Andrew Yonke

Chief Executive Officer

Well I ain't always right but I've never been wrong, and it seldom turns out the way it does in a song. Once in awhile you get shown the light, in the strangest of places if you look at it right!

Favorite Gear: 1959 Gibson ES 355 in FACTORY BLACK!!

Favorite Concert: 2017 Farm Aid
- Neil Young's set with Promise of
the Real as his band. INSANE.

Jonathan Urban

Store Manager

Jonathan is dedicated to making CME one of the coolest places to work and your best local music store no matter where you live. On the weekends you might catch Jonathan blowing out his eardrums through a series of old Marshalls with his local tribute band. He is an avid AC/DC, Gibson SG, and Mini Cooper fanatic, so be sure to not mention any of these things to him.

Favorite Gear: 1965 Gibson SG

Favorite Concert: AC/DC at Wrigley Field 2015

Geoff Tinta

Assistant Sales Manager & Lead Guitar Specialist

Favorite Gear: 1965 Gibson SG

Favorite Concert: Smashing Pumpkins 1997

Alex Chadwick

Senior Key Guitar Sales Specialist

Singer, songwriter, journeyman, and poet laureate, Alex has spent the better part of his last fifteen years playing guitar, and his last ten putting the right ones in your hands. With a habit for making any guitar sound exemplary, Alex is our man for Strats, Teles, and vintage Fender basses.

Favorite Gear: 1974 Fender Stratocaster Mocha

Favorite Concert: Levon Helm at Bonnaroo in Manchester, TN (2008)

Jason Freeman

Senior Key Guitar Sales Specialist

A native to Chicago Jason has been involved in the Chicago studio scene since 2010 after graduating from Full Sail's recording arts program and has spent the last 14 years playing guitar in several bands around the city.

Favorite Gear: My Custom TSmith 7 string tele

Favorite Concert: Whitechapel 10 year anniversary tour at the Rave

David Azizinamini

Senior Sales Specialist

The more amps and pedals you have on stage at one time the better!

Favorite Gear: Banker Guitars, Victoria and Matchless Amps

Favorite Concert: Pearl Jam- Wrigley Field- Aug 24, 2016

Scott Tooredman

Senior Sales Specialist

Zach Avery

Guitar Sales Specialist

As a Minnesota native, Zach began playing shows around the Twin Cities at age 13. He earned his chops between the St. Paul School of Rock and the city’s Rock n Blues circuit; eventually competing in Memphis at the International Blues Challenge two years in a row. He now fronts a band under his own name, and plays all around Chicago.

Favorite Gear: Heritage H-535 (Antique Natural)

Favorite Concert: Rolling Stones at TCF Bank Stadium (2015)

Karl Neurauter

Acoustic Sales Specialist

Hailing from the Ravenswood neighborhood of Chicago - you can either find Karl in our acoustic room, or performing somewhere around town. He's also a fan of craft beer, cold brew coffee, and carbs.

Favorite Gear: 1953 Gibson J-45

Favorite Concert: Fleet Foxes at The Chicago Theatre

Josh Dugue

Acoustic Sales Specialist

Kyle Hammond

Drum Specialist

After growing up in a tiny town in rural Illinois for most of his life, Kyle moved to Chicago in 2010 to pursue music. He’s a self-proclaimed lover of loud music and loud drums.

Favorite Gear: Ludwig & Gretsch Drums

Favorite Concert: Wu Tang Clan 2019

John Paul Moser

Drum Specialist

Born in Park Ridge, IL, John studied music and percussion at Northern Illinois University. He was an in-house studio drummer/percussionist at Solid Sound Studios from the late 90’s to 2019 and has toured the United States, Europe, and Canada for the past 18 years with various artists and bands.

