Wheel in the sky

The music of JOURNEY brings you back to those magical moments in your life.  Transcending the generations, JOURNEY’s songs continue to dominate our popular culture.

WHEEL IN THE SKY recreates that classic Journey concert experience. Based in Los Angeles, the band is comprised of seasoned musicians who have entertained crowds across the country. Featuring former musicians from The Babys, Dokken, Great White, David Lee Roth, Graham Bonnet and Lies, Deceit & Treachery (Bulletboys).

Over the years, singer Shane Tassart has earned accolades as the face of one of America’s longest running JOURNEY tribute bands. (Shane has contributed vocals for tv shows and sitcoms including the Baywatch TV series and Two Guys Drinking At A Bar, and fronted LIES DECEIT & TREACHERY (BULLETBOYS) . It was here that Shane began working with acclaimed keyboardist Eric Ragno (formerly of THE BABYS - the legendary band that Jonathan Cain performed with before joining JOURNEY). Seeking other players who share their passion, this exciting new band is rounded out by bassist Jeff Bretz (also a former member of several JOURNEY tributes), guitar virtuoso Frankie Lindia (from DAVID LEE ROTH) and extraordinary drummer Gary Holland (formerly of GREAT WHITE and DOKKEN). This group of longtime JOURNEY fans is now entertaining crowds across America as WHEEL IN THE SKY.


WHEEL IN THE SKY is:

Shane Tassart – Lead Vocals

Eric Ragno –      Keyboards, Vocals

Frankie Lindia -- Guitar, Vocals

Jeff Bretz --        Bass, Vocals

Gary Holland --  Drums, Vocals
 

Shane Tassart  (Lies Deceit & Treachery (Bulletboys), LIGHTS and Best Of Seven) was born in the small town of Pekin Illinois, and by the age of five he had already started his career in music by teaching himself how to play the drums. By age eight he started singing in the choir and attended many stage competitions. Everything changed when, at age 13, he joined his first band and started playing "professionally".

After seeing TOTO on their TOTO 4 tour Shane decided to put down his drum sticks and become the lead singer. After years on the circuit he landed in 1991 in Hollywood California. His first three shows on the Sunset Strip were sold out, and all seemed to be on track, until the grunge movement happened. The band  dissolved and he went on to create Power Pop sensations BEST OF SEVEN. This band went on to tour the states and eventually got signed to Union Entertainment (Nickleback, Saliva, Oleander). The band showcased for all the major labels including Sony and Clive Davis’s new label J records. Over that period of time, Shane composed hundreds of songs recording at Ocean, A&M and Cherokee Studios, but unfortunately the stars never aligned.

Eventually the songs would be released in 2002. His self penned single “Wonder” charted in the top ten in 2003 on a new format …internet radio. In 2008 he released his first solo EP “Rebels Never Die”. It was during this time that Shane signed a publishing contract with Universal Music Publishing. He also wrote the theme song for the internet series “Two Guys Drinking at a Bar” starring Chris Farley’s brother Kevin. The series was #1 on iTunes and has over one million downloads! In 2009 the Best Of Seven track was nominated for an AVN award for “Best Original Song”.  In 2014 he started recording and singing for the platinum selling band Bulletboys, now going by the name Lies Deceit and Treachery until the end of 2017 and touring with the longest running Journey Tribute band "LIGHTS". In 2018 he and Eric decided to form their own Journey Tribute act, "WHEEL IN THE SKY", and have been performing to critical acclaim across the U.S in casinos and other large venues. Shane also recently lent his vocal talents to the soundtrack of the re-release of Baywatch syndicated worldwide!

