Bio
Meet the Band
Big sound. Hot horns. Great music. Zero chance of keeping your feet still.
Spilled Chili & the Hot Sauce Horns is a high-energy horn band serving up a spicy mix of rock, pop, funk, soul, and dance-floor favorites.
Built around a powerhouse rhythm section and a three-piece horn section featuring trumpet, trombone, and saxophone, Spilled Chili brings a big, full sound to songs you already know and love. Our eight-piece lineup includes lead vocals, guitar, bass, keyboards, drums, trumpet, trombone, and saxophone, with plenty of additional vocals thrown into the mix.
Our song list crosses decades and genres, with everything from classic rock and soul to funk, pop, and party favorites. But we're not interested in simply recreating the originals. We like to put our own spin on familiar tunes, build arrangements that feature the horns, and occasionally take a song somewhere you weren't expecting it to go.
Most of all, Spilled Chili & the Hot Sauce Horns is about having fun. Expect great music, big horns, a little humor, plenty of energy, and a band that's having just as much fun on stage as we hope you're having in the audience.
Turn up the heat. Bring on the horns.
MEET THE MUSICIANS
Trent Yoder – Lead Vocals
Hailing from Kalona, Iowa, Trent Yoder brings a strong voice, great stage presence, and plenty of personality to Spilled Chili & the Hot Sauce Horns. A longtime performer, Trent has appeared with the Old Man Band and has also been active in musical theater, including a lead role in Guys on Ice. As the lead vocalist for Spilled Chili, Trent is front and center, helping bring the band’s high-energy mix of classic hits, dance tunes, and horn-driven favorites to life.
Melissa “Sriracha” Fleming – Keyboards & Vocals
Melissa Fleming brings versatility, energy, and plenty of musical experience to Spilled Chili & the Hot Sauce Horns. A talented keyboard player and vocalist, Melissa also performs with The Green M&M’s, alongside fellow Spilled Chili vocalist Trent Yoder.
Whether she’s laying down the groove, adding the perfect keyboard part, or stepping up to the microphone, Melissa brings musicianship and enthusiasm to everything she plays. With Spilled Chili, she helps provide the musical foundation behind the band’s mix of rock, soul, funk, pop, and dance favorites.
Mark “Jalapeño” Timmerman – Guitar & Vocals
Mark Timmerman brings years of performing experience and some serious guitar chops to Spilled Chili & the Hot Sauce Horns. A longtime musician, Mark previously played lead guitar with the Moonlighters and has continued making music throughout a career in education. A graduate of the University of Northern Iowa, Mark now lives in Cedar Rapids and serves as a school district administrator. In Spilled Chili, Mark handles guitar and vocals, bringing plenty of experience, versatility, and energy to the band’s horn-driven mix of rock, soul, funk, and dance favorites.
Matt Alles – Bass Guitar
Matt Alles of Mount Vernon brings decades of musical experience to the low end of Spilled Chili & the Hot Sauce Horns. Originally from Colorado, Matt started on piano in third grade, moved to upright bass in sixth grade, and discovered electric bass and jazz in high school. He continued performing through college, adding tuba to his musical toolbox along the way.
Matt has performed with guitarist James Kennedy since 1990, playing everything from jazz and blues to Latin, rock, and original music. That wide-ranging background makes him right at home with Spilled Chili’s equally diverse repertoire. Whether locking in with the drums or driving one of the band’s horn-powered grooves, Matt provides the foundation that keeps Spilled Chili cooking.
Dave “Tabasco” Graber – Drums
Dave Graber of Tiffin, Iowa, keeps the engine running for Spilled Chili & the Hot Sauce Horns. An experienced drummer with a great feel for the groove, Dave provides the solid foundation behind the band’s mix of rock, soul, funk, pop, and dance favorites. Whether he’s driving a horn-powered rocker or settling into a laid-back groove, Dave brings the energy, versatility, and steady beat that keeps the band moving and the dance floor busy.
Todd "Trombonero" Bransky – Trombone & Vocals
Todd Bransky brings a lifetime of brass playing and performing experience to Spilled Chili & the Hot Sauce Horns. A former band director, Todd has been a member of Iowa Brass since 1988, where he performs on euphonium and has appeared on all eight of the band’s recordings. He has also performed and toured internationally with several ensembles.
Trombone, however, has always been a big part of Todd’s musical life. He spent more than 30 years playing trombone and singing with Olds & The Mobiles. He also performs with the DTKK polka band and regularly substitutes with the Cedar Rapids Municipal Band.
With Spilled Chili, Todd gets to bring together some of his favorite things: a great horn section, high-energy music, singing, and having a whole lot of fun on stage.
Ted “Red Hot” Reicher – Trumpet
Ted Reicher of Davenport brings a lifetime of music education, arranging, composing, and performing experience to Spilled Chili & the Hot Sauce Horns. A former band director of 21 years, Ted has spent more than four decades in the marching arts as a composer, arranger, visual designer, clinician, and adjudicator. His work has been performed by bands and drum corps across the country, and he continues to write and design through his company, TR Marching.
When he’s not writing music or helping other bands sound better, Ted gets to step out from behind the score and pick up the trumpet. With Spilled Chili, he brings his experience, musicianship, and plenty of horsepower to the Hot Sauce Horns.
Matt “Carolina Reaper” Nicholson – Saxophone
Matt Nicholson brings a strong background in jazz, music education, and live performance to Spilled Chili & the Hot Sauce Horns. Matt is an Assistant Director of Bands at Cedar Rapids Jefferson High School, where he directs the award-winning Band of Blues jazz ensemble and also leads the instrumental band for Jefferson’s show choirs.
A saxophonist as well as an educator, Matt brings his jazz experience and versatility to the Hot Sauce Horns. Whether he’s locking in with the horn section, adding some punch to a classic dance tune, or stepping out for a sax feature, Matt helps give Spilled Chili its big, energetic horn-band sound.