Favorite Gear: C&C Drums & Zildjian Cymbals

Favorite Concert: Soundgarden and Nine Inch Nails at Red Rocks Colorado July 21st, 2014

Phil Hunger

Sales Specialist

 A hoarder of gear and records, Phil is often found riding motorcycles, baking pastries, and  playing psych rock and ambient electronic music.

Favorite Gear: Korg Monopoly, Vox Royal guardsman, 2002 MIM Strat, Jordan bosstone fuzz

Favorite Concert: Damo Suzuki, Empty Bottle 2007

Mario Rodriguez

Sales Specialist

Hailing from the Chicago land area, this singer/songwriter and headbanger began playing guitar at the age of 12 after his Uncle exposed him to thrash metal and NWOBHM. Mario's main areas of expertise are most genres of hard rock/heavy metal, high gain amps, and effect pedals. You can catch Mario fronting his folk band or standing too close to loud amps for his own good. 

Favorite Gear: Dunwich DA120, Strymon Timeline, Friedman Butterslax, 1975 Les Paul Custom

Favorite Concert: Gigantour 2008: Megadeth, In Flames, Children of Bodom, High on Fire

Eric Rejzer

Sales Specialist

Born and raised in Chicago, Eric has spent most of his life with drums, guitars, and in a mixed martial arts gym. He is a Street Fighter and Marvel vs Capcom enthusiast, and a brother to all. .

Favorite Gear: PRS, Ernie Ball Music Man, Suhr, any Djent worthy guitars... especially his Mark Holcomb 7 string in Walnut Satin, High Gain Amps

Favorite Concert: Ozzfest 2004 and An Evening w/ Opeth March 2nd 2006

Daniel Escauriza

Vintage Inventory and
Purchasing Manager

As the manager and head buyer of the vintage and used inventory here at CME, Daniel tells people all the time that he has the best job on planet Earth. He enjoys working closely with his fantastic team as they acquire inventory and obsess over curating the best vintage collection possible, while sharing enjoyable experiences through transparent transactions with clients.

Favorite Gear: Gibson L-00 from 1932 and Carstens Black Flag

Favorite Concert: Gillian Welch and David Rawlings at the Vic in Chicago (2011)

Daniel Albert

Vintage Buyer

Cat enthusiast. Dog petting aficionado.

Favorite Gear: 1963 Jazzmaster

Favorite Concert: Fleet Foxes at The Chicago Theater, 2017

Mike Larsen

Used & Vintage Buyer

Born & raised on Chicago's Northside, Mike is a lifelong bassist & vintage gear fanatic. Specializing in Fender & Gibson history, he's also a connoisseur of the rare & obscure. When he's not scouring the earth for the the coolest vintage gear, you can probably find him watching the Hawk's game, playing bass in local alt-rock band, LFN, or hanging out with his english bulldog.

Favorite Gear: 61 Stack Knob Jazz Bass

Favorite Concert: Fearless Flyers at Concord Music Hall (2018)

Nik Simic

Vintage Receiving

Favorite Gear: Fender Telecaster through a Deluxe Reverb

Favorite Concert: 1994, Beastie Boys Ill Communication Tour

Liz Flemke

Customer Service Manager

Raised by moose in the great state of Maine, Liz loves helping customers "out of the woods" with any problem that may arise. Along with her love for great gear and psychedelic bands, she spends her free time practicing roundhouse kicks and plotting her next adventure.

Favorite Gear: 68 Coronado with a 90s Jazzmaster neck and Greco humbuckers

Favorite Concert: Roky Erickson and the Black Angels at Park West in 2014

Joseph Soldati

Customer Service

Favorite Gear: Fender Jazz Bass & that new pedal that does the thing.

Favorite Concert: Pat Metheny Unity Band, 2012

Tanner Peterson

Customer Service

Dallas raised, Chicago livin’ — Tanner’s a guitarist, audio engineer, and all-around music nerd. Actually, just a nerd in general… When he’s not playing guitar or mixing, you’ll probably find him hanging out with his wife and two dogs, playing Pokémon Go around the city, or hunting for Star Wars action figures for his collection. He’s on the lookout for the best Italian beef Chicago has to offer, so give him your recommendations!

