old and a student at Berklee School of Music in Boston. Matt is a person with autism. "...a phenomenally talented pianist and composer who demands to be taken seriously on purely musical terms." The Wall Street Journal.


Johnathan Katz

Jonathan Katz Author, producer, actor, comedian and musician, Jonathan Katz is one of the entertainment industry's most original and versatile creative personalities. Katz co-created and starred in the hit animated series "Dr. Katz: Professional Therapist", which, during the six seasons it aired on Comedy Central, was credited with branding the network as the home for sophisticated, smartly stupid humor. He received Comedy Central's first ever Emmy Award (for Outstanding Primetime Voiceover Performance), the prestigious Peabody Award for Excellence in Broadcasting, and two Cable Ace Awards for his work on the series.

As an actor, Katz won praise for roles in the films "Daddy Day Care" with Eddie Murphy ("excruciatingly funny"), the David Mamet films "State and Main," "Things Change" and "The Spanish Prisoner," and opposite Janeane Garofalo in the 2002 release "The Independent". He also co-wrote the story for Mamet's critically acclaimed "House of Games". Additional televison credits include an HBO special, a recurring role on the CBS series "Ink," and an appearance as himself in the last season of HBO's "The Larry Sanders Show". Katz has made numerous guest appearances on "The Late Show with David Letterman," "The Tonight Show," "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" and "Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher," for which he also served as a creative consultant.

Originally a musician and songwriter, Katz fronted a rhythm and blues group called "Katz and Jammers" before serving as the musical director for Robin Williams' 1979 stand-up tour. In 1997 Jonathan was diagnosed with MS. Weeks later he found out what those two letters represent (multiple sclerosis). For the last few years he has talked publicly about how this illness has impacted his life, and finds sharing his situation with others very enriching. "Life goes on with the disease. I use comedy to cope. In fact I teach a course called 'Coping with Comedians who use Comedy to Cope."


Tommy Filiault Band

Tommy Filiault has been performing throughout the Northeast since 1978. Filiault grew up in Dalton, MA, and always heard 'great country music,' inspiring him to follow in his father’s footsteps to play and sing for friends. While playing in New York City in 1985, Tommy was cast in the Tom Hanks/Shelly Long comedy "The Money Pit". He was playing with Cheap Girl along with the rest of the Fabulous Heavyweights band and Leslie West, from the band Mountain.

Throughout his 35 year career, Tommy has played his 1965 Fender Stratocaster alongside Otis Rush and Ed Vadas , and opened for Orleans, James Montgomery, James Cotten, Jan Pousette Dart, Rick Danko, Commander Cody, David Bromberg, Dickie Betts and many more fabulous performers.

Tommy's CD "Brothers" was recently mentioned in the nationally recognized publication Vintage Guitar Magazine as "Built for cruising pop originals from a first rate guitar guitarist with a head for melody, harmony, and inventive chord changes ... with a very palpable sense of the joy of music making in every track!"

Working for the Stavros Center for Independent Living for over 21 years, Tommy has served as a transportation coordinator and oversees the Home Sweet Home recycling program. Home Sweet Home has recycled over 2500 units of usable durable medical equipment. Tommy resides in Western Mass with his wife, the artist Jami-D. The couple raises rescue dogs and have 5 pooches with whom they share their home.

Along with his band-mates, Juan Vazquez and Bridget Wnukowski, Tommy plans on performing at a town near you.