Frankie Lindia  (David Lee Roth band) is an LA based guitarist/multi-instrumentalist and music teacher. Starting off at an early age, he knew what he wanted to pursue and made sure to vigorously study his craft. Early on, Frankie played in school bands playing trumpet, sousaphone, drums and bass until he finally discovered Van Halen and … a guitar! From then on out he was strictly devoting his time to studying the 6 strings. Once reaching High School he formed a couple of bands and played many cover/session gigs. Playing with many people and in many bands including his original band Legal Tender really showed him the ropes about the music business. In no way is it just fun and games or easy but the hard work would pay off if kept. “Many relationships were made in the following years of playing out live and gigging- which honestly is what it is all about“, Lindia says. “You can be the best player, but if you aren’t a genuine person, show it, and establish relationships with people, then you’re missing a big part of it“. As the years progressed while Lindia kept playing, he was fortunate enough to become a Charvel/EVH Gear and FU-Tone artist. Always playing Charvel guitars along with using EVH Gear – it was like a dream come true! Soon after, he was fortunate enough to do their product demoing, also! Currently, Frankie plays in the DAVID LEE ROTH band and has released his debut solo instrumental CD “Creatures Of Habit” and teaches music full time- and not just guitar but drums, bass, guitar, piano, and general music. Since Frankie studied theory at a young age, he is strict on this during his teaching. Explaining a fine balance between learning theory and being “creative”- “I started off playing with just some musical knowledge, and I must say it can be limiting. Yes learning theory can be monotonous, but the coolest thing about learning it is that if you learn as much as you can, you can literally apply it to every instrument. Being able to do this will really give you creative freedom which is what I am all about. Being able to properly express yourself.”

Eric Ragno  (the babys, joe lynn turner, Graham Bonnet (Rainbow)  is a keyboard player based in Los Angeles. Known in rock circles as the go-to guy, he has appeared on dozens of rock albums, performing on tracks with Alice Cooper, Paul Stanley (Kiss), Billy Gibbons ( ZZ Top) and many others. He has performed across the U.S. and around the world with luminaries like Graham Bonnet (Rainbow), Dawn Robinson (En Vogue), Jimi Jamison (Survivor), Eric Martin (Mr. Big) and more. His love of Journey invoked regular comparisons to their keyboard player, Jonathan Cain. This lead to Eric working with several members of The Storm (a Journey offshoot), as well as former Journey singer Jeff Scott Soto, and finally with legendary rockers The Babys (Jonathan Cain’s band prior to joining Journey).

The son of rock musicians, Eric began playing music at an early age. Private lessons lead to multiple semesters at Paul Simon’s Guitar Study Center in New York City, and the music program at New Jersey City University. Earning his stripes while opening for national 80s acts, he eventually moved to Los Angeles to work with artists like Takara and Tony MacAlpine.

Merging a classic sound with a modern feel, Eric’s reputation and songwriting quickly made him a regular contributor to the roster of Frontiers Records, the largest label in the genre. The prestigious rock site MelodicRock.com bestowed Eric the title of Keyboard Player of the Year in 2007, 2008, 2011 and 2013.

Eric’s love of Journey eventually brought him to the attention of several nationally touring Journey tribute bands.  After a year of performing Journey music together across the U.S., Eric and powerhouse vocalist Shane Tassart came together to form WHEEL IN THE SKY.

Eric is a proud Hammond artist, and is endorsed by TKL Cases, Alesis and Standtastic Stands. He has appeared multiple times in Keyboard Magazine, Fireworks Magazine, Highwire Daze Magazine, Progression Magazine, the Guitar World Buyers' guide, MMR Magazine and The Music Trader.   

Jeffrey bretz  is a music educator/performer. Jeffs performances have ranged from local theater productions to many Southern California nightclubs, rodeos, restaurants, fair events, wedding receptions, and private parties. He was lucky enough to study in Germany during his last semester of college, and performed frequently with the German Rock/Blues band called “East of Leimen” (Leimen is the city where the famous tennis player, Boris Becker comes from). Jeff has been teaching music at Antelope Valley College for the last twenty-one years. As a Commercial Music Faculty member, he has performed tributes to: The Police and Sting, The Beatles, John Waite, Warren Zevon, Motown, and the 80’s.