Favorite Gear:  Constantly changing… Currently, Gibson SG, Jext Telez White Pedal, and pretty much any chorus pedal ever.

Favorite Concert: Paul McCartney at Austin City Limits 2018

Agata Potyra

Maintenance

"Hey Buddy..."

Favorite Gear: Gibson SG

Favorite Concert: Bon Jovi or Rolling Stones

Aaron 'A.C.' Coleman

Warehouse Manager

Aaron is a Michigan transplant. He loves the Detroit Red Wings and is a Prince super fan.

Favorite Gear: Gretsch drums, Dream Cymbals, Fender basses, Technics 1200

Favorite Concert: The Specials on Warped Tour '98

Liz Reyes

Warehouse Receiving Manager

Liz is a Chicago native, Percussionist, and DIY show aficionado.

Favorite Gear: A&F Pancake Snare or Istanbul AGOP 30th Anniversary Ride Cymbal

Favorite Concert: Summer Slaughter Tour Chicago 2008 - The Black Dahlia Murder!

Bob Mullaney

Assistant Warehouse Manager

Grown from spores that fell from space, Bob has lived in Chicago all his life and wouldn't want to live anywhere else. He received a bass from his Gram-Diddy (grandma) for his 20th birthday and it was all over from there. "I love all music!"

Favorite Gear: Darkglass microtubes 900

Favorite Concert: Summer Slaughter 2009 or The Black Crows and Tom Petty

Jimmy Jawicki

Shipping + Receiving

Born into a family of musicians and producers, Jimmy has always felt a strong connection to music. Though currently working on a degree in Computer Science here in Chicago, he is 100% dedicated to getting you the right gear, faster than anyone else in the business.

Favorite Gear: Blue Hofner Shorty

Favorite Concert: 1st Concert - Evanescence

Joe Steffek

Warehouse Receiving

Joe works in the receiving department. He sings and plays guitar in a band called The Inventors. His dad has 9 fingers!!!

Favorite Gear: Red Kyser Capo. Never leave home without it.

Favorite Concert: Sharon Van Etten, Thalia Hall, 2-14-19, 2019

Anthony Krecioch

Returns + Receiving Dept. Lead

Joseph Laxner

Warehouse Shipping + Receiving

"I Never met a donut I didn't like."

Favorite Gear: My beat up, busted, Greg Bennett Samick.

Favorite Concert: Yanni Live at the Acropolis. I wasn't there but... if you could just see this tape.

Andrew (Dodd) Smith

Warehouse Shipping + Receiving

Dodd is a lover of music- from Black Metal to R&B, and everything in between! He is a  proud dog dad to his standard poodle, Boogeyman.

Favorite Gear: His 2003 graffiti yellow Tom Delonge Fender Stratocaster

Favorite Concert:  Any of the many times seeing Rancid with his Dad

Bill Kidera

Warehouse Shipping + Receiving

Bill is a professional musician and educator in the greater Chicagoland area. He received a Bachelors in Music from Elmhurst College and a masters from DePaul University. Primarily a guitarist, Bill enjoys performing all styles of music and geeking out about music theory and harmony. 

Favorite Gear: Gibson L-4 CES, natural finish.

Jonas Larkin

Warehouse Shipping + Receiving

Dave Johnson

Shipping Clerk

Chris DeAngelis

Shipping + Recieving

CT born and raised, Chris has been playing and recording music as long as he can remember. When technology meets music, that's when he gets excited!

