BIOS | mossalleyband

The Moss Alley Band

Our name comes from where it all started, the alley entrance to our practice loft at the Moss Window company in Carlsbad, CA. While on the road, our co-founder and guitarist Greg Chigas reached out to an old band member from years back, fellow guitarist and co-founder Tom Clementi, telling him “It’s time to start a new band”. Tom, of course agreed on the spot. After that call, Greg then reached out to his friend and drummer Richard Smith to see if he was interested. Being in between projects, he jumped at the chance to keep jammin'. From there, Richard recommended a past band mate, bass player Luke Baker. We went through a couple singers and then we found, the "Swede".

The band members were now in place and it was time to create our chemistry. We started jamming and realized the groove came as natural as what we call ‘the Lizard juice’ (see front of our t-shirts). We all agreed that we wanted the same kind of song selections, trying to find great songs not always heard in your typical live band drinking establishments. We know you will dig what we've come up with.

Greg Chigas, Guitar

Greg grew up with an older brother and could not help but listen to all the great 70's rock bands that he and his friends were listening to. Through that music, he appreciated the rhythm of the bass and drums, but it was always the guitar that hit hardest. The power of Page, Hendrix, Clapton, Townshend, Gilmore, Young spoke to him loudly.

Years later, he decided it was time to become a musician. So, one day he went to a local music store and bought a cheap, used acoustic guitar and started to learn how to play, he hasn't put it down since. He picked up his first electric guitar from his downstairs neighbor. It was a Gibson Les Paul studio for $300 (steal!), That neighbor still wants it back to this day.

Then the day came where it all changed. He decided to start a band. The energy, power and creativity of the other musicians, there are few better feelings in the world! "I hope it never ends!!!!"

Tom Clementi, Guitar

Tom gets his love for music from his family. Growing up there was always music in his house. His father Tom Sr. played piano, his uncle Mario was a big band leader playing jazz trumpet, and his Uncle Arthur was a professional guitarist working the jazz and blues clubs in the bay area.

At a very early age he was listening to Motown, Chuck Berry, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Yardbirds and the Kinks. His musical tastes expanded to a more blues and country influence as he discovered Creedence Clearwater Revival, the Allman Brothers, Neil Young and C,S,N & Y.

He started his guitar journey in his mid-teens being mentored by a friend’s older brother. Since his mentor was influenced by jazz and bossa nova, Tom naturally became interested in the more rhythmic side of the instrument.

Tom says he identifies with players that feature rhythm first. Pete Townsend, Keith Richards, Billy Gibbons etc.

Tom enjoys playing in the Moss Alley Band with four incredible musicians. The band’s diverse musical tastes provide him the freedom to explore all his musical influences and consistently bring new ideas to an already incredible set list.

Richard Smith, Drums & Vocals

My passion for music started at a very early age. I must have been around 8 years old when I saw MTV for the first time and quickly became infatuated with Rock bands and how they played their instruments. For some reason, I always gravitated towards the drums, finding them extremely cool to watch and hear.

I started playing drums at the age of 18 when I was still in high school. At that time all I could do is keep a simple beat and I would go over to my friend's place to try and play the drums but realized that I needed more practice and to buy myself a kit. I convinced my Mom to buy me a used kit for about $300. I dragged those things off to medical school but had little to no time to play and my roommates would scream in agony anytime I would play.

It was not until I moved to San Diego in 2001 when I bought an electronic kit . I took drum lessons for about 6 months and played them until I became bored and needed to hear other instruments. I sold the electronic kit and bought my first drum set around 2010. I started playing with an original hard rock band called Red Hand here in San Diego, CA for several years, until the band dissolved.

Greg Chigas called me around that time to see if I wanted to play the drums in a band he was putting together and the rest is history!!! I knew Greg from surfing, playing music and just being a sexy lizard :) I recruited Luke and the Swede which I knew from playing with other people in the North County of San Diego.

We are now in the process of taking over the bar scene in the North County of SD. We play regularly at Larry Beach Club in O'side and The Kraken in Encinitas. We have a blast playing together and watching people having a great time on the dance floor!!

Let's Rock

Luke Baker, Bass & Keyboards

Luke's been playing music since he was 6 – classically trained at the piano, picked up the trombone in middle school, jazz band, marching band, any damn band, he was in. He taught himself how to play his dad’s old Silvertone guitar at age 15 and never looked back. The first song he learned was Locomotive Breath by Jethro Tull.

Luke was raised on Classic Rock. Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Hendrix, the Doors, etc. Grunge rock was a huge influence as well. Then there was Hip-Hop, Reggae, the Blues, Metal, Punk. He also discovered Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings. He started his first band at 16 and has pretty much been playing in bands ever since.

Nothing gets him more stoked than laying down a solid grove on stage with some other Rock and Roll savages!

Swede, Lead Vocals

Swede credits his musical ability to his father, James Charles Lundgren. An accomplished jazz percussionist who spent 10 years with the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra, and a military veteran of 30 years as our nation's Chief Naval Band Master.

His youngest brother Erik exploded onto the music scene at just 14 years of age. By the time he was 16, he cut his first album while with the Johnny Van Zant Band. Since then he has played on stages all over the world.

His brother Paul is the lead singer of the Paul Lundgren Band in Jacksonville Florida. They play locally in Jax regularly, and have toured the southern Atlantic seaboard, on cruise ships through the Bahamas, and Puerto Rico.

Swede studied under his father's instruction and has further developed his singing performances through past collaborations with the Repeat Offenders and The Offending Party.

His current affiliation with The Moss Alley Band has him surrounded by highly skilled musicians complimenting each others' abilities.

The Moss Alley Band offers an excellent catalog of Hit Songs of today and yesterday; including hard rock, alternative rock, southern rock, funk, punk, and “blue-eyed” blues. They are sure to give every listener something to enjoy.

They play at the Kraken in Cardiff, Larry’s Beach Club in Oceanside, the Saddle Bar in Solana Beach, the Boar Cross’n in Carlsbad and private parties all over San Diego County.

This band is in high demand and perfectly suited for any & all occasions