Anthony Scharff - Bass

Anthony has been playing music since he was a teenager, and has been playing bass professionally for five years. He was thrilled to join Whistler in the fall of 2021 and explore new styles and techniques. His tastes and influences range from the Beatles to (insert something metal here.) He is also the bassist and songwriter for the Carolina Shreds and enjoys wrestling as an amateur on the nights when he isn't practicing. He has a loving wife and two sons who are saints for putting up with him and his constant need to be on the go.

Lucas Fowler

Lucas Fowler is a lifelong guitar player, singer and producer. From growing up in the foothills of North Carolina, to long nights playing in cover bands, to touring and recording with his original music projects, one thing has always remained true for Lucas: music is everything. Lucas enjoys comic books, anime, video games and making content for his YouTube channel.

Brad Ward

Blame it all on Uncle Jack, that stupid KISS pacifier and spoon-feeding young Brad razor-sharp licks from KISS Alive at 6 months of age. He also snuck Brad in to see Iron Maiden’s World Slavery tour when he was 9.

Rock-N-Roll is part of Brad’s DNA, thanks to his uncle. Looking to kick a little ass on his own, Brad took up the guitar at age 13. He later honed his chops in a couple of cover bands. Brad began seeking greater meaning to his instrument and attended the National Guitar Workshop studying under Tobias Hurwitz during 2010. Tobias opened musical doors for him that can never be closed. Brad later enrolled in the Berklee online program earning a certificate in Professional Rock Guitar and is currently furthering his studies in guitar and music production with the Atlanta Institute of Music. Brad toured the country with Dreamkiller in 2014-15 and later joined Whistler in December 2019.

Derek Gurley - Drums

“Groove is in the heart” -some guy who programs drum machines.

Derek's been sitting behind a kit long enough to know that rhythm may be something you feel, but keeping time is more than being able to count to 4. After 25 years of gigging with world-class musicians, more than a handful of professional studio projects, and a lifelong pursuit of percussive education, Derek is a beast with a beat and a technical wizard in equal measure. With influences ranging from Jimmy Chamberlain to Anika Niles, there's little he can't pull out of his bag of tricks. Add production skills and his knack for writing catchy hooks on any instrument he picks up, and his resume becomes far more intimidating than his overwhelmingly laid-back attitude. He's a drummer's drummer, but he knows when to leave that nonsense in the woodshed, and he knows when to burn down the bridge with a tasty fill. And also, he likes Star Wars. All of it. So there's that.