Favorite Gear: Pioneer RT-707 Analog tape Machine with Auto Reverse

Mike Vinopal

Shipping Clerk

James Brown

Receiving Clerk

Ezra Saulnier

Shipping Clerk

Tom Galvin

Operations & Integration Specialist, Tech Wizard

Born and raised on Chicago's South Side, Tom was snuck into bars and pubs by his parents on school nights to play covers since the age of 14. While his main instrument is guitar, he will try to play anything he can get his hands on. When he is not optimizing business processes, you can find him backpacking or fishing in the north woods or wherever he can get off the grid.

Favorite Gear: Tom does not play favorites.

Favorite Concert: Neil Young - Chicago Theatre 2008

Laurel Scott

Inventory Specialist

Disco made me do it.

Favorite Gear: 1969 Gibson SG Standard Walnut

Favorite Concert: Christian McBride's New Jawn (2018)

Alec Johnson

Guitar Processing Manager

Alec was raised on a small farm in Iowa. He studied anthropology in college, but followed his love of music and lutherie to Chicago. Now he spends his days finding the perfect combination of neck relief, string action, and intonation that makes a guitar feel and sound phenomenal.

Favorite Gear: His own one-of-a-kind creations

Favorite Concert: Daddy-O and the Demolition Band at the Yacht Club in Iowa City

Phil Glodek

Guitar Technician

"I fix broke stuff."

Favorite Gear: Fender J Bass

Favorite Concert: Radiohead, Lolla ‘08

Dustin Martin

Guitar Technician

An Illinois native and University of Illinois alum, Dustin began working on guitars from a lifelong interest in taking things apart and putting them back together. He developed his tech skills while an apprentice at Specimen Products in Chicago, and now makes sure every guitar he touches at CME plays and sounds the best it can. He's also big on cats and can absolutely crush some Simpsons trivia.

Favorite Gear: Skreddy Lunar Module fuzz

Favorite Concert: Glen Hansard at Millenium Park in 2014

Logan Bloom

Guitar Technician

Born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago, Logan has been involved in the local music scene since he started playing guitar at age 10. Logan discovered his passion for instrument repair during a brief stint as a high school music teacher in CPS. He now spends his days changing your strings, making sure your necks are straight, and cleaning the grime off your frets and fingerboard - and he wouldn't have it any other way. Besides tinkering with guitars Logan loves bikes, dogs, and coffee.

Favorite Gear: My 1968 Gower "The Nashville" acoustic guitar.

Favorite Concert: Maps & Atlases, Subterranean, 2007

Alec Moore

Guitar Technian

From Minneapolis,  Alec likes playing tasty tunes and hanging out with his dog.

Favorite Gear: my 1974 Fender Twin Reverb Silverface amp

Favorite Concert: Ty Segall and The Muggers at First Avenue in Minneapolis. 2016

Victor Thomas

Guitar Technician

Victor is utterly obsessed with vintage gear and a connoisseur of bad jokes.

Favorite Gear: Aria Pro II RS Inazuma 1985

Favorite Concert: The Chariot | Glass Cloud at Kingdom 2013 - Richmond, VA.

Ryan Smith

Guitar Technician

"Distort everything."

Favorite Gear: Fuzz

Blake Kobiska

Guitar Technician

Blake was raised in Florida and started playing guitar when he found his dad’s copy of the Back In Black record at 11. He followed music and guitar to Chicago at 20, then to Seattle, and found his way back. He loves old Marshalls, coffee, and working on amps and guitars. Blake plays guitar in his local AC/DC cover band on the weekends. He attended Galloup School and is incredibly proud to be part of the CME team.

Favorite Gear: 1962 Gretsch Duo Jet

Favorite Concert: AC/DC in Orlando 2009 

Ryan Palshis

Guitar Technician

Originally from Crystal Lake, Ryan is a self taught harmonica player who also enjoys playing a Les Paul in a dirty basement. When he's not rocking, he's creating an animated, interactive web comic about a homeless robot. Ryan has been packing and shipping for years so he'll pack your stuff with care and get it to you fast.

Favorite Gear: Hohner special 20 10 hole diatonic harmonica

Favorite Concert: Slaughter and The Dogs with The Briefs at the fireside bowl back I think 2003.

