Breaking boxes.

Bronson Hoover is a bit of a renaissance man. He’s been a sous chef, touring keyboard player, animator, motion graphics artist, broadcast television cameraman, PTA president, bass player, drummer, artist, songwriter, faux finish painter, theatrical technical director, lighting designer, and pit orchestra conductor. He’s worked in a factory installing glass, as a typist, office paper delivery assistant, dishwasher, prep cook, house painter, drywall pointer, carpenter’s assistant, caterer, landscaper, and even a snowplow driver. Don’t box him in.

Bronson woke up to a phone call early one morning in 2024 asking if he could play that night at Madam’s Organ in DC with the great Chris O’Leary Band. That night in DC was a blast. Chris is a phenomenal, powerful singer and harmonica player who’s been a mainstay on the blues scene for decades. For seven years he was the lead singer in Levon Helm’s band the Barnburners. Chris and his guitarist Pat O’Shea toured the world and performed and recorded with full-blown legends during those years with Levon. In 2025 Bronson took over the keyboard chair in the Chris O’Leary Band and has gotten pretty comfortable in their well-traveled van. Check out Chris’ insane touring schedule at www.thechrisolearyband.net.

2024 was a year of new connections and building like-long friendships. One of those fortuitous connections was with DC favorite son Bobby Thompson. Bobby’s band is always top notch. His songs are gorgeous, gritty, and great stories. In 2025 he released the album Shine with a heavy dose of Bronson’s keys. Check out Bronson’s YouTube Channel for links to some of Bobby’s great videos, and don’t forget to visit his page too! www.bobbytmusic.net.

In 2023 Bronson teamed up with guitar slinger Scott Tournet to form Scott Tournet and the Spark. Featuring Ricky Wise on drums/vox, and Jeff Reed on bass/vox, this band is slamming rock and roll with hints of electronica and blues, blazing solos, and four part harmony. Scott is known as the founding member of Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, Electric Voodoo, and Blues and Lasers. He’s written and recorded with Dan Auerbach (The Black Keys), Willie Nelson, T Bone Burnett, Kenny Chesney, and Alison Krauss. He’s performed with the Allman Brothers, Billy Gibbons, and members of the Grateful Dead and Phish. Check out Scott’s incredible journey at www.scotttournet.net.

In 2021 Bronson joined forces with up-and-coming blues guitar hero Gabe Stillman. A packed tour of the mid-west, a weekend trip to Key West, FL to open for ZZ Top, immediately followed by a jam-packed tour of Florida happened in the fall of 2021. These shows had a killer band consisting of Colin Beatty on bass, and the well-traveled drums of Ray Hangen. Bronson still plays with Gabe on occasion. Check out Gabe’s amazing journey at www.gabestillman.com.

Also in 2021, Bronson teamed up with one of his favorite bands: Burt the Dirt. Dirt don’t hurt, and the sweet Americana vibe of this band has soothed the DC area for well over a decade. Check out the YouTube page for some cool concert footage. Burt the Dirt features Yellow Dubmarine members Robbie Cooper, Aaron Glaser, and Luke Schuster, along with pedal steel master Dave Hadley. Our lead singer and spirit animal is the captivating Harris Amster.

Tour life began in 2020 when the Jose Ramirez Band came in second place at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Tennessee. The band competed against 230 amazing groups from around the world culminating on the stage of the Orpheum Theatre. Bronson was thrilled to perform with such a world class band including drummer Rod Gross, and bassist Charles “Reds” Adkins.

Celebrating a life-long love of jazz, Bronson has performed frequently in a jazz piano trio configuration. Here Comes Bronson features legendary bassist John Previti (Danny Gatton), and the talented and dapper Nick Ruggieri on percussion.

Bronson has performed with Buddy Guy, Anson Funderburgh, and Ron Holloway, and he’s shared the stage with the likes of ZZ Top, Parliament/Funkadelic, Eric Gales, G Love and Special Sauce, Vanessa Collier, Nikki Hill, Billy Price, and Charlie Hunter to name a few. He’s jammed in Prague, Frankfort, Kyoto, and Negril with some great players, and he’s always ready for the next adventure. He’s studied with Bruce Katz, Dominique Johnson, Dave Kane, Tony Monaco, Ben Paterson, George Colligan, Barney McAll, Ron Elliston, and Bill Boublitz. He’s also worked with vocal coaches Pete Strobl and Mary Ann Redmond.

Avoiding a genre box, Bronson has also played with DC’s favorite Afro Funk Big Band Chopteeth; Baltimore’s funk odyssey Jay Jay featuring Marc Rey on guitar; DC’s roots/rock/reggae powerhouse Orange Whip; and jazz fusion group the Atomic Brothers with Buck Brown. With punk Cult Hero Mary Prankster, Bronson played the role of Swiss Army Knife playing keys, guitar, percussion and melodica. He also plays with Baltimore soul-review favorite the Bellevederes, and blues hitters Fast Eddie and the Slowpokes.

Locally Bronson has played with some great players like Eric Kennedy, Jeff Reed, Bryan Ewald, Mike Tony Echols, Amy Shook, Mark Stanley, Claudia Neuman, Jonathan Epley, and Jean Paul Gaster. He’s also been lucky enough to play some cool rooms like the The Bitter End in NYC, 930 Club, The Orpheum in Memphis, The Higher Ground in Vermont, The Birchmere, The Hamilton, Buddy Guy’s Legends in Chicago, the Purple Fiddle in West Virginia, and The Funky Biscuit in Florida.

Way back in 1999 Bronson bifurcated his working life and started a career in broadcast television. He began a new journey as a cameraman for Chris Matthews and Tim Russert and soon moved to graphics playback for Nightline and ABCNews. After taking an animation course at the Corcoran Design School, he switched to motion graphic design and hasn’t looked back. Bronson has produced video pieces for the likes of Michelle Obama, the BBC, AARP, and Marriott. He’s currently an Adobe Certified Instructor and teaches regularly. You can see more of his visual work at www.dnbstudios.com.

Bronson is also a host for the Baltimore Underground Radio Podcast, and works regularly as a voice-over artist for clients like the FDA.

When not working or practicing, he stays busy raking leaves and sweet-talking his lawn in rural Montgomery County, MD. Bronson has a wonderful wife, two sons and he’s having a blast.