Bio’s

As much as she values the talents of her bandmates, Whiskey Saints is unmistakably defined by the voice of lead vocalist Cidalia America.

The youngest of seven children, one might assume she took to singing as a way to stand out. Music, after all, filled her home: her father played Portuguese folk songs on guitar, her mother sang beautifully, and several of her siblings were musicians as well. Yet for Cidalia, music was less a spotlight and more a refuge. While she participated in chorus and musical theater at school, she largely kept the full breadth of her talent to herself. It wasn’t until her late 30s, when she joined her first band, Wicked Blue, that she truly stepped forward as a lead vocalist.

Her early influences were wide-ranging, spanning R&B, rock, pop, classical, metal, and even classic crooners like Tom Jones and Nat King Cole. She studied vocals closely, listening with intent and mimicking styles, phrasing, and vocal runs. Around the same time, she began playing piano—an obsession she recalls sometimes even made it hard to focus in school, as she was always eager to get home and work through the chords and melodies forming in her head.

In 2018, guitarist Kevin Curran invited Cidalia to join a new rock and blues project that would ultimately become Whiskey Saints. She is also a member of the seasonal Trans-Siberian Orchestra tribute band Ornament and a two time winner for Top Lead Female Vocalist in the Rock & Rhodes fan poll.

Playing in the Boston metal scene in the early 1980’s, Kevin launched a lifelong endeavor into guitar playing with Assassin. Inspired by the NWOBHM movement (new wave of British heavy metal) Assassin was the first area band to cover music by the likes of Saxon, Judas Priest, Scorpions, Raven, and Iron Maiden to name a few. The band later morphed into the original metal band Steel Assassin. After disbanding in the 90s Steel Assassin reformed in 2005 and was signed to Sentinel Steel Records, releasing their hallmark “War of the Eight Saints”, with supporting shows at the Keep it True Festival in Germany, the Play it Loud Festival in Italy and the Warriors of Metal Festival in the USA.

With a long time passion for the music of Thin Lizzy, Kevin also played in the tribute project Vagabond Kings and was inducted as an honorary member into the Roisin Dubh Trust by Philomena Lynott after their second performance in Dublin, Ireland in 2003.

Forming Whiskey Saints in 2018, Kevin continues to pursue new avenues of blues rock with people he considers like-minded and talented kindred spirits. Inspired by American blues masters, Whiskey Saints is passionate about exploring original and standard interpretations of heartfelt and gritty blues rock compositions. 

Gear: Gibson Les Paul Traditional, Gibson Les Paul Standard, Godin Montreal Premier.

A booming voice, a boisterous laugh, a bold playing style, and a giant bass clef tattoo on his forearm...if you looked up “rock bassist” in the dictionary, you might just find a picture of Dave Liolios.

Dave picked up the bass at age 11, initially inspired by Bruce Hall of REO Speedwagon and Tiran Porter of The Doobie Brothers. It wasn’t long before he gravitated toward heavier sounds, embracing metal and hard rock influences such as Geddy Lee, Steve Harris, Cliff Burton, Steve DiGiorgio, and Joey Vera.

Over the past four decades, Dave has been a fixture in the Boston music scene, performing with numerous area bands and contributing to dozens of recordings as a session bassist. Along the way, his musical path has frequently intersected with fellow Whiskey Saints members, in Moonstruck alongside Whiskey Saints' Mike Fradkin and Jerry Bates, Vagabond Kings and Kingdom of Tyrants with Kevin Curran, and Ornament alongside Cidalia America.

“Whiskey Saints provides an opportunity to add texture and dynamics to a classic style of music, while still bringing the urgency and aggression of my heavier musical roots,” Dave says.

When he’s not holding a bass, Dave can usually be found holding a Crown Royal by a fire, surrounded by close friends and family.

From Westerly, Rhode Island, Crissy grew up in a musical family.  Encouraged by her mother, Crissy began playing guitar at the age of 5.  

Taught by her uncles (fine players in their own right), she grew up a child of the 70s, profoundly inspired by the decade’s rock and blues artists.

Her influences include: The Allman Brothers Band, The Doobie Brothers, Bonnie Raitt, Sly & The Family Stone, Steely Dan, James Taylor, and Gladys Knight & the Pips.  

Crissy has led a multifaceted life and career, balancing her law practice with finding her way back to playing & performing. She was a founding member of the south shore Massachusetts band Wicked Blue (2009-2017) which is where she first crossed paths with vocalist Cidalia America and bassist, Dave Liolios. Crissy joined Whiskey Saints in 2018. 

Gear: Collings I-30LCL, Gibson SG, Fender Stratocaster.