Brody Vukobratoich

Guitar Technician

Brody was born and raised in Naples, FL and loves to work on guitars.

Favorite Gear: My 2016 Gibson Flying V

Favorite Concert: Metallica, Orlando 2017

Daniel Bordonaro

Director of New Product

Dan is a songwriter who has been in music retail virtually uninterrupted since the ripe age of fifteen! He is an uncompromising fan of the Buffalo Bills and all of his favorite music is Canadian.

Favorite Gear: Guild D-55 Antique Burst (mine is a New Hartford-era)

Favorite Concert: Alexisonfire at S.C.E.N.E. Fest 2006 in St Catharines, ON

Gavin Wahl-Stephens

Product Manager

Raised in Portland, Oregon, Gavin  moved to Chicago in 2018. Aside from the obvious love of guitars and music, he enjoys comedy, baseball, and family.

Favorite Gear: 1972 Fender Silverface Dual Showman Reverb

Favorite Concert: July 27, 2013 Phish at the Gorge Amphitheater. Very tight that night. Super funky Sneakin' Sally and a 2001 jam that I believe eventually became the basis for Martian Monster. JJ Cale passed away that day and I was really sad about it, so the After Midnight cover was perfect.

Mike Hussa

Drum & Percussion Product Manager

Growing up just outside of Chicago, Mike has always known that he wanted a career involving drums. Now, between working for the Chicago Drum Exchange, playing drums for Blue Man Group Chicago and doing various freelance gigs, he is completely dedicated to working in the field that he is most passionate about.

Favorite Gear: 5.5x14" Ayotte Keplinger Snare

Favorite Concert: A Tribe Called Quest at Pitchfork

Saul Reyes

Product Opportunity Specialist

Saul was a dog in at least one past life.

Favorite Gear: Sony A6000

Favorite Concert: Dimmu Borgir at the Vic or Infected Mushroom at the HOB

Joe Sherman

Product Category Manager

Joe is an Indiana man who enjoys a warm vintage synth, a cool breeze, a good slow jam, and an occasional glass of wine. 

Favorite Gear: Sequential Prophet-10

Favorite Concert: Tame Impala at Red Rocks

Damon Piatt

New Product Coordinator

Trevor Matthews

Product Photographer

Chris Regalado

Product Photographer

Jose Escobedo

Brand & Marketing Coordinator

Growing up in the South Side of Chicago, you know his team is the White Sox! Jose doesn't have a favorite genre of music but if he had to pick, it would be anything loud, You can usually find him drinking coffee. That's him in a nutshell, any questions?

Favorite Gear:  Custom 1977 Ibanez 2350

Favorite Concert: Run The Jewels @ Riot Fest 2021

Zach Moore

Brand & Marketing Coordinator

"More Donuts..." 

Favorite Gear: A&F Drum Co. 

Favorite Concert: The Felix Culpa, O'Brother & The Dear Hunter at the House Cafe in DeKalb, IL circa 2011.

Sam Porter

Marketing Photographer

Ehmed Nauman

Social Media Coordinator

Andrew Tricaso

Videographer

Originally from Akron, Ohio, Drew moved to Chicago in 2014 to attend Columbia College Chicago and study film. He likes making ambient music, art and hanging out in the woods.

Favorite Gear: Moog One. Someday...

Favorite Concert: Aaron Carter's House Party Tour 2001

John Scott

Videographer

Nathaniel Murphy

Product & Brand Video Specialist

Deb Jawicki

Director of Finance

Dave Piscotti

Accounting & Financing

Chris Conway

Accounting Supervisor

Favorite Gear: His Heritage Sweet 16

Favorite Concert: Jonathan Kreisberg & Dave Kikoski duo at Piano Forte 2016

Adam Hines

Listings Manager

Ryder Baumann

Listing Coordinator