From Jay Z to ZZ Top, from Cee-Lo Green to Green Day, this band will constantly surprise you. As one fan recently said at a gig, “Listening to SoWatt is like listening to a really good Ipod on shuffle. You just never know what will play next!”
SoWatt combines great song selection and top-notch musicianship with an emphasis on performance that places this band a cut above the others on the Jersey Shore. Whether it’s a wedding, corporate event, or private function, SoWatt will keep you and your guests on their feet and dancing all night long!
Sally James | Vocals
One of the lead vocalists for So Watt, Sally was born in Tokyo, Japan and sang in any chorus, show choir, All-state choir, and talent showcase she could throughout her schooling both overseas and in the states. She started her professional singing career as a lead vocalist at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, Virginia in the shows "American Jukebox", "Kinetix", and "Monster Stomp" while she attended college and was captain of her NCAA Women's Lacrosse team at Christopher Newport University.
Chasing the sun, and her dreams, she moved to Los Angeles, California where she was fortunate enough to land various acting and voice over gigs and sang lead for the 12-piece cover band, The Remembrandts. Sally made some musical connections and was encouraged to move east to start a solo music project. Sally joined So Watt about a year ago and loves singing with such a fun and talented group of musicians. Sally is currently writing her debut album and will be releasing it soon.
Steve Freedman | Keyboard
In 1975, at 6 years old, Steve started banging his ear against the small organ at his grandparents house. He did this after his grandma said he should play by ear. Since then, he's reassessed his techniques and has delved into a multitude of musical styles for the keyboard. He was drawn very quickly into original composition and atmospheric soundscapes which consumes him even now. Having strong influences from progressive rock and jazz fusion, Steve has been involved musically with a number of varied groups over the years. He joined So Watt in early 2010. The group has allowed his obsessive attention to detail to flourish as He is challenged over and over with new songs to emulate with the keyboard. Steve has also enjoyed the opportunity to get in front of audiences with the group in pursuit of the ever elusive pocket where, once in, there is no better place for a musician to be. His other contributions to the band are back-up vocals, whistle and kazoo.
Jon Hakim | Guitar
Jon Hakim is the guitar player for So Watt and is a founding member of the group. He has been strumming the guitar since his early teens and has been playing in various bands for over 25 years. Jon grew up in Ocean Township and studied mechanical engineering at the University of Maryland. He is a sales engineer by day, musician by night and soccer player on Sundays! Jon currently lives in the West Allenhurst section of Ocean Township with his wife Jennifer and their three children Brandon, Marissa and Jessica.
Eric Bosniak | Bass
Eric was first introduced to the bass at the age of 12. When asked what he wanted by his parents for a Bar Mitvah gift it was a bass. The rest is history. Taking private lessons and playing in local high school bands, Lynx & Rage along with Jon Hakim and Billy Portman, also members of SoWatt, Eric cut his teeth on Rock and Roll. Eric went on to attend the renowned Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts from 1985-1989 and graduated with BA in Professional Music. While at Berklee Eric studied and with ensembles, experienced playing many genres of music such as Jazz, Symphonic, Latin, R&B and so on. Ultimately circling back and deciding to stick with what he grew up on, Eric joined the very popular Boston rock band In The Pink. From 1989-1994 In The Pink wrote and recorded many songs the most popular of which was “Under Summer Skies” and played extensively in and around Boston and many of the New England States. The band split up in 1994 and in 1998 MTM Records licensed In The Pink’s material which was released as a CD under the name Sunshine Jive in 12 European Countries and Japan. Fast forward to 2010 - present, Eric joined the local cover band SoWatt as their bassist and has been loving every minute of it. Residing in Ocean Township, NJ, married with 3 children, Eric is a real estate agent with Coldwell Banker Rumson office by day and a So Watt cover band bassist by night.
Eddie Acevedo/vocals, percussion
At a young age, Eddie started playing percussion with his dad in a Latin band. As he grew older, his
interests drew him to Rock, Hip Hop, R&B, and Reggae. He started an alternative rock band Borilais with his best friend Rick Dahrouge. The band Borialis was later signed to Capitol Records and released an album. With Borialis, he toured the United States with the Warped Tour and the Sprite Liquid Mix Tour. He also toured with the Summer Sonic Tour in Japan. He performed with artists such as N.E.R.D, Nas, The Roots, The Used, Hoobastank, Good Charlotte, Jimmy Eat World, Jay Z, 311, and many more. One of his memorable musical high lights was playing at a benefit with The Boss, Bruce Springsteen, and Bon Jovi.
Eddie originally started playing with SoWatt as a backup bass player. He was later asked to play a
permanent role as a percussionist and a backup singer. Now, he has the pleasure of playing with a great group of musicians in an awesome cover band, SoWatt. He is currently working on a new record with
Borialis. He resides in Brick with his amazing wife Tara and his two wonderful kids Tatiana, the ballerina girl and Antonio, the baseball slugger.
Billy Portman | Vocals
Billy Portman has been performing for most of his life. His first band was Lynx, with Jon Hakim and Eric Bosniak . Billy went on to sing and write for ADS, an original progressive rock band. Steve Freedman was also a member. For all of the 90’s, he wrote and performed with No Time, a musical and sketch comedy group. No Time released two albums, and toured the country extensively. He has worked as a master of ceremonies for many charity events and festivals, including the Topanga Film Festival, and Topanga Days, a three day music festival in Southern California. He is grateful to be a part of the amazing group of musicians that make up SoWatt.
Danny Pinto is the drummer for So Watt. As soon as he gets me a bio, I'll post it here.