Appropriately, Mike’s first public performance was Billy Joel’s “Piano Man” at age 9 at a local talent show. While he would stop formal training several years later, the desire to collaborate and perform would lead him to play rock keyboard for the next 40 years in local bands Raw Deal, A New Machine, and Moonstruck. He also plays hand percussion in the acoustic group Gorilla Cookies. These groups provided the opportunity to play historical Boston clubs like The Channel, Bunratty’s, Axis, The Harp, The Hard Rock, Copperfields, many large colleges, and open for national acts like The Alarm, Blue Oyster Cult, and Grammy winner Lori McKenna.

In 2022, he joined Whiskey Saints on keyboard, adding a new element to the band's existing signature heavy blues rock sound. Mike considers himself a product of a musical family and the award-winning Stoughton, MA music program in which he played classical and jazz trombone for 10 years. Though he hasn’t stayed current with the instrument he states “everything I know about musical collaboration, preparation, respect for music, setting goals and putting in work came from that program.”

He adds “I’m amongst the luckiest people I know to still be able to play music I love with people I love.” Mike (actually known to most of his bandmates and friends as “Frad”) counts Keith Emerson, Tom Scholz, Jonathan Cain, Rick Wakeman, Jon Lord, Gregg Allman, Lachey Doley, Stevie Wonder, Michael McDonald, and Jordan Rudess in his longer list of keyboard heroes.

Jerry Bates has been behind a drum kit for a good part of the last 50 years. As a New England native he studied percussion and performance at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. He played drums in Las Vegas before coming back to the Boston. Jerry has sat in for half a dozen bands New England area and sung in several local theater groups.

“I really love and appreciate all genres of music. My main drumming influences have been: Steve Smith, Ringo Starr, Neil Peart, Vinny Colaiuta, Simon Phillips, Steve Gadd, Louie Bellson, Buddy Rich, but that’s really just a few” says Jerry.

Anthony Paquette, a native of Warwick, RI, is a versatile and highly experienced saxophonist whose professional career spans decades and genres. While his passion lies in the high-energy sounds of R&B, funk, and rock, he's grounded by a strong academic foundation in Big Band Jazz. His playing style is influenced by sax masters, notably channeling the soulful punch of David Sanborn and Grover Washington Jr. and the technical proficiency of Michael Brecker.

Paquette’s musical journey began early, earning him recognition with performances at the Newport Jazz Festival as a student. He formalized his training through a rigorous five-year program, earning a degree from the New England Conservatory of Music.

His professional debut came quickly with Steve Smith and the Nakeds, leading to significant stage opportunities, including performances alongside the legendary Clarence Clemons (E Street Band). In 2013, Anthony was inducted into the RI Music Hall of Fame as one of the many members of the Nakeds. From 1994, he dedicated twelve years to The Marsels, a period that saw him opening for major national acts like The Four Tops and The B-52s.

Anthony’s playing has taken him across the globe, performing at the Kyoto Jazz Festival with the Anone Big Band, and playing engagements in Germany, Argentina, and Puerto Rico. Today, Anthony is a fixture in the New England music scene, contributing his signature horn work to a diverse array of groups, including Slip Resistant Soul, Rory and the Blues Hounds, The Winehouse Project, Whiskey Saints, and the traditional sounds of the New Providence Big Band.

Mike was born and raised in Middleborough, MA. He began his musical journey in grade school playing clarinet and saxophone, but it wasn’t until age 18 that music truly took hold when he picked up a guitar. Largely self-taught with help from friends, Mike co-founded local band, The Bog Monsters, in 2004. The five-piece blues and classic rock group played mostly original music throughout Boston, Quincy, and the Plymouth County scene, alongside covers from artists such as The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, and Muddy Waters.

In 2005, Mike received a meaningful and unexpected gift: his great-grandfather’s harmonica. With no known musicians on that side of the family, the instrument sparked a new creative chapter. After teaching himself to play, Mike began incorporating harmonica into the band’s sound.

Following a sudden tragedy in 2008, the group re-formed as a four-piece band called Bogged Down. The band wrote and recorded two albums and performed regularly across the Boston area. In 2011, the band amicably decided to step away from performing while maintaining close friendships.

With more free time, Mike shifted his creative energy toward craft beer, home brewing from 2011 to 2016 and going commercial in 2017, opening Harper Lane Brewery. In 2024, he expanded the business by opening a taproom in his hometown of Middleborough, now a thriving business featuring live music and many craft beer options.

Although he hadn’t performed publicly since 2011, music found its way back into Mike’s life through the brewery. Visiting bands, knowing he played, often invited him on stage. One such night led to Whiskey Saints asking him to sit in—and by the end of the evening, inviting him to join future shows and ultimately as a full time member of the band.

Mike’s harmonica influences include Sonny Boy Williamson, Jerry Portnoy, and Richard Salwitz.