Bio
Lead singer
Alivia Levi
Porch Cafè was created by Alivia Levi during the 2020 pandemic lockdown. She would sit on her front porch with her two brothers while they played guitar. Alivia typically sings classical/opera pieces but one day she recorded a 20 second video of her singing to her brother's guitar and it took off from there! Alivia & her brothers continued to cover song requests they would receive from friends on Facebook. Porch Cafè is evolving into a full cover band now with Alivia as the lead vocalist. She loves music and will spend entire days doing nothing but singing & practicing! All she wants to do is music, it makes her the happiest! Alivia just finished her last semester at Lewis & Clark Community College, where she studied music & Vocal performance. She takes drum lessons, vocal lessons, percussion ensemble, music theory, concert choir, piano & now the mandolin! She is also dipping her foot into the world of rock n' roll, which she loves!!! In the Fall, Alivia will be attending SIUE's Music Department to study Opera & Vocal Performance. Her long term goals include performing in some of the St. Louis area Opera Houses & Opera Houses throughout the U.S.
Keyboard/ vocals
Lenny Levi
Lenny levi is the middle child of the 3 and has been playing music for 18 years. Starting with guitar at age 14, lenny quickly fell in Love with playing guitar and exploring a newly found way of self expression and didn’t take long before lenny would go on to learn other instruments such as bass, piano, harmonica, drums, ocarina and currently taking on the alto saxophone! Lenny is excited to see you just how far porch café can go and to know it started one a boring afternoon during Covid lockdown in 2020
Our Drummer
T.J. Callahan
T.J.'s compassion for music started at a very young age 4 to be exact. “God has blessed me with a awesome talent. With that said, I give him all the glory.”
T.J. grew up on classic rock acts like Styx, Journey and Van Halen and his self taught journey into drumming at the age of 9yrs old. As he tells it… “During that age I became to realize the impact that drums not only had on me but others as well. Starting at middle school and just really growing from there. Into high school playing in front of crowds was a absolute rush. Hearing the clapping and shouting of your name was epic. I knew at that givin time what i wanted to hear for the rest of my life. Playing with so many great musicians and big bands has just really helped me in being the drummer i am today. I love the musicians in this group like family. I play at church with this group as well as this band. I put God first in my life the rest is history.
Bass
Jody Grinder
Our bass player! Introducing Jody Grinder!! aka Len Levi
About 40 years ago Jody started his first band with his friends. After searching for weeks to find a bass player he gave up his guitar and picked a bass of his own. He has played with numerous bands where he has been both singer and bass player and become a recognizable figure in the local music scene. As a proud parent one can only imagine how excited he was when his family decided to go full steam ahead with this project and asked him to join them. Using his many years of experience, Jody plans on making this project one of the most successful he has done and is inviting everyone to join us on our journey!
Lead Guitar
Brent McCarty
Alton native Brent McCarty - aka BAM - is the lead guitarist for Porch Cafe’. BAM’s love of rock and contemporary music help drive the dynamic sound and talent of the band.
BAM grew up on classic rock acts like KISS and Van Halen and his self taught journey into guitar began in 1979. As he tells it… “During that summer me and a neighborhood chum made plans to start saving our money to start a BMX bike racing team, but something cool happened at summer camp a few weeks later. When I got there, I watched in awe at all of the campers and guy counselors who had brought their acoustic guitars and how amazing they all sounded! One night at a bonfire in this grotto, the guy counselors were playing these songs and they just sounded so good… and the girl counselors were just swooning! It was that night I knew what I was going to do. I got home and told my buddy, “sorry man, but screw that bike… I’m gonna’ learn to play guitar!” The rest is history.
BAM is blessed with his wife Kary, 5 wonderful kids, and three grand babies.
Sound Tech
JaSON mCATEE
Bringing the sound quality to its peak, Jason engineers a top-quality production and provides the band with the formula needed to produce a great sound and show.
That's not all! Jason is also an accomplished singer and musician. He has worked on multiple projects providing vocals, music and production.
Visit his website at www.jasonmcatee.com for some of his latest projects
Guitarist
Will Levi
He spends his days as a university janitor solving impossible math problems when no one is around. He's also best friends with Robin Williams.
Just kidding!
Will began his musical journey at the young age of 12 years old, following his older brother's footsteps by picking up an electric guitar and learning the basics from their dad. Once the basics were learned, he started rockin' out to iconic bands like Black Sabbath, Metallica, AC/DC, and all the other rock n' roll bands one might hear in their dad's garage.
Throughout the years, Will would join a number of bands and attend college, taking classes primarily in music, working on developing his guitar and vocal abilities. He even traveled abroad to China and got to play with other musicians, who's abilities towered his own.
Playing now for nearly 20 years, and nearly 30 years of age, Will has lived a life of jamming with his closest friends and family, playing anything and everything out of pure love and enjoyment of the tunes, vibes, and memories made with the people he can share them with.
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